← Going West: True Crime
Going West: True Crime
Veronica Butler & Jilian Kelley // 525
00:49:00
In March of 2024, two women set off on a short drive through the rural backroads of Oklahoma, but they never made it to their destination. Hours later, their car was found abandoned by the side of the road, but suspiciously, along with signs of a struggle. As the search for them intensified, authorities uncovered a trail marked by custody battles, a religious cult, and secrets buried deep in a small-town community, which would ultimately lead to five arrests. These are the murders of Veronica Butler and Jilian Kelley.
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- [00:00]
Heath
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Heath
The McDonald's Snack Wrap is back.
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Tiffany
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- [01:38]
Heath
What is going on? True crime fans? I'm your host, teeth.
- [01:42]
Daphne
And I'm your host, Daphne.
- [01:43]
Heath
And you're listening to Going West.
- [01:45]
Daphne
Hello, everybody. Thank you so much for tuning in today. Really quick announcement. In six weeks from right now, Heath and I are going on tour. We are going to be in the states of Colorado, Texas, Georgia, Massachusetts and Illinois. We are going to be in the cities of Denver, Dallas, Boston, Chicago and Atlanta. Not in that order, but it would mean so much to us if you guys are in or near those cities. If you'll come out and see us, we're going to seriously have so much fun. It's going to be worth it to come out with a friend. It's going to be spooky, but also with a lot of games and just so it's going to be a good fun time.
- [02:25]
Heath
Yeah, it's not going to be your kind of run of the mill true crime live show. We're going to do some different things that will involve you guys, the audience. So you get to come up on stage, play some games with us. It's going to be a great night out. Make sure you get your tickets. You can get your tickets@goingwestpod.com tour.
- [02:46]
Daphne
Yes, please get those. And we can't wait to see you all. Now for today's story, this was recommended by Brady. Big shout out to Brady. Thank you for putting this Absolutely wild story on our radar. It seems honestly, pretty simple at first, but this is such an iceberg case.
- [03:04]
Heath
Yeah, the more you start digging into this case, the more crazy and fucked up it gets.
- [03:09]
Daphne
Like in an unbelievable way. So without further ado.
- [03:13]
Heath
Alright, guys, this is episode 525 of Going West. So let's get into it.
- [04:00]
Daphne
In March of 2024, two women set off on a short drive through the rural backroads of Oklahoma. But they never made it to their destination. Hours later, their car was found abandoned by the side of the road. And suspiciously, there were signs of a struggle. As the search for them intensified, authorities uncovered a trail marked by custody battles, a religious cult and secrets buried deep in a small town community, which would ultimately lead to five arrests. These are the murders of Veronica Butler and Jillian Kelly. Veronica Butler was born on February 28, 1997 to parents Amanda and Clinton. But they eventually split up and both remarried, leaving her with a large blended family of siblings. Years later, at the time of her disappearance, Veronica was working as a certified nursing assistant, but was also attending community college to become a surgical technician, hoping to devote her career to helping people. Veronica loved to cook, especially for others, and she was also very crafty. She had a small side business selling her creations, which were homemade air fresheners. Now, her family was devoutly Christian and she was very involved in her Hugoton, Kansas church, including volunteering to lead the youth group after graduating from high school. Veronica and her boyfriend, Wrangler Rickman, had two kids, Cole and Kendall, who were 8 and 6 at the time of her 2024 disappearance. Wrangler, honestly, Wrangler Rickman is such a cool name, which I hate to say with where this is gonna go. Well, they had such a complicated relationship, which is a big part of this storyline. But I do want to say, according to those who knew Veronica, she was a very hands on, loving mother while she was alive. Like Veronica's aunt Ladonna Thompson said fondly, Veronica didn't know a stranger. She could talk to you and you would be friends. Her kids were her world. Her kids were her life. Everything she did was for her kids. She'd get in the pool with them, she'd blow bubbles with them, whatever it was, she was there with them. But the relationship, if you can't already tell, between Veronica and Wrangler, did not last. And In December of 2018, they split up and began co parenting their two kids. Then shortly afterwards, in 2019, Veronica started dating a man named Tracy Pites. And Veronica had reportedly never been happier and all was made more exciting when Tracy proposed just embracing her children as his own. So they were in this period of just being very thrilled to be building their lives together. She was so happy that she met him, especially after the crumbling of this relationship with her longtime boyfriend, Wrangler. However, Veronica's relationship with Wrangler, you know, the father of her kids, her ex boyfriend, was not faring as well because both had sued the other for full custody of their kids. Veronica was also concerned about Wrangler's drug use and criminal history, and for good reason, because in 2024, when today's story takes place, actually, he served time for unlawful possession of a firearm. And upon his release, he was immediately sent to court ordered rehabilitation for drug use.
