Exec at Oklahoma Paper Offers Details on How a Letter to Editor Led to Murder

By: Lesley Messer The general manager of a small Oklahoma weekly said she was hesitant to print a letter to the editor by Rebecca Clements, the 26-year-old pregnant waitress who was shot and killed on Tuesday, allegedly by the subject of the letter.

Ramona Brown, general manager of The Hominy (Okla.) News Progress, told E&P it was no secret in the town of 3,700 that Clements' critical letter was aimed at Roy Westbrook, a landlord who had been feuding with Clements and her sister for months.

Westbrook is expected to be charged with murdering Clements and her unborn baby some time this week. Witnesses say the 63-year-old Westbrook walked into the diner where Clements worked and shot her in the head, stomach, and chest.

Brown, the newspaper's general manager, who was having lunch at the diner when the shooting occurred, said she knew both parties personally and was aware of their ongoing feud. According to Brown, Westbrook spray-painted the phrase "get out" on a house rented by Clements' sister, who apparently owed Westbrook money. This prompted Clements to write the letter to the editor, which criticized prominent citizens for vandalism but did not mention Westbrook's name.

Brown said that was the last she heard of the argument until Tuesday's shooting.

She said that in Hominy, people are very familiar with their neighbors and often know one another's personal business. In fact, she said, that?s a main selling point for the paper.

?Everyone wants to know who got caught doing what,? she said. ?We are a small town and we know everybody. I knew [Clements] very well and loved her very much. I knew [Westbrook] very well and I had no problems with him. He did a lot for our community. But then he did something bad.?

Brown said that Westbrook spent a lot of time and money improving a park in Hominy. He was honored as the city's "Citizen of the Year" in 2004.

The Hominy News Progress is a weekly newspaper that comes out on Wednesdays. News of the shooting made it to the front-page and Brown said that the paper is planning follow-up coverage. It will also report on the events surrounding the death -- such as how those affected by the shooting can receive counseling.

?The thing is, in our little community, we have lots of things that happen here ? bad things,? Brown said. ?But in a community like this, people love each other and when this happens it almost draws us closer together? We?re in this situation together and we?ll be strong together and pull through together.?