Oklahoma – In a deeply disturbing case in Oklahoma, a 39-year-old man, identified as Joshua B., who subjected his 34-year-old wife, identified as Shawntae B., to a prolonged, brutal beating while their three children watched, then ordered the kids to clean the blood-soaked crime scene and stay silent, will spend the rest of his life behind bars.
Joshua was sentenced this week to life in prison without the possibility of parole after pleading guilty to murdering Shawntae in 2020. In exchange for his guilty plea, he avoided the death penalty but agreed to serve four life sentences with no chance of appeal. The charges against Joshua, including murder and child abuse, stemmed from one of the most disturbing domestic violence cases in Oklahoma. Investigators say the abuse took place over the course of two days, inside the couple’s home, while the couple’s children—then ages 7, 14, and 15—were inside. Joshua admitted to authorities that he “went too far” during a fight with Shawntae, hitting and choking her repeatedly. His confession, though chilling, was only the surface of what the children later revealed.
According to court records, the 14-year-old son told detectives he witnessed his father assaulting his mother with a range of household objects—a belt, a flagpole, a shoe, and even a semi-automatic handgun. The violence was unrelenting and horrifying. A probable cause affidavit later described the victim’s body as being covered with bruises, lacerations, and blunt force trauma injuries consistent with “a severe beating.” Evidence from the home painted an even more gruesome picture. Blood coated several areas inside the house. Walls bore holes from what appeared to be punches or kicks. And the handgun used in the assault was found shattered—its fiber optic sight broken off and soaked in blood and hair.
But what stunned investigators the most was what happened after the beating. Rather than call for help, Joshua forced his three children to mop up the blood and erase every trace of what had occurred. He then looked at them and gave a direct order: “to keep it a secret.” A 911 call came in just before 2 a.m. on September 30, 2020. Emergency crews arrived to find Shawntae dead in a bathroom. Joshua was still in the home, along with all three children. He was arrested at the scene.
“It was very obvious that a violent crime had happened in that house,” said M. Myers, public information officer for the sheriff’s department. “It was just a very gruesome scene. What a horrible, tragic event for these kids to have to go through.” Following Joshua’s arrest, he was held without bond at the county detention center. His legal team later negotiated a plea deal with prosecutors. Joshua would avoid the death penalty but would serve four consecutive life terms without the right to appeal.
The District Attorney’s Office consulted with the victims’ children before finalizing the deal. One of them, now a young adult, told local media that while her family hoped for the death penalty, she didn’t want to see her father executed. “I know a lot of my family wanted the death penalty,” she said. “It’s been a long journey, and I’ve grown a lot since then. Obviously, I was a kid, now I’m a young adult, but it’s not going to get any easier. Knowing justice has been served and due process has been done, I can finally get some peace.” With sentencing complete, Joshua will never walk free again. He will serve the rest of his life in prison—no parole, no appeals, no second chances. His children, left with trauma no sentence can undo, now face the lifelong task of healing from the horror they were forced to endure.
