Man Formally Charged For Allegedly Murdering His Ex-Wife, Kidnapping Child

Chase Ainsworth, the man that triggered the Endangered Persons Alert last weekend, was seen in court in Cleveland County Friday. The judge entered a not guilty plea on behalf of Ainsworth and set the bond at $4 million. 

Ainsworth attended the arraignment over video conference from the Cleveland County Jail. When he was asked if he had any questions, Ainsworth only asked the judge when he could move jail cells, calling his jail time “cruel and unusual punishment.”

Ainsworth was charged by the Cleveland County DA for one charge of first-degree murder and one charge of kidnapping a child. 

In a statement, District Attorney Greg Mashburn said, “This is a devastating situation and we will be reaching out to Ms. Ainsworth's family to assure them that we intend to prosecute this case to the fullest extent of the law.”

Ainsworth is accused of killing his ex-wife in front of their two children, then kidnapping his 5-year-old son. 

The state of Oklahoma requested a $4 million bond, and if Ainsworth posts bond, he won’t be allowed any contact with his children and will be on house arrest. He will also have to wear a GPS ankle monitor and be subject to random drug testing. 

The state brought up Ainsworth’s previous charges of felony stalking and violation of a victim protection order. The victim in those charges was the same victim he killed last weekend, his ex-wife, Samantha Ainsworth. 

Samantha Ainsworth filed for divorce in 2022, a few months after she filed a victim protection order against ex-husband Chase.

In a statement DA Greg Mashburn said, "We know that stalking behavior can be dangerous and bring devastating outcomes.”

He encourages anybody experiencing stalking or domestic violence to reach out to the Domestic Violence Hotline. 

“We encourage anyone who is experiencing stalking or domestic violence to reach out to the Domestic Violence Hotline at 800-799-7233 or any of the domestic violence organizations to develop a safety plan,” said Mashburn. “We want to protect our communities and take more steps towards assisting victims."

Ainsworth’s next court date was set in Cleveland County for September 3rd at 9 a.m.