- [08:10]
Heath
And there's a whole big mess that we need to dive into really quick because it's very relevant to where this story is going to go now, years before what Daffney was just talking about. In 2021, Veronica was awarded full custody of the children. And again, remember, they split in 2018. But the following year, Wrangler filed for full custody. The lawsuit alleges that Wrangler was concerned about the care and treatment, or lack thereof, that the children were receiving while Veronica was in charge. Wrangler also complained that the kids were often returned to him hungry and occasionally with cuts and bruises from animals which were not divulged to him. He also recalled Veronica's instability, claiming that she moved multiple times a year, including between Colorado, Kansas and Oklahoma, and that she was unable to provide the stability that their children deserved. So this reportedly spilled over into her employment status as well, having been let go from multiple jobs for failing to show up without warning. But it's not clear how many of these claims have been, you know, exaggerated so that Wrangler could seek the full custody of his kids.
- [09:24]
Daphne
Yeah, that's what makes this so messy about their entire situation. It's so he said, she said, yeah.
- [09:30]
Heath
They'Re both kind of pointing the finger at each other and saying, well, you can't take care of the kids. No, you can't take care of the kids.
- [09:36]
Daphne
But it's also so hard because the truth really matters here. The kids need to be in the best possible hands. So is somebody lying here? And if so, who is it?
- [09:45]
Heath
Well, on top of all of this bullshit, he was also kind of puppeteered by his mother, Tiffany Adams, who clearly wanted to keep her grandchildren in their possession. And this court filing culminated in an explosive accusation against Veronica's teenage brother, who allegedly, according to Wrangler, and Tiffany allegedly molested the children. And based solely on this claim, Veronica lost custody of her kids in 2022 when Wrangler began serving time for his firearm charge. Later on, the children were placed in the care of their parental grandmother. Again, Tiffany Adams, which is exactly what she wanted. Tiffany was later accused of falsifying records in order to obtain full custody. And many believe that she even coached her son and his children about what to say in order to sway the court. But again, lots of he said and she said going on here, and I.
- [10:47]
Daphne
Just want to say it's. I do believe that that would happen based on where we're gonna go.
- [10:53]
Heath
Oh, yeah, we're gonna talk so much more about Tiffany Adams. You guys are gonna be like, what the hell is wrong with this lady?
- [11:00]
Daphne
Your head is gonna stop, spin. And we do have a little bit more kind of relationship drama to dive into, but shit is gonna get wild, so just hang in there. So Veronica was given limited supervision, though a counselor was required to be present when she was with her kids. So obviously not ideal. And even though this alone already was not preferred, things were still getting fussed up in the background as well, because In February of 2024, Wrangler's mother, Tiffany, allegedly even threatened the judge presiding over the custody case in an effort to maintain control over the situation. Because with her son, Wrangler in prison, it seemed as if Veronica was going to be able to regain custody.
- [11:50]
Heath
I'm wondering what that threat was like. What did she say? What did she do to this judge?
- [11:56]
Daphne
Well, per their current agreement, Veronica was only permitted to see them for a few hours on Saturdays, though Veronica had recently filed a petition for more regular custodial visits. And the outlook seemed positive on Saturday, March 30, 2024. So the day before Easter, Veronica was due to see her kids and had been planning on taking them to a birthday party for one of her daughter's friends. Now, typically, court supervisor Cheryl Brun would be there to oversee the interaction. Remember, Veronica has to have a court appointed supervisor when she is with her children at all times. And actually, Tiffany was tasked with paying her for this time. Now, reportedly, Tiffany allegedly called court supervisor Cheryl and told her that she would not be needed that day. Tiffany then called Veronica to tell her that she needed to seek out another court supervisor to broker the exchange of the kids that day. So Veronica contacted Jillian Kelly, who was a mom, pastor's wife, and licensed counselor, who also lived in Hugoton, and asked Jillian to attend the visit with her. And they had already known Each other. By the way, they were acquaintances in their small town of hugoton. So when 27 year old Veronica asked her to come along in order to broker the peaceful transfer of the kids, 39 year old Gillian agreed to help. Now, Gillian was born on June 3, 1984 to parents Theodore and Kaylee. And shortly after graduating high school and at the age of just 18, she married Heath Kelly in her home state of Nebraska. And together they had four kids named Jaelyn, Mary, Alexis, Derek and Tyler. After settling in Kansas, Heath worked as a pastor at their Christian church as they were devoted followers and very involved with their congregation. Like Veronica, Jillian led the youth group there and she also served as the church's secretary because she loved to volunteer. You know, obviously she's very involved. She always wanted to help as many people in her community as she could. According to her family quote, Jillian's gentle soul and pure heart were unparalleled. She's remembered as warm, gracious, and an exceedingly devoted wife and mother who wanted nothing more than to spend time with her family. Like she never missed one of her kids sporting or school events. She showed up to everything. She was just very supportive in general. But outside of her philanthropic efforts, she had an adventurous side too, and enjoyed riding her motorcycle. Gillian was just two months away from her 40th birthday when she disappeared.
