Man, Who Defended Himself In Trial, Found Guilty Of First-Degree Murder, 3 Other Counts

An Oklahoma City man, who defended himself in his first-degree murder trial, was found guilty in connection with a 2017 death.

Derrick Laday has been on trial for the past week and a half for the murder of 34-year-old Dennis Johnson Jr.

Johnson’s body was found charred in June of 2015 after investigators said he was murdered in Oklahoma City, his body was then driven to Ada, dumped under a bridge and set on fire.

Laday represented himself through the whole trial.

Thursday closing arguments took place. Laday told jurors that this case was like a puzzle and there were a lot of pieces that were missing. On the other hand, the prosecution said there are no missing pieces to place Laday at the scene of the crime and him committing it.

The jury deliberated for just over four hours and came back with the verdict of guilty on four charges, one of which was first-degree murder.

The jury then went into the sentencing phase for the charges which were not murder. They came back in less than an hour and sentenced him to life in prison for all three.

Monday will start the sentencing phase for Laday’s murder conviction. The state has said they are seeking the death penalty.