Okla. Man Accused of Offering Bribe

OKLAHOMA CITY – A man whose wife was a juror in an Oklahoma County murder case is accused of offering to have her vote “not guilty” in return for a bribe. A bribery charge was filed Tuesday against Mark Timothy Hatfield, 55.

His wife, Brenda Hatfield, was a juror in the case of Jackie Lynn Petty, who was charged with murder in the November 2005 shooting death of his brother.

Brenda Hatfield was replaced after she admitted her husband had approached her about a “business deal” that would require her to guarantee the outcome of the trial.

“She was not in this scheme at all,” District Attorney David Prater said. “This was all done without her knowledge.”

Petty was convicted Sept. 15 of first-degree murder.

Attorney Scott Adams said Mark Hatfield called him with an offer to have his wife vote against convicting Petty if he got a new car or his house was paid off, according to a court affidavit. Adams was not working on the Petty Case, but had represented Mark Hatfield in an unrelated case.

Adams cooperated with authorities in the bribery investigation. During this investigation, Mark Hatfield allegedly asked him to invest $50,000 in “a business deal.”

Hatfield later claimed that he was not trying to influence a jury but just wanted to discuss a business deal with Adams, according to the affidavit.

Court records do not indicate whether Hatfield has an attorney, and a telephone message left at Hatfield’s home Wednesday was not immediately returned.

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Information from: The Oklahoman, http://www.newsok.com