Ina Balch was 85 years old and lived in northwest Oklahoma City. In December, she was beaten, raped, and murdered inside her home. She was found tied upright on the bed, dressed in her own clothes. Her hip was broken, and the fracture caused fatal internal bleeding.
The day before, her granddaughter, Melissa García, had visited her and given her a recliner as an early Christmas gift. That night, Ina called her to thank her. “She loved people”, Melissa said. “The only thing she wanted to know was: “Do you know the Lord?””. Now, her granddaughter regrets not making that last call last longer.
Days later, 33-year-old Cordell Wilson was arrested while breaking into another home, two streets from Ina’s home.