Cody Garde (Oklahoma County jail mugshot)
An Oklahoma man is behind bars after allegedly admitting that he had an incestuous relationship with his 18-year-old sister and beat her to death in a park behind a local elementary school over the weekend.
Cody Wayne Garde allegedly “confessed” to both incest and murder after he was confronted by police during interviews, according to News9, which cited Del City Police Department Maj. Michael Arterbury’s account of the case.
The 27-year-old defendant, who stands at 5′ 7″ and weighs 140 pounds, reportedly told cops he had an incestuous relationship with 18-year-old Heather Garde. What’s more, family members were reportedly aware that the relationship had carried on for years.
“He did give detailed statements in his interviews and confessed to the crimes that occurred,” the police investigator reportedly said of Cody Garde’s alleged admissions. “Right now, we have charges of second-degree murder and incest.”
Cody Garde told police that he and his sister were on drugs and engaging in sexual activity in a park early Sunday, Aug. 13, behind Townsend Elementary School when the victim “told him to hit her, but he did not want to,” according to Arterbury. The incident took place just hours after police posted a positive message on Facebook about safety and the return of school at Townsend Elementary.
“Our officers had a great time welcoming kids back to school this week and making sure they arrived safely! Officers will continue to make a heavy presence in and around all schools within the city next week, so stay alert and watch your speed in designated school zones,” the post said.
The story the suspect reportedly told police is that he repeatedly beat Heather during sexual activity and then carried her back home blocks away before going to sleep. When Cody woke up later on Sunday, he noticed that Heather was not breathing and that she appeared to be dead, according to the report.
Thereafter, family brought Heather Garde to Oklahoma Heart Hospital and medical professionals confirmed the worst, pronouncing the victim dead.
According to KOCO, Arterbury said that there were “[s]everal people at the heart hospital that were detained for the investigation, and three adults at the [Garde] house that were detained.”
Court records show that Judge Kevin C. McCray was assigned to oversee the criminal case. Garde’s name popped up multiple times in various criminal matters going back to 2016.
On June 1, prosecutors dropped a felony second-degree burglary case against Garde “due to uncooperative witnesses,” the docket for that case said. The case was filed on Oct. 11, 2022.
There are at least two pending misdemeanor cases against Garde, however. After the June 1 dismissal, a hearing in a Sept. 18, 2022 case for DUI and driving with an open beer container was pushed back to Aug. 16. Court notes indicated that the defendant was considering a plea deal.
A separate misdemeanor case of malicious injury or destruction of property less than $1,000 was filed on March 14. That case was similarly pushed back to Aug. 16.
Cody Garde’s legal jeopardy has since ratcheted up significantly.
Oklahoma law says that when persons “being within the degrees of consanguinity within which marriages are by the laws of the state declared incestuous and void […] commit adultery or fornication with each other,” that’s a felony punishable no more than 10 years.
Second-degree murder doesn’t necessarily require premeditation, but occurs either when someone with a “depraved mind” carries out an “act imminently dangerous to another person,” or in the course of certain felonies. A second-degree murder conviction would mean at least 10 years in prison but no more than a life sentence.
Oklahoma County Detention Center records reviewed by Law&Crime confirm that Garde was booked on Tuesday, Aug. 15, and remains in custody without bond on the second-degree murder and incest charges.