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On Wednesday, two out of the five individuals charged with the murder of two women from Kansas last year entered new pleas of not guilty.
Cole Twombly and Tad Cullum faced rearraignment after Texas County District Attorney George H. Leach III submitted documents last month indicating his intent to pursue the death penalty for both men, according to a report from KAMR.
The remains of Veronica Butler, aged 27, and Jilian Kelley, aged 39, were discovered on April 14, two weeks following their disappearance during a trip to collect Butler’s children from their grandmother’s residence in Texas County, Oklahoma, as detailed by CrimeOnline. Authorities later charged the grandmother, Tifany Adams, along with four others—her partner Cullum, Twombly, his spouse Cora Twombly, and Paul Grice—with various offenses tied to the murders.
The suspects allegedly ambushed the women during their trip to Adams’ home in Oklahoma from Kansas. Post-murder, the bodies were reportedly concealed in a freezer before being interred in a location prepared by Cullum.
Adams has entered a no-contest plea to charges including two counts of first-degree murder, unlawful removal of a dead body, and unlawful desecration of a human corpse, as reported by KSN. Her sentencing is slated for January 28, 2026.
Cora Twombly and Grice, who have taken plea deals that took the death penalty off the table for them in exchange for their testimony, appeared in court for a procedural hearing on Wednesday.
A judge set the trial dates for the remaining two defendants — Cullum for June 1, 2026, and Twombly for October 19, 2026.