Coker Dean Barker, a 37-year-old resident of Seminole, Oklahoma, has been sentenced to life imprisonment for murder in Indian Country and an additional 120 months for using, carrying, brandishing, and discharging a firearm during a crime of violence. The sentences will run consecutively to each other and to another conviction for escape.

The investigation into the charges was conducted by several agencies including the Seminole Police Department, the Seminole County Sheriff’s Office, the Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation, the Texas Rangers, U.S. Customs and Border Protection, and the Federal Bureau of Investigation.

Barker was found guilty on April 10, 2023, by a federal jury. The evidence presented at trial showed that in April 2019 Barker was involved in a violent attack resulting in the death of a victim at a residence within Seminole County. This area falls under the jurisdiction of both the Seminole Nation Reservation of Oklahoma and the Eastern District of Oklahoma. The autopsy report indicated that during this fatal incident, the victim suffered from 18 broken ribs, two punctured lungs, as well as multiple bullet and shotshell wounds. After attempting to destroy evidence by fire to avoid prosecution, Barker fled toward Mexico but was apprehended by U.S. Customs and Border Protection before being returned to Oklahoma for trial.

The sentencing hearing was overseen by U.S. District Judge John Heil III in Muskogee's United States District Court for the Eastern District of Oklahoma. Barker will remain under U.S. Marshals Service custody until he is transferred to a designated facility managed by the United States Bureau of Prisons where he will serve his non-paroleable sentence.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Kevin Gross represented the United States in this case.