According to court documents, the elaborate plan to kill Veronica Butler and Jillian Kelly began with a simple lie, the day before the murders.
Tad Cullum, the boyfriend of grandmother Tiffany Adams, had asked the owner of the property he rented for cattle grazing, if he could do some work in the pasture, with his skid steer. Picture a heavy-duty front-end loader, with lift arms that can attach to various tools, especially ones for digging.
Cullum reportedly said he wanted to cut down a tree, remove a stump, and bury some concrete. The intent was that if the hole was discovered, it was explainable. If the land owner was asked about the disturbed dirt and track marks, he could honestly answer that some dirt work had been done and concrete had been buried.
The landowner just didn’t know there were bodies underneath. News reports also say there was hay placed near and on the digging site to draw Cullum’s cattle to the spot, to trample the earth, further disguising the dig.
The OSBI, the FBI, and the Texas County Sheriff’s Department followed cell phone pings to find a horrific scene, a 10-foot-deep hole, 8 1/2 miles from the mom’s abandoned car, in a pasture on leased farmland and near a bridge. Whether the two moms were buried alive…. not yet revealed.
Associate District Judge Clark Jett entered “not guilty” pleas on the behavior of Adams, Cullum, Cora, and Cole Twombly. Judge Jett also assigned pro bono attorneys for each of the four defendants and denied bail. According to the police affidavit the 4 suspects “ had “resources sufficient to organize and execute a complex murder and therefore, they also have the resources to flee if given the opportunity.”
The police documents also say Adams and Cullum own numerous firearms, and Cullum had a rifle, ammunition, body armor, and a “go-bag” prepared at his home.
Joining Nancy Grace Today:
Additional Guests
- Squirrel – Founder of God’s Misfits
- Garrett Oates – Veronica Butler’s Lawyer (during custody battle)
- Tom Smith – Former NYPD Detective, Co-Host of the GOLD SHIELDS Podcast; FB & Instagram: @thegoldshieldshow
- Rachel Bernstein – Cult Expert – Therapist – Host of IndoctriNation Podcast
“Crime Stories with Nancy Grace” on Fox Nation is also a national radio show on SiriusXM channel 111, airing for two hours daily starting at 12 p.m. EST. You can also subscribe and download the daily podcasts at iHeart Podcasts.
[[Featured image: Veronica Butler and Jilian Kelley/Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation]
