A grandmother accused of masterminding a double murder apparently had several plans for the killings, according to testimony in a preliminary hearing.
Tiffany Adams, 55, wanted to kill Veronica Butler, 27, over a custody dispute, according to testimony at a preliminary hearing. Adams also planned to kill Jillian Kelley, 39, who was with Butler supervising the visit, The Oklahoman reported.
Adams will face a trial likely some time next year in the case. Also charged in the case are Adam's boyfriend, Tad Bert Cullum, 44, and Cole Twombly, 50. Two other alleged conspirators have taken plea deals in the case.
Adams was the chair of the Cimarron County Republican party at the time of the killings. She and her alleged conspirators also belonged to an anti-government group called "God's Misfits."
Cora Twombly, 45, who took a plea deal of 30 years in prison in exchange for her testimony, said that Adams had run out of money for the custody fight and believed the children had been abused by their uncle while with their mother, The Oklahoman reported.
Twombly, who is married to Cole Twombly, said that the first plan involved throwing a metal vice through the windshield of Butler's car, believing that it would kill her and appear to be an accident. Twombly said the plan was dropped when Butler did not travel on the day they had chosen, the newspaper reported.
Instead, the group decided to ambush Butler and whoever the court-appointed supervisor happened to be when they came to pick up the children in March. Butler was picking up the children, ages 6 and 8, to take them to a birthday party.
Paul Grice, 32, also agreed to a plea deal and testified at the preliminary hearing. He said the group was a subgroup of "God's Misfits." He added that the group was religious and that Adams misused bible verses to manipulate him and the others, NBC KSN reported.
In his testimony, he said he had been abused earlier in his life and that Adams talked about the children being abused. He said that, in retrospect, he should have confirmed such allegations, the TV station reported.
Grice testified to stabbing Butler to death and that while sitting in the middle of a dirt road next to the body Adams walked up and laughed in a way that he described as pure evil, NBC KSN reported.
