New Details Revealed in Court Documents of Double Homicide Case in Oklahoma
Recently unsealed court documents provide insight into the disappearance of two women and the apprehension of four individuals charged with their murders in a rural Oklahoma setting.
New information regarding the disappearance of two women and the arrest of four individuals accused of their murders in rural Oklahoma was revealed in court documents unsealed on Monday.
According to the charging documents, Tad Bert Cullum, Tifany Machel Adams, Cole Earl Twombly, and Cora Gayle Twombly are facing charges that include two counts of first-degree murder, two counts of kidnapping, and one count of conspiracy to commit first-degree murder. They are accused of planning and carrying out the deliberate and unlawful taking of the lives of Veronica Butler and/or (Jilian) Kelley.
Two women, Veronica Butler, 27, and Jilian Kelley, 39, went missing while driving to pick up Butler's children, according to the Texas County Sheriff's Office. They were last seen on March 30, prompting an "endangered missing advisory" to be issued.
Over the weekend, authorities discovered two bodies in Texas County, as confirmed by Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation spokesperson Hunter McKee. The identities of the deceased individuals have not yet been confirmed, McKee mentioned in a news conference on Monday.
But the nearly identical charging and probable cause documents of the four defendants in custody clearly state they are accused of killing Butler and Kelley.
Jilian Kelley and Veronica Butler
Jilian Kelley and Veronica Butler
Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation
Related article
2 bodies found in rural Oklahoma as 4 suspects face murder charges in case of missing women
CNN has tried to find out if the defendants have a lawyer, but there is no information showing that they have legal representation.
According to the probable cause documents, Butler was involved in a custody dispute with Adams, who is the grandmother of Butler's children.
Cullum is Adam’s boyfriend, as stated in the probable cause documents. The Twomblys, who are married, are the other two defendants, as indicated in the same documents.
On March 30, Butler and Kelley were supposed to pick up their children from Adams at around 10 a.m. CT and go to a birthday party. However, they never arrived at the event, according to the probable cause documents. Butler’s family found Butler’s abandoned vehicle in a rural area of Texas County near the Kansas and Oklahoma border on the same day and alerted the police, as detailed in the documents.
Upon inspecting the vehicle and its surroundings, it was discovered that there were signs of a serious injury. Blood was visible both on the road and along its edge. Additionally, Butler's glasses were located on the road south of the vehicle, close to a broken hammer. Interestingly, a pistol magazine was discovered inside Kelley's purse at the scene, although no pistol was recovered, according to the probable cause documents.
Top row: Cole Earl Twombly and Cora Twombly. Bottom row: Tad Bert Cullum and Tifany Machel Adams
Top row: Cole Earl Twombly and Cora Twombly. Bottom row: Tad Bert Cullum and Tifany Machel Adams
Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation
Butler and Kelley's phones were actively sending signals to their carriers until about 9:42 a.m. and then stopped transmitting, according to the probable cause documents. However, the phones have not been recovered.
State investigators obtained information from Adams' phone which revealed web searches for "taser pain level, gun shops, prepaid cellular phones, and how to get someone out of their house," as shown in the probable cause documents. Additionally, Adams had purchased five stun guns and three pre-paid cellular phones in the months and days leading up to the disappearance of Butler and Kelley, according to the documents.
Some important information that is not included in the probable cause documents includes whether the bodies of Butler and Kelley have been found and details on how they were reportedly murdered.
According to the statements made by Cora Gayle Twombly's teenage daughter to investigators and documented in the probable cause papers, all four defendants were members of a group known as "God's Misfits," which had ties to an anti-government movement and held regular meetings, sometimes at the Twomblys' home.
The daughter informed investigators that the defendants tried to kill Butler on other occasions in February, as mentioned in the probable cause documents.
The FBI Oklahoma City Field Office is aiding in the investigation with a specialized team consisting of agents, analysts, task force officers, evidence response personnel, and tactical teams, as per a statement from the agency.
The defendants are scheduled to make their first court appearances Wednesday at 10:30 ET, per court documents.
Editor's P/S:
The chilling details emerging from the unsealed court documents in the Oklahoma murder case paint a gruesome picture of a premeditated and cruel crime. The charges against Tad Cullum, Tifany Adams, Cole Twombly, and Cora Twombly are a stark reminder of the depravity and violence that can lurk beneath the surface of seemingly ordinary lives. The fact that the victims, Veronica Butler and Jillian Kelley, were allegedly targeted due to a custody dispute adds a heartbreaking layer to this tragedy.
The investigation has uncovered a web of disturbing connections, including the defendants' alleged membership in an anti-government group and the revelation that they had previously attempted to harm Butler. The discovery of stun guns, pre-paid cell phones, and internet searches for weaponry and tactics further underscores the calculated and sinister nature of their actions. The ongoing investigation, aided by the FBI, will hopefully shed more light on this horrific crime and bring justice to the victims and their families.
