Cleveland County DA Seeking Death Penalty In Norman Murder

A murder trial is moving forward in Norman, with the death penalty now on the table as a possible punishment.

Joe Alliniece is accused of brutally murdering Brittani Young earlier this year, and her family has been seeking capital punishment since the beginning.

District Attorney Greg Mashburn says this case meets four out of the seven qualifying factors for a death penalty trial, due to the nature of the crime and Alliniece’s criminal history.

Alliniece is a convicted felon with a violent past, who Mashburn says is a continued threat to public safety. Additionally, he is accused of stomping on Brittani Young's head until she was dead back in April, and eyewitnesses say he continued to do so as they were held hostage in Young's apartment.

“We don’t ask for the death penalty in every murder case,” said Mashburn. “There has to be those aggravating circumstances. And so, it should be reserved for the worst of the worst.”

Young's family feels a sense of relief that the case is moving forward with capital punishment because they agree it fits the crime. Her husband Steve says the grief is still fresh. “I didn’t make the law, but I do believe in the law, and that’s what the law calls for, for what he’s done,” he said.

Mashburn says he has been consulting the family throughout the process, and says a plea deal was never an option for Alliniece. He says a conviction will not happen overnight, though. “Most cases, this is going to take a long time,” Mashburn says, “so this is one of those were we, you know tell the family, it’s a marathon not a sprint. There’s going to be ups and downs, and these cases take a long time to get to trial.”

Young's family says they are prepared for the long haul, as long as in the end they find justice for a life taken too soon. Her husband says, “I don’t care if I’m 120 years old. I’ll  be at every single appeal. I’ll be at every single time he tries to get parole for the rest of my life.”

Alliniece will appear for his preliminary hearing in this case on Nov. 16.