Okla. man accused of raping, killing 18-year-old ex-girlfriend who was about to graduate with 4.0 GPA
05/23/2023 3:48 pm PDT
MOORE, Okla. (TCD) -- Prosecutors are alleging a 19-year-old man raped and killed his girlfriend, who was a standout basketball player and weeks away from graduating high school.
According to the Cleveland County District Attorney's Office, Madeline Bills was found dead April 22 at her home in Moore. On May 1, Moore Police obtained a probable cause warrant to arrest her ex-boyfriend, Chace Cook, on suspicion of rape. Cook reportedly fled to Chicago, where he was taken into custody and extradited back to Oklahoma.
On Monday, May 22, the District Attorney's Office announced they were charging Cook with one count of first-degree murder and one count of rape.
The Oklahoman reports a Moore Police detective wrote in the affidavit that Bills told her friends she was "so scared" of Cook. She reportedly lived in the pool house on her property, but "planned to sleep inside the main residence, for fear he would come to harm her."
Cook was reportedly around Bills' house the night she was killed even though he lives about 15 miles away. Police allege Cook climbed a fence to get onto Bills' property at 6:34 a.m., then left less than two minutes later. He allegedly climbed the fence again at 6:42 a.m. and exited at 7:17 a.m.
He reportedly told police he was in Galveston, Texas, for Navy SEALs training the day Bills was killed, but investigators informed him they knew he was near Bills' residence due to cellphone tracking.
KFOR-TV, which also cites the affidavit, reports Cook allegedly recorded himself sexually assaulting Bills while she was unconscious. He also reportedly searched "how long does a rape victim have to press charges" and "what happens if strangled for a long time" the day after she died.
The medical examiner's office determined Bills was strangled to death.
According to her obituary, Bills was supposed to graduate this month from Moore High School with a 4.0 GPA and planned on playing college basketball at Northeastern A&M in Miami, Oklahoma.
Her family released a statement following her death that said in part, "We are grateful for the outpouring of love and compassion our family has received from so many in our community. Our family believes this is a direct reflection of the love, light and positive energy that Madeline poured into others throughout her life."
The statement continued, "We want Madeline’s life to be forever defined by how she lived, how she loved, and the countless ways she uplifted everyone. We want her to be remembered for all she gave her friends and family. She was a beautiful soul, a bold competitor on the basketball court, and a beloved child of God."
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