- [14:56]
Heath
Now, on the day that the women vanished again. Saturday, March 30, Veronica and Jillian set out from Hugoton, bound for Four Corners, Oklahoma, which is an unincorporated community in the Oklahoma panhandle located about 50 miles or 80 kilometers from Hugoton, where they would meet with Tiffany Adams to pick up Veronica's kids. Veronica told family members that she and Gillian were meeting to pick up the kids at 10am near the intersection of Highway 95 and U.S. 64 west, which is where of course, Tiffany lived in rural Texas County, Oklahoma. They would then head to a birthday party for a friend of her daughter's before dropping the kids back with their grandma and then heading back to hugoton at 9:42am so shortly before they were due to pick up the kids, both Veronica's and Jillian's phones were abruptly shut off and they never made it to their destination. So Cole and Kendall were not picked up for the birthday party. So of course, at this point, you know, not hearing back from Veronica, two of her family members, Melissa and Joey Pantilla, set out on their route to look for them and they were horrified by what they found. On the side of a dirt road was Veronica's empty, abandoned car along with Evidence of a struggle which was parked only about 5 miles or 8 km away from their destination. Melissa and Joey called the authorities at 12:09pm that day to report the women missing based on what they had found because the scene of the abandoned vehicle reeked of a crime having occurred there. Left behind at the scene was a substance that resembled blood, along with a broken hammer, Gillian's purse with the magazine of a pistol inside, and a pair of Veronica's glasses, which had been broken. The windows of the car had also been broken. Now authorities issued an alert for a pair of critically missing women and they began their search already suspecting foul play. Hunter McKee, who was the public information manager for OSBI or the Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigations, announced as of right now, as the investigation continues and we're requested, we're unsure where these women are or what happened to them. That unknown is, is what has made it suspicious for us at this time.
- [17:31]
Daphne
The night prior, Friday, March 29, 2024, Veronica's kids had stayed overnight with Lacey and Barrett Cook. You know, they had a sleepover with the couple's kids. And according to Tiffany, she called Veronica around 9am to confirm their meeting that morning. But Veronica told Tiffany that something had come up and that she wasn't going to be able to make it. Tiffany's phone record confirmed that this outgoing call did exist, but her location services proved that she was not home when she made that call, despite her telling the authorities that she was, which is a bit fishy already. Tiffany then picked the kids up from the Cook's house just before noon because apparently Veronica is telling her that she can't make it suddenly. But there was no word about where their mom was. Nobody knew where Veronica supposedly was and why she couldn't make it.
- [18:34]
Heath
And this whole story about the fact that she couldn't make it obviously feels very made up. It feels like there's no way to corroborate this story because not only was it not a text message, it was a phone call. So how are they going to confirm, you know that Veronica actually said this?
- [18:50]
Daphne
Right. And we already know that Tiffany lied about where she was when the call took place. So is there more that she's lying about? And I also do think it's extra weird that again, this was an outgoing call on Tiffany's part. So Tiffany called Veronica and then Veronica is the one that had something of importance to share.
- [19:09]
Heath
Yeah, it's not like Veronica called Tiffany and said, hey, you know what? I'm not going to be able to make it so this whole thing just seems really off.
- [19:16]
Daphne
Yeah. And that Veronica made that call from her own house because, as we know, her car was found very close by. She made this drive. There's no reason that she's gonna say that she wasn't coming in.
- [19:29]
Heath
Well, it's all gonna make sense to you guys fairly soon.
