Spencer Man Arrested, Accused Of Beating Wife Who Was Found Dead In Home

A Spencer man was booked Wednesday into the Oklahoma County jail after he told law officers he beat his wife who was found dead inside the home, deputies said.

Oklahoma County Sheriff's deputies arrested Joshua Brown, 34, after they were called to assist Spencer police in the investigation. 

Oklahoma County investigators think Shawntae Brown, 34, died earlier this week from the injuries but the investigation did not start until Wednesday.

Neighbors said they rarely saw Brown, his wife and their three children outside of their home near NE 50th and Douglas Boulevard. Investigators are now looking into what happened inside the family's home.

One of the couple's children called 911 for medical help.

“Whenever they got there they found a deceased female,” said Mark Myers, the Oklahoma County Sheriff’s Office spokesman. “A woman who was dead in the bathroom.”

Oklahoma County deputies arrested Brown and took him in for questioning. During the interview, Brown admitted to punching and strangling his wife. According to a probable cause affidavit, he also told investigators he "went too far."

The couple's 14-year-old gave a detailed statement about what he and his siblings witnessed. According to court documents, the teen saw his father beat the victim with a handgun, a shoe, a belt and a flag pole in the hours before her death.

According to court documents, Brown made the children clean up the blood and told them not to tell anyone.

“Apparently, he just wasn’t thinking the consequences of his actions,” said Wayne Arnold, neighbor. “To destroy his kids.” 

Arnold said Brown once told him he was a military veteran and was medically discharged. He still cannot believe Brown was accused of beating his wife to death.

“Knowing the people, know the man,” said Arnold. “This really shocked me because he was always so quiet and always so nice.”

Once investigators got a search warrant for the home, they blood throughout the residence and holes in the drywall. They recovered a gun they think was used to beat the victim.