Day two of preliminary hearings for murdered Kansas moms case
TEXAS COUNTY, Okla. (KFOR) — Wednesday begins day two of the preliminary hearings in the case of murdered Kansas mothers Veronica Butler and Jilian Kelley.
The two Hugoton women disappeared over Easter weekend, while they were going to pick up Butler’s children in Oklahoma. Their bodies were found buried in a freezer in April. An autopsy revealed that both women had been stabbed to death.
The other two suspects in the case, Cora Twombly and Paul Grice, previously waived their right to a preliminary hearing. The district attorney filed a motion to have them testify at the preliminary hearings.
On Tuesday about 20 minutes after Adams arrived, she was escorted out and driven away in a patrol car. Adams waived the right to a preliminary hearing and a speedy trial.
Her defense team remained in the courtroom to listen to testimony.
Adams is due back in court in April.
The first day of the preliminary hearings was focused on testimony for Cora Twombly and Paul Grice.
Cora testified in exchange for a plea agreement, the district attorney said that part of it is that Cora will plead guilty to first-degree murder and conspiring to commit murder and will testify about what she knew of the crimes.
By doing so, the DA would recommend a life sentence with all of it suspended, except for 30 years. In her testimony she said part of her plea agreement is to protect her daughter, saying that if she testified, her daughter would not have to.
Her testimony focused on the relationship between the suspects and the group they created called God’s Misfits, which mixed politics and religion.
Cora Twombly told the court that many of the suspects grew up together in the same area of Oklahoma between Keyes and Boise City.
She said she and her husband, Cole Twombly, were watching videos and learning about their constitutional rights when Paul Grice came by to buy a puppy and joined their conversation. Adams and Cullum later joined the group.
Cora says that she and Adams began to bond over their children’s struggles with addiction. Adams also focused on her grandchildren’s welfare and her fear of them being abused.
Cora said that, over time, conversations turned to how to get rid of Veronica Butler because Adams did not have enough money to continue fighting for custody.
She testified that a first attempt on Butler’s life was going to be on Butler’s birthday, but it did not happen. The group came up with a new plan that was carried out Easter weekend.
Twombly also testified about the day of the murders. She said that she pulled off on the side of the road and could see two people running between Butler’s car and a trailer. She did not specify who that was, but later said she could see Paul Grice and Butler struggling on the ground.
She claims she saw Grice’s arm moving up and down. She did not see a knife, but believes Grice was stabbing Butler.
Twombly also said the group knew a court-appointed supervisor would be with Butler. She was asked how she felt about it being Jilian Kelley.
She said that the group wasn’t necessarily OK with it, but that Kelley was helping Butler, and so, by association, she had to be killed.
Cora says she had a conversation with Grice and he told her he killed both Butler and Kelley. He said he killed Kelley in the trailer, while on the way to the burial site.
In her testimony, she also claimed her husband Cole Twombly did not know about the plan until the week before because Adams didn’t want him involved because he was known to drink and was scared the word would get around.
Cora’s testimony wrapped up Tuesday afternoon. After lunch, law enforcement officers were seen leading Grice into the courthouse.
He took the stand and explained his side of the story.
In his testimony, he said the group started as a religious group, then it evolved to political discussions.
God’s Misfits allegedly contained about 15 people, but four of them, Adams, Cullum, Cora, and Grice, were a subgroup and the others were not involved in the planning or the murders of Kelley and Butler.
He said Adams shared the grandchildren were being sexually and physically abused by one of Butler’s family members. Grice said he was abused as a child, so he bonded with Adams.
Grice said that Adams used bible verses and took them out of context, which he fell for. He also said that he did not have any proof of the abuse and that it was his fault for not asking for more proof. However, the people accused of the allegations were minors, so the court documents would have been sealed.
Grice also said he lied to the group saying he killed someone before when he was in another group where they protected abused children.
He said the first time Adams asked him if he would help kill Butler, he told her he would think about it. When asked again, he said that the narrative had grown and agreed to it.
In his testimony, Grice said that he felt like he was set up to kill both Butler and Kelley. He said that he stabbed Butler first and then was in the back of the trailer with the women’s bodies being driven to the burial site.
He said he panicked because Kelley’s eyes started to flutter and he couldn’t tell if she was alive or if it was the bumpy roads. He said he thought about how scared she would be if they put her in the freezer alive, so if she woke up, he decided that he would stab her.
Another thing that Grice stated in his testimony was that after he killed Butler and they were sitting in the middle of a dirt road, Adams walked around and laughed in a way that he had never heard before. He described it as evil.
Grice also took a plea deal. He said that was to avoid the death penalty.
Subpoenas are also giving an idea of who else may speak during the rest of the hearing. This includes an employee of Big R Standard Supply.
Court documents say that is where Adams bought five stun guns before the murders of Veronica Butler and Jilian Kelley.
The medical examiner’s report noted possible stun gun marks on both women and that a stun gun was found underneath the buried freezer the women were found in.
Another person subpoenaed is Jamie Beasley, the property owner where the bodies were dug up.
Court documents say prepaid phones, bought by Adams, last transmitted a signal near the Twombly’s home and the Beasley’s property.
These preliminary hearings give prosecutors a chance to lay out evidence and for a judge to decide if there is enough to go to trial.
On Wednesday, suspects Cullum and Cole Twombly returned to the Texas County Courthouse for their preliminary hearings. Grice also returned to continue testifying about the murders.
However, shortly after the hearing began, Cole Twombly was escorted out of the courthouse. A little bit later, Cullum was also escorted out.
The hearings are expected to last until Thursday.