John Jefferson
Jacob Mayhugh (left) after his arrest (top left) in a booking photo (Oklahoma City PD); Shayla Mayhugh (bottom left), Patty Mayhugh (center), James Mayhugh (right) (GoFundMe photos released by family)
An Oklahoma man who confessed to murdering three members of his family has pleaded guilty to the attack and was sentenced to three life sentences without the possibility of parole.
Jacob Mayhugh, 22, was apprehended by Oklahoma City police on May 14 with help from the U.S. Marshals Service and the Oklahoma Bureau of Investigation after he fled from the home of his parents, Patty Mayhugh, 54, and James Mayhugh, 55. He confessed to police that he shot them both to death on May 10 as well as his sister Shayla Mayhugh, 28. Mayhugh bought the AR-15-style rifle in late April and allegedly intended to commit other acts of violence.
Mayhugh was charged with three counts of first-degree murder and held at the Grady County Criminal Justice Authority without bond until he appeared in court on Dec. 23. He pleaded guilty to all three counts and received three consecutive life sentences for his crimes. He is not eligible for parole. According to court documents, Mayhugh agreed to plead guilty and be sentenced to life without parole in exchange for avoiding the death penalty.
On the afternoon of May 10, Mayhugh received a text from his mother that said his family was having a get-together at their home and that there was pizza ready for them all for dinner. Mayhugh told his girlfriend that he was heading over, and according to investigators, he opened fire on his family when he arrived. The pizza was left uneaten on the counter.
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According to the affidavit, police were not called until May 11, when neighbors reported seeing shell casings outside the family’s home and called 911 and “possible deceased people inside the home.” Patty Mayhugh was discovered “obviously deceased” by the doorway. The bodies of James and Shayla Mayhugh were found in the living room. All had been fatally shot.
Jacob Mayhugh’s vehicle was eventually spotted on several surveillance cameras in Oklahoma City, and he was identified in the footage by his girlfriend. He abandoned his vehicle, which police found. Inside was evidence that connected Mayhugh to the scene of the crime — “2 AR15 Magazines loaded with ammunition with writing on them in white paint pen.”
When Mayhugh was finally apprehended days later, a judge denied him bond based on the seriousness of the crimes and the fact that he fled from the scene. Prosecutors had intended to pursue the death penalty.
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