Paul Dean Newberry

A man who was arrested in McAlester, Oklahoma in connection with the slaying of an 88-year-old man has escaped from the Muskogee County jail, authorities said.

The Associated Press reports authorities in Muskogee, Oklahoma are searching for Paul Newberry, 24. Jail administrators said Newberry escaped with another inmate from the Muskogee County jail late Sunday. Authorities say the pair made it onto the jail’s roof after breaking a window, then jumped off and ran away.

The second inmate, 36-year-old Raymond Noriega, was captured in Muskogee shortly after the escape.

Newberry is accused in the July killing of 88-year-old rancher Charley Kirk. He’s charged with first-degree murder with deliberate intent, robbery and burglary, among other charges.

Authorities say Newberry was last seen wearing a dark-colored, long-sleeve sweatshirt and gray shorts.

The News-Capital reported in August that Newberry was charged with another man, Cheyenne Mason Watts, 22 in the shooting and killing of 88-year-old Charley Kirk while burglarizing his home in July.

The pair was arrested soon after outside the Choctaw Casino in McAlester. They were questioned after they caught the attention of Choctaw Tribal Police officer Jermaine Riddle who wondered why four individuals were sitting inside an SUV with the engine turned off in approximately 100-degree temperatures while loitering in the casino parking lot.

When Riddle made contact with them, Newberry gave him the false name of Paul Newman, according to an affidavit filed in the case. After Riddle called for backup from Pittsburg County deputies, Newberry and Watts, along with two women who had been in the SUV with them, were jailed in Pittsburg County on initial complaints of weapons and drug violations.

Puit writes for The McAlester (Oklahoma) News-Capital.