Carter enters plea in death of Muskogee man

Jun. 17—A Muskogee man charged with first-degree murder pleaded guilty to a lesser charge and was sentenced Thursday.

Benrick Rickey Carter Jr. pleaded guilty to accessory after the fact and conspiracy in the 2015 shooting death of Robert Guenther.

Carter received 10 years on each count, running concurrent alongside 2015 convictions for kidnapping and child neglect. The plea agreement was based on his testimony in the case. Carter's fine is set at $1,000.

Carter, 26, had been charged with first-degree murder and conspiracy in the death of Guenther, 26, of Muskogee, along with Thristian Dvaughn Hunter. Hunter, 28, is serving a 20-year sentence for kidnapping, and 10 year sentence for conspiracy to commit kidnapping. He is set for trial on an upcoming docket for first-degree murder and conspiracy charges. Carter also is serving two 10-year sentences for kidnapping and conspiracy to commit kidnapping.

Mark Monta Logan, a third suspect in the case, was acquitted of the charges in October.

Guenther's body was found on North 24th Street outside the Muskogee city limits on the evening of May 19, 2015, with several gunshots to his body. When a deputy arrived, he found six 9 mm shell casings and one 45 mm ACP shell casing.

Guenther was reportedly last seen alive earlier that day, working on his bicycle in the front yard of a home in the 2000 block of Denver Street. A witness testified during preliminary hearings on the kidnapping charges that she saw an SUV pull up and three men exit the car.

She testified she saw those men coerce Guenther into the vehicle. However, Hunter said Guenther entered the vehicle willingly.

The investigation revealed Guenther had been shot five times — twice in the back, once in the hand, once in the pelvis and once in the arm, according to a report from the medical examiner. Guenther also sustained several blunt force injuries to his head, neck, torso and extremities, according to the report.

Hunter is serving his sentence in the R.B. "Dick" Conner Correctional Facility in Hominy. Carter has been serving a sentence in the Lawton Correctional Facility in Lawton.