Kotcha Doonkeen Charged With First-Degree Murder in OKC Roommate Death

Kotcha Doonkeen charged with first-degree murder in Oklahoma City roommate death

Oklahoma City police have charged 70-year-old Kotcha Doonkeen with first-degree murder following a months-long investigation into the death of his roommate, Deanna Madoux, KOCO reported.

The charge is a major change in a case that investigators initially treated as a suspicious death. Doonkeen is currently held at the Oklahoma County Detention Center.

The investigation centers on an incident from June, when 58-year-old Madoux was found shot to death in northwest Oklahoma City. For months, authorities worked to determine if the death was a suicide or a homicide, a process that required reconciling conflicting statements with forensic evidence recovered from the scene.

North okc death ruled homicide as cops probe case of deanna madoux

Conflicting timelines and a broken roommate agreement

Court documents reveal a series of inconsistencies in the timeline provided by Doonkeen. The two had shared a roommate arrangement that began last year, under which Doonkeen allowed Madoux to live in one of his rental properties on the condition that she cleaned the residence and handled maintenance issues. However, Doonkeen told officers that Madoux failed to pay bills, clean the house, or purchase groceries.

On June 10, the pair were reportedly running errands together. Doonkeen’s account of their final hours shifted during police interviews; he initially told investigators he last saw Madoux alive around 7 a.m. on June 11 in the kitchen of the home, but later changed his statement, claiming he had seen her in a different room.

Forensic evidence contradicts suicide claims

The physical evidence at the scene directly challenged Doonkeen’s version of events. He told officers he discovered Madoux dead near the back door of the house with a revolver near her head, suggesting she may have taken the pistol from his truck to take her own life. Investigators, however, noted several red flags:

  • The medical examiner’s office determined that the gunshot wounds were from an intermediate range and were not self-inflicted.
  • Homicide investigators found evidence suggesting Madoux’s body may have been moved from the original location where she was shot.
  • Doonkeen noted that Madoux’s dog was walking in the living room, which he described as odd because the animal typically never left her side.

During his interviews with detectives, Doonkeen expressed a belief that someone might be targeting him, a claim that coincided with the initial classification of the death as suspicious.

The shift toward prosecution

Doonkeen remains in custody as the case proceeds through the court system.