Four co-defendants, Omar Marano, Cynthia Fish, Amber Hall and Austin Prater all appeared for a preliminary hearing at the Washington County Courthouse on Thursday. All four are charged with murder in the first degree for the alleged death of Charles Bethel in March.

It is alleged that the four conspired to rob Bethel and Marano hit him in the head with a baseball bat. The victim later died at his residence in Shidler. Marano’s attorney, Mark Kane argued that a statement given by Marano was not voluntary. Bartlesville Police Sargent Daniel Elkins testified that Marano told him that he went in to a residence on Maple Avenue with a bat. Marano then asked the victim for drugs, the man lunged at him and Marano hit him with a baseball bat multiple times. The defendant was unaware that he hit the victim in the head.

Kane had been appointed to a different case of Marano’s. The defense attorney thought officers should have known that he was representing Marano. Special Judge Jared Sigler said that Kane’s role in the defendants other cases was not relevant.

Testimony of Sargent Elkins also revealed that Fish and Hall had lured the victim to the residence to potentially rob him. Assistant district attorney Will Drake argued that Bethel would still be alive if Hall had not been offended by comments the victim previously made about her. Prater was believed to be involved only through a potential drug transaction.

Probable cause was found for all four co-defendants on the murder charges. They are set to be bound over for district court arraignment.