The district attorney for Texas County, Oklahoma, has confirmed that Cora Twombly’s daughter will likely be subpoenaed to testify in the upcoming trials of two of the five suspects accused of murdering Veronica Butler and Jilian Kelley. The case has garnered significant attention due to the brutal nature of the crime and the involvement of multiple individuals, including Twombly and her family.
Content Overview
| Topic | Description |
|---|---|
| Background of the Case | Overview of the events leading to the deaths of Veronica Butler and Jilian Kelley. |
| The Role of Cora Twombly’s Daughter | Details on why Twombly’s daughter is likely to testify in the trial. |
| Plea Agreement Confusion | Clarification on Cora Twombly’s plea agreement and the implications for her daughter’s testimony. |
| The Investigation and Arrests | Overview of the investigation, the discovery of the victims’ bodies, and the suspects arrested. |
Background of the Case
In March 2024, Veronica Butler and Jilian Kelley were reported missing after they traveled from Hugoton, Kansas, to Oklahoma to pick up Butler’s children from their paternal grandmother, Tifany Adams. A few days later, their abandoned vehicle was found on Oklahoma Highway 95, south of Elkhart, Kansas.
About two weeks after their disappearance, the bodies of Butler and Kelley were discovered inside a chest freezer buried in a field. Autopsy reports revealed that both women had been stabbed to death.
Five suspects were arrested in connection with the murders, including Tifany Adams, Tad Cullum, Paul Grice, Cora Twombly, and Cole Twombly. Tifany Adams pleaded no contest last year and was sentenced to life in prison in February.
The Role of Cora Twombly’s Daughter
According to Texas County’s District Attorney, Cora Twombly’s daughter is likely to be subpoenaed to testify in the trial. During preliminary hearings in late 2024, Twombly had suggested that her testimony would spare her daughter from taking the stand. However, the district attorney has clarified that this was not part of Twombly’s plea agreement.
While Twombly’s testimony was sufficient during the preliminary hearings to avoid her daughter’s testimony, the district attorney confirmed that her daughter will likely be called as a witness during the trial.
Plea Agreement Confusion
There had been some confusion regarding the details of Cora Twombly’s plea agreement. Twombly previously indicated that her daughter’s testimony would not be necessary for the trial, but the district attorney clarified that this was not an official part of her agreement. Therefore, her daughter will be subpoenaed and is likely to testify in the trials of two of the suspects involved in the murders.
The Investigation and Arrests
After the bodies of Veronica Butler and Jilian Kelley were discovered, a thorough investigation led to the arrest of five suspects in connection with the crime. The authorities uncovered that Cora Twombly had allegedly told her daughter that she had a “mission” to find and kill Veronica. When her daughter asked what happened to the victims, Twombly allegedly responded, “no one would find them.”
The documents also suggest that when Twombly’s daughter learned of Kelley’s death, a pastor’s wife with children, she was deeply disturbed by the act.
The five suspects arrested—Adams, Cullum, Grice, Cora Twombly, and Cole Twombly—remain central to the investigation, with Adams already sentenced to life in prison following her no-contest plea.
