Police Identify 2 Victims Killed In Beckham County

Authorities have identified the woman police say was found shot to death Sunday in Elk City.

Tuesday, April 23rd 2019, 10:07 am

By: Brieon Sumlin

Police Identify 2 Victims Killed In Beckham County

New details are emerging about two Easter murders in Beckham County.

Investigators have connected the death of Monique Smith, 46, in Elk City to the death of Norman "Gene" Burden, 67, in Sayre.

The person of interest is Gregory Killough, 49, and a survivor of the shootings may have saved some critical evidence.

Elk City police said Smith came to the Heritage House Apartments at West 1^st Street and North State Avenue to pick up her car after a night out with friends, but she never made it home. Early Easter morning, officers found Smith in the parking lot with a gunshot wound to the head.

It took hours to find her missing car outside a home in Sayre.

“Officers entered into that home looking for a suspect, and found another white male deceased in bed,” explained Elk City Police Chief Eddie Holland.

Investigators said that victim was Smith's boyfriend, Gene Burden, who had also been shot in the head. Lying on top of him was his loyal dog.

“When we put him in the animal control officer’s truck, we got to noticing he had a bullet hole in his nose, and we could see what appeared to be a bullet lodged in his cheek,” Holland said.

Late Sunday, a veterinarian removed this piece of evidence, as a statewide search began for Burden's stolen truck and Gregory Killough. Witnesses told police that Killough had a previous relationship with Smith and was with her in the hour leading up to her death.

“We were very fortunate we had some people come forward with some very critical information,” said Holland, “and we started running leads very quickly, and those leads developed into a pretty credible person of interest.”

Early Monday, Killough was pulled over driving Burden's truck in Tulsa. He had a gun and had switched the license plates, and is now being held on an outstanding warrant there as investigators continue to connect the dots.

“It’s kind of a shock to western Oklahomans who are used to living more peaceful lives,” Holland admitted. “However, I will say western Oklahoma law enforcement keeps itself trained, keeps itself ready and keeps itself prepared for any incident that might occur.”

Smith and Burden's families are currently raising money for funeral expenses. Burden's dog has already recovered, and is up for adoption in Clinton. You can inquire about him and help with his veterinary bill by emailing clintonpounddogs@gmail.com.

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