Steve Kunzweiler

Steve Kunzweiler
Kunzweiler in 2025
Tulsa County District Attorney
Incumbent
Assumed office
2014
Preceded byTim Harris
Personal details
Born
Missouri, United States
PartyRepublican

Steve Kunzweiler is an American politician who has served as the District Attorney for Tulsa County, Oklahoma since 2014. He is a member of the Oklahoma District Attorneys Council and the Oklahoma District Attorneys Association.

Early life and career

Steve Kunzweiler was born in Missouri.[1] He started his legal career as an assistant district attorney in Osage County, Oklahoma.[2] In 1992, he started working for the Nowata County and Washington County district attorneys. In 2002, he moved to the Tulsa County district attorney's office.[3] In November 2013, he announced his campaign as a Republican candidate to succeed the retiring Tulsa County district attorney, Tim Harris.[4]

Tulsa County District Attorney

During the 2014 primary campaign, Kunzweiler challenged his opponent Fred Jordan's candidacy, arguing he was ineligible to serve as district attorney because he voted for pay increases for district attorneys while in the Oklahoma Legislature. The Oklahoma Supreme Court ruled Jordan was eligible to hold the office.[5] He defeated Jordan in the runoff election, and since no Democratic candidate filed for the office, he won the election.[6]

First term and reelection

In May 2015, Kunzweiler filed felony second-degree manslaughter charges against Robert Bates for the killing of Eric Harris.[7] On April 28, 2016, Bates was found guilty.[8]

In 2016, he filed felony first degree manslaughter charges against Betty Shelby for the killing of Terence Crutcher.[9] On May 17, 2017, a jury found Shelby not guilty.[10]

Shannon Kepler killed Jeremey Lake, his daughter's boyfriend, in 2014. Kunzweiler's office prosecuted Kepler four times, with the first three trials ending in mistrial. In October 2017, Kepler was found guilty of manslaughter.[11]

In 2018, Kunzweiler was the prosecutor during the Bever family murders trial.[12]

In 2018, Kunzweiler ran for reelection and was challenged by Democratic candidate Jenny Proehl-Day. He won the November election.[13]

Second term

In 2020, Kunzweiler declined to file charges against Black Lives Matter protestors who painted "Black Lives Matter" on a Tulsa street, instead referring the case to the Tulsa city attorney's office.[14] Later that year, Kunzweiler defended former district attorney Tim Harris's work after Harris was accused of coercing Corey Atchison into a confession.[15] Atchison's sentence was later overturned by Tulsa County District Judge Sharon Holmes.[16]

In 2021, Kunzweiler refused to charge the man who drove into Black Live Matter protestors and caused a man to fall from Interstate 244. The 32-year-old was paralyzed from the waist down.[17] Afterward, he did not endorse legislation that would have given blanket immunity to drivers who hit protesters or that would have increased penalties for protestors.[18]

In 2021, Kunzweiler criticized the Oklahoma Pardon and Parole Board, arguing the board should be more conservative in their consideration of paroles and commutations.[19]

In 2021, Kunzweiler claimed responsibility for a public censure of one of his assistants from the Oklahoma Bar Association after his offices' interns practiced law in criminal cases without being licensed.[20]

Third term

In 2022, Kunzweiler's office wrote a letter to the Oklahoma Pardon and Parole Board protesting April Rose Wilkens's application for parole. VNN speculated that the board did not grant her a hearing this period at least in part due to the protest letter.[21]

In 2023, David Guten was the judge on the custody child-stealing case for Rosario Chico, where he "initially recused himself from the case but then reinserted himself" and it was alleged that Kunzweiler contributed to Guten’s election campaign.[22] An injunction was issued against Kunzweiler regarding a petition on this case.[23]

In 2024, he was invited by Kevin Hern as his guest to attend President Joe Biden's State of the Union.[24][25] He was invited because of his correlation to fentanyl overdoses, blaming immigration happening through the U.S. and Mexico border.[26]

