An Oklahoma man admitted to fatally shooting a pastor whose wife also pleaded guilty to the murder this year after she said the killing was her only escape from decades of abuse, the man’s lawyer said Monday.
Kahlil Square, 27, pleaded guilty to a charge of first-degree murder last week, lawyer Tony Coleman said.
The plea is “blind,” meaning Square has no agreement with the district attorney’s office, Coleman said. He described the move as the “best strategy available to us.”
The Pontotoc County District Attorney's Office, which is prosecuting the case, could not immediately be reached for comment.
Kristie Evans, 49, was sentenced last month to life in prison with the possibility of parole in the March 22, 2021, murder of her husband of 30 years, David Evans, a pastor at Harmony Free Will Baptist Church in Ada.
Authorities have said Square shot David Evans while he was asleep at home. Kristie Evans initially said an intruder killed her husband but later admitted that she asked Square to do it.
In interviews from jail last year, she said her husband repeatedly pressured her to have sex with other men, including Square. She also described him as physically abusive and financially controlling.
During Kristie Evans' sentencing hearing, prosecutors described her as a "very good liar" who used Square.
Coleman echoed those comments Monday, saying she exploited a man who "was just gullible enough to fall into her web of deception and manipulation."
"She did a number on him," he said.
Square's sentencing is scheduled for Nov. 15, Coleman said.