Sisters teen arraigned on murder charge

Steven Withrow of Sisters was arraigned on Tuesday, April 27, on charges of murder, assault, robbery and manslaughter in connection with the death of Curtis Dean Kizer in Bend's Drake Park on the evening of April 16.

Bend Police detectives arrested Withrow at Sisters High School the following Monday morning.

The 17-year-old Sisters High School senior is accused of an apparently unprovoked attack on the 42-year-old, which led to the man's death hours later from internal injuries.

Search warrant affidavits returned to the Deschutes County Courthouse last week detail a savage assault in which witnesses allege that the 6 foot 3 inch, 250-pound Withrow knocked Kizer out with a single punch to the head while the man was standing by a park stairway.

Then, according to witness statements in an affidavit, Withrow "jumped on top of (Kizer) and continued to beat him. (The witness) stated that the juvenile grabbed the front of Kizer's shirt, lifted him up slightly and punched him in the face four or five more times. He said the juvenile then climbed to the second step above Kizer and jumped directly onto his chest."

The search warrants were for Withrow's home, school locker, backpack and a vehicle belonging to another teen.

Detectives also obtained a search warrant for Space Age Fuel in Sisters, where Withrow allegedly bought beer the afternoon of the attack.

According to the search warrant affidavit, Withrow told detectives "he knows the owner of the fuel station's son... and he knew (he) would sell alcohol to him even though he is only 17 years old."

According to the affidavit, witnesses said Withrow and other teens consumed an unknown quantity of 22-ounce Mickey's beers.

The search warrant allowed detectives to search for surveillance images from the store.

The owner of Space Age Fuel declined to comment.