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Court documents detail cause of death for murdered Kansas moms

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Court documents detail cause of death for murdered Kansas moms

Court documents detail the cause of death of two Kansas moms whose bodies were found after disappearing on a road trip to Oklahoma to pick up their kids. 

In April, the Office of the Oklahoma Chief Medical Examiner positively identified the two deceased persons from Texas County as 39-year-old Jilian Kelley, and 27-year-old Veronica Butler.

Butler and Kelley were last seen on March 30 heading to pick up their children before their car was found abandoned near the Oklahoma-Kansas border, with foul play suspected, police said.

The court documents, obtained by KSNW, detail that one of the defendants, Paul Grice, allegedly stabbed Butler to death while Tad Cullum allegedly killed Kelley. Grice severely cut his hand in the process of killing Butler, the documents described.

FIFTH ARREST MADE IN CONNECTION TO MURDERED KANSAS MOMS WHO DISAPPEARED WITHOUT A TRACE

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Hugoton Assembly of God Pastor Tim Singer tells Fox News that Jilian Kelley, left, and Veronica Butler, right, were heading Saturday to pick up Butler’s children to bring them back to a birthday party in Hugoton, Kansas. (Texas County Sheriff’s Office/Oklahoma Highway Patrol/Shutterstock)

Both women’s bodies were found in a cow pasture inside a chest freezer. 

The document alleges Grice tossed the clothing he was wearing when he killed Butler, a stun device, and the murder weapon into the grave, KSNW reported. It also states that DNA recovered from the clothing contained both Grice and Butler’s DNA.

Cullum also allegedly tossed his clothes into the freezer with the women’s bodies, which Kelley’s and his DNA were reportedly on. Investigators uncovered that accessories to the knife were found at Cullum’s home. 

MURDERED KANSAS MOMS SUSPECT BOUGHT TASERS, BURNERS BEFORE WOMEN WENT MISSING, SEARCHED ‘PAIN LEVEL’: DOCS

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The suspects charged in the killings of Veronica Butler and Jilian Kelley. (Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation – Authorized Page/Facebook)

Tifany Machel Adams, 54, one of the women arrested, is reportedly the grandmother of Butler’s children. Court records revealed that Adams was involved in a custody dispute with Butler’s children. The children’s father is in a rehabilitation facility.

Adams, her boyfriend Cullum, and married couple Cole and Cora Twombly all face two counts of first-degree murder, two counts of kidnapping and one count of conspiracy to commit murder in the deaths of Butler and visitation supervisor Kelley, a 38-year-old preacher’s wife who was also a mother. 

BODIES OF MURDERED KANSAS MOMS FOUND BURIED IN FREEZER AS GRUESOME DETAILS EMERGE IN COURT DOCS

Paul Grice was arrested and booked into the Texas County Jail on two counts of First-Degree Murder, two counts of kidnapping, and one count of conspiracy to commit murder in the first degree in connection to the killings of Veronica Butler and Jilian Kelley. (Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation)

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The document also alleges that the Twomblys served as lookouts on the day of the murder and confided in their 16-year-old daughter, hoping she would provide them with an alibi, KSNW reported. It claims Adams purchased the burner phones, stun devices, yellow straps found around the freezer, and even the pants that Cullum wore and buried with the victims.

Interviews with the Twombly’s daughter and a review of Adams’ phone and data from three burner phones led investigators to find the women’s bodies on April 14. The 16-year-old said her parents told her they would “not have to worry about [Butler] again” and that the two may have been placed in a well, per previous court documents.

The group’s plan was initially to “throw an anvil through Butler’s windshield while driving, making it look like an accident because anvils regularly fall off work vehicles,” Cora allegedly told the 16-year-old.

(Both women’s bodies were found inside a chest freezer.)

Previous court documents revealed that Adams searched “taser pain level” and other phrases that give insight into the women’s horrific deaths amid a child custody battle. 

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The four belonged to a religiously affiliated anti-government group called “God’s Misfits,” Fox News Digital previously reported. 

 

Their motive, investigators say, was to get custody of Butler’s two children. Wrangler Rickman, Adams’ son, had custody of the children but was confirmed to be in an Oklahoma rehab facility when the women disappeared. Butler was allowed supervised visitation with her children every Saturday and was likely to be granted unsupervised visitation during an upcoming hearing, per court documents. 

