Something's wrong in Oklahoma

Today, we're headed to Oklahoma. It's often celebrated for its warmth and beauty, (although when I think Oklahoma... I think of huge tornadoes that send you straight to Hell.. but I digress) it also bears the weight of a dark, persistent reputation within the justice system. It boasts having one of the highest incarceration rates in the whole country. In 1996 alone, the state saw over two hundred homicides, but few were as chilling as the one that unfolded along a pitch black shoulder of U.S. Highway 75.

of the highest incarceration rates in the country, where local cynicism runs so deep that, as Terry Hunt’s wife once famously put it on Evil Lives Here, "You can throw a rock and hit a felon in Oklahoma." In 1996 alone, the state saw over two hundred homicides, but few were as chilling, calculated, or cold-blooded as the one that unfolded along a pitch-black shoulder of U.S. Highway 75.

In October 1996, 30-year-old Trisha Stemple was brutally murdered along a dark stretch of U.S. Highway 75 in Tulsa County, Oklahoma. The mastermind behind the horrific attack was her 31-year-old husband, Timothy 'Shaun' Stemple, who sought to collect on a million dollar life insurance policy while pursuing an extramarital affair. To carry out the killing, Timothy recruited Terry Lee hunt, a 16-year-old high school student who just so happened to be the younger cousin of Timothy's mistress.

It's been nearly three decades since this crime took place, but Terry Hunt's story remains one of the most polarizing cases before the Oklahoma Pardon and Parole Board. His journey through the justice system, his claims of manipulation, and his life behind bars are featured prominently in Investigation Discovery's Evil Lives Here: The Killer Speaks.

The main question surrounding his bid for freedom cuts straight to the heart of juvenile justice. Where does the line fall between an exploited teenager and a willing participant in cold blooded murder?

Growing up, Terry Hunt wasn't some innocent clean cut kid. His own father spoke about what a trouble maker he was. How he chose to run the streets instead of listen to his parents when police got involved with his behavioral problems. His father said that he would drive Terry to school every morning, thinking that if he got him there, he would stay. He said it never worked though because when he came home, terry would already be there waiting. His parents were often in trouble for their sons truancy. When asked by police officers if he wanted to follow the rules or live on the street, Terry said he's choose the street.

From the beginning, Hunt's defense and his framing of the crime hinged on the stark age and power imbalance between himself and Timothy Stemple. Terry Hunt maintains that Timothy Stemple, an adult coach, deliberately targeted and groomed him. His claim is that Stemple used high pressure tactics, family proximity, and the promise of a life-changing fifty thousand dollars to Terry to lure him into the murder for hire plot.

Terry claims all he did was ask Timothy if he knew where he could find work and he openly offered up fifty grand with a smile. Terry claims to him, that sounded great because what kid doesn't want 50k? He asked what he would have to do and then Timothy revealed he wanted his wife dead, and he wanted it to look like a hit and run accident. Terry jumped at this.

He claimed that during the roadside assault, he was only able to deliver two initial strikes with a plastic wrapped baseball bat before feeling sick and stopping. He said he was unable to carry out taking Trisha's life. At this point, Timothy seized the weapon and carried out the violence against his own wife.

The murder was executed with a staggering level of prolonged cruelty that went way beyond a quick roadside ambush. Timothy lured his wife out of the house in the middle of the night and pretended to have something wrong with the car. He pulled over and asked her to hold a flash light for him while he looked under the hood. He poked around for a few minutes, pretending to fix something and then got inside and told her to remain there while he checked to see if it worked. He revved the engine. This was the sign for Terry to come out and begin the attack. Terry emerged from some nearby bushes with the bat and hit Trisha twice over the head.

After 16-year-old Terry delivered those first two blows, Timothy took the bat away and told Terry to get in the car. Terry watched as Timothy relentlessly beat his defenseless wife across the head 20-30 more times as she laid on the shoulder of highway 75. But she didn't die.

When the brutal beating failed to kill her, the pair placed her head directly in front of their truck's tire and attempted to roll over her, dragging her skull across the pavement. She still refused to die. Trisha continued to fight for her life and tried to sit up on the grass. Spotting her crawling along the dark roadside as they attempted to leave, Timothy turned the pickup truck around, lined up his target, and accelerated to approximately 60 mph, running over Trisha's body one final time to ensure she would not survive.

One of the most chilling pieces of forensic evidence presented at trial was a set of crime scene photos that captured Trisha's bloody handprints smeared across the side and tailgate of the pickup truck that Timothy used to run her over multiple times. This was proof she was a fighter and didn't want to give up. That woman literally fought with everything she had in her to live through that horrific night.

Timothy Stemple maintained innocence up until his execution in 2012. Terry did not. He acknowledged his complicity early on and accepted a plea agreement to testify against Timothy. He has repeatedly expressed shame and remorse for his role in Trisha's death.

While serving his life sentence within the Oklahoma Department of Corrections, Terry Hunt connected with a woman who knew his parents and married her in 2024. (Let me just interject here to say how fucking creepy I find this. Why are women actively seeking out inmates for marriage? Are y'all that stupid and desperate? HE'S A MURDERER!) His wife serves as his primary advocate on the outside and helped coordinate his legal efforts. She supports his parole applications and establishes a clear plan for his reintegration into society when/if he is ever released.