- [19:32]
Daphne
Yeah. Because this is. This is not what happened. That's for sure. So reportedly, Wrangler's grandmother told police that Wrangler had mentioned to her in late February, so this is shortly before this is all going down, that he wouldn't have to worry about the custody battle with Veronica for very much longer because Tiffany, quote, had it under control. But of course, Wrangler denies having said this and denies any prior knowledge of what will become a murder plot. So, you know, it does seem like that was circulating that Veronica is not going to be in the picture for very much longer. So you don't have to worry because this is a murder plot. Indeed. Not to spoil, but anyway. On April 1, 2024, OSBI agents obtained a search warrant for Tiffany's cell phone. And the searches that she made were damning.
- [20:32]
Heath
I mean, this piece of shit, like, how stupid can you be? I don't understand why criminals think that they can search things on their computer, search things on their phone, and that police are not going to look through those things and go, hey, this is really weird. And suspicious because they're dummies, like idiots.
- [20:50]
Daphne
One of her. I mean, all these searches are wild, but the first one in particular, she searched how much pain someone would be in if they were tased. Remember that one? She also searched a, like, local gun shops near her. I guess that isn't too weird if you're just a person that wants to buy a gun.
- [21:09]
Heath
But, I mean, yeah, it's not too weird. She lives in Oklahoma. They love their guns there.
- [21:15]
Daphne
Well, she also looked up how to buy prepaid cell phones and how to lure someone out of their house. Also found in the search was plans for a prior murder attempt wherein a group would head to Veronica's home and wait outside to pounce on her as soon as she exited. Hence the search about how to coax somebody from their residence. But apparently, when they actually tried that murder plot, Tracy and others who we will get into. Veronica never left her home that night, so the group were forced to make alternate plans. So she has this information about this other murder plot in her freaking search history.
- [21:58]
Heath
I mean, can you imagine this group of morons waiting outside of somebody's house and their whole Plan is that she's gonna come outside and then she just doesn't. They're like, well, she didn't come outside, so I guess we're not gonna kill her tonight.
- [22:12]
Daphne
I mean, it's so creepy as well. And just the fact that she's like, she's trying to beat the system in Google. How do you get somebody out of their house? Like, what. What a weird thing to look up.
- [22:22]
Heath
I mean, it. It's just gonna get even weirder as we continue to go on.
- [22:28]
Daphne
Well, on April 3, 2024, the Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigations interview daughter of a pair of Tiffany's friends, Cora and Cole Twombly. Now, due to her being underaged, the teenager is referred to simply as CW in the court documents, by the way. So that's what we're going to call her. Remember, this is the teenage daughter of Cora and Cole Twombly, who we're going to talk a lot about today. But she had a lot to say here. So get this. CW claimed that she overheard conversations between her parents about Veronica not being able to protect her kids from her brother in regards to Tiffany's allegations of sexual abuse. Remember, Heath told us about that earlier. She also revealed that her mom, Cora, told her that the missing women were gone, including her mother, Cora and her stepfather Cole were involved in their murder. C.W. said that she saw two burner phones charging on the nightstand in her mom's room as well. So, you know, this is all pretty wild. She is reporting all of this, and it's really gonna line up with everything else that is gonna be uncovered here. And then on April 14, 2024, the worst case scenario came true. The bodies of 27 year old Veronica Butler and 39 year old Jillian Kelly were recovered in remote Texas county, Oklahoma, not far from where the car had been found abandoned.
- [24:22]
Heath
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- [29:27]
Heath
The quiet investigation into the disappearances of these women culminated in five arrests that occurred between April 13th and April 24th of 2024. Now, the day before the bodies were recovered, four arrests were made. Cora and Cole Twombly were arrested in the same 1991 Chevrolet pickup truck believed to have been used to transport the bodies of Veronica and Gillian from that dirt road where the car was abandoned to the remote Texas county field where the women were found. Inside the truck was a handgun, multiple Tasers, and multiple items belonging to the women, including their phones and their jewelry. There was also kitty litter, which was believed to have been used to soak up the blood. Also arrested, of course, were Tiffany Adams, who was believed to have been the ringleader and the mastermind of the whole operation, and her boyfriend, Tad Colom. And CW Remember, the child of Cora and Cole was actually a huge contributor in assisting the Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigations with building their case against her mom, stepdad and their co conspirators. CW told the OSBI that she was informed by her mom the day before the women disappeared that they were heading out on a mission the next morning. When she woke up that morning at 10am they were gone, but they returned home by noon. They then asked her to clean out the interior of this pickup truck. You know, the one that had all the blood and all this evidence inside of it. When asked how the mysterious mission went, Cora claimed with apparent disdain that it had not gone as planned, but that they wouldn't have to worry about Veronica Butler or the custody arrangement ever again.
