GUILTY OK - Teagan, 4, and Ryan Dennis, 3, die in hot truck, Tulsa, 13 June 2020 *dad arrested*

[LietKynes]

Man freed from jail after video shows kids climbed into hot truck | Daily Mail Online

Since he's released I'd expect no further charges ?

The tribute he'd posted is quoted within the article and what a sad coincidence that they would both pass away on Saturday when he'd just written about them on Thurs., according to the DM article.

The neighbor's video may not have shown the children getting out of the truck after the store trip if the exited on the other side.

But if the truck was locked after they returned, how did the children gain access ?

 

[Seattle1]

Man freed from jail after video shows kids climbed into hot truck | Daily Mail Online

Since he's released I'd expect no further charges ?

The tribute he'd posted is quoted within the article and what a sad coincidence that they would both pass away on Saturday when he'd just written about them on Thurs., according to the DM article.

The neighbor's video may not have shown the children getting out of the truck after the store trip if the exited on the other side.

But if the truck was locked after they returned, how did the children gain access ?

^^bbm

I believe failing to verify if the kids exited on the opposite side of the truck on the surveillance video would have been a huge rookie error given a man's life was at stake, i.e., double murder charges. I think investigators initially viewed the wrong day's video in error.

This horrible event occurred on Saturday, shortly after a noon trip to the convenience market when video evidence showed the children entered dad's truck on their own.

To totally miss this video that vindicated the dad indicates to me that investigators most likely saw Dennis exit and lock his truck on let's say Friday's footage and NOT Saturday. I think once they had the correct day/date video, they saw Dennis and kids exit the truck together where dad did not lock the truck, and where the children later entered the unlocked truck on their own without any assistance from their dad.

Dad was released on his own recognizance. I don't think he's free sailing here --at least not yet.

MOO

 

[Seattle1]

Tulsa father Dustin Dennis, arrested after kids died in hot truck, is released after video shows they climbed in on their own - CNN

June 16, 2020

(CNN)An Oklahoma father whose two young children died in his hot truck was released from jail Tuesday, after video showed the children climbed into the truck on their own and never got out, the Tulsa District Attorney's Office said.

Dustin Dennis, 31, was arrested Saturday after police say he took his two children, ages 3 and 4, to a convenience store around noon that day. After returning home, Dennis took a nap and said he could not find his children in the house after he woke up. He discovered them after he checked the floorboard of the truck.

According the the National Weather Service, the temperatures were in the low 90s at the time.

Dennis told police he thought he removed his children from the truck, spokeswoman Jeanne Pierce told CNN.

"Video surveillance footage from a neighbor's home confirmed that the children managed to get into the truck and tragically never got out," the district attorney's office said. "Based upon that newly discovered evidence the detectives immediately reported it to our office."

Dennis was released from jail Monday afternoon, according to jail records.

In a statement released Tuesday, District Attorney Steve Kunzeweiler said no formal charges had been filed in the case.

Kunzeweiler said Dennis' release does not "mean that this case is over," and he and Pierce said the investigation is ongoing.

 

[moonriverfarm]

I have so many questions.

 

[sloane7777]

Police are attributing the statement about falling asleep for 5 hours to Dennis, the dad.

Whether dad was sleeping or studying, the truth is he did not check on his kids for 5 hours and they died inside his hot truck.

^^sbbm

Charges were dropped because he did not murder his children.
https://www.accuweather.com/en/weat...ropped-after-2-children-die-in-hot-car/760080

5 hours for toddlers and you are asleep ?? That's neglect at the very least....and that post was (Cough) convenient and suspicious , Yeah I think it does belong here JMO.

 

[MsMarple]

Authorities released Dennis pending further investigation into the death of the children Teagan and Ryan Dennis -- ages 4 and 3.
...
The Tulsa Police Department is still investigating and will most likely turn their findings and reports over to Kunzweiler who will make the decision whether or not to file formal criminal charges.
Tulsa County DA explains why father is free after children die in hot truck incident

The children's mother, Cheyenne Trent, said there are still too many questions. She said she wants to know why her children, Tegan and Ryan, are not home playing in her yard or riding horses.
...
Despite video showing the children getting into her ex-boyfriend Dennis' truck themselves, Trent feels he should be charged for their children's deaths.

"He was supposed to protect them and he didn't. He failed that, he failed them," Trent said.
...
Trent said she did not recognize the house where Dennis and the children were staying. She said there are more questions than answers.

"I don't believe he passed out. I don't believe that one bit, and now they've paid the ultimate price. They're never going to come back, they're never going to be here, they're never going to spend birthdays, which are both coming up in August - nothing ever again," Trent said.
Man Released From Jail After Children Die In Truck In Tulsa

I have a feeling we'll hear more about this case. MOO.

 

[Seattle1]

In a statement released Tuesday, District Attorney Steve Kunzeweiler said no formal charges had been filed in the case.

Kunzeweiler said Dennis' release does not "mean that this case is over," and he and Pierce said the investigation is ongoing.

Trent said she did not recognize the house where Dennis and the children were staying. She said there are more questions than answers.

