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An Owasso man who killed his stepfather in March 2020 has been sentenced in federal court.

In a statement on Friday, U.S. Attorney Clint Johnson said:

“Jordan Kuykendall violently assaulted his mother, and Charles Botts was forced to intervene. Kuykendall then fought Mr. Botts and during the struggle, stabbed him to death. Those who commit violent criminal acts within the Northern District of Oklahoma will be brought to justice. Kuykendall will serve 78 months in federal prison for his crime.”

U.S. District Judge Gregory K. Frizzell sentenced Jordan Taylor Kuykendall, 25, to 78 months in prison followed by three years of supervised release. He was further ordered to pay $7,500 in restitution.

On Oct. 8, 2021, Kuykendall pleaded guilty to voluntary manslaughter in Indian Country. In his plea agreement, Kuykendall admitted that on May 17, 2020, he got into an argument with his stepfather, Charles Botts, and stabbed him, resulting in the victim’s death.

At approximately 1:00 a.m. on May 17, 2020, Botts intervened when Kuykendall, who was intoxicated, assaulted his mother. Botts pulled the defendant off the mother and pinned him down on the floor. According to a witness, the victim then told Kuykendall that he loved him and released him. When he released Kuykendall and walked away to his bedroom, the defendant followed him with a knife. Inside the bedroom, a struggle ensued between the defendant and victim. Kuykendall stabbed the victim and repeatedly struck the victim in the head while he was laying against a closet door.

Medics transported Botts to St. Francis Hospital in Tulsa where he was later pronounced dead just after 4 am.  According to the medical examiner’s report, Botts “died as a result of a stab wound of the left lateral chest,” that penetrated his heart.

At sentencing, Botts’ sister described how her brother had grown in the last five years since he found Christ. She called him the brother she remembered as a child. She described his selflessness and explained that when Kuykendall needed help, her brother was there for him. She then said Kuykendall acted recklessly the night he took her brother’s life.

In a sentencing memorandum, the United States requested an upward departure from the federal sentencing guidelines. They argued that due to the brutal nature of the crime, a term of 15 years imprisonment was appropriate. The United States noted that multiple individuals had gone out of their way to help the defendant the night of the crime, and in return, he committed an assault and killing. They also noted that while Kuykendall did not have a criminal history, victim witness statements indicated that Kuykendall had a history of violence and lashing out at family and dating partners.

The defense asked for a sentence of 63 months due, in part, to the long term psychological effects of Kuykendall’s exposure to violence in the home as a young child.

The FBI and Owasso Police Department conducted the investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorney Ryan H. Heatherman is prosecuting the case.