After President Joe Biden released a statement on the death of Nex Benedict in February 2024, Kunzweilers' office initially declined to comment on their investigation.[27][28] On March 21, his office announced no criminal charges would be filed for Benedict's death, which Kunzweiler called "an instance of mutual combat."[29][30]

In 2024, Kunzweiler supported Kevin West's HB 3694 bill that would undo 2016 state question voted on by the people. It was also authored by Julie Daniels and John George.[31] It "would revert the minimum value of goods stolen to qualify as a felony larceny back down from $1,000 to just $500." The bill was criticized by Oklahomans for Criminal Justice Reform Executive Director Damion Shade.[32] This is a SQ 780 rollback that would increase incarceration and essentially set the bar back to where the voters raised it in 2016." A representative of the organization Oklahoma Appleseed called it one of their "Bad Bills."[33]

Henry Jamerson, a man sentenced to 34 years who only served 24 and was later exonerated,[34] accused the Tulsa Police and the District Attorneys office of a decades-long coverup scheme in a 2025 lawsuit.[35] Kunzweiler is appealing Jamerson's overturned conviction,[36] even though the woman who accused Jamerson of rape recanted, saying that "police decades ago convinced her to identify Jamerson as her rapist even though she'd never seen him before." She now "formally supported the legal move to get Jamerson off the Oklahoma sex offender registry."[37] The court of criminal appeals upheld Judge David Guten's ruling to overturn Jamerson's convictions in September 2025.[38]

In 2025, Kunzweiler sought to remove Tulsa Judge Holmes from the Tajon Figures case. In a motion, he argued she "has shown questionable behavior in two other cases where she held private audiences with the defendant in one case and with jurors in the other." He claimed "improper communications and behaviors that contradict the Code of Judicial Conduct."[39] Kunzweiler wanted Holmes to be "reassigned away from handling all criminal cases," but did not get Holmes to recuse herself from the Figures case. Kunzweiler did not like the personal thank-you letter Holmes received in one case that was not shared with attorneys and a personal meeting with defendant in her chambers in another. Brian Boheim, an attorney on some of these cases, defended Holmes, saying that Kunzweiler is "dramatically misrepresenting what happened" and claiming that Kunzweiler wants to remove her politically, even though she is an elected official.[40]

2026 reelection campaign

In November 2025, he announced his intent to run for a fourth term in 2026, getting endorsements from Tulsa County Commissioner Kelly Dunkerley and Senator Christi Gillespie.[1]

Political positions

Female defendants

In June 2022, after the fall of Roe, a representative of No Forced Birth OK have called Kunzweiler "no friend to the Black community, the Indigenous community, to the gay community, to any community except white straight men."[41] On failure to protect laws, Kunzweiler said he viewed himself as a father punishing his daughters and that '"prosecutor's job was to 'teach people the morals they either never learned or they somehow forgot.'"[42] He has explained female incarceration "using a metaphor about spanking."[43]

McGirt v. Oklahoma and Tribal Sovereignty

In 2021, Kunzweiler said that the ruling on McGirt "isn't just a criminal matter but can also affect businesses."[44] Kunzweiler and Governor Stitt’s office organized a forum on McGirt claiming it "was designed to inform the public about the implications of the McGirt decision." However, "Native American activists and attorneys have accused Stitt and prosecutors of trying to stir up public sentiment against the" McGIrt decision and most of the prosecutors on the panel "were subjected to questions about why tribal leaders or their attorneys general were not among the panelists."[45] Kunzweiler "said his office is also experiencing a significant increase in the number of criminal defendants who are seeking post-conviction relief as a result of the court’s ruling."[46]

In 2024, Kunzweiler supported the cross-deputization of police officers with tribal police to avoid confusion about who has jurisdiction.[47]

In 2025 the Muscogee Nation "sought to prevent Tulsa County District Attorney Steve Kunzweiler from prosecuting non-member Indians in Tulsa County District Court," but Federal District Court Judge Gregory Frizzell ruled against the injunction. Kunzweiler said he was glad that the court recognized "the authority of district attorneys to pursue justice in every county preserves the rule of law and protects victims across the state."[48]

