Two brothers and their mother have been charged in Rogers County with various crimes after a hit and run accident that killed an 18-year-old woman andcritically injured her 19-year-old friend.
Investigators say 19-year-old Gage Christopher Shriver, Catoosa, and his 21-year-old brother Dakota Alleyn Shriver, Tahlequah, were leaving a conveniencestore in the early morning hours of June 5 when the pair began arguing. The brothers were allegedly arguing "over loud music and whether Gage was too drunk to drive"when Dakota punched his younger brother in the face. The blow allegedly caused Gage to lose control of the vehicle, striking two young women walkingto the convenience store before crashing through a fence and coming to a stop in a field. The brothers, who apparently did not realize the vehiclehit anyone, got out of the vehicle and finished the fight. Then they drove to their mother's house.
In an effort to conceal the DUI, the men's mother, Dorthea Annette Butanda, 39, of Catoosa, allegedly helped them concoct a story about how theywere involved in an accident when they swerved to avoid a deer. The three returned to the scene, where they discovered the women lying in a ditch.Butanda allegedly told Gage, the son who had been driving, to call 9-1-1 and then hide in the back of her vehicle.While they waited for emergency respondersto arrive, Dakota allegedly picked up debris from the accident and hid it in his mother's vehicle.
They allegedly told police that they called 9-1-1 when they happened to see the women lying near the road, but failed to mention the men's involvementin the accident. After they returned to Butanda's home, she allegedly told Dakota to hide the crashed vehicle in a wooded area behind her home.
As a result of the accident and the ensuing attempt to cover up their involvement, all three have been criminally charged.
Dorothea Butanda is charged with being an accessory after the fact and with obstructing an officer.
Dakota Shriver is charged with second degree murder and obstructing an officer.
Gage Shriver is charged with multiple felonies:
Both men are remain in the Rogers County Jail. Dakota Shriver is held on $101,000 bond. His brother Gage is held on $144,455 bond. A judge denied a motionto reduce bond.
Second degree murder is defined as follows in 21 O.S. 701.8:
Homicide is murder in the second degree in the following cases:
Second degree murder is punishable by 10 years to life in prison.