The DA said Dennis's release does not mean the case is over. Now it's reported the mother did not recognize the house where her kids were staying. Maybe the kids didn't know where they were at either and thought it best to wait inside the truck. Horrific...

 

[alexwood]

Mother Speaks After Children Found Dead In Hot Vehicle

"Tulsa police said the children died in their father's truck Saturday night after being locked inside for over five hours. Police said Dustin Dennis claims he "removed the children from the vehicle and a short time later, passed out and was asleep for four to five hours."

O.K. It has been reported that Dennis was released from custody because the children were observed getting into their father's truck of their own volition. To me, that demonstrates that they were not dead and then placed in the truck, after the fact. But, getting into the truck is not the issue here. It is getting out of it after the trip to the convenience store.

What we do not know is whether the children were seen getting out of the truck, or being taken out of the truck with their father's help. Has it been established, on camera, that Dennis did remove them from the truck, as he claims? If Dennis was seen on footage locking his truck in the driveway, why was that image, of the children exiting the truck, not captured or at least confirmed?

"Trent (the mother of the children) was scheduled to have the children this week, but Dennis begged to have the children this weekend."

So, he begs to have the children that particular weekend, even though it is not his weekend to have them. His ex-girlfriend, the mother of the children, agrees that he can have them. He then proceeds to fall asleep for at least 5 hours during the daytime while "taking care" of them.

I think we will see some charges brought against him. It has happened in similar cases.

 

[ChatteringBirds]

Mother Speaks After Children Found Dead In Hot Vehicle

"Tulsa police said the children died in their father's truck Saturday night after being locked inside for over five hours. Police said Dustin Dennis claims he "removed the children from the vehicle and a short time later, passed out and was asleep for four to five hours."

O.K. It has been reported that Dennis was released from custody because the children were observed getting into their father's truck of their own volition. To me, that demonstrates that they were not dead and then placed in the truck, after the fact. But, getting into the truck is not the issue here. It is getting out of it after the trip to the convenience store.

What we do not know is whether the children were seen getting out of the truck, or being taken out of the truck with their father's help. Has it been established, on camera, that Dennis did remove them from the truck, as he claims? If Dennis was seen on footage locking his truck in the driveway, why was that image, of the children exiting the truck, not captured or at least confirmed?

"Trent (the mother of the children) was scheduled to have the children this week, but Dennis begged to have the children this weekend."

So, he begs to have the children that particular weekend, even though it is not his weekend to have them. His ex-girlfriend, the mother of the children, agrees that he can have them. He then proceeds to fall asleep for at least 5 hours during the daytime while "taking care" of them.

I think we will see some charges brought against him. It has happened in similar cases.

I think what they are saying is that additional camera footage shows the children entering the truck on their own after it shows him returning home, presumably while he was asleep.

 

[TristanP]

“Sleeping” for 4 or 5 hours when you’re supposed to be taking care of a 3 & 4 year old isn’t ok, no matter what.

 

[alexwood]

There is much that we do not know yet. The truth will come out.

 

[TGIRecovered]

I haven’t seen any information from LE that specifies whether the children entered the vehicle before Dad left to go to the store or after the time period he says that he was asleep. It’s a very easy clarification to make.

If LE doesn’t want to release the video, fine. What is the reason for omitting this very important bit of information?

 

[MsMarple]

Mother Speaks After Children Found Dead In Hot Vehicle

"Tulsa police said the children died in their father's truck Saturday night after being locked inside for over five hours. Police said Dustin Dennis claims he "removed the children from the vehicle and a short time later, passed out and was asleep for four to five hours."

O.K. It has been reported that Dennis was released from custody because the children were observed getting into their father's truck of their own volition. To me, that demonstrates that they were not dead and then placed in the truck, after the fact. But, getting into the truck is not the issue here. It is getting out of it after the trip to the convenience store.

What we do not know is whether the children were seen getting out of the truck, or being taken out of the truck with their father's help. Has it been established, on camera, that Dennis did remove them from the truck, as he claims? If Dennis was seen on footage locking his truck in the driveway, why was that image, of the children exiting the truck, not captured or at least confirmed?

"Trent (the mother of the children) was scheduled to have the children this week, but Dennis begged to have the children this weekend."

So, he begs to have the children that particular weekend, even though it is not his weekend to have them. His ex-girlfriend, the mother of the children, agrees that he can have them. He then proceeds to fall asleep for at least 5 hours during the daytime while "taking care" of them.

I think we will see some charges brought against him. It has happened in similar cases.

The way I figure it is either the neighbor's video was from a different day/time, as others have suggested or else the dad didn't have the kids with him when he went to the store. If that was the case then where were the kids when he went to the store? Was another adult home or did he leave them alone while he went to the store?

All this is just speculation and yes, I believe we'll hear more.

 

[GinaSeikwa]

What’s this business of the mom not recognizing the house where all this happened? Was DD not at his own home? If not, where was he? I’d say there is a lot more to this story that we will be hearing about.

