The cause of death for Veronica Butler, 27 (left), and Jillian Kelley, 39 (right), has been revealed, and it is just as horrific as you could imagine.
As Perezcious readers know, the Oklahoma women were found dead on April 14 after they were reported missing in March. Their car was discovered abandoned in a rural area, and local authorities immediately suspected “foul play.” The Oklahoma Bureau of Investigation later arrested Tifany Machel Adams, 54, believed to be the mastermind of the crime, as well as her boyfriend Tad Bert Cullum, 43, and friends Cole Earl Twombly, 50, and Cora Twombly, 44. They were reportedly all in the anti-government religious group God’s Misfits, which has denied any involvement in the crime. Paul Grice, a fifth suspect, was arrested later. All of them have been charged with murder and other offenses.
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The real kicker to this whole case? Tifany is actually Veronica’s children’s grandmother on their father’s side. Veronica’s ex is in rehab, so the kids have been staying with Tifany amid a custody battle. Veronica was on her way to visit with the children, bringing Jillian, a pastor’s wife, with her as a supervisor. Tifany had reportedly wanted Veronica dead for weeks. Heartbreaking.
Previously, Cora’s daughter CW told authorities that the murder suspects had been coming up with some wild murder plot ideas. Some of them sounded like they were pulled straight from a cartoon, they were that out there!
Despite some of their wild brainstorms, it seems like the group went with a simple — but downright brutal — method. Stabbing, it seems. According to a summary of the deaths released by the Oklahoma Office of Chief Medical Examiner and obtained by People on Friday, the victims’ probable cause of death was listed as “multiple sharp force trauma.” Their deaths were listed as homicides. A full medical report will be released on November 15, so there will be more details to come. But whoa. This sounds like a terrible way to go.
In a brief submitted by prosecutors in court in September, they claimed the day before the killings, Tad got permission to dig a hole at the property the bodies were later found at (the landowner has not been linked to the investigation). After whatever violence happened at the ladies’ car — leaving behind “pools” of blood — Tad and Paul allegedly drove the bodies to the burial site and discarded their clothing and Paul’s knife. Cole and Cora acted as “lookouts.”
As for the killing, Paul has been accused of stabbing Veronica and Tad of stabbing Jillian. The suspects’ items were found at the scene by investigators, and Veronica’s DNA was on Paul’s clothing and Jillian’s was on Tad’s. Tifany allegedly purchased burner phones used by the suspects to coordinate the murders, and she allegedly bought stun guns, one of which was found at the burial site. She also bought yellow “straps” that were used to wrap a freezer the women were buried in.
Jeez. Such a calculated murder. So sad.
[Image via Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation/Facebook]
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