Man Sentenced After Fatal Stabbing in Park

TULSA, Okla. – Today, U.S. District Judge Sara E. Hill sentenced Jeffrey Wade Anderson, Jr., 35, of Tulsa, to 300 months imprisonment for Second-Degree Murder in Indian Country. Judge Hill further ordered Anderson to five years of
supervised release.

According to court documents, in June of 2023, Tulsa Police Department officers were dispatched in reference to a stabbing at a public park. Officers located Joe Burton, lying unresponsive with one stab wound to his upper torso. Bystanders were attempting to render aid. Once emergency medical personnel arrived, they pronounced Joe Burton deceased.

Multiple witnesses provided officers with a description of the suspect. Anderson matched that description and was detained. During his interview with detectives, Anderson admitted to officers that he “murdered that man” because he thought Joe said something disrespectful. 

Anderson is a citizen of the Cherokee Nation and will remain in custody pending transfer to the U.S. Bureau of Prisons.

The FBI and Tulsa Police Department investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Scott Dunn prosecuted the case.