DUNCAN, Okla. (AP) — A Velma man charged with first-degree murder has again been found mentally competent to stand trial.
Friday's ruling by Judge Joe Enos in Stephens County District Court is the fourth time that 23-year-old Miles Sterling Bench has been found competent for trial for the death of 16-year-old Braylee Rae Henry.
Bench has pleaded not guilty.
Prosecutors say Bench killed Henry in June 2012 after she stopped to buy gas at the convenience store where Bench worked. Her body was found in a pasture in Velma near the home of Bench's grandparents, where Bench was living at the time.
Bench was arrested shortly afterward near Weatherford where he was found driving Henry's car.
District Attorney Jason Hicks has said he is seeking the death penalty if Bench is convicted.