One good thing he has going for him is that he has apparently maintained a remarkably clean disciplinary record, pursued education, and avoided penitentiary gang culture, which has earned him some very rare institutional praise. So... there's that atleast.

Despite becoming eligible for parole years ago, the Oklahoma Pardon and Parole Board has turned him down atleast 5 times. What makes his legal battle unusual is the level of advocacy backing his release. The prosecutor who originally tried the case now supports Terry's release. He claims his youth at the time of the offense combined with the predatory manipulation he claims to have faced and his extensive rehabilitation behind bars shows "good character".

Some members of Trisha Stemple's immediate family have extended grace and expressed forgiveness and indicate support for his conditional release. His father has made his own passionate plea for his son. He claims he was "just a kid" who was manipulated by an older man and has already paid for his crime through decades behind bars. He says his son deserves a fair shot at freedom.

As compelling as the arguments about adolescent vulnerability and parental pleas are made out to be, playing the 'I was just a kid who was manipulated card' is complete bullshit in my opinion. Claiming a 16 year old 'didn't know right from wrong' strips away basic human accountability. 16 isn't early childhood. I don't a single teenager who doesn't understand that beating a defenseless, screaming woman with a baseball bat and participating in her execution for a cash payout is utterly evil.

Being young doesn't erase your moral compass and hiding behind an older man's influence sounds less like true remorse and more like a convenient excuse to evade the consequences of a monster's choice.

Furthermore, the facts of this case completely shatter the idea that Terry Hunt was just some impressionable kid swept up in a split-second teenage mistake. This was a calculated, multi-attempt conspiracy. Two weeks prior to her actual murder, on October 10, 1996, Terry Hunt waited in the dark along Highway 75 for the first attempt at murder. This only failed because Trisha felt ill and stayed home when timothy tried to get her to leave.

Terry had 14 full days to pull back and reflect, to tell someone, or go to the police... instead, he chose to return on October 24 to finish the job. His motivation doesn't seem like fear or coercion to me. It seems more like pure greed over that promised hit money.

When the moment arrived, he didn't just stand as a lookout, Terry brought the weapon and delivered the first of many extremely violent and deadly blows to a helpless woman. He stood beside Timothy. He watched from the car as they repeatedly ran over her body with a truck.

Until the very end, Timothy maintained his innocence. He claimed to have never had any role in his wife's murder and refused to offer any final statement when led into the execution chamber. But the dork sure as hell didn't turn down his last meal. He requested a large stuffed crust pizza with extra cheese. Half pepperoni, half Canadian bacon alongside a 2 liter of orange soda with ice. Great... ruin pizza for me.

On March 15, 2021, at the age of 46, Timothy Stemple became the 1,286th person executed in the U.S. since the reinstatement of capital punishment in 1976. He was the 98th person executed by the state of Oklahoma. His family and the Innocence Project had attempted to make last minute appeals to Governor Mary Fallin for a stay, requesting advanced DNA testing on deteriorated blood evidence and presenting medical arguments that disputed mechanics of the attack, but the governor denied the request. Good for her. He dies by lethal injection at 6:11 p.m.

Terry Lee Hunt comes up for parole consideration once again in 2026. His case brings up the ethics of punishment for minors. Can a teenager be so thoroughly manipulated by an adult that society should eventually grant them mercy, especially when backed by the victim's family and the original prosecutor? Or does the horror of a violent, premediated, hit for hire ambush demand that a life sentence remain persistent?

For now, the Oklahoma board has consistently held that regardless of institutional rehabilitation, parental pleas, or excuses about being a "stupid kid"... the sheer cruelty of what took place on Highway 75 outweighs everything else.

And I agree.

Beyond the horrific headlines and court battles, Trisha Stemple was so much more than the tragic way her life ended. Trisha was a devoted mother, a loving daughter, and a genuinely warm soul whose kindness left a lasting mark on everyone who knew her. Friends and family remember her as a bright and hard working woman with a compassionate heart and a contagious smile that could light up any room. She poured her whole world into raising her children and putting her family first.

Trisha deserved to live a long and happy life surrounded by people who cherished her. Honoring her memory means remembering the vibrant, caring woman she was and not just the justice fought for (and still being fought for) in her name.

Authors note: Authors note- I have been writing this article for a few weeks and conducting a lot of research. As of the time of publication, Terry Hunt has allegedly been released. He was said to have been released from prison on July 7. 2026.

I can't find anything that proves this, other than the word of this person on Facebook who claims to know Terry and his wife.

From what I have searched, there is no official record indicating that Terry Hunt was released. According to the docket records, in March 2026, Terry had an initial communication hearing and was passed to stage 2. In June of 2026, on the 8th, the board voted to recommend a commutation of sentence.

This means it's supposed to be in the governors' hands. I can't find a single piece of solid evidence that says he is out other than that person's post.

Based on all official documents, Terry remains in custody of the Oklahoma Department of Corrections. If I find a valid update, I'll attach it.