Man Charged In Rape, Death Of Moore Teen

A man has been arrested on suspicion of rape and murder one month after an 18-year-old Moore woman was found dead in her bedroom.

Police said Madeline Bills, 18, was found dead in her bedroom by relatives at around 4:30 p.m. April 22. Bills had been last seen alive around midnight. She lived in a pool house that had been converted into a bedroom.

Chase Cook, 19, is accused of first-degree murder and first-degree rape.

Investigators at the scene believed Bills was also the victim of rape, according to an affidavit.

Investigators found that Bills had a previous relationship with Cook, and that she had told friends she was scared of him and planned to sleep in the main residence for safety.

According to a probable cause affidavit, Cook’s vehicle was seen by FLOCK cameras approximately 2 miles away from Bills’ residence on the night she was killed. Surveillance video from a neighbor’s house also showed a subject climbing the fence to Bills’ yard. The same video also captured Cook’s vehicle near the residence around 6 a.m.

Cook initially claimed in an interview with investigators that he had been in Galveston, Texas, training to be a Navy Seal at the time of Bills’ death. In this same interview, Cook confirmed his vehicle description and that he was the only person to drive it recently.

Police obtained a warrant to swab Cook’s cheek for DNA. His DNA matched the DNA taken from the initial on-scene investigation and the victim’s autopsy.

Authorities said they processed Cook’s cell phone and discovered that the cell phone was in the area of Bills’ home at the same time a subject is seen climbing Bills’ fence in surveillance video. It also indicated the phone was at a gas station near the victim’s home around 9 minutes before the vehicle in the surveillance video arrived at Bills’ residence.

Cook’s phone also contained videos that were taken at the time that a subject was on Bills’ property. One allegedly shows Cook assaulting Bills, who appeared to be unconscious to investigators. There is also an image on the phone of Bills in the same position she was found in by investigators, according to the affidavit.

Cook’s search history, according to the affidavit, revealed many relevant searches, including : ‘how long does a rape victim have to press charges,” “what happens if strangled for a long time,” “how to charge someone with rape,” “chloroform,” “how long does chloroform take to put someone tonsleep (sic),” “how long does chloroform take to make someone fall asleep when injected.”

Bills’ autopsy revealed she was strangled.

"We will seek justice for Ms. Bills' death as her life was cut way too short. She was a graduating senior and had plans to attend college. I want to extend my condolences to Ms. Bills' family and friends. It is my office's job to represent those who have been the victims of crime, and so my office will seek justice for Ms. Bills and work to honor her name," said District Attorney Greg Mashburn. 

Cook’s arraignment is set for May 23.

The family has started the Madeline M. Bills scholarship fund in her memory, and the link can be found at MadelineBills.org.

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