Geronimo, Oklahoma
Encyclopedia
Geronimo is a town in Comanche County
, Oklahoma
, United States
. The population was 1,268 at the 2010 census
. It is included in the Lawton, Oklahoma
Metropolitan Statistical Area
.
According to the United States Census Bureau
, the town has a total area of 1.5 square miles (3.9 km²), all of it land.
of 2010, there were 1,268 people, 451 households, and 340 families residing in the town. The population density
was 835.7 people per square mile (322.6/km²). There were 533 housing units at an average density of 350 per square mile (135.6/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 67.0% White, 3.6% African American, 13.9% Native American, 1.7% Asian, 0.1% Pacific Islander, 4.9% from other races
, and 8.8% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 11.2% of the population.
There were 451 households out of which 37.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 53.9% were married couples
living together, 16.6% had a female householder with no husband present, and 24.6% were non-families. 21.7% of all households were made up of individuals and 6.3% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.81 and the average family size was 3.22.
In the town the population was spread out with 30.4% under the age of 18, 8.3% from 18 to 24, 30.0% from 25 to 44, 21.4% from 45 to 64, and 10.0% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 31.5 years. For every 100 females there were 90.4 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 88.3 males.
According to the 2000 census, the median income for a household in the town was $28,583, and the median income for a family was $30,833. Males had a median income of $29,375 versus $19,063 for females. The per capita income
for the town was $11,236. About 13.7% of families and 13.5% of the population were below the poverty line, including 8.4% of those under age 18 and 28.9% of those age 65 or over.
entered the First Bank of Chattanooga in Geronimo, and forced the 3 tellers to the back room where he had them lie face down on the floor and stabbed them to death. The three employees (Kay Bruno, 42; Jerri Bowles, 19; Joyce Mullenix, 25) were stabbed a total of 75 times. Mullenix was six months pregnant.
Three customers entered the bank while Neill was attempting a decapitation of one of the tellers. The customers were taken to the back room and shot in the head. Ralph Zeller, 33, died from his wounds becoming the 4th and final murder victim. Bellen Robels, 15, and her husband Reuben Robels, 20, would recover from their head wounds. Neill attempted to shoot the couple's 14 month old daughter, Marie, but the gun was out of bullets.
Neill and accomplice Robert Grady Johnson were arrested on December 17 in San Francisco. Marked bills were used to pay for hotel rooms, limousine rides and shopping excursions. $3,700 were left on Neill and in the hotel room. Upon their extradition back to Comanche County, OK, then-District Attorney Dick Tannery prosecuted both defendants for capital murder and sought death sentences.
In 1985, Neill and Johnson were both convicted by a Comanche County jury in Lawton of the crimes related to the robbery and murders and assessed the death penalty. Technicalities in the original trial later resulted in both defendants being retried separately with both again convicted. Those convictions affirmed Neill's death sentence and Johnson's death sentence was changed to 4 life prison sentences with the possibility of parole. Neill was executed by lethal injection at the Oklahoma State Penitentiary in McAlester in November, 2002 while Johnson continues to be incarcerated at the same correctional facility.
Comanche County, Oklahoma
Comanche County is a county located in the U.S. state of Oklahoma. Built on former reservation lands of the Comanche, Kiowa, and Apache in Indian Territory, Comanche County was open for settlement on August 16, 1901 by lottery. The region has three cities and seven towns as well as the Fort Sill...
, Oklahoma
Oklahoma
Oklahoma is a state located in the South Central region of the United States of America. With an estimated 3,751,351 residents as of the 2010 census and a land area of 68,667 square miles , Oklahoma is the 28th most populous and 20th-largest state...
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. The population was 1,268 at the 2010 census
United States Census, 2010
The Twenty-third United States Census, known as Census 2010 or the 2010 Census, is the current national census of the United States. National Census Day was April 1, 2010 and is the reference date used in enumerating individuals...
. It is included in the Lawton, Oklahoma
Lawton, Oklahoma
The city of Lawton is the county seat of Comanche County, in the U.S. state of Oklahoma. Located in the southwestern region of Oklahoma approximately southwest of Oklahoma City, it is the principal city of the Lawton Oklahoma Metropolitan Statistical Area...
