Ex-boyfriend charged with rape, murder in death of Moore teen Madeline Bills

Already facing a rape charge, a 19-year-old man is now accused of murder in connection with the death of a Moore High School senior last month.

In Cleveland County District Court, Chace Cook was charged this week with first-degree murder in the death of Madeline Bills, 18, who was found dead April 22 in her home near SW 34 and Telephone Road.

Cook, who is accused of committing first-degree rape in the case, is being held without bond on the murder complaint in the Cleveland County jail.

He is reported to be an ex-boyfriend of Bills.

Bills, a standout on her high school basketball team, was set to graduate with a 4.0 GPA and had signed a letter of intent to play at Northeastern Oklahoma A&M College, according to her obituary.

“In her short time given here on earth, Madeline made an incredible impact on many lives. She had a personality that would light up any room. Early on, she learned the value of giving back,” the obit said.

“She found great joy in giving and making friends special, homemade gifts. She strove to see the good in people. Madeline would adopt all animals in the shelter if it were an option,” it continued.

Moore teen feared ex-boyfriend

Family discovered Bills dead in her bedroom, according to a Moore police detective’s affidavit. The bedroom was a converted pool house.

Police interviews revealed Bills “had previously informed friends she was so scared of (Cook) she planned to sleep inside the main residence, for fear he would come to harm her,” according to the affidavit.

Cook told people he had joined the Navy and was in California for training, according to the detective.

However, the detective wrote, Moore police previously made a traffic stop on Cook. Investigators said surveillance cameras showed Cook’s vehicle traveling about two miles from Bills’ residence the night before she was found dead.

Cook’s residence is located more than 15 miles from her house, on the northside of Oklahoma City, the detective wrote in the affidavit.

Investigators said they obtained video from a neighbor of Bills’ that showed “an unknown” suspect climbing Bills’ fence and entering the backyard at about 4:38 a.m.

Further review of the video showed a vehicle matching the description of Cook’s vehicle driving in front of Bills’ residence at about 6:34 a.m., according to the detective’s affidavit.

Investigators later learned the suspect left Bills’ backyard by climbing over the fence about 90 seconds after he initially entered the property.

He climbed the fence again about 6:42 a.m. and went toward the pool house that had been converted into Bills’ bedroom, the detective wrote. At about 7:17 a.m., he exited the backyard by climbing back over the fence, according to the affidavit.

Authorities said Cook was located in Oklahoma City on April 25 and transported to the Moore Police Department for questioning.

Cook claimed to have driven to Galveston, Texas on April 23 to train to become a member of the Navy SEALs and did not return to Oklahoma until April 30, investigators said.

The detective wrote in the affidavit that when investigators told Cook they knew he was in the area of Bills’ residence at the time of her death, Cook invoked his right to speak with an attorney and the interview was stopped.

Investigators collected buccal swabs from Cook before he left the Moore Police Department.

Suspect's phone contains video of incriminating act

A search warrant was issued for Cook’s vehicle. Investigators found several items of clothing, along with his cellphone.

“Upon review of the content, it was discovered Cook’s cellphone was in the area of the victim's residence during the time the surveillance video shows the unknown person climbing over the fence,” the detective wrote.

Evidence from the phone shows it was at a 7-Eleven near Bills’ residence about nine minutes before the suspect vehicle was observed arriving in front of Bills’ residence, according to the detective.

A video taken from the phone appears to show Cook “having sex with the victim, who appears to be unconscious,” according to the affidavit.

This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: Ex-boyfriend charged with murder in death of Moore teen Madeline Bills