According to the OSBI, four individuals had been arrested in connection with the case the day before the remains were discovered: Tifany Adams, 54; Tad Cullum, 43; Cole Twombly, 50; and Cora Twombly, 44. Adams has later been revealed to be Cullum’s girlfriend and the grandmother of Butler’s children.
The agency chose to implement additional safety measures “because of the emotions that are running high” in the county on the Oklahoma-Kansas border, Texas County Sheriff Matt Boley told KSNW.
Every court session in this case is anticipated to have a significant law enforcement presence, Boley added, adding, “You know, we don’t want to take any chances.”
Citing “proof of evidence or presumption of guilt is great,” the judge ordered the four suspects to be kept without bond. Whether he will seek the death penalty against the accused is still up in the air, according to the district attorney.
According to arrest documents made public on Monday, Adams and Butler were embroiled in a custody battle. According to reports, all four suspects belonged to a group known as “God’s Misfits,” which opposed the government.
Adams, Cullum, and Cole Twombly will each hire their own lawyers in connection with the alleged conspiracy against two Kansas women, according to affidavits. According to Cora Twombly, the court will assign an attorney to represent her because she is indigent.
On May 15, the case’s next court appearance is scheduled. No more details about the case have been made public by the authorities.
In the courtroom, Julia Thatcher of Nexstar’s KSNW said the moment was quite emotional. According to her, deputies were among the family members of the victims who were crying and embracing one another. As each suspect entered the courtroom, Butler’s father needed to be forcibly restrained.
Thatcher said, “I heard a bailiff whisper the word ‘please’ loud enough for me to hear from a few rows up, trying to persuade him to be quiet.”
LaDonna Thompson, Butler’s aunt, expressed her confusion about the killings’ purported motivation being the custody dispute.
She asked, “How can you want to kill the mother of your grandchildren because you hate her so much?”
