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Murder Charges Filed

Osage County is northwest of Tulsa.
KWGS News Map
Osage County is northwest of Tulsa.

By AP

Pawhuska, OK – DNA leads to charge in 1999 Tulsa slaying

PAWHUSKA, Okla. (AP) A man soon eligible for release from a Colorado prison has been charged in a 1999 slaying in Osage County after investigators matched his DNA to the crime scene.

The Tulsa World reports that 44-year-old Tony Patterson was charged Thursday with the murder of 34-year-old Freda Johnson.

Police say Johnson was shot in the head and found with a telephone cord around her neck. Her then 4-year-old son found her body.

Police say DNA from a bloody shirt found near the crime scene matched Patterson's DNA.

Patterson is serving an eight-year sentence for robbery in Colorado and is eligible for parole in March 2012.

Prosecutors have issued a warrant for Patterson's arrest. It's unclear if Patterson has a lawyer.