Marble City man gets 2 life sentences for murders of mother and grandmother
A Marble City man was handed two life sentences, plus 20 years by a federal grand jury on March 15 for the brutal 2019 murders of his mother, Audrey Hernandez, 62, and grandmother, Frances Wright, 78, in Marble City.
A Marble City man was handed two life sentences, plus 20 years by a federal grand jury on March 15 for the brutal 2019 murders of his mother, Audrey Hernandez, 62, and grandmother, Frances Wright, 78, in Marble City.
Sequoyah County Sheriff Larry Lane Jr. said Joseph Hernandez, 35, was sentenced on March 15 in Oklahoma City.
“This was another big case worked by Investigator Gene Wheat that finally saw a conclusion,” Lane said.
Previous stories published in Your TIMES show Hernandez was originally charged with first degree murder in Sequoyah County District Court after his mother, Audrey, died at a Tulsa hospital following the fire on Delaware Street.
Hernandez reportedly doused his mother and grandmother with gasoline and set fire to their mobile home after he claimed he was trying to light a cigarette while holding a gallon of gas. The fire then spread to a second mobile home, destroying both.
Hernandez suffered minor burns and smoke inhalation, and was transported by air-vac to a Tulsa hospital along with both women, who suffered severe burns and smoke inhalation.
After being released from the hospital, he was taken into custody and booked into the Sequoyah County Detention Center.
Audrey Hernandez died the following day and Wright was listed in critical but stable condition, but died a few days later.
Hernandez was later charged with two counts of first-degree murder, deliberate intent, and two counts of first-degree arson, according to reports. He received no bond.
Hernandez was released from prison a month prior to setting the fire and had a history of other assault and battery, drug and alcohol, and arson-related charges and crimes, according to authorities.
