40-year-old man accused of killing his parents owed them $17,000, Oklahoma cops say

Police say a 40-year-old man who owed his dad $17,000 shot and killed his parents and staged a burglary at their home in Oklahoma.

Bryan Spence of Stillwater was arrested Monday night and charged with first-degree murder in the deaths of Beverly and Joseph Spence in Tulsa, police said.

Police got a call at 8:47 a.m. Monday about an abandoned vehicle with “large rifles” in the backseat parked near a school, Tulsa Police Officer Danny Bean told reporters in a press conference, according to video shared by Tulsa World.

Officers then went to the home where the vehicle was registered, and they noticed the smell of gas, Bean said. Fire officials shut off the gas and evacuated the neighborhood.

The bodies of Beverly and Joseph Spence were found inside the home, Bean said.

Both had gunshot wounds, KOKI reported.

Text messages showed Bryan Spence owed his dad $17,000 and they arranged for him to go to Tulsa on Sunday to give his father the money, police said, according to Tulsa World.

The son told officers he traveled to Tulsa on Monday, but surveillance showed a vehicle believed to be his traveling near his parents’ house on Sunday, KOTV reported, citing a police report.

The home was staged to resemble a burglary, according to a police report, Tulsa World reported.

Police shared an image of the son being questioned by police prior to his arrest.

Beverly and Joseph Spence “were the nicest and most amazing people who were heavily involved in their church,” friends reportedly told KOTV.

This story was originally published March 3, 2020 at 9:07 AM with the headline "40-year-old man accused of killing his parents owed them $17,000, Oklahoma cops say."