NEWS

New charges filed in Dec. double-homicide

Daisy Creager
Bartlesville Examiner-Enterprise
Mike Standeford talks about his son Austin's murder last year.

New charges have been filed in the case of a December double-shooting that left two men dead in a Bartlesville bar and split jurisdiction over their deaths.

On Dec. 13, in an argument at the Kickstand Saloon, 1810 SW Frank Phillips Blvd., Gregory Rogers allegedly shot Austin Standeford and Van Parson. The men died shortly after and Rogers fled, turning himself in to Tulsa police the next day.

Initially Rogers was charged with first degree murder, among other things, in Parson’s death — Standeford was a Native American, so his death would be handled by Federal prosecutors, who have not filed charges.

This changed, however, with the June Supreme Court decision in Oklahoma v. Castro-Huerta, which provided the state joint jurisdiction in cases where a non-Native person commits a crime against a Native American on tribal land.

On Aug. 11, the Washington County District Attorney filed a new charge against Rogers — first-degree murder for Standeford’s death. Rogers has a status hearing at 9 a.m. on Aug. 26 in the Washington County Court.

In an April hearing, Wann, Oklahoma resident Angela Filerbo testified she and Standeford were “rekindling an old flame,” and they went to the Kickstand Saloon on the night of the shooting so she could meet his friends.

Eventually, Rogers arrived and flirted with Filerbo. When Standeford asked Rogers to leave her alone, Rogers announced he had a gun. Shortly after, shots were fired, Filerbo said in court.

In the hours and days after the shooting, there was some confusion among law enforcement about the possible involvement of the Mongols Motorcycle Club. Standeford was an active member of the club, but they were not associated with the incident.

Austin Standeford’s father, Bartlesville resident Mike Standeford, said his interactions with the Bartlesville Police during the investigation were not pleasant.

“I resented the things (BPD Chief Tracy Roles) had to say about ‘(Austin Standeford) knew Rogers and this was a gang thing.’ My son had no idea who (Rogers) was. Nobody knew him. He was just a thug looking for trouble. My son is not one to ever, ever start trouble,” Mike Standeford said.

“The Mongols are not a gang. They are not a criminal organization. … (It) is a wonderful organization. My son loved it.”

Mike Standeford said while some motorcycle clubs have fights about territory, the Mongols his son was involved with did not. In a Virginia chapter of the Mongols, Austin Standeford worked as a sergeant-at-arms, helping to keep the peace, he said.

In the days after the shooting, Mongols members from throughout the U.S. flooded social media with kind words about Austin Standeford. They held a fundraiser, paying for Austin’s funeral in Oklahoma. The two-mile-long funeral procession included many people on motorcycles, sporting leather vests, each bearing the same symbol but different words.

Mongols Motorcycle Club of Oklahoma. Mongols MC of Shawnee. Of Texas. Of Virginia.

Later, the club held a memorial service in Virginia honoring Austin Standeford, paying for Mike Standeford’s flight to attend.

“Everyone gets the wrong idea when they see a patch on someone’s back. … When my son was murdered, Mongols came from all over the country. They came here to support my son and to support me,” Mike Standeford said.

“My son is a peacemaker. You can talk to anybody in the community who knew him. He always had a smile, he always put everyone at ease. He never started trouble.”