Left inset: Chace Cook (Cleveland County Sheriff's Office). Right inset: Madeline Bills (Facebook).
A 23-year-old Oklahoma man will spend the rest of his life behind bars for murdering his ex-girlfriend inside her family's pool house after he allegedly recorded himself raping her.
Chace Cook was sentenced on Tuesday to life in prison without the possibility of parole, according to the District 21 District Attorney's Office. Cleveland County prosecutors told Law&Crime that Cook pleaded guilty to first-degree murder with malice aforethought and other charges related to crimes committed while he was behind bars, including possession of contraband in a jail, which resulted in a 20-year sentence.
Cook killed Madeline "Maddie" Bills, an 18-year-old star basketball player from Moore, in April 2023 after she told friends she was "scared of him," as previously reported by Law&Crime.
Cook was arrested and charged with one count of first-degree murder and one count of first-degree rape for the fatal attack on Bills, which took place inside her parents' converted pool house where she had been living — just one week before Bills was supposed to graduate from high school. Prosecutors were seeking the death penalty before Cook agreed to a plea deal.
"After more than three years of court proceedings, today's plea and sentencing bring this case to a final resolution," said District Attorney Jennifer Austin in a statement obtained by Law&Crime. "Nothing can bring Madeline back or erase the devastating loss suffered by her family and loved ones. Although this sentence provides accountability and certainty, we recognize that no court proceeding or punishment can restore the life that was taken. Our prosecutors remained committed throughout this case to seeking justice for Madeline and supporting her family."
Before her death, Bills had confided in friends that she "was so scared" of Cook and feared "he would come to harm her," so she had "planned to sleep inside the main residence" at her home rather than in the converted pool house — where the family later found her strangled.
An arrest affidavit said Cook conjured up a phony alibi, claiming he was in Galveston, Texas, for training to become a Navy SEAL. Authorities said the alibi quickly unraveled.
"He further advised he traveled to Galveston this was an approximately 2 1/2 to 3-hour drive from the Oklahoma City area to Galveston, TX," the affidavit said. "It should be noted that the drive from Oklahoma City to Galveston is over 7 hours, according to Google Maps."
Investigators told Cook they had proof he was in the area when and where the crimes occurred, with a neighbor's surveillance video allegedly showing him climbing a fence into the Bills family's backyard. Police also had digital evidence that showed Cook's cellphone was "in the area of the victim's residence" when the slaying took place.
A Ford Fusion that Cook had been pulled over in for a seat belt violation two months before the murder was also caught on video at the scene before Bills' body was discovered.
Cook was seen climbing the fence into the family's yard at 4:38 a.m. and then again to leave at 6:42 a.m.
While searching his phone, investigators reportedly found a three-minute video that showed Cook raping Bills while she was "unconscious" — moments before strangling her, according to police.
"Cook's DNA matched the DNA obtained from swabs taken during the initial on-scene investigation and during the autopsy of the victim," the affidavit said.
An obituary for Bills said that the member of the Osage Tribe "made an incredible impact on many lives" and "strove to see the good in people."
A high school senior with a 4.0 GPA, Bills had "recently signed a letter of intent to play women's basketball at Northeastern A&M in Miami, Oklahoma, in the fall under Coach Jim Rowland."
During Cook's sentencing hearing, Bills' family "remembered her as a light" in their lives, according to the DA's office.
"The space she leaves behind is felt in every corner of our lives, in the quiet moments, in the memories that hurt to remember and in the future she will never have," the family said in a statement.
In addition to murder and possession of contraband, Cook also pleaded guilty to assault and battery in connection with a 2026 incident that occurred while he was behind bars. He was sentenced to six months in the county jail for that charge, with all of his sentences ordered to run concurrently. Cook waived his appeal rights as part of his plea agreement.
Matt Naham and Jerry Lambe contributed to this report.