Tulsa prosecutors charge convicted burglar with first-degree murder

TULSA, Okla. (AP) _ Tulsa County prosecutors on Wednesday charged a chronic offender with first-degree murder in the fatal shooting of a woman during a burglary at her home. <br><br>Investigators are still

Thursday, March 7th 2002, 12:00 am

By: News On 6

TULSA, Okla. (AP) _ Tulsa County prosecutors on Wednesday charged a chronic offender with first-degree murder in the fatal shooting of a woman during a burglary at her home.

Investigators are still looking into whether other people are involved in the slaying of Rhoda Chastain, 64, who was found in her home Friday afternoon.

Authorities believe that Carl Dewayne Berry, 31, and possibly another person entered the house while Chastain was home alone watching television. Officers went to her residence after her van was found locked with its motor running.

Berry has been in jail without bail since Sunday.

According to his arrest report, Berry told police he went to Chastain's house to burglarize it. He and an accomplice found Chastain inside when he kicked in the front door.

The report alleges that Berry told someone else that ``they had to put her down,'' referring to the victim. The other person was not identified in the report.

According to the report, the unidentified person said Berry cried and said, ``It wasn't supposed to happen that way.'' Chastain was shot in the back of the head.

Berry was arrested for burglary several times as a teen, police records show. As an adult, he was convicted of burglarizing a Tulsa sporting goods store in 1989, and was twice convicted of burglary in 1992.

He was released from Department of Corrections custody Oct. 27, 2000, DOC records show.