Oklahoma Survivors Act

Three weeks after the Oklahoma Survivor's Act (OSA) passed,[49] Kunzweiler's office came under scrutiny for creating a waiver that would cause abuse victims to waive away their rights under the new law. This upset domestic violence advocates, including the CEO of the YWCA in Oklahoma City.[50][51][52][53][54][55][56] They accused him of "forcing domestic violence victims charged with crimes to give up their rights if they want plea agreements."[57] Kunzweiler defended the form, saying that similar forms are used in other types of cases.[58]

Tulsa’s "largest non-profit organization dedicated to domestic violence," Domestic Violence and Intervention Services (DVIS), spoke out against Kunzweiler and ADA Meghan Hilborn's handling of all Oklahoma Survivors Act cases in Tulsa.[59] In a statement, DVIS denounced judge David Guten and Kunzweiler, urging constituents to vote them out.[60] The CEO of Bama Pies wrote an opinion piece in the Tulsa World, claiming that Kunzweiler "stood in that courtroom [during the hearing for April Wilkens] and declared that people who use drugs aren’t victims. That people living with mental illness aren’t victims. That survivors whose lives are messy, complicated or imperfect somehow forfeit their right to be believed."[61] The CEO of DVIS said that the DAs have "discretion" in choosing what to fight and questioned why Kunzweiler was spending state resources against Tulsa women who are not threats to society.[62][63] He later said that he supported the act[64] and believed there would be some "occasions" where domestic violence would be proven or demonstrated as the cause for the crime.[65] Advocates in Tulsa questioned his use of taxpayer dollars, calling for him to be voted out in a rally. His response was that he had to follow Marsy's Law and the legislature should have passed funding along with the Act so he could fight OSA cases more easily.[66] Oklahoma District Attorneys Association (or ODAA), which Kunzweiler is a member of, applauded Governor Kevin Stitt's initial veto of an iteration of the OSA.[67] [68] [69]

Animal Rights

In 2023, Kunzweiler spoke out against Justin Humphrey and the Oklahoma Gamefowl Commission's attempts to legalize cockfighting in the state, saying he wanted it to remain a felony.[70]

Personal life

Kunzweiler and his wife have three daughters. In September 2022, a daughter with mental illness stabbed Kunzweiler multiple times, but he survived.[71]

He is Catholic.[72]

