Rex Robbins, the man accused of a 1997 beating death in Sallisaw, was bound over for jury trial during a preliminary hearing Friday morning (May 17).
His next court appearance is scheduled for 1:30 p.m. June 3 before Judge Jeff Payton in Sequoyah County.
The 38-year-old is charged with first degree murder in the death of Mitchell Nixon.
Nixon’s body was found in 1997 in the Tower Estates area south of Sallisaw. He died of “blunt trauma” to the head, according to court documents.
Jack Thorp, Assistant District Attorney, said "Today we held a preliminary hearing and the state called two witnesses. A OSBI Agent from 1997 who talked about the crime scene and the discovery of Mitchell Nixon's body on October 9th 1997."
Robbins was arrested March 3 of this year after the cold case was reopened. He also faces first degree felony murder and first degree robbery charges.
Robbins has pleaded not guilty to the charges and remains in the Sequoyah County jail.
"Mr. Robbins went through the preliminary hearing this morning on the murder of Mitchell Nixon," said Sequoyah County Sheriff Lockhart. "It took probably about thirty-five minutes. The judge ruled that there was enough evidence to bound him over for a jury trial for the murder of Mitchell Nixon."
According to an affidavit, Robbins told investigators a friend picked him up in October 1997 and that he and the friend did drugs together. The suspect told authorities they went to a tower on Tower Estates Road and Nixon and someone else showed up.
According to the court document, Robbins claims one of the other men hit Nixon with a rock. Robbins admitted to hitting Nixon as well.
Robbins told investigators one of the other people involved wanted to “bully” Nixon and get his truck.
The suspect told authorities one of the other people took the rear view mirror from Nixon’s truck and used it to do drugs. The affidavit says Robbins claims he washed the outside of Nixon’s truck and changed his bloody clothes.
Robbins told investigators he took the truck to the Walmart parking lot in Sallisaw and left it with the truck with the keys in it, according to a court document.