FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. (KNWA/KFTA) — Graphic new details emerged in connection with the murder of a Tulsa woman after Tulsa police interviewed one of the defendants.
Brinlee Denison, 25, of Saplupa, Okla., and Nicholas Johnson, 28, of Tulsa are each facing charges of larceny of an automobile and first degree murder after the January 4 killing of Sarah Maguire, 29, at her Tulsa home.
The suspects were arrested on January 5 at the Whataburger on College Avenue in Fayetteville.
A January 6 police interview of Johnson in a Tulsa police affidavit shed light on numerous details in the case, including the following:
- Tulsa PD officers responded to a “check the wellbeing” call at Maguire’s residence on January 4 at approximately 5:06 p.m. and found her unresponsive, lying in the living room, “with obvious signs of trauma to her head and face,” and was pronounced dead at 5:20 p.m.
- Crime scene techs documented and collected several items of evidence and Homicide Detectives conducted interviews with “multiple witnesses.”
- During the course of the investigation, the victim’s family stated that her vehicle and credit cards had been stolen.
- The defendants were read their Miranda rights after being found sleeping in the stolen vehicle in Fayetteville. They gave “a full confession of beating the victim about the head with a crowbar, fleeing the scene by stealing the victim’s vehicle, and funding the trip with the victim’s stolen credit cards.”
- Johnson stated that he and Denison were in “an intimate relationship,” that Denison “was also in a relationship with the victim,” that “he was introduced to the victim through Denison,” and that “he was jealous of the relationship between the victim and Denison.”
- Johnson confirmed that Denison was with him during the course of the murder and assisted in planning the killing of the victim. Denison assisted in getting rid of the evidence by throwing clothing worn during the murder out of the vehicle as the two were fleeing the state.
- Johnson stated that he and Denison “had sex in the victim’s bed after the murder,” and that “he could still hear the victim in the living room struggling to live, while he was having sex with Denison in the bedroom.” He added that he knew Maguire was not yet deceased.
- Johnson stated that Denison was aware the murder was going to take place and she collected “various electronics, credit cards, and items of value” from the victim’s residence. He said that Denison drove most of the way to Fayetteville and when she was not driving, she was using the victim’s electronics and credit cards to transfer money from the victim’s bank account to a money account set up for and by the defendants.
Each defendant is being held on a bond of $1 million for murder and an additional $10,000 for larceny of an automobile.
The defendants are still in custody in Washington County Jail and will be extradited back to Oklahoma for a future court date.