Coker Dean Barker, a 37-year-old resident of Seminole, Oklahoma, has been sentenced to life imprisonment for murder in Indian Country and an additional 120 months for firearms charges. The sentences will run consecutively and also add to a separate escape conviction.
The case was investigated by multiple law enforcement agencies including the Seminole Police Department, the Seminole County Sheriff’s Office, the Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation, the Texas Rangers, U.S. Customs and Border Protection, and the Federal Bureau of Investigation.
Barker was found guilty on April 10, 2023, by a federal jury. Evidence presented during the trial revealed that in April 2019, Barker participated in an attack that resulted in the shooting and killing of a victim at a residence within Seminole County. The crime occurred on land within the jurisdiction of both the Seminole Nation Reservation of Oklahoma and the Eastern District of Oklahoma. An autopsy showed that during this violent incident, the victim suffered extensive injuries including broken ribs and punctured lungs alongside multiple gunshot wounds. After attempting to destroy evidence by fire to avoid arrest, Barker fled towards Mexico but was captured by U.S. Customs and Border Protection agents before being returned to Oklahoma for prosecution.
The sentencing was overseen by Judge John Heil III at the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Oklahoma. Until he is transferred to a designated United States Bureau of Prisons facility to serve his sentence without parole eligibility, Barker will remain under U.S. Marshals Service custody.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Kevin Gross represented the prosecution in this case.