The state is arguing that all the defendants should face a preliminary hearing together instead of a separate hearing since they allege that all five conspired and participated in the murders of Butler and Kelley.

Fox News Digital’s Christina Coulter contributed to this report. 

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Midwest

Wild video shows federal agents detaining 2 men at Minnesota gas station as agitators gather

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Wild video shows federal agents detaining 2 men at Minnesota gas station as agitators gather

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Dramatic videos show federal Border Patrol agents taking two men into custody at a gas station in St. Paul, Minnesota, as agitators continue to taunt and disrupt authorities in the area.

The videos, posted to X on Sunday afternoon, quickly drew thousands of views and appear to show Border Patrol Chief Gregory Bovino ordering a crowd to move back as federal agents attempted to remove a man from a vehicle parked at the gas station. 

Multiple federal agents surrounded the parked vehicle as authorities repeatedly instructed bystanders to step back.

“Back up, guys, back up,” Bovino says in the video. “We’re going to back you on up for our safety and your safety… Stay there.”

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GOV WALZ AUTHORIZES NATIONAL GUARD STAGING FOLLOWING FATAL ICE SHOOTING IN MINNEAPOLIS

The videos appear to show Border Patrol Chief Gregory Bovino ordering a crowd to move back as federal agents work to remove a man from a vehicle parked at the gas station. (FNTV)

Moments later, agents force a man wearing a brown jacket to the ground and place him in handcuffs as agitators shout and car horns blare in the background.

Three agents are then seen carrying the man away from the scene by his arms and one of his legs.

In another tense moment captured on video, a Border Patrol agent again orders bystanders to move back.

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After a man appears to resist, the situation escalates as several agents tackle him and place him in handcuffs.

TOM EMMER PUSHES BACK ON SUGGESTION THAT MINNESOTA ANTI-ICE PROTESTERS HAVE BEEN PEACEFUL

Agents appear to force a man wearing a brown jacket to the ground and place him in handcuffs as agitators shout and car horns blare in the background. (FNTV)

He is then carried away by his arms and legs.

The confrontation comes amid heightened tensions in the Twin Cities following a fatal shooting Wednesday during a federal immigration enforcement operation, when 37-year-old Renee Nicole Good was shot and killed by an ICE agent.

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Federal officials said Good attempted to drive her vehicle toward agents during the encounter, a claim disputed by family members and some local leaders. 

ICE OFFICER WHO SHOT MINNESOTA WOMAN WAS DRAGGED BY CAR OF ILLEGAL ALIEN SEX OFFENDER MONTHS EARLIER

Videos appear to show federal Border Patrol agents taking two men into custody at a gas station in St. Paul, Minnesota. (FNTV)

The shooting led to agitators taking to the streets and heightened scrutiny of federal enforcement activity in the city, contributing to repeated confrontations between demonstrators and federal agents.

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A spokesperson for the Department of Homeland Security and for U.S. Customs and Border Protection did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment.

Fox News Digital’s Stepheny Price contributed to this report.

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Detroit, MI

Thompson: The new year brings a promising future for Detroit students

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Thompson: The new year brings a promising future for Detroit students


Detroit Public Schools Community District often gets a bad rap due to declining enrollment issues or longstanding challenges that led to the historic takeover of the school system before voters returned it to an elected board. 

And in many cases, that is the lens through which the school system’s performance is examined and viewed across the state. But there are hidden stories of progress within a school system that is still struggling to define itself and to give young Detroiters hope for a meaningful future. 

I saw that first-hand last week at Denby High School, part of the Detroit Public Schools Community District, on the city’s east side, where hundreds of young Black and Brown male students gathered in the basketball gym for the annual policing and prosperity forum. 

The annual event initiated and led by tenacious Detroiter Sharlonda Buckman, the district’s assistant superintendent for family and community engagement, is one of the hidden jewels of the public school system and brings together male students from various high schools to discuss their interaction with law enforcement. On the panel were senior and junior police officers from the Detroit Police Department, as well as the district’s public safety chief, Labrit Jackson, all of whom took hard questions from the students about how to navigate the complexities of the criminal justice system. 

