FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

November 9, 2023

OKLAHOMA CITY – An Oklahoma County jury found Rodney Staten guilty of Murder in the First Degree for the 2019 stabbing death of Sarah Guinn. He was also convicted of Assault with a Deadly Weapon for stabbing another woman in the neck. The jury recommended a sentence of Life without the Possibility of Parole on Count 1, Murder in the First Degree and Life for County 2, Assault with a Deadly Weapon. Formal sentencing will occur on December 18, 2023.

Around 9 a.m. on July 5, 2019, Oklahoma City Police were called to the Oaktree Inn and Suites on Meridian in Oklahoma City. The call was for an assault with a deadly weapon for the stabbing of the second woman, who survived. The surviving victim said her niece, Guinn, was in room 208 and she had also been stabbed. When police entered Room 208, they found Guinn dead from multiple stab wounds all over her body. Officers received a description of the suspect, Staten, who was found a short time later walking down Meridian. Staten was covered in blood and had wounds to his hands.

“The attorney’s assigned this case did a great job picking up a case that was more than four years old and bringing it to a just resolution for Sarah,” said Vicki Zemp Behenna, Oklahoma County District Attorney.

The Chief Medical Examiner said Guinn had been stabbed at least 131 times including a slit across her neck. The murder weapon was a kitchen paring knife. Guinn’s injuries were so significant she had puncture wounds to her spleen, liver and both lungs. Staten was originally facing the death penalty for the murder Guinn, who was the mother of four of his children. However, the Bill of Particulars was dismissed in April.

Criminal charges are based on probable cause to believe a person has committed a crime. All defendants are presumed innocent unless proven guilty in a court of law.

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