Sitting Oklahoma judge indicted in connection with 2 drive-by shootings, 1 of which occurred at in-law's ranch

A sitting judge in Oklahoma has now been indicted in connection with two separate drive-by shootings in 2023, one of which occurred at a ranch owned by his brother-in-law.

Just before 3:30 p.m. on February 12, 2023, a car pulled up to a ranch in Bison, Oklahoma, about 75 miles north of Oklahoma City, and opened fire. The ranch's owner, Kenneth Markes, claimed bullets penetrated his home, causing damage to a window, a wall, and an oven. A bullet and five empty .40-caliber shell casings were later recovered from the scene. Though Markes' son was apparently home at the time, thankfully, no one was injured.

"Seeing a person in a window, and missing by a matter of inches, is not just a random shooting."

Two days after the shooting, Markes' brother-in-law, Brian Lovell — a 59-year-old associate judge in Garfield County, Oklahoma — reported that a firearm had been stolen out of his vehicle.

Seven months later, on the afternoon of September 11, a man was driving around in a white SUV near the intersection of Matamoros and Santa Maria in Austin, Texas, when he suddenly began pointing a weapon and firing at other vehicles. One witness described the suspect as "a white male, wearing a baseball-style hat and grey shirt."

The man allegedly fired at least five shots, and police found "several vehicles with projectile defect in them," according to the affidavit. Three .40-caliber shell casings were later recovered from the scene.

About an hour later, Judge Brian Lovell was arrested less than two miles from the intersection where the shooting occurred after his white SUV with Oklahoma plates allegedly rear-ended another vehicle twice.

"This SUV was driven by a white male, wearing a baseball-style hat and a grey shirt who was identified as Brian Noel Lovell ... by his Oklahoma Driver’s License," the affidavit said. Police also spotted "a black firearm in the front passenger floor board of Lovell’s SUV."

Lovell reportedly admitted to rear-ending the woman's vehicle twice but denied doing so intentionally. When police asked him about the shooting earlier that afternoon, his mind seemed to have gone blank. "Lovell advised he did not know why he would have shot his gun and he could not recall any part of the shooting incident," the affidavit said.

No one was injured either in the Austin shooting or in the minor vehicle crash.

In November, two months after the shooting in Austin and nine months after the shooting at Markes' ranch, ballistics tests revealed that the same gun, a Glock 23 .40-caliber, had been used in both incidents.

In February 2024, Lovell was arrested and charged with eight felony counts of deadly conduct — discharge of a firearm in connection with the Austin shooting. He was issued a $10,000 bond and released once it was paid appropriately. He has a hearing scheduled for this case in June.

On Friday, Lovell was arraigned on one felony count of use of a vehicle to facilitate the discharge of a firearm and an alternative felony count of discharging a firearm into a dwelling in connection with the shooting at Markes' home. Lovell did not submit a plea, so a not-guilty plea was submitted by the court on his behalf. He was assessed a bond of $25,000 and released on the condition that he steers clear of Markes and his family as well as all firearms.

Lovell's Oklahoma attorney, Stephen Jones, believes Lovell has been wrongfully accused. "It was a long time before the indictment was returned and that bears on him and his family. But he’s a strong character," Jones said. "And in my view, he’s innocent."

Jones also insisted that Lovell's defense intends to "attack the jurisdiction and soundness of the indictment." "From our own investigation, the evidence is insufficient to convince a jury beyond a reasonable doubt," Jones claimed.

Markes seemed less certain of his brother-in-law's innocence. "I had no idea that it could’ve been Brian Lovell," Markes said. "Seeing a person in a window, and missing by a matter of inches, is not just a random shooting."

Lovell has a court hearing in connection with the shooting at Markes' ranch in late August. Garfield County District Judge Paul Woodward previously claimed that Lovell had agreed not to hear cases until his case had been fully adjudicated.

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