Metropolitan Statistical Area
Lawton metropolitan area
The Lawton Metropolitan Statistical Area, as defined by the United States Census Bureau, is an area consisting of one county – Comanche – in Oklahoma, anchored by the city of Lawton...
.
Geography
Geronimo is located at 34°28′53"N 98°23′1"W (34.481471, -98.383621).According to the United States Census Bureau
United States Census Bureau
The United States Census Bureau is the government agency that is responsible for the United States Census. It also gathers other national demographic and economic data...
, the town has a total area of 1.5 square miles (3.9 km²), all of it land.
Demographics
As of the censusCensus
A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring and recording information about the members of a given population. It is a regularly occurring and official count of a particular population. The term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common...
of 2010, there were 1,268 people, 451 households, and 340 families residing in the town. The population density
Population density
Population density is a measurement of population per unit area or unit volume. It is frequently applied to living organisms, and particularly to humans...
was 835.7 people per square mile (322.6/km²). There were 533 housing units at an average density of 350 per square mile (135.6/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 67.0% White, 3.6% African American, 13.9% Native American, 1.7% Asian, 0.1% Pacific Islander, 4.9% from other races
Race (United States Census)
Race and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the Federal Office of Management and Budget and the United States Census Bureau, are self-identification data items in which residents choose the race or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are...
, and 8.8% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 11.2% of the population.
There were 451 households out of which 37.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 53.9% were married couples
Marriage
Marriage is a social union or legal contract between people that creates kinship. It is an institution in which interpersonal relationships, usually intimate and sexual, are acknowledged in a variety of ways, depending on the culture or subculture in which it is found...
living together, 16.6% had a female householder with no husband present, and 24.6% were non-families. 21.7% of all households were made up of individuals and 6.3% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.81 and the average family size was 3.22.
In the town the population was spread out with 30.4% under the age of 18, 8.3% from 18 to 24, 30.0% from 25 to 44, 21.4% from 45 to 64, and 10.0% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 31.5 years. For every 100 females there were 90.4 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 88.3 males.
According to the 2000 census, the median income for a household in the town was $28,583, and the median income for a family was $30,833. Males had a median income of $29,375 versus $19,063 for females. The per capita income
Per capita income
Per capita income or income per person is a measure of mean income within an economic aggregate, such as a country or city. It is calculated by taking a measure of all sources of income in the aggregate and dividing it by the total population...
for the town was $11,236. About 13.7% of families and 13.5% of the population were below the poverty line, including 8.4% of those under age 18 and 28.9% of those age 65 or over.
1984 bank robbery
Geronimo was the scene of one of the deadliest bank robberies in recent Oklahoma history on December 14, 1984. Shortly after 1 p.m., Jay Wesley NeillJay Wesley Neill
Jay Wesley Neill was a convicted murderer who was executed for his part in a bank robbery that left 4 people dead....
entered the First Bank of Chattanooga in Geronimo, and forced the 3 tellers to the back room where he had them lie face down on the floor and stabbed them to death. The three employees (Kay Bruno, 42; Jerri Bowles, 19; Joyce Mullenix, 25) were stabbed a total of 75 times. Mullenix was six months pregnant.
Three customers entered the bank while Neill was attempting a decapitation of one of the tellers. The customers were taken to the back room and shot in the head. Ralph Zeller, 33, died from his wounds becoming the 4th and final murder victim. Bellen Robels, 15, and her husband Reuben Robels, 20, would recover from their head wounds. Neill attempted to shoot the couple's 14 month old daughter, Marie, but the gun was out of bullets.
Neill and accomplice Robert Grady Johnson were arrested on December 17 in San Francisco. Marked bills were used to pay for hotel rooms, limousine rides and shopping excursions. $3,700 were left on Neill and in the hotel room. Upon their extradition back to Comanche County, OK, then-District Attorney Dick Tannery prosecuted both defendants for capital murder and sought death sentences.
In 1985, Neill and Johnson were both convicted by a Comanche County jury in Lawton of the crimes related to the robbery and murders and assessed the death penalty. Technicalities in the original trial later resulted in both defendants being retried separately with both again convicted. Those convictions affirmed Neill's death sentence and Johnson's death sentence was changed to 4 life prison sentences with the possibility of parole. Neill was executed by lethal injection at the Oklahoma State Penitentiary in McAlester in November, 2002 while Johnson continues to be incarcerated at the same correctional facility.