Man sentenced to life in prison for deadly axe attack in downtown Tulsa

TULSA, Okla. — A man charged with attacking and killing another man with an axe last fall in downtown Tulsa will spend the rest of his life in prison.

Tulsa police arrested Israel Trejo in October 2022 after they said he hit 22-year-old James “Jimi” Patterson in the head with an axe while Patterson was sitting on a couch. Patterson died days later in a hospital.

At the time of the attack, police said Trejo was attempting to buy an axe. After a few minutes of holding the axe, police said he swung the axe, striking Patterson’s head.

“The victim basically was just sitting in the house, charging his cell phone, eating an egg roll, and was not even interacting with anybody, was just quietly sitting there,” said Tulsa Police Lt. Brandon Watkins. “Basically, just murdered the victim in cold blood for no reason whatsoever.”

Watkins said the two men did not know each other and the attack was unprovoked.

Trejo pleaded guilty to first-degree murder on Thursday. A Tulsa County judge sentenced him to life in prison without the possibility of parole.