#Justice4Tyalea

When Tyalea Britt was 23 years old, she was charged with Murder in the First Degree. Each passing moment, Tyalea is moving closer to losing the rest of her life in prison. Every day this mother, daughter and sister must battle the urge to lose hope that she will ever be released. She has been incarcerated for 21 years despite flagrant flaws in her case. Help save a woman’s life and demand justice in the judicial system of our state. 

Oklahoma maintains its status as the top imprisoning state in the entire nation. Unfortunately, our prison population is only projected to grow. Oklahoma’s prison population is expected to increase 14 percent by 2028, furthering its standing as America’s top incarcerating state. A significant factor in Oklahoma’s growing prison population is the unusually long sentences handed down for crimes, despite research showing excessively long sentences are ineffective as a method of crime control.

This conviction sets a dangerous precedent by overlooking statutes regarding mental competency and self defense. This contributes directly to the already alarming rate of excessive sentencing occurring in The State of Oklahoma. Don’t let another individual die in prison over unsubstantiated charges. We have the power to enact legitimate change in a flawed system by encouraging and supporting commutation in the case of The State of Oklahoma VS Tyalea Britt. 

After narrowly surviving an attempted suicide, Tyalea Britt innocently and without motive visited a close neighbor. She suddenly faced an aggressor who verbally threatened her life. An altercation ensued and suddenly a weapon appeared in front of her through another unknown male. In a split second decision, she was forced to defend herself and fired the weapon. The man tragically lost his life. There are numerous reasons why her sentence should be commuted. 

Tyalea Britt was charged with First Degree Murder. She was unjustifiably sentenced to Life without the possibility of parole. This unfortunate series of events forever changed the trajectory of her life as well as the lives of her family. The State by no means can justify this sentence due to several missing factors of the case.

The burden of proof lies with the prosecution :

In order to convict a defendant the state must prove beyond a reasonable doubt that the person was not acting in self-defense or defense of another when committing the act that caused the death. 

After surviving an extremely traumatic event, Tyalea Britt found  herself in an aggressive,  volatile situation in which she was forced to defend herself.  She did not bring a weapon and never intended on harming anyone.

Tyalea was in no way properly represented by her public defender. He did not effectively communicate the possible outcomes of trial nor the plea bargains which were being offered throughout the case. The jury was not properly informed of more appropriate charges available. 

There is a written statement from Jerry Littleton that he brought the weapon and it was abruptly presented to Tyalea during the altercation. 

Previously sealed records reveal that the victim received a "grazing wound" and later died from a  “secondary wound” rather than a gunshot wound to the head. This further disproves the claim that the victim was killed intentionally.

Mitigating factors in Oklahoma include a defendant's mental state. Tyalea Britt was never granted a mental competency hearing. The fact that Tyalea Britt just survived a suicide attempt and was sent to the state hospital for 90 days displays blatant questions regarding mental competency for trial. 

This case should have been mitigated to a lesser charge of murder, homicide or manslaughter.  The only way we can correct this injustice is with Commutation. 

The charge of Murder in the First Degree is completely unfounded. Don't let this woman die in prison on an excessive sentence.  While in prison, Tyalea chose to devote her life to her faith, family and education while helping the inmates around her. Do something positive to change the narrative in your community by signing our petition to get her sentence commuted.

*If you signed this petition, please re-forward it to your contact list: family, friends, and any associates.