By Shawn Yorks
news1@ulyssesnews.com
The Oklahoma Chief Medical Examiner in Oklahoma City released a summary report on the murders of Hugoton moms Veronica Butler and Jilian Kelley. The report states that the manner of death for both individuals was multiple sharp force trauma.
The full medical examiner’s report will be released Nov. 15.
Of the five accused in the murders, Paul Grice, 31, of Keyes, Okla. and Cora Twombly, 44, of Texhoma, Okla. have waived their rights to a speedy trial. Grice has been moved to Woodward, Okla. and has a Feb. 19, 2025 court date in Guymon. Cora Twombly is still in the Texas County Jail in Guymon.
Butler, 27, and Kelley, 39 - both of Hugoton - went missing on March 30 and were found deceased in rural Texas County near Texhoma on April 14. Butler was traveling to an abandoned gas station in Eva, Okla. for a child custody exchange and Kelley was a court-appointed liaison for Butler to oversee the exchange. The vehicle they were traveling in was found abandoned on Oklahoma Highway 95 just south of the Kansas state line near Elkhart.
Cole Twombly, 50; Cora Twombly, 44; Tad Cullum, 43, and Tifany Adams, 54, were arrested in early April and charged with two counts of Kidnapping, two counts of First-Degree Murder – deliberate intent - and one count of Conspiracy to Commit Murder in the First Degree. Grice was later arrested on two counts of First-Degree Murder – deliberate intent - two counts of Kidnapping, and one count of Conspiracy to Commit Murder in the First Degree.
Cullum, Adams, Cole Twombly, Cora Twombly and Grice are accused of conspiring to murder Butler and Kelley, and ultimately committing the crime.
The Twomblys were allegedly the lookouts on the day of the murders and confided in their 16-year-old daughter in hopes of receiving an alibi for the morning of the murders. The daughter contacted law enforcement and broke the case.
Additional charges have since been added for Cullum, Cole Twombly and Adams to include two counts each of unlawful removal of a dead body from original place of death without authorization, and two counts each of desecration of a human corpse by tampering with evidence of a crime scene. The kidnapping charges were removed.
Cullum allegedly stabbed Kelley to death and Paul Grice allegedly stabbed Butler. Cullum, Adams and Cole Twombly allegedly moved the bodies to a location eight miles away from the abandoned car, put the bodies in a freezer and buried the freezer in a field, unbeknownst to the property owner.
Additionally, Adams has been charged with two counts of felony child neglect.
According to the State of Oklahoma, on March 23, 2024, Adams willingly or maliciously neglected both of Butler’s children (ages 6 and 8) to illegal activity by having each of them carry a ratchet strap purchased at Guymon Standard Supply which was later used to strap shut the freezer containing the deceased bodies of Butler and Kelley.
The preliminary hearings for all but Grice will take place Dec. 18 at the Texas County Courthouse in Guymon.
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