DUNCAN, Okla. – A Duncan man appeared before a judge Thursday afternoon for the murders of his family, pleading guilty and receiving his sentencing.
Authorities said a housekeeper discovered the bodies of John Hruby, Tinker Hruby and their daughter, Katherine, inside the family’s home on Oct. 13, 2014.
Investigators said they were shot to death in their kitchen.
Alan Hruby was charged with three counts of first-degree murder after allegedly confessing to the murders the next day.
Investigators said money was likely the motive behind the killings, adding Hruby’s parents cut off his finances shortly before the murders.
In June, prosecutors filed a bill of particulars saying they will seek the death penalty against Hruby.
On August 20, he pleaded not guilty to the charges.
Hruby is currently serving three years in prison for opening a credit card account in his grandmother’s name and using it to take a European vacation.
However, he appeared before District Judge Ken Graham on Thursday and pleaded guilty to all three counts of murder in the death of his parents and sister.
Alan Hruby enters Stephens County Courtroom #Breaking @kfor pic.twitter.com/1kVTaIXHsl
— Adam Snider (@AdamSniderNews) March 10, 2016
His family requested Hruby receive three life sentences without parole.
He then officially received three consecutive life sentences without parole and no contact with his family or the media.
Hruby also waived his right to an appeal.
After the court appearance, Stephens County District Attorney Jason Hicks held a press conference.
“With the Oklahoma Department of Corrections, he will never be out of prison again,” Hicks said about Hruby’s sentencing. “The family told me they did not want to go to trial, they did not want the stress of this trial.”
Hicks then held a question and answer session, where he was asked if Hruby apologized during his appearance.
“I did not hear an apology come out of his mouth,” he said. “You take the life of three people, and you don’t have the decency to at least apologize for it, I think it reflects on who he is.”
When asked about the condition that Hruby is not to have contact with his family or the media, Hicks said they don’t want the possibility of book or movie deals “where he has profits coming into his own pockets” or interviews that would cause the family to keep “going through all of the emotions they went through back in October of 2014.”
“This family deserves to have this case done, and it deserves finality,” he said. “We don’t want this to start all over again and to put this family through the torture that they went through a year and a half ago. Quite frankly, it’s time for it to end.”
Hicks added Hruby is not to have contact with his family “unless and until that contact is initiated by a family member.”
“Basically locks this down to the point that he’s going to prison, and nobody’s going to hear from him again,” he said.
Hicks then reiterated “it was indicated in his plea form that he had suffered depression, that he was taking some type of medication but, beyond that, there’s be no indication to me that there’s any kind of mental health problem with him in any way, shape or form.”
Hicks was also asked how difficult the case was for him, after which he appeared emotional.
“I knew all three of them. I knew them well. My oldest child is 17, and he went to school Katherine since she was in grade school,” he struggled to say. “Emotional toll on all of us. No doubt about it. I’d known them a long time. They were very, very good folks and very much missed and were very well respected and very well liked and very involved in this community, so it’s been tough for everyone.”
Had the family not requested the life sentences, Hicks said Hruby would have probably received a death sentence.
“I am confident that a jury in Stephens County would have given the death penalty,” he said.
One of several letters written by victim's family, urging DA's office against taking Alan Hruby case to trial. @kfor pic.twitter.com/LD7EJGhxs2
— Adam Snider (@AdamSniderNews) March 10, 2016
Hicks said the trial was scheduled to start April 18.
He said Hruby is now to transfer back to McAlester within about 10 days.
Finally, Hicks was asked, “why this happened in the first place.”
“I think that’s a question that I will ponder for the rest of my career and probably the rest of my life because I don’t know that we can ever answer that ‘why’ question. I think that’s one of the questions that every family that we deal with in a situation like this wants to know the answer to,” he said. “But, in this particular case, I can’t say this is specifically why he did it. I do strongly believe that it was financially motivated, and that would be our explanation as to why.”
