SEQUOYAH COUNTY, Okla. — Sunday marks one year since two good samaritans were shot along Interstate-40 near Vian, Oklahoma.
Today, the victims were in court for a pre-trial hearing in Sequoyah County.
Derek Riggs and Jake Myers stopped to help Lee King nearly one year ago. On Tuesday, July 12, they sat opposite King in a Sequoyah County courtroom to begin what they hope is the closure they need.
After about an hour and a half, the court was dismissed. King is facing two counts of assault and battery with a deadly weapon, two counts to maim and one count of attempted robbery with a firearm. If convicted, King could face life in prison.
But before the counts were laid out, both Riggs and Myers took the stand for about half an hour each recounting what happened the night they were shot.
Riggs and Myers stopped to help King get gas and back to the vehicle he was driving when Riggs saw the gun. After a struggle, Riggs was shot three times – Myers shot once in the face.
Both men underwent numerous surgeries following their injuries and once again sat close to the man who nearly took their lives.
Riggs and Myers say while today was difficult, they are looking forward to moving forward in the trial.
“It’s kind of… it’s kind of hard to go through, but it’s also hopeful in a sense that, you know, this is the first step from a legal standpoint, where we can start the closure process,” Riggs said.
The two men said they were anxious to face their accused attacker again before today’s pretrial hearing.
“It’s, it’s a little nerve-racking right now, but it’s nothing that we can’t handle, we’ve lived through worse,” said Myers.
“One thing that you don’t forget is the face of someone that tried to kill you," Riggs said. "So, it wasn’t a hard process but mentally it’s a challenge to see him again."
The families of both men were in court today as well. The sisters of Jake Myers heard the entire account of what happened from start to finish for the first time. They recounted the courage it took for both men to relive the traumatic encounter.
Having the support of each other and their family is what the two men say helps ease their nerves as they prepare for what’s next.
“It makes all the difference in the world to have people you love and trust here with you, going through this with you," Riggs said. "We can breathe again, it’s a lot of weight off the shoulders right now."
DOWNLOAD THE 5NEWS APP
DOWNLOAD FOR IPHONE HERE | DOWNLOAD FOR ANDROID HERE
HOW TO ADD THE 5NEWS APP TO YOUR STREAMING DEVICE
ROKU: add the channel from the ROKU store or by searching for KFSM in the Channel Store.
For Fire TV, search for "KFSM" to find the free app to add to your account. Another option for Fire TV is to have the app delivered directly to your Fire TV through Amazon.
To report a typo or grammatical error, please email KFSMDigitalTeam@tegna.com.