- [31:29]
Daphne
Even though this shouldn't be these people's concern anyway. Like, what are you doing getting involved? And I know we are gonna touch on that a little bit, but, like, she's acting like this is her problem. Like, Korra telling her teenage daughter in the same breath of asking her teenage daughter to help dispose of freaking evidence from a murder, of saying, oh, we won't have to worry about the custody battle anymore. This isn't your family.
- [31:54]
Heath
And what a shitty set of parents. Like, literally implicating your own daughter by forcing her to clean out evidence from a pickup truck. What is wrong with you people? And Cora actually told CW a lot more than that, because she also divulged to her young daughter that she and Cole had blocked the road to stop Veronica and Gillian in their car, diverting them to where Tiffany, Tad, and one other person were waiting in order to ambush them. Veronica and Gillian were then hit with stun guns, stabbed, and then taken to a cow pasture to be buried.
- [32:31]
Daphne
Which is really interesting when we look back at Tiffany's search history. And how much pain would somebody be in if they were tased? Like, it's so interesting that that is something that she was almost concerned with. Like, if you're tasing somebody to try to incapacitate them so you can essentially abduct them and then murder them, you're worried about how much pain the tasing is gonna cause. Like, it's so strange.
- [32:59]
Heath
Yeah, I don't really know why that particular question would have been typed in, but I don't know. I think it's weird, too. Can't really explain it.
- [33:08]
Daphne
It.
- [33:09]
Heath
Well, CW allegedly asked why Jillian Kelly had to die as well. And Cora claimed that she was complicit in taking the children away from Tiffany because she had been there to support Veronica Butler. So literally, for no other reason than just being there to make sure that Veronica's kids were safe.
- [33:29]
Daphne
It was the peaceful transfer. That's all it was. So, unfortunately, it's almost like Gillian was just collateral damage. And that didn't matter to these people. They didn't care who was affected as long as Tracy gets her grandkids back. These aren't even her children. And, again, this is why it's so difficult with all the he said, she said. That we talked about earlier because a lot of people really did report that Veronica was an amazing, caring mother and that all the negligent stuff was made up by Wrangler and Tracy. Obviously, we're not inside that situation to know every piece of truth, but if. If they were trying to manipulate the situation, it just makes it that much more disturbing.
- [34:08]
Heath
Yeah, it really does. I mean, the fact that they just couldn't let. I mean, they both were innocent women, but the fact that, like, you're saying Gillian was just collateral damage makes it so much more heartbreaking. While CW Then asked if the bodies had been thrown in a well, and Cora confirmed something like that.
- [34:28]
Daphne
Later, when CW Was cleaning out the truck for her mom and her stepdad, she claimed to have spotted a blood like substance on the carpets that she was supposed to be washing out. So she enlisted the help of a friend known only as AH who later also verified the presence of blood in that pickup truck. But CW Was so disturbed by all of this and knew her mom and stepdad had done something horrible. So she and her brother did the right thing and they went to speak with the OSBI about all of it. But when Cora and Cole found out about this, they showed up at the facility to bring the kids home, with Cole strapped with a gun. And sadly, for the time being, they were released. You know, the OSBI did not have enough to arrest them that day, but Cora and Cole were soon arrested while out driving in rural Cimarron County, Oklahoma, spotted in the same pickup truck that CW had cleaned blood out of and which was used to transfer the women's bodies to their grave. An initial hearing was scheduled for April 17, 2024. And in the time between their arrest and that hearing, a big ol can of worms was opened upon the discovery of a small religious cult called God's Misfits, which all five participants of these murders were active members of, per their website. Yes, they have a website. God's Misfits advertises, I don't try to be something or someone I am not. I am the same no matter where you see me, whether at Walmart, church or family gatherings. I am an individual, and I dress, look, talk, walk as suits. Who I am, no matter who likes it or doesn't like it. I don't try to fit into social circles where I don't belong, and I don't fit into the normal crowd. The description later adds, God's Misfits actually means that when you come to Christ, you become a misfit of the World. So in the small rural community of the panhandle of Oklahoma, in and around rural Four Corners, this ministry, if you will, has found a stronghold of believers who are part Christian and like, part doomsday prepper.
- [37:08]
Heath
Oh, yeah, it's about to get real freaky.