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Before the start of the forum, I met three students: 17-year-old Justin Montgomery, 17-year-old Exavier Ward and 16-year-old Wesley Lewis, all students of Denby. 

The three of them live on the east side and are serious and determined students who believe they have an obligation to be worthy ambassadors of their communities. 

“I just got a scholarship from Cleary University for track and field and cross country and I just signed the papers so I can be committed,” Ward told me. “I am excited for the new year and I’m ready to live my adult life.” 

His parents are also joyful about his future because, “out of all of my siblings, I’m going to be the first one to go to college. I want to major in cybersecurity,” he says. 

Montgomery is scouting Oakland University or Central Michigan University and is also interested in a trades school. He’s keeping his options open.

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“I have been here for a while and I’m ready to get out of high school. The experience has been good for me,” he says. 

For Lewis, graduating in 2027 will make him the first in his family to be committed to college. That alone keeps him upbeat for the new year as he prepares for the challenges and the pressures of being an 11th grade student. 

“I’m really ready to go to college. I’m looking at Kentucky State University, Wayne State University and Michigan State University,” he says. “I probably would major in music in college because I currently play the piano. But sometimes I get nervous about college because I feel like it is going to be harder than high school.” 

These impressive young men speak to the vitality of the school system and the need to continue to nurture and support them.

The forum on policing and prosperity reinforces that need. 

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“This forum is so important because we give the students an opportunity to have a voice and talk about the things that are important to them and how they interact with law enforcement,” says Marty Bulger, the district’s senior director of male mentoring.

“Even a more dynamic piece is the fact that because the city has seen a reduction in violent crime, we believe as we reach our young people, we will continue to see a decline. These young men are our future leaders.”  

 X (formerly Twitter): @BankoleDetNews

bankole@bankolethompson.com

Bankole Thompson’s columns appear on Mondays and Thursdays in The Detroit News.

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Milwaukee, WI

Pregnant Milwaukee woman killed; suspect appears in court on arson charges

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Pregnant Milwaukee woman killed; suspect appears in court on arson charges


New details are emerging in the death of a pregnant woman found dead after a house fire investigators say was intentionally set, as the man charged in the case appeared in court.

What we know:

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21-year-old Cameron Washington appeared Sunday, Jan. 11, at the Milwaukee County Courthouse, where prosecutors outlined allegations tying him to the death of 22-year-old Gladys Johnson-Ball.

Washington faces six felony charges, including first-degree recklessly endangering safety and arson, all connected to the fire that broke out the night of Jan. 5.

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According to the criminal complaint, Johnson-Ball was the mother of Washington’s 3-year-old daughter and was pregnant with another child at the time of her death. Investigators say Washington lived with Johnson-Ball and her family at a home near 26th and Locust.

Police were called to the home for reports of a person with a weapon. When officers arrived, they reported seeing flames on the second floor of the house. While clearing the home, officers found Johnson-Ball unconscious in a bedroom that was on fire. 

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She was taken outside and pronounced dead at the scene.

Investigators noted Johnson-Ball had bruises across her body and blood coming from her nose and mouth, according to the complaint.

The complaint says Johnson-Ball’s mother told police Washington and her daughter had been inside the bedroom together all day and that family members had been unable to reach her. She told investigators Washington would not allow anyone inside the room and pointed a gun at family members.

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What they’re saying:

“He was blocking the door like, ‘No you not getting in here,’ then I turned around and that’s when he pointed the gun at my daughter Kayla,” said Michelle Johnson, the victim’s mother.

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Family members told investigators the fire started moments later in the bedroom and Washington ran away from the house. He was later arrested, and police say a lighter was found in his pocket.

“Ultimately, this is extremely dangerous and deliberate behavior,” said Assistant District Attorney Anthony Moore.

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Dig deeper:

In court, Washington’s bond was set at $100,000. Prosecutors said he could face more than 50 years in prison if convicted on all charges.

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Court Commissioner Maria Dorsey noted Washington has not yet been charged with homicide because the medical examiner’s report was not completed when charges were filed.

What’s next:

Washington’s next court appearance is scheduled for Jan. 20.

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The Source: Information in this report is from the Milwaukee County District Attorney’s Office and Wisconsin Circuit Court.

Crime and Public SafetyMilwaukeeNews



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