Court Docs: Veronica Butler and Jillian Kelley Stabbed to Death, Buried in Freezer

by Cameron Burnett Digital Producer

GUYMON, Okla. (KAKE) – Newly released court documents describe the manner in which two Hugoton, Kansas women were brutally killed earlier this year.

In April, 27-year-old Veronica Butler and 39-year-old Jilian Kelley were traveling together to pick up children when they went missing, their car was found abandoned in a remote part of northern Oklahoma near the Kansas border. Their bodies were found weeks later in Texas County, Oklahoma.

On Thursday’s State of Oklahoma’s brief in support of Consolidation For Preliminary Hearing, prosecutors laid out each suspect’s role in the part of the murders.

The documents state that 50-year-old Cole Earl Twombly and 44-year-old Cora Twombly were the lookouts the day of the murders and confided in their daughter in hope of receiving an albi for the morning of the murders.

Further, 31-year-old Paul Grice, in part, stabbed and killed Butler, sliced his hand “badly” with the knife and accompanied the bodies of both victims to their burial site. The document says Grice threw off his clothing, stun device and the knife used to kill Butler into the burial site. His clothing found in the burial site contained his and Butler’s DNA.

Tad Cullum, 43, in part, got permission from the landowners to dig the hole for the burial site and dug the whole with his skid steer the day before the murders.

The filing further alleges that Cullum fatally stabbed Kelley and drove the bodies to the burial site. He put his clothing in the burial site, in addition to Butler and Kelley inside a freezer in the previously dug hole. His clothing, found at the site, also contained his and Kelley’s DNA. The accessories to the knife, found at the burial site, were found in his home.

The document continues that 50-year-old Tifany Machel Adams purchased burner phones from Walmart which were used by the conspirators to communicate. She purchased the stun devices at Standard Supply, one of which was found at the burial site. She also bought the yellow straps that were placed around the freezer containing the bodies of Butler and Kelley at Tractor Supply.

“Adams hated and despised Butler and wanted her dead,” the document reads.

The state argues that all the defendants should face a preliminary hearing together instead of a separate hearing since they allege that all five conspired and participated in the murders. The defense for both Cora and Adams has argued that they should face separate preliminary hearings.

All five are scheduled to be back in court on September 18 in Texas County, Oklahoma.

https://www.kake.com/home/court-docs-veronica-butler-and-jillian-kelley-stabbed-to-death-buried-in-freezer/article_322d3942-714a-11ef-a4e4-9b365ae69996.html