Court Documents Reveal New Details About Tecumseh Woman's Murder

An affidavit from Pottawatomie County has revealed a phone call alerted police to the murder of 35-year-old Cathy Byus. Her body was found Thursday in her Tecumseh home.

On March 21, police received a call from a man who said Justin Byus had just called him and confessed to killing his wife, Cathy. When officers arrived at the house at 27 Bella Vista, they found the front door partially open. They walked inside and found Cathy’s body lying on the bed in the master bedroom. A toddler was in the room with her.

Cathy had been shot in the face. Police say she still had her cell phone in her hand. Police arrested Justin Byus at the scene.

3/21/2013 Related Story: Shawnee Residents Shook Up After Husband, Wife Murder Investigation

The person who called in the shooting said the night of March 20, he and Justin had gone to dinner. When they returned to the Byus’ house, Justin went to the bedroom to speak with Cathy. The witness said he didn’t hear anything suspicious, but about an hour later, Justin came out and was visibly upset.

The two men left and went to a strip club in Oklahoma City. Justin dropped the witness off at his home around 3 a.m. March 31 and then went to his own house. The witness said Justin called him soon after he arrived home and said he’d discovered Cathy had been texting another man. He said his wife and the other man were making fun of him, and the man had sent sexually explicit pictures to Cathy.

The witness told police Justin said he was so angry he was going to kill Cathy. The witness told him not to do anything stupid, and suggested Justin leave the house. Justin then assured the witness he wouldn’t hurt Cathy, and hung up the phone.

The witness told police Justin called him back a few around 3:40 a.m., and said he’d killed Cathy. The witness hung up the phone and called 911.