R.C.S.O. Deputy Featured on Reality Show

A Rogers County Deputy was recently featured as a part of the new crime-reality show, 'The Interrogators." 

The show features actual interrogations of suspects and features the investigators and police officers that played a role in the interrogations.  Recently, the show began featuring cases from the Tulsa Police Department. 

Deputy Mark Pease, a veteran deputy of the Rogers County Sheriff's Office was featured on the show in the episode titled, 'Family Circle." 

The segment focused on the cold case arrest of Jason Hooks, a Rogers County man that was suspected in the 1995 murder of Patrick "Eli" Woods in Tulsa.  Woods was a college freshman at the time.

The case made headlines in '95.  According to news reports, several teenagers gathered at a Tulsa home after a night on the town when a group of armed men forced their way into the home and began ransacking it, apparently searching for something to take. When the intruders found nothing, one of the intruders opened fire on Woods who was sitting on a couch.

Tulsa Police worked the homicide but the case went cold for six-years until an anonymous call was made to the Tulsa Police Department cold case unit in April 2004, telling them of a potential suspect - 23-year old Jason Hooks.

As Majors investigated Hooks he learned that Hooks had been bragging to people that he had killed Woods.  Majors learned that Hooks had been in and out of trouble with the law for the majority of his life.

It took two weeks for the Tulsa Police Department to track down Hooks but once he was in custody Majors knew that a confession wasn't going to be easy to get.  "There was no physical evidence, there were no witnesses that could identify him due to the suspects wearing ski masks.  The confession is the case because without it I would be stuck," Majors said.

"Getting a confession on a cold case is very hard," Majors says, "Because they've gotten away with it for an extended period of time they think if the witness hasn't said anything now they're not going to."

Hooks was unwilling to confess his crime to Majors despite the detective's best efforts.  The interrogation went on and on with Hooks, at times, asking for time alone. Hooks spoke of his wish to be a better father and have more contact with his child.  He spoke of wishing he could be a better man.  Majors noticed that Hooks was in need of a father figure and attempted to give Hooks the power to be a better father by owning up to his crime and setting a better example for Hooks' own son.  Still, he wouldn't budge or confess to the crime. Then, Hooks, in a surprising request, asked Majors if he could "...talk to somebody neutral."

"When he requested a third person, I was shocked. I've never heard of that," Detective Majors said of Hooks' request. 

Even more surprising was who Hooks asked to speak with... Mark Pease, a Rogers County deputy sheriff.  "[he's] an officer that knows me pretty well.  That's the dude I need to talk to," Hooks said, "I need his (expletive deleted) input."

Tulsa Police contacted the Rogers County Sheriff's Office and spoke to Deputy Pease. "He was very vital," Majors said of Pease, "I just hoped by the grace of God that he (Pease) would be able to get there."

Pease arrived at the Tulsa Police Detective Division and spent some time with Hooks. 

"Jason is someone I've known most of his life," said Pease.  "He was always in some mess or another and I've had to chase him a few times but, in the end, I was always good to him and he was always good to me.  He was always straight up with me."

That decency came back around in the interrogation room. 

"For a man accused of murder to ask for a law officer instead of an attorney speaks volumes about the officer's character and reputation," said Sheriff Scott Walton.  "I am very proud of Mark and all he does not only for this department but for all he does for Rogers County."

As Jason Hooks and Deputy Pease spoke to one another it was evident that Pease wasn't just some cop in Hooks' eyes.  Pease urged Hooks to get the pressure off of his chest and confess the crime.

Hooks told Pease that he was hesitant because he was scared to which Pease responded with some fatherly advise, saying, "We all get scared of things.  But, you know, when we get it off our chest, we're not afraid anymore."

When Majors returned to the interrogation room, Hooks admitted his role in the murder of Eli Woods. 

Hooks said that he and others went to the house looking to steal money after he had heard that Eli kept cash inside the home.  He said that after he and his group entered the home, several of the men started beating Eli and then one of them handed him a gun.  Hooks said that, although he was reluctant, he "closed his eyes and... pulled the trigger," killing Woods.

"Jason did the right thing by confessing this," Pease said.  "I wish, for everyone's sake, that this hadn't of happened but, since it did, I am glad that Jason finally decided to accept the responsibility and take the consequences."