Antlers American

Murder charge filed

Friday, 03 September 2010
By Tracy Steffenson Staff Writer On April 12, 2010, the body believed to be that of Robert Strickland, a Hugo man, was found in Pushmataha County after Strickland has been reported missing on April 5, 2010. Two men, Clifton Parrish 26 of Fort Towson and Aaron Jacobs 25 of Spencerville, had been arrested with probable cause and were charged with First Degree Murder on April 9, 2010. Another arrest has been made. A warrant for the arrest of Natasha Cathey, a 26 year-old white female also known as Natasha Harper, was issued on August 2, 2010 charging Cathey with First Degree Murder. According to statements made by Strickland's girlfriend Jennifer Riddle, Strickland was lured out onto a county road/clearing because he thought he was going to be helping a friend who was having car problems. Riddle said that she had seen a text message sent by Karrie McKeever requesting his assistance because her and a friend were broke down in Messer, OK on the back roads. According to Riddle, Strickland had a .22 caliber semi-automatic pistol on his person when he left the residence. In a statement taken from McKeever, Parish, Jacobs, and Cathey; McKeever admitted that her cell phone had been used to contact Strickland through text message in an attempt to have him come to their location so that they could rob him, which was up by Messer, OK. After Strickland had arrived an altercation took place involving Strickland, Jacobs, Parish, and Cathey where Strickland was hit several times in the face an head with something other than fists. Jacobs admitted to helping clean up the first crime scene near Messer where he picked up a pistol at the scene and placed the pistol in Strickland's Ford Expedition. Jacobs also admitted to placing Strickland in the Expedition and driving away from the scene. While driving another altercation broke out between Jacobs and Strickland resulting in Strickland being shot with the pistol Jacobs had retrieved at the Messer location. This altercation took place on a dirt road on the way to Jacob's residence. Jacobs and Strickland had both exited the vehicle, according to Jacobs' statement, and Strickland fell into the ditch beside the road and was bleeding profusely from the face and head. Jacobs then placed Strickland back into the Expedition and drove to his residence in Pushmataha County and then left again with Strickland still in the vehicle. According to Jacobs' statement, Strickland died in the Expedition while Jacobs was driving the vehicle from his residents towards Antlers on State Highway 3. Jacobs said that once he realized that Strickland was dead he parked the vehicle on the side of the road (State HWY 3) with Stricklands' body still inside and walked away. Jacobs wouldn't give anymore detail about the location of the body. In Cathey's statement to OSBI Agents Steven Carter and Dale Burchfield she admitted to being present at the Messer crime scene with Jacobs, Parish, and McKeever. However, according to her statement McKeever took the gun out of Strickland's vehicle and gave it to Jacobs. Cathey also admitted to driving the Expedition north on State Highway 93, east on Spencerville Road, and into Pushmataha County. Cathey said that Jacobs told her to pull over and then got out and opened the rear door of the Expedition. Cathey said that Strickland attempted to run and Jacobs gave chase yelling for him to stop. Cathey said that she then heard someone yell NO and what she believed to be a gunshot. Then Jacobs came back to the vehicle and backed it up to where Strickland's body was so that he could load it back into the vehicle. Cathey said that she felt Strickland was still alive because she could hear him breathing. Cathey then drove to Jacobs' Father's house in Pushmataha County where Jacobs told her that he was going to take Strickland to the hospital, so Cathey went to Valliant with McKeever and Parish. She also said that in the days to come Jacobs told her that he had taken Strickland's vehicle into the mountains and burned it and that Stricklands body was near it. Natasha Cathey is being charged with Murder in the First Degree and will have her preliminary hearing on October 13, 2010. A bond was set of $100,000.
Last Updated ( Friday, 03 September 2010 )