Kriti Mehrotra
After Verlin Ray Howard suddenly disappeared from his northeast Tulsa, Oklahoma, apartment on September 4, 2014, it quickly became apparent to officials that foul play was involved. That’s because it was extremely unlikely that the 41-year-old would leave his loved ones in the dark. Furthermore, there had been suspicious activity on his accounts in the days leading up to the incident. A&E’s ‘The First 48: End of the Road’ chronicles this case in detail, shining a light upon precisely what transpired and how authorities managed to secure justice.
Verlin Ray Howard’s Remains Were Found 20 Months After He Went Missing
Since Verlin Ray Howard was born into a loving, supportive household in Claremore, Oklahoma, on April 12, 1973, he recognized the significance of open communication at an early age. It’s thus no surprise that he reportedly shared a tight-knit bond with his mother, Virginia Mae Howard, his father, Glenn Dale Howard, and his brother, Dewayne Howard, for most of his life. These connections persisted while he served in the US Navy as a young adult, and then remained steady as he returned to civilian life before evolving into a professional welder for 17 years.
Better known as Ray, Verlin never got married or had any children. By the time the fall of 2014 rolled around, he was leading a good, proud life in northeast Tulsa alongside a roommate. He worked, hung out with friends, stayed in touch with family, and simply enjoyed his hobbies, which is why it was so strange when he went radio silent around early September. His co-workers reported him missing after realizing he’d never collected his paycheck for the last month, followed by his family, who hadn’t heard from him in days.
An extensive search for the 41-year-old began, especially as he was last seen on September 4 and his car was still in the parking lot of his apartment complex, but his phone was gone. In the end, Ray’s skeletal remains were found by a surveyor along a rural road in Washington County, Oklahoma, in May 2016. Per the authorities, his remains were wrapped in two plastic sheets and secured with duct tape before being left in a field-like area near the town of Ramona. He was identified through his dental records. The medical examiner’s office confirmed he died of blunt force trauma to the head. Investigators theorized, and a jailhouse informant later claimed, that Verlin had been hit over the head with something metal.
Investigators Almost Immediately Suspected Foul Play in Verlin Ray Howard’s Case
When authorities began investigating Ray’s case, one of the first things they did was interview his co-workers, his loved ones, and his roommate/close friend, Robert James Tyson. According to the latter’s statements, the missing man allegedly planned to travel all the way to Kansas over the weekend to pick up some furniture, but it was evident the trip never happened. That’s not only because his vehicle was still untouched in the parking lot, but also because his missing phone soon turned up, strangely, along the side of a road, picked up by a random stranger.
Officials subsequently decided to search Ray and Robert’s home in the hopes of finding some clues about the former’s whereabouts, only to discover a massive blood stain on their carpet. According to their records, the entire place was spotless, as if it had been professionally cleaned a short while prior, but a blood stain remained on the underside of the carpet. When questioned about it, Robert claimed it wasn’t blood; instead, it was dirt and oil from a carburetor his roommate brought into the home days before he went missing. He further indicated that everything was good between them, adding that they cleaned that spot together later on with whatever supplies “they had under the sink.”
However, the events leading up to Ray’s disappearance and Robert’s behavior/statements immediately after raised several red flags for all investigators. According to records, the 41-year-old had made his roommate the beneficiary of his 401K weeks earlier, while also withdrawing a total of $12,000 in two or three installments. Robert vehemently asserted he had no idea of his roommate’s whereabouts and had no hand in the matter, going so far as to say, “He was a grown man with some money, could’ve gone anywhere.” Yet, his ex-girlfriend at the time told authorities he was suddenly spending money he never had, before also describing him as “the most manipulative person” she ever met.
Verlin Ray Howard’s Assailant Was Apprehended More Than 2 Years After the Incident
According to the ex-girlfriend, Robert was so broke for so long that he relied on her for groceries, but then he had a wallet full of cash after Ray disappeared without a trace. She also claimed he made his rent payments by himself, which was something he never did before – it was handled solely by his now-missing roommate. As if that’s not enough, she candidly told officials something her ex-boyfriend had omitted in his interviews. She alleged he’d told her that he and Ray had gotten into a fist fight the night before the latter went missing, claiming he hid the information from the police as it would look suspicious. A neighbor seemingly backed this by claiming she’d heard the two men brawl through the wall.
After Ray’s remains were recovered in May 2016 and the lead detective in the investigation changed, all potential witnesses and the primary person of interest were re-interviewed. Authorities managed to get Robert in by pretending this was just a formality before they filed the paperwork to deem the case a cold case, but what they really wanted to do was interrogate him. According to records, they believed they had a good circumstantial case against him owing to the blood stain on the carpet, his ex-girlfriend’s statements, and his phone records. After all, the latter indicated he had traveled in the direction of where Ray’s remains and his phone were found in the days after he went missing.
It was during this interrogation that Robert claimed he’d gotten up at 5:30 or 6 am on September 4/5, 2014, following which he left home to wash his truck for an hour or two. He added he’d seen Ray in the apartment upon his return, only for him to then leave a short while later without explaining where he was going or when he would be back. He then clarified that, while his roommate hadn’t explicitly stated he was going to Kansas to pick up furniture, he’d initially told officials about it because he believed it was true. As per police records, investigators subsequently laid out all the evidence they had and told him they believed him to be responsible for Ray’s murder, but he maintained his innocence. In the end, in December 2016, Robert was arrested on the charge of first-degree murder.
Robert James Tyson is Currently Incarcerated in an Oklahoma Prison
Although Robert declined to talk to investigators following his arrest, the situation changed a little around 2 months later when an inmate at the county jail contacted them. He claimed that while he initially thought of Robert as a good man, he no longer was of that opinion because the latter had confessed to killing his roommate at least twice or thrice. As per the inmate’s statements, Robert never said his victim’s name, but he discussed the matter in a “cold” way and confessed to disposing of his roommate’s remains near the town of Ramona. Furthermore, the inmate alleged that Robert called detectives “stupid” because the murder weapon was a piece of metal that was still in the back of his truck when they first searched the home.
Ultimately, as Robert was to stand trial on the amended charge of second-degree murder in connection with Ray’s disappearance and death, he chose to plead guilty in April 2018. He was subsequently sentenced to 40 years in prison, ordered to pay $500 in fines, and ordered to pay an additional $250 under the Crime Victims Compensation Act. So, today, at the age of 48, he is incarcerated at the medium and minimum-security James Crabtree Correctional Center in Helena, Oklahoma, where he is expected to remain until at least he becomes eligible for parole in 2052.
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