Special to the Leader & Times
A judge has sentenced Tifany Adams for the murders of Veronica Butler and Jilian Kelley.
Monday, a judge sentenced her to life without parole.
In 2024, Adams orchestrated the murders of the two Kansas women during a custody exchange.
Butler and Kelley were last seen March 30, 2024. Their car was later found abandoned in rural Texas County, Okla.
On April 14, 2024, the Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation announced the bodies of the two women had been found.
At that time, four suspects were taken into custody: Tad Cullum, Tifany Adams, Cole Twombly and Cora Twombly
Ten days later, officials issued a warrant for a fifth suspect, Paul Grice, for the murders.
All five suspects were charged with first-degree murder and conspiracy to commit murder. Three of the suspects were also charged with removal of a dead body and desecration of a human corpse.
In October 2024, the Oklahoma Office of the Chief Medical Examiner released the summary report for Butler and Kelley.
The report said the women died from multiple sharp force trauma.
In October 2025, Adams pleaded no-contest to nine charges in connection with the murders.
Cora Twombly and Paul Grice have individual plea agreements in place. In December 2025, the two gave testimony about the murders.
Grice will not receive the death penalty in exchange for his testimony.
Twombly’s plea agreement includes her testifying and serving 30 years in prison before she is eligible for parole.
Tad Cullum’s trial is scheduled for Oct. 16. His attorneys recently filed a motion that would find the death penalty unconstitutional and declare it “cruel and unusual punishment.”
Cole Twombly’s trial is set for February of 2027.
