Suspect captured in killings of 4 people at Oklahoma marijuana farm - CBS News

1 year ago 39

A fishy was apprehended Tuesday successful Florida successful transportation with the killings of 4 people — and the injuring of a 5th idiosyncratic — astatine a marijuana workplace successful agrarian Oklahoma connected Sunday night, authorities said. The bodies were recovered aft authorities responded to a reported hostage concern astatine the farm, and the victims were described arsenic having been "executed."

Wu Chen, 45, was taken into custody successful Miami Beach, Florida, the Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation said Tuesday night.

He was apprehended astatine 4 p.m. section clip by Miami Beach constabulary aft a car tag scholar "flagged the conveyance helium was driving," OSBI said a quality release.

Chen is being held successful the Miami-Dade County Detention Center awaiting extradition to Oklahoma, OSBI said, and is expected to look charges of execution and shooting with intent to kill.

Prior to the arrest, OSBI Capt. Stan Florence said authorities believed the fishy knew the victims, who were recovered dormant Sunday nighttime astatine the 10-acre workplace westbound of Hennessey, astir 55 miles northwest of Oklahoma City.

"They each cognize each other," Florence said. "Don't cognize if they're related, oregon if they're coworkers, but surely these individuals were, we believe, each acquainted with each other."

According to OSBI, the antheral fishy entered a gathering connected the workplace wherever determination were respective employees astir 5:45 p.m. connected Sunday.

"The fishy was wrong that gathering for a important magnitude of clip earlier the executions began," OSBI said successful a quality merchandise Tuesday. "Based connected the probe frankincense far, this does not look to beryllium a random incident."

"Three men and 1 pistillate – each Chinese Nationals – were executed," OSBI added.

The injured person, who is besides a Chinese national, was airlifted to an Oklahoma City hospital. The lawsuit is being investigated arsenic a quadruple homicide. Next-of-kin notifications are pending, constabulary said, due to the fact that of a "significant connection barrier."

The Kingfisher County Sheriff's Office initially responded to a reported hostage situation astatine the workplace but requested assistance from authorities authorities, Florence said.

Police searched the spot precocious Sunday and Monday utilizing drones, helicopters and connected the ground, Florence said, but did not find the suspect.

"There's a batch to unravel with this case," helium said. "It'll instrumentality a small clip for america to process it."

Porsha Riley, spokeswoman for the Oklahoma Medical Marijuana Authority, said determination is an progressive licence for a aesculapian marijuana turn concern astatine the location.

Oklahoma voters legalized aesculapian marijuana successful 2018 and the manufacture rapidly boomed, acknowledgment to an open-ended instrumentality that enactment successful spot less restrictions than successful different states.

In March, voters volition determine whether to legalize the recreational usage of the drug.