Chace Cook (Cleveland County Sheriff’s Office), Madeline Bills in a Northeastern Oklahoma A&M basketball uniform (image via the school’s tribute to Bills)

Prosecutors in Oklahoma intend to seek the death penalty for a 20-year-old man, Chace Cook, who stands accused of the savage murder of his ex-girlfriend.

Cook was taken into custody in May following the brutal killing of 18-year-old Madeline Bills, a distinguished high school basketball player. The crime also involved Cook allegedly filming himself engaging in sexual assault.

Bills, with an outstanding academic record boasting a 4.0 GPA, was found dead in her bedroom on April 22, just weeks away from graduating and pursuing college basketball at Northeastern Oklahoma A&M.