by Blake Moren, CTCN Community Correspondent
 A murder trial of James K. Brooks ended in Oct. 2019 in a hung jury. Brooks had been accused of murdering his father, Timothy Brooks.
 The alleged murder occurred on Aug. 8, 2012. An affidavit filed by the Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation says James Brooks was visiting his father in Marlow, when he called police to report Timothy Brooks had killed himself. Police found him with a gunshot wound in the abdomen and a 12-gauge shotgun between his legs.
 The affidavit says the son had bought a $500,000 life insurance policy and staged his father’s death so he could collect the insurance money. Official charges against James were not filed until the Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation picked up the case in 2018. The charges were: murder in the first degree with deliberate intent.
 The State of Oklahoma had the opportunity to try this case again on Jan. 22. However, it was then postponed and then dismissed completely.
 According to Stephens County Courthouse documents, it was dismissed due the Brook’s health. The document itself said, “The court specifically finds that the medical condition of the Defendant is such that it is not expected that he will recover in a reasonable period of time and as such this case cannot proceed.”
 The documents also said the state gave up the right to refile charges.