Oklahoma – In a harrowing case that has gripped Oklahoma, a 19-year-old girl, identified as Heidi D., who was just 17 years old when she plotted the murders of her elderly grandparents and recruited her boyfriend to carry them out, has received a lengthy prison term. The crime, which occurred just days before Christmas in 2022, resulted in the deaths of 73-year-old Larry D. and 67-year-old Deborah D., who had adopted their granddaughter and raised her as their own.
The 19-year-old Heidi pleaded guilty to several charges, including two counts of first-degree murder and conspiracy to commit murder. Last Friday, she was sentenced to life in prison with parole eligibility only after she serves 85% of a 45-year sentence—roughly 38 years behind bars. Her co-defendant and 22-year-old boyfriend, identified as Lucas W., was previously sentenced to 35 years in federal prison due to his status as a Native American citizen.
According to court records and testimony, Heidi gave no clear motive beyond one bone-chilling explanation: “she wanted them dead.” Prosecutors said she manipulated Lucas into committing the murders, and both suspects later admitted their roles to authorities. The plan was executed on December 19, 2022, at the elderly couple’s home. Lucas entered the residence as the couple slept and stole a pistol from inside. He waited in Heidi’s bedroom until he heard movement in the victims’ room. As Deborah opened the door, Lucas shot her in the face. Larry, hearing the gunshot, rushed to defend his wife, but Lucas’ gun jammed. The intruder then pulled a knife and stabbed Larry multiple times in the chest, face, and abdomen. Both victims were left dead at the scene.
Heidi and Lucas then wrapped the victims’ bodies in sheets and buried them in shallow graves in the backyard. Police later recovered Ring camera footage that captured the two dragging at least one of the bodies across the yard. The couple’s relatives and neighbors grew worried when they hadn’t heard from the couple around the holidays and requested a welfare check. On January 20, 2023, sheriff’s deputies conducted a search of the home. Bloodstains had been cleaned from the bedroom, though some had seeped into the floorboards. After further searching, deputies made a grisly discovery—two shallow graves in the backyard, containing the remains of the missing couple.
Authorities determined that Heidi was both the biological granddaughter and adopted daughter of the slain couple. After her arrest, she confessed to the conspiracy and blamed Lucas for committing the murders at her request. “This was a calculated and brutal crime, but the law requires us to weigh youth and culpability,” said District Attorney Will D., explaining the judge’s decision to impose a sentence that aligns with Lucas’ federal term. “This sentence holds Heidi accountable, mirrors the sentence imposed on her co-defendant, and spares the victims’ family the trauma of trial and years of appeals.” Lucas’ conviction was handled at the federal level due to tribal jurisdiction, resulting in a 35-year sentence in federal prison.
An obituary for the couple painted a portrait of a couple who had served their country with honor. Larry was a retired master staff sergeant in the U.S. Air Force and had worked as an airport manager in Kansas. His wife, Deborah, was also a retired staff sergeant, originally from Tennessee, and had pursued a second career as a chef. This senseless act of violence committed by someone they had raised has left a permanent scar on their family and community. Though both perpetrators are now behind bars, the trauma left behind will take far longer to heal.
