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  • Benjamin Littlesun in court shortly after being charged in December 2011. Chase Rheam

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July 6, 2012

Cushing man accused of stomping woman to death sentenced to life in prison

Stillwater NewsPress

STILLWATER, Okla. — Benjamin Andrew Littlesun pleaded guilty Friday to the slaying of Cushing resident Ava Marie King and was given a life sentence without parole, court records show.

He was convicted of murder in the first degree.

Littlesun, 23, was charged with murder in the first degree for the stomping and beating King, 45, to death last December. King was found badly beaten in an alley in the 100 block of West Broadway Street in Cushing. She died a few hours later at a Cushing hospital.

According to witness testimony, Littlesun and a woman left a Cushing bar together the night before, and Littlesun told investigators he beat her when she slapped and spat at him.

“I am very pleased that this case has been resolved for the King family,” said Chief Terry Brannon in a release by Cushing police. “This is another step in the continued healing process for the King family.”

“I want thank the men and women of the Cushing Police Department for their tireless investigative work on behalf of Ava. I also want to commend our staff for collaborating remarkably well with the members of the Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation, creating a seamless investigative effort on behalf of Ava, which played a significant role in the plea today” Brannon said. “We appreciate D.A. Tom Lee sending a very strong message on Ava’s behalf and to others who violate the law in this county,” Brannon said.

According to Cushing police, Littlesun was remanded to the custody of the Payne County Sheriff’s Department after the hearing this morning.

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