Woman refused to have sex with man, then he shot her to death in OK, feds say
An Oklahoma man was sentenced to prison after officials say he shot and killed a woman who refused to have sex with him.
Anthony Clay Russell was convicted of second-degree murder and sentenced to 30 years in prison Sept. 3, according to a news release from the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Oklahoma.
McClatchy News reached out to Russell’s attorney for comment on Sept. 4 but did not immediately hear back.
On Oct. 22, authorities were called after a woman was found dead on a sidewalk in Tulsa, according to officials.
Tasha Shepard was found with a gunshot wound to the back of her head, officials said.
Investigators reviewed surveillance footage, which showed Shepard get out of a BMW in a parking lot and begin walking away. The BMW then followed her before speeding off, prosecutors said.
Authorities were able to trace the BMW back to Russell after finding text messages between the two on Shepard’s phone, according to prosecutors.
Russell had texted Shepard that evening about meeting up to have sex for money, officials said.
When investigators interviewed Russell, he initially denied being with Shepard, but then told authorities he picked her up to have sex, prosecutors said.
Russell said he didn’t have the money to pay Shepard, so she got out of the car and walked away, officials said. He said he fired a round to scare her, but shot her, according to prosecutors.
Investigators later found the BMW and the gun used to shoot Shepard at Russell’s home, prosecutors said.
This story was originally published September 4, 2025 at 5:02 PM with the headline "Woman refused to have sex with man, then he shot her to death in OK, feds say."
