Man Arrested After He Bludgeoned His Mother To Death With The Butt Of a Shotgun While His Friend Watched

Henry "Hank" Laird, a 17-year-old Oklahoma teen, was jailed Wednesday after he allegedly beat his mother to death with the butt of a shotgun and then laughed when police took him into custody.

According to Tulsa police, a warrant for Laird's arrest was issued last Tuesday after Linda Laird's parents arrived at her home to find her bludgeoned to death at the foot of a staircase.

The parents told police that Henry Laird and a friend, identified as Josia Sklar, fled the residence when they arrived.

Sklar was tracked to a motel and arrested at about 2 a.m. Wednesday, while Henry Laird remained at large.

Sklar told detectives that he watched Laird repeatedly pound his mother's head with the butt of a shotgun until she became unresponsive. When asked how many times Laird struck his mother with the gun, Sklar answered "about 20 times."

Sklar stated that Linda Laird still showed signs of life following the attack, but he didn't do anything because he was afraid of "Hank." That's when Sklar placed a pillow under Linda Laird's head and then went to sleep in a back room, according to the arrest report.

Police received a tip Wednesday morning stating that Laird was staying at a house on South Boston Avenue. He was taken into custody without incident Wednesday afternoon.

Detectives noted that Laird was "laughing and smiling" as they led him to a patrol car.

Both Laird And Sklar were booked into jail and charged with first-degree murder.

The Oklahoma State Medical Examinator's Office determined that Linda Laird suffered "blunt force trauma to the head and neck" and ruled her death a homicide.