Daughter accused of killing her 75-year-old mother makes first court appearance in Orange County

HILLSBOROUGH, N.C. (WTVD) -- A 51-year-old woman accused of killing her 75-year-old mother will make her first court appearance today.

Investigators said Paula Lee Decoteau shot her mother one time in the forehead at their home on Spruce Pine Trail just after midnight Sunday morning.

Two other people in the house at the time of the shooting told investigators that they heard Decoteau and her mother, Cheryl Garner Medlin, arguing before the gunshot. They said Decoteau then confiscated their phones and refused to let them leave while she thought about what to do next. Around 30 minutes later, she let them leave and called 911.

First responders arrived and took Medlin to Duke Hospital for treatment. On Sunday evening, deputies confirmed that Medlin had died from her injuries.

One person told ABC11, investigators recovered a .22 caliber rifle they believe was the source of the gun fire.

Decoteau is facing several charges including assault with a deadly weapon with intent to kill, two counts of kidnapping, and assault on a government official, after kicking the arresting deputy in the chest.