Defendant in Rib Crib
Killing Given Life, Plus

Three Men Entered Restaurant Through A
Back Door to Rob and to Kill a Cook in ‘10

By CHRISTOPHER V. PORTER
Chronicle Staff

TULSA--The defendant in the so-called Rib Crib killing was earlier this week given a life sentence, plus another 75 years behind bars.
A Tulsa County jury in August found Isaiah Peevy, 21, guilty of the first-degree murder of Howard “Bud” Stoddard, 50, a cook at the Rib Crib Restaurant, 1601 S. Harvard Ave.
Jurors recommended a life sentence with possible parole.
But, the jury also found Mr. Peevy guilty of seven other felonies:  five counts of robbery with a firearm, one count of attempted armed robbery and one count of second-degree burglary).
On Monday, Tulsa County District Judge Bill Musseman sentenced Mr. Peevy to consecutive terms of 20, 20, 10 and 10 years for attempted robbery and five years for burglary.
Judge Musseman dismissed the fifth robbery count, which would have carried a 15-year term, having found that it provided the underlying basis for the felony murder charge and, therefore, merged with the murder count.
At the trial, witnesses testified that three masked robbers entered the restaurant through a back door after the restaurant closed on the night of May 20, 2010. 
Mr. Stoddard was fatally shot during the robbery.
Two of Mr. Stoddard’s family members gave impact statements in court before Monday’s formal sentencing.
“ ‘Bud’ was the head of our family, our rock and an example to the young people in our extended family,” said his mother, Margaret Stoddard.
“I miss him in thousands of ways,” she said.  “[Although he is gone forever], he is still loved the same.”
Tasha Smothers said Mr. Stoddard “wasn’t only a dad, he was my coach, my mentor.  He was always there when I needed him.”
She said that “growing up with him as my dad was the best thing that ever happened to me.”
Two other defendants in the case, D’Andre Finnie, 19, and Deonte Marshall, 20, have been sentenced to prison.
Mr. Finnie pleaded guilty last week to second-degree murder and four other felonies, and was sentenced to 35 years in prison.
Mr. Marshall pleaded no contest in September to first-degree felony murder. 
He pleaded guilty to robbery, burglary and firearm offenses, and was sentenced to life with possible parole, plus 15 another years.
Mr. Marshall’s life-plus-15-year term runs consecutively with a 15-year prison term given previously for an unrelated robbery.
Mr. Finnie testified at Mr. Peevy’s trial as a prosecution witness.
According to Mr. Finnie, Mr. Peevy had a .40 cal. weapon and Mr. Marshall had a 9 mm gun when the three entered the restaurant.
Mr. Finnie testified that he did not have a gun inside the restaurant.