TULSA, Okla. — A Tulsa man accused of killing his mother died by suspected suicide.
Officials said 58-year-old Scott Wade was found dead in his Tulsa County Jail cell Tuesday evening during a security check. Wade's death is ruled "death by suicide" by city and county corrections.
Wade was arrested Sunday, Sept. 20 on suspicion of killing his mother, Betty Jo Hamilton. A report from Wade's arrest said he tried to cut himself with the lenses of his glasses after detectives interviewed him.
On Sunday, Sept. 20, police said they were called to a home near 37th St. and Yale Ave. for an older woman found dead.
An arrest report said Wade was the caller. His mother was the dead woman.
"The more we looked, the deeper we scratched, the more and more obvious it became that this is what happened," said Lt. Brandon Watkins of the Tulsa Police Homicide Unit.
Investigators told 2 Works for You crime scene investigators went to the house on suspicion the scene was staged.
An arrest report said an unusual amount of dirt was found in Hamilton's mouth, nose, and ears as if her face was forced into the ground. The arrest report said a cut was also found on her head.
“When you walk up to a scene where everything is staged those things all kind of jump out at you at once,” Lt. Watkins said.
The arrest report said Wade signed a waiver to allow detectives to search the home. Police said they found notes detailing ways to stage a murder in Wade's bedroom.
“We found multiple notes where he was planning different methods for killing his mother," Lt. Watkins said.
The report mentions one note said to wear latex gloves to hide DNA evidence. A pair of latex gloves covered in dirt were found on Wade's bedroom dresser, according to police.
The arrest report said other notes included methods of murder, such as suffocation, and the importance of covering up any signs of foul play.
Family members of Hamilton and Wade were at the home Wednesday gathering belongings from the house. Hamilton's daughter told 2 Works for You she "can't believe" her brother would kill their mother.
Hamilton's neighbors told 2 Works for You she was a sweet woman who loved walking her dog around the neighborhood and at a nearby park.
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