Trial ordered in shooting death — (Tulsa World)

A Tulsa judge on Monday ordered a woman with a history of psychiatric treatment to face trial on a charge of murdering her former boyfriend, who police said was shot eight times.    At a preliminary hearing, Special Judge Pete Messler ordered April Rose Wilkens held on a first-degree murder charge in the April 28 slaying of Terry Carlton at Carlton’s Tulsa residence.The only witness at the hearing, Police Detective Ken Makinson, said he interviewed Wilkens, 28, after her arrest that morning.  She said she went to the house early that morning and “was there just trying to make peace with him,” Makinson testified.Wilkens said that while she was in a basement with Carlton, he asked her to “shoot up” some drugs with him but that she did not inject herself, according to Makinson.

She said Carlton had beaten and assaulted her repeatedly and that she thought she “had to protect herself,” the detective indicated. Wilkens said Carlton “got violent again” and threatened her with physical harm just before the shooting, Makinson said.

She said she went upstairs, retrieved a handgun belonging to Carlton and checked to make sure it was loaded before returning to the basement, the detective said.

Wilkens said she had “combat pistol training,” he said.

She said she shot him the first time in the neck while Carlton was coming toward her, and he fell to the basement floor. Wilkens said Carlton told her, “Call me an ambulance. I’m paralyzed,” Makinson testified.

“She said she shot him again until the gun was empty. Mr. Carlton was shot eight times,” Makinson said.

Carlton was unarmed. Wilkens had “numerous times that she could have left” the house that morning, the detective said.

Wilkens said that if she had left, Carlton would “just come to where I was,” Makinson said.

A June 10 report by a psychologist said Wilkens was undergoing outpatient psychiatric treatment and taking Prozac at the time of her arrest and that she had recently received treatment at Parkside Hospital in Tulsa and Eastern State Hospital in Vinita.

Court records show that Wilkens was granted emergency protective orders in 1996 and 1997 after alleging that she had been physically abused by Carlton. Both orders were later dismissed.