- [37:11]
Daphne
So the leader is known by his followers as Squirrel. They always have some weird ass name.
- [37:18]
Heath
It's. Oh, yeah, it's always like Oak or Squirrel. Squirrel grass. I don't know. Just. It's so funny.
- [37:25]
Daphne
Well, Squirrel personally is based in South Carolina and together with his wife uses their ministry to spread their gospel. Though he has denounced the murders and his alleged followers in Oklahoma because he's like, trying to. Squirrel is trying to separate himself from this event.
- [37:43]
Heath
He's like, that is not us. That is not God's misfits.
- [37:46]
Daphne
Yeah. He actually wrote on the God's misfits Facebook page, quote, we are not and have never been part of anything in Oklahoma. We are husband and wife spreading Jesus. And then Squirrel added, quote, the God that I serve condemns such hate. So, yeah, I hope that would be true. So, yeah, they're saying we. We don't have people in Oklahoma. That's like a different group. That's. That's not us.
- [38:13]
Heath
Well, I wonder how the followers felt about that. The followers in Oklahoma, they're like.
- [38:17]
Daphne
They're like, excuse me.
- [38:18]
Heath
They're like, our guy doesn't fucking like us.
- [38:21]
Daphne
He's like, I don't give a shit. So the particular sect to which the Twomblys, Tiffany Adams, Tad Callum, and a few other families belong, you know, this separate Oklahoma organization is categorized by a deep mistrust of the government and has been described in the media as a fringe religious extremist group.
- [38:44]
Heath
I mean, did you expect anything else?
- [38:46]
Daphne
Well, yeah, I mean, like I said, part doomsday prepper.
- [38:48]
Heath
Every. Every single cult pretty much is like, nah, fuck the government. You know what I mean?
- [38:52]
Daphne
Like, well, that's why it's interesting that Squirrel is trying to say, like, oh, no, we just. We talk about Jesus. We're not doing all this other crazy shit. Yeah, but this, again, this particular sect in Oklahoma, they apparently are prepared for, like, the fall of modern society and they don't believe in paying taxes or in any sort of organized government. This also gave context to Tiffany's desire to have custody and have control over her grandkids. Not believing that the government should be allowed to interfere with and oversee their care. Which I gotta then question how she felt about, like a counselor, having to be there alongside Veronica. Like, I Wonder if she thought that was okay. But it's not okay for the government to choose custody. You know, like, I don't know. I'm wondering if she had any hypocritical views there, but I'm not sure.
- [39:47]
Heath
No, I think she probably thought that Jillian Kelly, just like the Twomblies, they thought that Jillian being there was. She was a part of this whole thing.
- [39:58]
Daphne
She was right.
- [39:59]
Heath
Just a cog in the wheel of this entire.
- [40:01]
Daphne
A part of the higher government trying to do something that she didn't want to happen.
- [40:05]
Heath
Yes, exactly.
- [40:06]
Daphne
Well, both the Cook family, who Veronica's kids had, you know, stayed the night with on that Friday evening before she died, remember? And the Twombly family frequently hosted gatherings for God's misfit. So all these people are connected in this same messed up way.
- [40:26]
Heath
But here's the thing. The state of Oklahoma, they were already aware of God's misfit due to one of its members filing to renounce his U.S. citizenship the summer before Veronica and Gillian were murdered. And here's basically how that story goes. So on July 6th of 2023, a man named Paul Grice went to the county clerk's office at the Cimarron County Courthouse where CW would later be questioned about her parents involvement in the murders. And he actually paid $104 to file an official request to renounce his US citizenship.
- [41:03]
Daphne
And this isn't because he's trying to move elsewhere, is it?
- [41:06]
Heath
Well, I will say that his request was ignored because citizens are not permitted to renounce their citizenship while still living in the country. But in his declaration, Paul penned, I am a creation of nature and nature's God. A people, a man found alive and living, commonly known by my family, friends and neighbors as Paul Grice. And so here I will stand.
- [41:36]
Daphne
So he's saying, I am me and I am not a part of the government or you can't have control over me. So I am renouncing my citizenship and I will just. Just be where I please.
- [41:49]
Heath
Let me ask you one question. Paul Grice, do you have a Social Security number?
- [41:53]
Daphne
Well, I don't think he wants to.
- [41:55]
Heath
Well, you're a citizen. Sorry.
- [41:57]
Daphne
It's funny how he thought he could spend $104 and that would absolve him of responsibility of being a citizen, I. E. Paying taxes, you know, being an upstanding citizen or abiding by laws. Like, he's just like, okay, here's 104 bucks, now let me be me.
