New Year Has Deadly Start In Tulsa

Tulsa Police are investigating the first homicide of 2007.<br/><br/>Just hours into the New Year, Tulsa Police took Shawn Deatherage into custody in connection to the death an elderly woman they believe

Monday, January 1st 2007, 8:33 am

By: News On 6

Tulsa Police are investigating the first homicide of 2007.

Just hours into the New Year, Tulsa Police took Shawn Deatherage into custody in connection to the death an elderly woman they believe is his mother.

About 5:45 a.m. Monday, authorities were called to a residence in the 4600 block of South 27th West Avenue for a domestic disturbance. When they arrived they captured Deatherage in the back yard running from the house, said police. A woman was found dead at the home from appears to be a machete attack.

"Obviously I can't give an official cause of death, but it is very apparent it was due to trauma possibly from a machete. And that's one of the calls that came in was witnesses observed someone being hit by a machete, so we have reason to believe that was the weapon that was used," Tulsa Police Sergeant Shawn King said.

Police say they have a history of dealing with the suspect.

There were three other people in the house at the time of the homicide, they are being questioned as witnesses, police said.