{"data":{"id":"us-ok/okla.-stat.-tit.-21-21-1161.1","jurisdiction":"us-ok","citation":"Okla. Stat. tit. 21, § 21-1161.1","heading":"Desecration of a human corpse - Penalty - Prosecution","body":"with other offenses - Definition.\n\nA. It is unlawful for any person to knowingly and willfully\n\ndesecrate a human corpse for any purpose of:\n\n1. Tampering with the evidence of a crime;\n\n2. Camouflaging the death of human being;\n\n3. Disposing of a dead body;\n\n4. Impeding or prohibiting the detection, investigation or\n\nprosecution of a crime;\n\n5. Altering, inhibiting or concealing the identification of a\n\ndead body, a crime victim, or a criminal offender; or\n\n6. Disrupting, prohibiting or interfering with any law\n\nenforcement agency or the Office of the State Medical Examiner in\n\ndetecting, investigating, examining, determining, identifying or\n\nprocessing a dead body, cause of death, the scene where a dead body\n\nis found, or any forensic examination or investigation relating to a\n\ndead body or a crime.\n\nB. Upon conviction, the violator of any provision of this\n\nsection shall be guilty of a Class B4 felony offense punishable by\n\nimprisonment in the custody of the Department of Corrections for a\n\nterm not more than seven (7) years, by a fine not exceeding Eight\n\nThousand Dollars ($8,000.00), or by both such fine and imprisonment.\n\nC. This offense may be prosecuted in addition to any\n\nprosecution pursuant to Section 1161 of Title 21 of the Oklahoma\n\nStatutes for removal of a dead body or any other criminal offense.\n\nD. For purposes of this section, “desecration of a human\n\ncorpse” means any act committed after the death of a human being\n\nincluding, but not limited to, dismemberment, disfigurement,\n\nmutilation, burning, or any act committed to cause the dead body to\n\nbe devoured, scattered or dissipated; except, those procedures\n\nperformed by a state agency or licensed authority in due course of\n\nits duties and responsibilities for forensic examination, gathering\n\nor removing crime scene evidence, presentation or preservation of\n\nevidence, dead body identification, cause of death, autopsy,\n\ncremation or burial, organ donation, use of a cadaver for medical\n\neducational purposes, or other necessary procedures to identify,\n\nremove or dispose of a dead body by the proper authority.","path":["OK Code","Title 21"],"source_url":"https://www.oklegislature.gov/OK_Statutes/CompleteTitles/os21.pdf","current_through":"2026-08-14","vintage":"open-us-law v2026.08, retrieved 2026-09-14","retrieved_at":"2026-09-14T18:32:36Z","sha256":"f414b3602df1100f79c2415f5a61c4f2ba0f626934f67870579bdc6c171b4f44","source_id":"us-ok","stale":false,"prev":"us-ok/okla.-stat.-tit.-21-21-1161","next":"us-ok/okla.-stat.-tit.-21-21-1162"},"notice":"GroundRules: Original legal text. Not legal advice."}