Mother accused of helping murder suspect son hide

The mother of a man accused of the December 2023 killing of a bicyclist is wanted for helping her son hide from law enforcement.

The Comanche County District Court issued a felony arrest warrant Wednesday for Jill Renee Donnell, 44, of Lawton, for a count of accessory after the fact, records indicate. The crime is punishable by between five to 25 years in prison.

Donnell’s son, Vincent Joseph Sayers, 26, made his initial appearance in Comanche County District Court on Dec. 28, 2023, where he received felony charges of second-degree murder and leaving the scene of a fatality accident, records indicate. The murder count is punishable by between 10 years to life in prison.

Sayers is accused of being high on fentanyl when he drove a Mazda MZPV van that struck and killed bicyclist Mark Cochran near Northwest 50th Street and Cache Road on Dec. 22, 2023. Investigators said Sayers fled after the accident.

Security video from Braum’s, 4435 Cache Road, showed the van stop at the intersection, wait for Cochran on his bicycle before accelerating toward Cochran and colliding into him before running him over and leaving, according to the probable cause affidavit.

Police found the van parked at Sayers’ home, 4421 NW Baltimore, and he and others at the home were taken in for interviews.

During questioning, Donnell said she didn’t know why law enforcement had come to the house. She initially said her son wasn’t at the home, the affidavit states.

Lawton Police Detective Justin Johnson stated a search warrant for Sayer’s Facebook account revealed conversations between mother and son. Sayer told Donnell to report the van stolen and she later said she did but had to call back and say it was found because Twister Auto was going to track it, the affidavit states.

Donnell then messaged Sayers about meeting up and about parking the van in the garage for a couple of days to let the exhaust dry up so he could weld it, Johnson stated.

A $10,000 cash warrant bond was issued upon Donnell’s arrest.