Indian territory again? An old Oklahoma murder case spotlights tribal sovereignty

Set beside a gravel county road, the painted cross stands chest-high in a small circle of bricks, brushed by tall grass and black-eyed Susans and daisies. The lettering on the pockmarked crossbar is faded but still legible: George Jacobs.

This lonely roadside ditch is where Mr. Jacobs died one night in August 1999 after being stabbed and beaten by Patrick Murphy. That same night, Mr. Murphy confessed to the assault on his girlfriend’s former partner and the father of her child. He was arrested and tried and convicted of first-degree murder and sentenced to death.

https://www.csmonitor.com/USA/Justice/2018/0910/Indian-territory-again-An-old-Oklahoma-murder-case-spotlights-tribal-sovereignty