By: E&P Staff The Hominy, Okla., man who shot and killed a pregnant waitress, apparently over a letter to the editor she had written to a local newspaper, has been declared competent to stand trial for first-degree murder.
Osage County prosecutors say a psychological evaluation of Roy Westbrook, 63, found he is fit for trial. He had been honored by the newspaper as Hominy's 2004 Citizen of the Year.
Prosecutors say Westbrook walked into the Hominy Diner during the lunch hour last July and shot Rebecca Clements, 26, three times.
He allegedly shot Clements in retaliation for a letter she had written to the Hominy News Progress in which she defended her sister, who was renting a house from Westbrook and had fallen behind on payments.
Westbrook remains in the Osage County jail.
The letter from the dead woman had said local vandalism is done by prominent citizens and referred to spray-painted graffiti on a rental home owned by Westbrook, although it did not name him.
Westbrook was trying to evict the victim's sister from the building.
When the shooting occurred, there were about 50 people inside the diner.
An article about the incident published by E&P in July follows.
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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.
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