A 70-year-old Oklahoma woman is charged with first-degree murder after deputies said they found her husband, a former Cherokee Nation Supreme Court justice, shot multiple times while seated in a chair at their home late Feb. 5, with investigators saying she told dispatchers she would be waiting on the porch when police arrived.
The death of Troy Wayne Poteete, 70, has drawn attention because of his public role in Cherokee Nation government and because the case sits at the intersection of county, tribal and federal authority. Deputies from the Sequoyah County Sheriff’s Office responded to the couple’s home shortly after a late-night 911 call, and tribal and federal authorities have been involved because the shooting occurred within Cherokee Nation jurisdiction, officials and court documents have said.
According to investigators, Elizabeth Poteete called 911 at about 11:17 p.m. and reported that she had shot her husband with a handgun multiple times. Dispatch recordings described her telling the operator that she would be waiting for deputies on her porch. When deputies arrived, they found Troy Poteete in a chair with multiple gunshot wounds and began emergency aid, but he was pronounced dead at the scene, investigators said. Authorities have said he was wearing a CPAP mask, a breathing device commonly used to treat sleep apnea.
Deputies said Elizabeth Poteete admitted at the scene that she shot her husband. Investigators wrote that she later waived her Miranda rights and told authorities she feared for her life. In her account to law enforcement, she said her husband had told her that his girlfriend and another person were going to come shoot her. Investigators said she told them she retrieved a handgun from a filing cabinet and stood about 4 to 5 feet from him while he sat in the chair. She said she fired multiple times and then called 911, placing the handgun under a couch, according to an affidavit described in recent reporting.
Authorities said there were earlier signs of concern on the same day. Investigators said Elizabeth Poteete had called 911 around 6 p.m. to report an unidentified man walking around the property. Deputies responded and searched the area but reported finding nothing suspicious. Investigators wrote that they contacted Troy Poteete by phone and told him about the call, adding that deputies believed his wife was having a mental episode, according to accounts summarized in court documents and reporting.
The case has moved quickly through multiple systems. Tribal prosecutors filed a first-degree murder charge in Cherokee Nation District Court, and Elizabeth Poteete was also booked into the Sequoyah County Jail on a homicide-related hold, according to jail records and local reporting. An initial appearance in Tahlequah was set for March 3, according to recent court information. Officials have said the FBI is investigating because the killing occurred in Indian Country and both the victim and suspect are Cherokee citizens.
Troy Poteete was well known in Cherokee Nation public life. He served on the Cherokee Nation Tribal Council in the 1990s and later served on the nation’s Supreme Court, according to biographical information released after his death. In recent years, he remained active in Cherokee cultural and historic preservation work, including leadership tied to the Trail of Tears, according to statements from Cherokee Nation officials and his obituary. Cherokee Nation Principal Chief Chuck Hoskin Jr. described him as an “esteemed historian and preservationist” whose death was a major loss for the nation.
Investigators have not publicly detailed what happened inside the home in the minutes before the shooting, including whether Troy Poteete was asleep, whether the couple argued, or whether anyone else was present. Authorities also have not publicly addressed how the case might proceed beyond the tribal charge, including whether federal prosecutors will pursue separate charges. Under Cherokee Nation court limits, sentencing authority can differ from federal court, and legal experts often note that tribal and federal cases can unfold on separate tracks depending on jurisdiction and charging decisions.
For now, Elizabeth Poteete remains jailed as the investigation continues, with authorities expected to release additional details through court filings and future hearings. Investigators have indicated that the next major milestone is the March 3 court date in Tahlequah as prosecutors and defense attorneys begin the early stages of the case.
Author note: Last updated February 17, 2026.