Sallisaw woman who was allegedly caring for her 86-year-old mother is now being held responsible for her mother's death.
The preliminary hearing of Joanne Vada Holman, 49, of Sallisaw, who is facing a second-degree murder charge for the death of her mother, Pearl Burkhart, also of Sallisaw, has been set for Nov. 21, according to court records.
Holman was originally charged with neglect by a caretaker, which was the charge that was prepared before Burkhart died. After further investigation, the charge was amended to a felony murder count.
Holman is currently being held in the Sequoyah County Jail in Sallisaw on a $100,000 bond.
Burkhart was allegedly in the care of Holman, and the two resided in Sallisaw when Holman and Burkhart were both found unconscious in their home in July.
Burkhart was transported to Sequoyah Memorial Hospital in Sallisaw in critical condition, suffering from dehydration and malnutrition.
An adult protective services worker with the Department of Human Services (DHS) in Sallisaw was called to the Sallisaw hospital to investigate the neglect case. The DHS worker reported that Burkhart had deep bed sores that were four to five inches in diameter, and she was emaciated, dehydrated and malnourished. Burkhart also had maggots in her hands at the time that she was taken to the hospital.
Holman allegedly admitted to drug addiction, including the use of marijuana and crystal methamphetamine, which resulted in her failure to provide food, water and medical care for her mother for days at a time.
Burkhart, who was given a 30 percent chance of survival, died Aug. 3 due to complications associated with neglect and abuse. Holman admitted herself into a drug rehabilitation program in Oklahoma City after the incident.
A Roland man's preliminary hearing was set for Nov. 14. Elbert Ray Green is facing three felony counts of lewd molestation and two counts of sodomy after a 10-year-old girl reported to police that she had been molested.
Green, 59, is accused of two counts of lewd molestation which occurred between May and August 2001, two counts of sodomy which occurred between September and October 2001, and a third count of lewd molestation which occurred between March and May 2003. Green is currently free on bond.
According to court records, the girl told police that Green began molesting her between May and August 2001, before she began her first-grade year. She said Green had sexual contact with her about 20 times during a two-year period until she told him to stop.
During an interview with police, Green allegedly admitted to about 15 sexual incidents with the child, including sodomy. He denied penetrating the girl, and he allegedly told police that the girl asked him to teach her about sex.