See also

References

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  2. ^ "Former local prosecutor to run for Tulsa DA". Bartlesville Examiner-Enterprise. November 28, 2013. Retrieved September 16, 2025.
  3. ^ "Assistant DA makes move to Tulsa County office". Tulsa World. January 8, 2002. p. 18. Retrieved September 21, 2025 – via Newspapers.com.
  4. ^ "Steve Kunzweiler to Run for DA". Public Radio Tulsa. November 22, 2013. Retrieved September 16, 2025.
  5. ^ "State Lawmaker Is Eligible For District Attorney Job, Court Rules". KGOU. Associated Press. July 25, 2014. Retrieved September 26, 2025.
  6. ^ "Kunzweiler wins Tulsa County district attorney's seat". Tulsa World. August 26, 2014. Retrieved September 16, 2025.
  7. ^ "Reserve deputy charged with manslaughter turns himself in at Tulsa Jail". Tulsa World. April 14, 2015. Retrieved May 2, 2015.
  8. ^ Ellis, Ralph; Lett, Sara (April 28, 2016). "Ex-Oklahoma deputy Robert Bates guilty of killing unarmed suspect". CNN. Retrieved April 28, 2016.
  9. ^ Hardzinski, Brian (September 23, 2016). "Tulsa Officer Charged With Shooting Terence Crutcher Surrenders, Released On Bond". KOSU. Retrieved September 25, 2025.
  10. ^ Levenson, Eric; Gamble, Justin (May 17, 2017). "Tulsa cop not guilty in fatal shooting of unarmed black man". CNN. Archived from the original on May 18, 2017. Retrieved May 18, 2017.
  11. ^ Juozapavicius, Justin (October 19, 2017). "Prosecutor grateful for verdict in ex-cop's 4th murder trial". The Ledger. Retrieved September 26, 2025.
  12. ^ Slanchik, Amy (April 29, 2018). "Bever Murder Trial To Continue Into Week Three". News 9 Now and News on 6 Now. Retrieved September 25, 2025.
  13. ^ Goforth, Dylan (November 6, 2018). "Tulsa County District Attorney Steve Kunzweiler wins second term". The Frontier. Retrieved September 25, 2025.
  14. ^ "District attorney declines charges against 'Black Lives Matter' protestors". KRGM.
  15. ^ Rosenberg, Eli (July 16, 2019). "Two brothers were wrongly convicted of separate murders. Now they are reunited as free men". Washington Post.
  16. ^ "Corey Atchison's attorney issues statement in response to Tim Harris, Steve Kunzweiler comments". 2 News Oklahoma.
  17. ^ "D.A. STEVE KUNZWEILER WILL NOT CHARGE MAN WHO DROVE INTO BLM PROTESTERS". The Black Wall Street Times. January 12, 2021.
  18. ^ "Proposed Legislation Would Protect Oklahoma Drivers Who Hit Protestors". Public Radio Tulsa. February 22, 2021.
  19. ^ "Stitt expresses confidence in Pardon and Parole Board". Tulsa World. December 5, 2021.
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  27. ^ "President Biden on Nex Benedict's death: 'No one should face the bullying that Nex did'". The Oklahoman. Retrieved March 15, 2024.
  28. ^ "A nonbinary student's death after a high school fight has been ruled a suicide. Here's what to know". AP News. February 22, 2024. Retrieved September 25, 2025.
  29. ^ "No charges to be filed in fight involving Oklahoma nonbinary teen Nex Benedict". PBS NewsHour. March 21, 2024. Retrieved March 22, 2024.
  30. ^ Murphy, Sean (March 21, 2024). "No charges to be filed in fight involving Oklahoma nonbinary teen Nex Benedict, prosecutor says". AP News. Retrieved September 25, 2025.
  31. ^ "Bill Information". www.oklegislature.gov. Retrieved March 14, 2024.
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  41. ^ Caldwell, Elizabeth (June 25, 2022). "'Today is the day we pay attention': attorney urges local action after fall of Roe v. Wade". Public Radio Tulsa.
  42. ^ MICHAELS, SAMANTHA (2022). "MICHAELS". Mother Jones.
  43. ^ Stillman, Sarah (October 29, 2018). "America's Other Family-Separation Crisis". New Yorker.
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  48. ^ Loveless, Tristan (November 7, 2025). "Federal court denies preliminary injunction in Muscogee Nation case v. Tulsa DA". NonDoc. Retrieved November 9, 2025.
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  60. ^ Joslin, Brenna Rose, Sierra (September 8, 2025). "DV Intervention Services denounces court's denial of April Wilkens' resentencing". KTUL. Retrieved September 11, 2025.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
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  62. ^ Tulsa's NewsChannel 8 (September 8, 2025). NewsChannel 8 Interview with Tracey Lyall, CEO of Domestic Violence Intervention Services. Retrieved September 11, 2025 – via YouTube.{{cite AV media}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
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  68. ^ Staff, Journal Record (October 23, 2019). "ODAA selects leadership". Retrieved October 14, 2025.
  69. ^ Bryan, Max (September 22, 2024). "Kunzweiler clarifies Survivors' Act views after legal form surfaces". Public Radio Tulsa. Retrieved October 14, 2025.
  70. ^ staff, Sunny Leigh, KTUL (April 14, 2023). "Bill to reduce penalties for animal fighting shut down in Oklahoma Senate". KTUL. Retrieved October 14, 2025.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  71. ^ Hayes, Jana (September 28, 2022). "Tulsa County District Attorney Steve Kunzweiler stabbed; daughter arrested". MSN.
  72. ^ FOX23 News Tulsa (September 23, 2025). In Depth: Tulsa County DA Steve Kunzweiler discusses recent cases. Retrieved September 24, 2025 – via YouTube.{{cite AV media}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
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