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An Oklahoma grandmother received two life sentences without the possibility of parole on Monday for the 2024 murders of two women from Kansas during a custody exchange.
Tifany Adams, who entered a no-contest plea last year, faced several charges in connection with the deaths of Veronica Butler and Julian Kelley, according to KFOR. Beyond the life sentences, she received additional penalties: five years for each of two counts of unlawfully removing a body and seven years for each count of unlawfully desecrating a corpse.
The remains of Butler, aged 27, and Kelley, aged 39, were discovered on April 14, two weeks post their disappearance. The women had set out to retrieve Butler’s children from their grandmother’s residence in Texas County, Oklahoma, as noted by CrimeOnline. Alongside Adams, charges were also filed against her boyfriend, Tad Cullum; Cole Twombly and his wife, Cora Twombly; and Paul Grice, all linked to the murders.
The group reportedly ambushed Butler and Kelley as they traveled from Kansas to Adams’ home in Oklahoma. After the murder, the bodies were concealed in a freezer, then buried in a pre-dug grave prepared by Cullum.
Cora Twombly and Grice opted for plea agreements, which removed the death penalty as an option for them in return for their cooperation and testimony.
Cole Twombly and Cullum have pleaded not guilty and are expected to go on trial later this year.
Adams, Butler’s children’s paternal grandmother, was accused of masterminding the murders over a custody dispute.
Prosecutors agreed to drop charges of conspiracy and child neglect against Adams and also agreed not to require her to testify against her co-defendants, KFOR said.