By KAREN BRADY
Staff Writer
Ronson Kyle Bush, who has pleaded not guilty in the murder of William Harrington, can be heard on a police recording asking officers, “Did I tell you I killed my friend?”
Chickasha Police Officer Cliff Walker testified on Wednesday that he arrested Bush about 1 a.m. on Dec. 23, 2008 for violating a protective order issued to Stephanie Morgan. A digital recording that Walker turned on shortly after Bush’s arrest was then played for the jury.
According to testimony, Morgan discovered Bush in her house upon returning home from work and then left the house to go to the police station.
Because Morgan believed Bush was still in her home, three police officers went with Morgan to her place of residence, where Bush was found lying on the couch.
“He wasn’t supposed to make any contact with her or be at her residence, so I placed him under arrest for a protective order violation and took him out to my car,” Walker said.
Walker also said Bush “appeared to be intoxicated by sight and smell.”
After placing Bush in the police car, Walker turned on his digital audio recorder.
It was then that Bush told Walker he had killed his best friend, Billy Harrington.
Walker pulled over and read Bush the Miranda Warning, but Bush waived his rights and continued to talk about the events that occurred earlier that evening.
While much of the lengthy recording was garbled and difficult to understand, Bush can clearly be heard asking Walker if he told him he killed his friend and saying, “I dragged him with a rope.”
“Ronson told me he killed his friend,” Walker said. “He kept telling us “I killed my friend” during the book in process.”
Walker said Bush told police 30 to 35 times he had killed his best friend.
According to court records, Bush shot Harrington six times with a .357 revolver at his home while he was sitting in a chair. Harrington reportedly stumbled outside and collapsed and Bush tied a rope to his ankle and dragged him off the road into a pasture to hide the body.
Testimony will resume at 9 a.m. on today at the Grady County Courthouse
