Background: The Cherokee Nation Courthouse in Tahlequah, Okla. (Google Maps). Inset: Elizabeth Poteete (Sequoyah County Sheriff’s Office).
An Oklahoma woman reportedly informed dispatchers that she would await police arrival on her porch after allegedly shooting her husband dead.
Seventy-year-old Elizabeth Poteete has been charged with first-degree murder following an incident on February 6, when deputies from the Sequoyah County Sheriff’s Office arrived at her residence. Inside, they discovered her husband, Troy Wayne Poteete, also 70, seated in a chair with multiple gunshot wounds. Despite efforts to revive him, Troy was pronounced dead at the scene. According to a probable cause affidavit obtained by Law&Crime, Elizabeth Poteete called dispatchers at 11:17 p.m., confessing to shooting her husband several times and stating she would be on her porch awaiting the deputies.
Deputies attempted to administer lifesaving measures to Troy Poteete, a former justice of the Cherokee Nation Supreme Court, but were unsuccessful. Upon their arrival, Elizabeth Poteete allegedly admitted to the deputies that she was responsible for shooting her husband.
After voluntarily waiving her Miranda rights, Elizabeth Poteete claimed she feared for her life, alleging that Troy Poteete, his girlfriend, and another unidentified individual were planning to shoot her. In response to the perceived threat, she retrieved a handgun from a filing cabinet. Elizabeth claimed that as Troy slept in a chair wearing a CPAP machine, she shot him multiple times.
Earlier the same day, around 6 p.m., Elizabeth Poteete had contacted 911, reporting an unidentified man on her property. Deputies searched the area but found nothing suspicious. They reached out to Troy Poteete, who was away from home, to inform him of his wife’s report. While the affidavit does not specify his reaction, deputies noted they believed Elizabeth Poteete might be experiencing a mental health episode.
Given that the fatal shooting occurred within the Cherokee Nation, to which both Troy and Elizabeth Poteete belonged, the FBI is now handling the investigation.
Elizabeth Poteete was charged with one count of first-degree murder. She is being held at the Sequoyah County Jail without bond. Her arraignment is scheduled for March 3.