- [42:16]
Heath
Yeah, exactly. These people, they really, at the end of the day. They just don't have to do anything. They don't want to have to pay taxes, they don't want to have to get a driver's license, they don't want to have to get a background check to buy a gun. You know, all of these different things, they all tie in. They don't want the government telling them to do anything.
- [42:34]
Daphne
Well, he also added that his three children were his, quote, God given property. So he's saying, you know, you don't have control over them either. And that he believed that the United States had been under martial law since the Civil War and that he believed the country was nothing more than a corporation and that the land should be given back to sovereign citizens. Which essentially just means people like him who do not believe in, you know, who are anti government individuals rather.
- [43:07]
Heath
Yeah, he wrote that he was above the law and refused to be governed by it. It adding in a slew of racist and anti Semitic remarks and a few conspiracy theories for justification. Because of course, now a research analyst at the Southern Poverty Law center named Travis McAdams said in an interview about God's misfits, we've seen more and more sovereign groups trying to recruit people who are involved in disputes with Child Protective Services. They really try to use the idea of this is an illegitimate government, this is an illegitimate court system trying to take your kids away and maybe we can help. And Paul's story really is relevant here Anyway, because on April 24, 2024, Paul became the fifth and final member of the conspirators arrested for the murders of Veronica Butler and Gillian Kelly.
- [44:04]
Daphne
Though he was the last to be apprehended, Paul Grice was a major contributing force in the murders. According to his co conspirators, Paul is the one who stabbed and killed Veronica Butler. Which is a story that was corroborated by a severe cut on his hand from the knife found at the grave site. Ultimately, Veronica died from sharp force trauma and had 30 lacerations, 10 of which were defensive wounds. Gillian also died from sharp force injuries, 16 of them, nine of which were deep stab wounds to the back of her head and neck. And on top of this, she had a fractured spine. So these were two very brutal attacks. The group then transported the bodies in Cora and Cole's pickup truck to a nearby farm where they had a 12 foot hole prepared and waiting. Because they had been planning this.
- [45:08]
Heath
Oh yeah, they were planning it for months.
- [45:10]
Daphne
Well, after killing them, the women were placed inside a chest freezer and buried in that hole along with some of the Clothing of the attackers, as well as the taser, the handle of a saw, and the knife that was used to kill Veronica Butler. I think they were like, oh, here's just like. Like the hole. And no one's ever gonna find this. So we could just store all the in here.
- [45:33]
Heath
Here's a big asshole. Let's just throw all of the in there.
- [45:36]
Daphne
Tad, remember, Tiffany's boyfriend is believed to have been the one to attack and kill Jillian Kelly, actually. And he also drove the bodies to the grave that he had secured for them. Tad actually even had marks on his face that looked like divots from fingernails, which had probably been left behind by Gillian as she fought for her life. Now, the land that Veronica and Gillian were buried on was owned by a local man named Jamie Beasley. But Tad Cullum rented a small portion of the land from him. So that's how they were able to access it and to cover his tracks. In late March of 2024, just before the murders, Tad asked Jamie if he could cut a tree down and dig a large hole on the property in order to bury some concrete that needed to be disposed of. He was also seen using a skid steer, which is a small ride on piece of construction equipment with a large bucket attached to the front that can be used for digging and moving dirt or snow, among other things. And Jamie says that he spotted Tad using the skid steer on March 30, which, as we know, is the day that the women disappeared.
- [46:58]
Heath
And then on top of that, Jamie noticed that the hole they had been digging was then covered back up with hay.
- [47:04]
Daphne
That's effective.
- [47:06]
Heath
So he tipped officers off to the area, and inside the 12 foot hole were the bodies of Veronica and Gillian. A relative of the Twomblys also contacted the osbi, claiming that a trailer belonging to the couple had been parked on his property after the murders, but that he didn't know where it had come from. So with the FBI and the OSBI closing in on the group in the days after the murders, the FBI sent someone to speak with Paul Grice at his home. And the agent noticed that his hand was badly cut and it had been bandaged up. One unnamed eyewitness also came forward to the authorities to say that Paul had been asking some suspicious questions, such as how long DNA would last in dirt and how he could flee the country with his family and head to Mexico. Then, stupidly, he tossed his clothing into the grave with the victim. Victims, which was later tested and confirmed to contain both his and Gillian's DNA. Then when his home was finally searched, law enforcement found the accessories to the knife that he had used to kill her. After his arrest on April 24, Paul changed his tune a number of times. In two of his interviews, he lied about his involvement, both times denying any connection to the women or their murders, which got him a nice perjury charge later. But he then admitted his involvement to his wife, who chose not to report what she was told just yet. Now, after some prying, Paul admitted that Veronica had smelled evil. Ew. You fucking weirdo.
