LeFlore County District Attorney Kevin Merritt announced Tuesday that Alex Nathaniel Davis, 35, of Poteau, will spend the rest of life in prison for the July 2021, murder of Tara Strozier. Strozier, 40, of Fort Smith, Arkansas, was missing for more than a week before her body was found in a pond in Cameron.
Davis pled guilty to all charges on July 10, when he appeared with his attorneys before LeFlore County Associate District Judge Marion Fry. Formal sentencing took place Tuesday in the same courtroom on the second floor of the LeFlore County Courthouse.
He was sentenced to life without parole for the murder, 20 years for kidnapping her, and one year for obstruction.
“Alex Davis will spend every day for the rest of his life in prison for the evil and sickening murder of Tara Strozier,” Merritt said after sentencing was imposed by the Court. “His grotesque and horrifying actions toward the victim during her last moments on earth were especially heinous and cruel.”
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Merritt’s District 16 DA’s Office, which also includes Latimer County, spends time consulting with and trying to assist families impacted by violent crime. The DA’s Office in Poteau and Wilburton each have Victim Witness Coordinators specially trained to assist the families of victims that fall prey to criminals like Davis.
“l hope Tara’s family feels some sense of relief and justice, knowing that today’s life sentence without the possibility of parole means one of the men responsible for her death has been found guilty of taking her life and will never be released from prison. He will eventually die behind prison walls, which is what he deserves for his crimes,” Merritt said.
Austin Johnson was also charged with the kidnapping and murder of Strozier. His jury trial is scheduled for late January 2026.
Merritt said the effort to seek justice for Strozier was the result of some very hard work and cooperation by law enforcement officers across multiple agencies.
“l want to thank the LeFlore County Sheriff’s Office and the Oklahoma Statue Bureau of Investigation (OSBI) for their thorough investigation,” said Merritt. “The Oklahoma Highway Patrol (OHP), Choctaw Nation Lighthorse, Poteau Police Department, and the District 16 Drugs and Violent Crime Task Force were instrumental in helping us piece together what happened in this case. Thanks to their collective efforts, some justice was done today.”
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