Brother, prosecutor protest killer's parole bid

[Informer]

Brother, prosecutor protest killer's parole bid

OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) - A prosecutor and the brother of a slain Catoosa police chief are asking the state Pardon and Parole Board to deny a parole for a man convicted in the 1978 killing.

David G. Smith has been recommended for parole by 1 of the board's investigators and has the support of several officials and employees of the state Department of Corrections.

But Rogers County District Attorney Gene Haynes told the board on Tuesday there is a flaw in Smith's claim to be a changed man.

Haynes says it is incredible that Smith is still sticking to his story that he was an unwilling participant in the robbery of a tag agency, during which another man shot Police Chief J.B. Hamby.

The prosecutor and Dave Hamby, the victim's brother, say Smith's claim is contradicted by witnesses, who said Smith followed the shooter into the tag agency, stuck a gun in the face of a clerk and ripped a telephone cord out of the wall.