- [48:52]
Daphne
That's a crazy thing to say. Come on.
- [48:53]
Heath
So weird. And that he had no remorse for what he had done. He then claimed to have been brainwashed by Tiffany, Tad and God's misfit. And that he hoped to bring closure to the families, but also hoped to avoid the death penalty.
- [49:09]
Daphne
This guy is a nut.
- [49:10]
Heath
So he's saying that he doesn't regret killing her, but then also he's saying that he was coerced by Tiffany. Like, get it together guy. Well, despite the involvement of the four others, the true mastermind behind this entire crime was Tiffany Adams.
- [49:28]
Daphne
But they were all more than happy to follow along and help her out.
- [49:33]
Heath
Yeah, I mean, this is so reminiscent of Charles Manson. Like, Tiffany Adams is essentially Charles Manson. She convinced all these people to do her dirty work and she was the mastermind behind everything.
- [49:45]
Daphne
So true. Well, Tiffany had started her preparation for the murders in February, which was a few weeks before, when she bought three burner phones from Walmart. Then in March, she headed to a sporting goods store called Big R and bought three Tasers. She also picked up ratchet straps from a Gaiman tractor supply, which were used to carry the freezer containing the women's bodies. And horrifically, her grandchildren were later seen carrying these around per her instruction, not knowing that they had been used to dispose of their mother's dead body. Tiffany, of course, roped in her friends at God's Misfits, claiming to be desperate to hold on to custody of her grandkids. When law enforcement tracked the burner phones, they were in the vicinity of the women's cell phones. And then two of them were in the vicinity of tad Cullum's home 10 minutes later. So, you know, the. The phone pings are really matching up with the crime. Now, there is still a debate as to who ultimately killed Gillian, but Tad is trying to pin both murders on Paul. The death penalty was discussed by the prosecution and the families of the women, but ultimately it was decided that they believed that this would be the easy way out. When Paul Grice offered up his testimony as part of a plea deal, Tad's lawyers alleged that it was merely to save his own skin. And Paul reportedly responded, my skin's not worth saving. Cora and Cole Twombly, just like literally this week, had a status hearing, but the results have not yet been reported. But of course, they still have to go to trial. So we wouldn't really figure much out this week anyway, because we also know that Tiffany and Cole have arraignments scheduled for November 5th of this year, 2025. And we also know that both Cora and Paul agreed to plea deals in exchange for testifying against their co conspirators. So that will be very interesting when it happens. Like, we might learn a lot more. It also might be a lot of false finger pointing because Paul Grice agreed to testify against the rest of the crew as well. So it feels like everybody's gonna be pointing fingers come trial. So far, Tiffany's son, Wrangler Rickman, has not been charged with any crime. The trial date for Tiffany Adams and Cole Twombly has been set for May 18, 2026, as of right now, and the state estimates that the trials will take six weeks per defend. Thank you so much, everybody, for listening to this episode of Going West.
- [52:48]
Heath
Yes, thank you guys so much for listening to this episode. What a wild story. I. I'm. I can't wait for these updates because I just want to know exactly how everything went down, because as far as we know, we don't have all the details publicly yet, but it does feel.
- [53:04]
Daphne
Like all of them in some way are. Are involved. But of course, both Jillian and Veronica's families deserve to have all of the answers. But, I mean, what a turn this took. Like, it was kind of clear from the beginning that Tracy was nutty and that she was trying to get involved in this and she was gonna do some shit. But the cult twist is crazy.
- [53:25]
Heath
Yeah, that one really threw me off. And to be honest, I kind of wonder what, like, some of the other people that were in. Involved with God's Misfits think about, like, people within their group going down for a murder.
- [53:39]
Daphne
Yeah. Especially if there's other people in the group in this area that were not a part of the murder in particular, like, whoa, what a crazy story. Again, big shout out to Brady for recommending this one. If you guys have a case that you want us to cover, email us going west podcastmail.com. we've got a long list, but we're always accepting new cases.
- [54:02]
Heath
All right, guys. So for everybody out there in the world.
- [54:05]
Daphne
Don't be a stranger. Sam Sa.