texas

Oklahoma Judge Seeks More Information in Bus Crash Case

A southern Oklahoma judge is asking for more information as he decides whether there's sufficient evidence against a man charged with manslaughter in a bus crash that killed four Texas college students.

Russell Staley is charged with four counts of first-degree manslaughter in the September 2014 crash that killed four softball players from North Central Texas College.

The four victims were identified by NCTC Chief of Police James Fitch as 20-year-old Brooke Deckard of Blue Ridge, Texas; 20-year-old Jaiden Pelton of Telephone, Texas; 19-year-old Meagan Richardson of Wylie, Texas; and 18-year-old Katelynn Woodlee of Dodd City, Texas.

The Oklahoma Highway Patrol said Staley lost control of his semitrailer on Interstate 35, crossed the center line and crashed into the team's bus, tearing the vehicle open.

Prosecutors allege Staley was under the influence of synthetic marijuana at the time of the crash. But in an order issued Monday, Murray County Associate Judge Aaron Duck asked prosecutors and defense attorneys to submit briefs on whether this claim should be admissible in court.

Copyright AP - Associated Press
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