MIAMI, Okla. — An Ottawa woman waived her right to a preliminary hearing in the death of a woman who was at the center of a love triangle.
Charlana Nichelle Kelly, 53, of Miami, appeared before Special Judge Matt Whalen on Monday. She is charged with accessory to murder and is free on a $25,000 bail.
Kelly has denied any involvement in the Nov. 2021 death of Toni Elizabeth Moran.
Whalen put Kelly’s case on the fall felony trial docket and ordered her to return to court on Sept. 25.
The remains of Moran, 47, also known as Tony Elizabeth Torres, were found north of Commerce in the Picher-Cardin-Quapaw area in rural Ottawa County.
Moran’s body had abrasions, including a laceration to her tongue and a contusion to the left side of her head, an autopsy report states. She had multiple gunshot wounds to her head and body, the autopsy report states. A toxicology report shows Moran also had methamphetamine in her system.
Jimmy Gene Kelly Jr., 53, pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court in Tulsa in January to second-degree murder in Indian Country and being a felon in possession of a firearm. He is waiting for a sentencing date.
Jimmy Kelly confessed to shooting Moran in the head with a .38 Special, according to his plea agreement. He told investigators he was having a “relationship” with Moran that caused his wife, Charlana to become jealous and he had “arranged a confrontation” between both women.
In 2003, Moran was found incompetent to stand trial in the drowning death of her 17-month-old son, Alex. She was allowed to leave a mental hospital in 2011 after it was ruled, she was no longer a danger to society.
After her release, online court records show Moran had several outstanding warrants for misdemeanor drug violations, felony third-degree burglary, assault, and battery, and endangering while eluding or attempting to elude a police officer.
