Oldtown man ID'd as witness in murder case

SANDPOINT — An Oldtown man has been identified as a material witness in a shooting rampage that killed two people in Oklahoma in 2015.

Prosecutors in Custer County, Okla., contend Steven James Connly is a necessary witness in the case against Jeremy Doss Hardy, a Texas man accused of shooting two motorists to death and firing on other travelers on Interstate 40 outside of Oklahoma City. Hardy’s trial begins next month in Arapaho, Okla.

Hardy, 37, is charged with two counts of first-degree murder, four counts of using a vehicle in the discharge of a weapon, eluding, driving under the influence and perpetrating a pattern of criminal offenses, according to copies of Oklahoma court records filed in Idaho’s 1st District Court. The rampage occurred in December 2015.

Oklahoma prosecutors did not specify why Connly is a material witness. Court documents indicate Custer County will cover Connly’s travel, lodging and dining expenses so he can testify on Jan. 16, 2018.

Connly, 33, is slated to go before 1st District Judge Barbara Buchanan on Jan. 3, 2018, to show why he should not be required to testify at Hardy’s trial.

The rampage began to unfold on Dec. 16, 2015, according news stories published by The Oklahoman. Hardy is accused of shooting and killing two motorists and opening fire on four more. He surrendered following a police pursuit the next day, The Oklahoman reported.

A motive for the deadly spree did not emerge during a preliminary hearing in the case, according to The Oklahoman.

Hardy, an oil-field worker, admitted consuming alcohol prior to the rampage, but insisted did not use drugs. Hardy also reported having migraine headaches.

Photographs admitted into evidence in the case indicated that Hardy identifies with a self-described patriot group known as the Three Percenters, The Oklahoman reported. A large sticker of the group’s emblem was on the back window of Hardy’s pickup truck.

A large sticker of the group’s emblem was on the back window of his pickup. The group pledges opposition to any attempt by the federal government to interfere with citizen’s constitutional rights.

Prosecutors are seeking the death penalty against Hardy because he “knowingly created a great risk of death to more than one person” and because he is a “continuing threat to society,” according to the Oklahoman. Prosecutors also said the death penalty is justified because the deaths were “especially heinous, atrocious or cruel.”

Keith Kinnaird can be reached by email at kkinnaird@bonnercountydailybee.com and follow him on Twitter @KeithDailyBee.