Man sentenced to life in prison for murder of wife

UPDATE (1/8/24 ; 4:01 p.m.) — Kevin Snoddy was convicted of second degree murder and was sentenced to life in prison on Monday, court documents say.

Court documents show a history of domestic violence committed by a man who has been arrested for the murder of his wife.

Tulsa Police arrested Kevin Snoddy just after midnight Tuesday in the murder of Cheryl Thomas. Thomas’ death was determined to be Tulsa’s 18th homicide of 2022 after investigators found her body inside her home at the Avondale Apartments near South Trenton and East 71st Street. Neighbors in nearby apartments told FOX23 at the scene and even in an e-mail that they had heard shouting coming from Thomas’ unit days before she was found dead.

Court records show that Snoddy pleaded guilty to beating Thomas on November 21st 2020 so bad her left eye was swollen shut. Documents state Snoddy took out his anger on Thomas after he lost his identification.

When officers showed up to the apartment Thomas would be found dead in a year and a half later, Snoddy’s arrest report states he was high on meth and said he was using street drugs as medication for a mental health issue. In addition to domestic assault and battery, he was also arrested for public intoxication for being high in the presence of police.

While the criminal justice process played out, Thomas filed for an order of protection against Snoddy to keep him from coming within one hundred feet of her, kept Snoddy out of Thomas’s residence, and evited him from their apartment unit. However, the order was not made permanent because neither side showed up for a finalization hearing, and a judge allowed the temporary terms to expire.

Snoddy would plead guilty to his November 2020 charges the following month, and received an 18 month sentence on each count with $300 in total fines. However, his sentence would be deferred as part of a plea deal.

The deferred sentence would not be the end of it however. In June 2021, the Tulsa County District Attorney’s Office filed a motion to revoke his deferred sentence in an effort to get him into prison. Court documents do not show what Snoddy did to violate the terms of his deferred sentence, but a warrant was issued for his arrest June 14th, 2021 and wasn’t seen by law enforcement until March 24th when he would be questioned by TPD about Thomas’ whereabouts.

According to Snoddy’s arrest report related to his charges that he murdered Thomas, Tulsa Police state Thomas’ out-of-town family called TPD asking for them to check on her at her apartment on Thursday March 24th. On the 24th, Snoddy answered the door, said everything was fine, but wouldn’t let officers in to inspect the apartment. He then said he was late for work and left the scene shortly after speaking with officers.

On Saturday March 26th, TPD received another call this time from home health care workers who said they had spoken with Thomas’ family after she had missed a few appointments, and no one could get in touch with her. No one was answering the apartment’s door either.

TPD conducted a welfare check, the report states, with the help of apartment complex maintenance crews. They found Thomas dead on a bed underneath a pile of blankets and clothes.

Snoddy was picked up by TPD on Tuesday morning and after questioning was arrested for Thomas’ murder.

If you are the victim of domestic violence, there are resources to help you get out of an abusive relationship. The National Domestic Violence Hotline is up and running 24/7. The number is 800-799-7233.