Texas County, Oklahoma – Four suspects arraigned in connection to the murders of two Kansas mothers were denied bond in an Oklahoma court. Paternal grandmother Tifany Adams, her boyfriend Tad Cullum, Cora Twombly, and her husband Cole Twombly were charged with kidnapping and first-degree murder of Veronica Butler, 27, and Jilian Kelley, 39. The victims disappeared while en route to pick up Butler’s children for a supervised visit.
The arraignment saw the victims’ families present, filling the first three rows of the courtroom. Family members heckled the suspects, expressing their anger towards them. Court proceedings were emotional, with family members restrained as suspects entered the courtroom. Butler’s aunt Ladonna Thompson expressed that the victims didn’t deserve such a fate and that the family was devastated by the loss.
Following the women’s disappearance, their bodies were found in Texas County, Oklahoma, about 8 1/2 miles from where their vehicle was abandoned. The suspects, allegedly part of an anti-government religious group called “God’s Misfits,” met weekly at the Twombly’s residence. Investigators believe that the custody battle between Adams and Butler served as a driving motive for the killings.
In the ongoing investigation, witnesses reported the removal of a white trailer from a property connected to Cullum, where the women were believed to have been killed. Adams’ cellphone searches prior to the disappearance included queries about taser pain levels and guns, indicating premeditation. The Twombly’s teen daughter disclosed a failed attempt to kill Butler in February and mentioned a subsequent “mission” the suspects embarked on the day of the disappearance.
Vincent Forbes, a friend of Cullum, expressed shock over the arrests and the tragic events that unfolded. Forbes, who also served as Cullum’s business partner, mentioned that Adams appeared to be acting unexpectedly. The judge’s decision to speak out about the case led to his resignation after facing backlash from local officials.
The investigation into the murders of Veronica Butler and Jilian Kelley continues, shedding light on the complex dynamics surrounding their deaths. The details that have emerged paint a picture of a tragic sequence of events that has left a community in shock and disbelief.