A 19-year-old Wynnewood man will spend the rest of his life behind bars after pleading guilty in the shooting deaths of two men at a Garvin County marijuana grow. Deputies found the victims at a rural grow site near Wynnewood in April 2025, triggering a multi-agency investigation that stretched on for months. The life-without-parole sentence was handed down on Monday, June 29.
Guilty plea and life term
Court records show Whyitt Collins pleaded guilty earlier this year to two counts of first-degree murder and one count of first-degree burglary. A judge then imposed a sentence of life in prison without the possibility of parole on Monday, June 29, according to KXII. Prosecutors had charged Collins and a then-16-year-old in connection with the April 2025 killings.
Victims found at rural grow
On April 18, deputies responding to the property discovered 56-year-old Bao Ming Ma and 42-year-old Alejandro Baltazar Hernandez shot inside a home on the marijuana grow site near East County Road 1600 and North County Road 3320, as reported by KOCO. Authorities told KOCO they believe the suspects targeted the operation to steal cannabis and cash, and said evidence places the teenagers at the grow during the time of the killings. The Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation joined local deputies on the case.
Investigation and arrests
State agents later identified Collins and a then-16-year-old as suspects, arresting them in May 2025, according to KXII. Collins was booked into the Garvin County Jail on a first-degree murder complaint, while the juvenile suspect was taken into custody by Chickasaw Nation Lighthorse Police. Officials said electronic evidence, along with work at the crime scene, helped tie the teens to the grow property.
What happens next
Collins' guilty plea closes the state’s case against him, but the younger suspect remains in juvenile custody, and it is not yet public whether prosecutors will seek adult charges, as reported by KOCO. Neighbors told KOCO the shootings rattled the small community, and investigators are still urging anyone with additional information to come forward.
