by: BILL BRAUN World Staff Writer
Friday, November 13, 2009
11/13/2009 10:12:07 PM
A Tulsan who is accused of killing his girlfriend by setting her on fire was bound over for trial Friday on murder and arson charges.
At a preliminary hearing, a Tulsa County judge ordered Kenneth McCurley held on a first-degree murder charge linked to the July 29 death of Nicole “Nikkie” Partridge, 33.
McCurley, 24, also faces trial on a first-degree arson charge.
He is accused of pouring a flammable liquid on Partridge on July 10 at their 3303 E. Fourth St. residence and then throwing a cigarette on her to ignite the liquid.
Damon Madron testified Friday that he was driving near that location when McCurley ran in front of his car screaming that “my girlfriend is on fire” and that he needed a cell phone to call 911.
McCurley and Partridge screamed back and forth, with Partridge telling him to “get away from me” and the defendant telling her, “But I love you,” Madron said.
Nikki West, a passenger in Madron’s car, said Partridge was in immense pain and had been severely burned from the neck down.
It was “excruciating to look at,” West testified. Partridge — who looked frantic — said, “Don’t let him near me,” and “He did this to me.”
Partridge said that “he threw a chemical on me” and that it was not an accident, West said.
Robert Hicks, an EMSA medic, testified that he asked Partridge if the chemicals “had anything to do with meth” and that she said yes.
Dr. Eric Woolley, who treated Partridge at Hillcrest Medical Center, testified that she said, “I don’t want him to get away with it.”
The burned woman said that “he poured something on me” and that “he threw his cigarette on me,” according to Woolley.
Luke Hundley, a registered nurse at Hillcrest, testified that Partridge said, “No matter what Kenny says, this was not an accident.”
Partridge died after nearly three weeks in the hospital.
McCurley was arrested July 11. He remains in the Tulsa Jail.
Associate Images:
Kenneth McCurley
Kenny is my friend. I don't believe he would have hurt her on purpose. I would still trust him with my life. Hasn't anyone thought about the fact that she was angry with him and that's why she said those things? I mean, come on, she had just been burned, of course she was pissed and wanted him to get in trouble. I don't want to see a good man die in prison or spend most of his life in prison because of an accident and an angry, upset womans last words. For all we know she would have recanted her statement after she calmed down and got her head on straight. And she was doing meth too. But of course everyone will believe what she said because of the tragedy of it all.
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