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Court Affirms Life Sentence in Fatal Tulsa Shooting

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OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) — The Oklahoma Court of Criminal Appeals has upheld a 26-year-old man's life prison sentence in the fatal shooting of a man outside of a Tulsa motel.

The court handed down the ruling Thursday in the case of Fue Xiong, who was convicted of first-degree murder in the May 4, 2014, shooting death of 26-year-old Terrance Jerome Valentine of Ponca City.

Investigators say Valentine was fatally shot during an altercation with Xiong that began when Valentine spoke to Xiong's wife in the motel's parking lot. Witnesses say a fight ensued and Valentine was shot in the back.

Among other things, Xiong's appeal claimed the evidence was insufficient to convict him because prosecutors failed to disprove his claims of self-defense. His attorney, Michael Morehead, didn't immediately return a telephone call seeking comment.