 

[PayrollNerd]

Exactly what I expected to happen. This is pure neglect.

Oklahoma Father Formally Charged in Hot Car Deaths of 2 Children

Oklahoma man Dustin Lee Dennis, 31, was formally charged on Friday in the hot car deaths of his two children. The defendant had been out on a personal recognizance bond after surveillance footage purportedly showed the victims entering the vehicle themselves, but the prosecutor said further investigation led to the new step in this case.

“The original basis upon which law enforcement believed the children died was contradicted by subsequently discovered video evidence,” Tulsa County District Attorney Steve Kunzweiler said according to Tulsa World. “However, law enforcement’s continued investigation established a factual basis for the filing of these charges.”

Dennis was originally arrested last month in the June 13 deaths of his children. Police said that they responded to a call. They found the father and the deceased children in their living room. In this account, the defendant claimed to have driven to a QuikTrip convenience store with his kids around noon, and went back home. He allegedly said he had gotten the children out of his vehicle, slept for five hours, and woke up to see that he couldn’t find them. Dennis allegedly claimed to have made the tragic discovery in his truck: The kids were on the floorboard dead. He brought them inside the home.

Dennis faces two counts of second-degree murder. Online records viewed by Law&Crime show no attorney of record.

 

[alexwood]

We still don't know if the house where he had the children was his house. It was reported previously that the children's mother did not even recognize the house [from news footage perhaps]. What exactly went on there, who else was around? I doubt he was there alone with the children.

Can't get over the fact that he allegedly begged to have his children that weekend, so eager (it seems) was he to be with them. And yet, this is the outcome?

 

[MsMarple]

Exactly what I expected to happen. This is pure neglect.

Oklahoma Father Formally Charged in Hot Car Deaths of 2 Children

Oklahoma man Dustin Lee Dennis, 31, was formally charged on Friday in the hot car deaths of his two children. The defendant had been out on a personal recognizance bond after surveillance footage purportedly showed the victims entering the vehicle themselves, but the prosecutor said further investigation led to the new step in this case.

“The original basis upon which law enforcement believed the children died was contradicted by subsequently discovered video evidence,” Tulsa County District Attorney Steve Kunzweiler said according to Tulsa World. “However, law enforcement’s continued investigation established a factual basis for the filing of these charges.”

Dennis was originally arrested last month in the June 13 deaths of his children. Police said that they responded to a call. They found the father and the deceased children in their living room. In this account, the defendant claimed to have driven to a QuikTrip convenience store with his kids around noon, and went back home. He allegedly said he had gotten the children out of his vehicle, slept for five hours, and woke up to see that he couldn’t find them. Dennis allegedly claimed to have made the tragic discovery in his truck: The kids were on the floorboard dead. He brought them inside the home.

Dennis faces two counts of second-degree murder. Online records viewed by Law&Crime show no attorney of record.

Thanks for the update @PayrollNerd! I was guessing neglect charges would come but I didn't expect 2nd degree murder charges. And a million dollar bond.

So... if I understand, yet more video has been discovered that points back to the original story or one very similar?

The District Attorney has not yet said why he's charging Dennis with second-degree murder.
Father of 2 children who died in hot car charged with second-degree murder

ETA: Maybe it's a case of Felony Murder in the Second Degree, stemming from neglect due to the 5-hour nap? Could drugs have also been involved?

Universal Citation: 21 OK Stat § 21-701.8 (2014)
Homicide is murder in the second degree in the following cases:

1. When perpetrated by an act imminently dangerous to another person and evincing a depraved mind, regardless of human life, although without any premeditated design to effect the death of any particular individual; or

2. When perpetrated by a person engaged in the commission of any felony other than the unlawful acts set out in Section 1, subsection B, of this act.

2014 Oklahoma Statutes :: Title 21. Crimes and Punishments :: §21-701.8. Murder in the second degree.

 

[PayrollNerd]

Interesting......

State Charges Dropped Against Okla. Dad Whose 2 Kids Died in Hot Car — But Feds Might Prosecute

On Friday, Dustin Dennis, 31 was charged with second-degree murder for the June 13 deaths of 4-year-old Teagan and 3-year-old Ryan after their bodies were found in the back of his hot truck.

However, on Monday morning, Tulsa County District Attorney Steve Kunzweiler learned he would have to dismiss state charges against Dennis because the children were Cherokee citizens and their deaths no longer fell in his jurisdiction.

"This morning the question came up as to whether or not the children were members of the Cherokee tribe," Kunzweiler tells PEOPLE. "Their mother [Cheyenne Trent] confirmed and showed me verification, including a tribal membership card, for not only herself but her oldest child, and her youngest child was in the process of obtaining one for herself. So based on that I found that the state did not have jurisdiction of the case."

Kunzweiler's decision comes days after the U.S. Supreme Court ruled almost half of Oklahoma — including Tulsa— is within a Native American reservation. Now the case rests in the hands of federal authorities — the first case affected by the Supreme Court ruling.

 

[Marg from Oz]

Wow..How confusing.

 

[SassynOz]

Wait what the heck. I’m so confused