Grandmother who belonged to anti-government gang called 'God's misfits' avoids the death sentence for brutal murder of two Kansas moms
A grandmother who was a part of a gang called 'God's misfits' has avoided the death penalty after she murdered two mothers in Oklahoma.
Tifany Adams, 55, pleaded no contest in Texas County on October 14 to two counts of first-degree murder, two counts of unlawful removal of a dead body, and two counts of unlawful desecration of a human corpse.
She has agreed to serve life without parole and will be formally sentenced on January 28.
Adams is accused of being the mastermind behind the fatal stabbing of her grandchildren's mother, Veronica Butler, 27, and Jilian Kelley, 39, on March 30, 2024.
Adams, who was the chair for the Cimarron County GOP, was a member of the anti-government and religious 'God's misfits' group.
The grandmother is the third member of the group to reach a deal to avoid a death sentence, according to The Oklahoman.
Cora Gayle Twombly, 45, of Texhoma, agreed to serve 30 years in prison for murder, as well as Paul Jeremiah Grice, 33, who avoided the deadly penalty by testifying.
Prosecutors still are pursuing the death penalty for Adams' boyfriend Tad Bert Cullum, and Twombley's husband Cole Earl Twombly.
Tifany Adams, 55, was found guilty in Texas County on October 14, for the murders of Veronica Butler, 27, and Jilian Kelley, 39
Tifany Adams (bottom left), Butler's children's grandmother, her boyfriend, Tad Cullum (top left), Cole Twombly (bottom right), and Cora Twombly (top right) were involved in an antigovernmental religious group known as 'God's Misfits.' They were all arrested over the possible kidnapping and murders of both women
The two men are said to have shown 'absolutely no regret or remorse', prosecutors claims.
Grice, who admitted to being the only one to stab both victims, said during his December 2024 testimony Adams was delighted after he stabbed Butler.
''It was the most evil laugh I have ever heard,' he said.
The two victims were traveling together to pick up Butler's children, aged six and eight, for a court-mandated visit when they were ambushed and killed.
They were found buried in a freezer eight feet in the ground under a concrete slab two weeks later.
Butler and Adams were locked in a bitter custody battle over the children, but the grandmother had allegedly run out of money to continue fighting in court.
An autopsy revealed the gruesome details of the death.
According to state examiner Dr. Celia Cobb, Kelley suffered nine stab wounds and seven cuts to the back of her neck and head.
She also suffered a fractured vertebrae and damaged spinal chord when she was killed, stun gun marks to her neck, and cuts to her hand indicating she tried to defend herself.
Butler was killed in a similar manner, and both women were reportedly found in 'pools of blood.'
She suffered a total of 30 sharp force injuries, including sliced fingers consistent with 'attempting to defend herself', and she was also found with stun gun marks to the back of her neck.
Veronica Butler, 27, was traveling from Kansas to pick up her children, aged six and eight.
Jilian Kelley, 39, one of the supervisors that watched over visitations with Butler and her kids, was found dead next to Butler in April in the chest freezer
The autopsies said both women were believed to have been killed before they were placed in the freezer, which was found under a concrete slab and buried eight feet below the ground.
When Cobb released Kelley's autopsy first, she said that 'in my opinion, her death was very rapid.'
Officers also released new information about the freezer the women were placed in, saying it was sealed with yellow ratchet straps and buried under a concrete slab.
Underneath the freezer, investigators found a stun gun, clothing, a roll of tape, and a sheathed knife, reports KSN.
The gruesome murders shocked the Midwest earlier this year, leading cops to launch an urgent investigation to find their killers.
According to court filings, detectives zeroed in on the 'God's Misfits' gang after suspect Cora Twombley's teenage daughter overheard the group discussing Butler's murder.
An affidavit revealed that Butler was going through a nasty divorce and custody battle with her husband Wrangler Cole Rickman (pictured). His mother is one of the suspects, Tifany Adams
Twombley then allegedly told her daughter that they were involved in the deaths.
The unnamed teen told authorities that the group also used burner phones to communicate with each other. Agents found that Adams purchased three pre-paid phones from a Walmart in February.
Authorities said that all three phones were discovered near Butler's car around the time she and Kelley disappeared. A hole filled with hay was also discovered near the car.
An affidavit revealed that Butler was going through a nasty divorce and custody battle with her husband Wrangler Cole Rickman, at the time. His mother is Tifany Adams, one of the suspects.
The affidavit said that the group's original plan was to throw an anvil, or head of a large hammer, through Butler's car to kill her.
They intended to make it look like an accident, 'because anvils regularly fall off of work vehicles,' records said.
The teenager also informed agents that Cora and Cole told her that they would not be home the morning of March 29, a day before Butler and Kelley were last seen, because they were going on a 'mission.'
The couple told the teenager that even though the 'mission' did not go as planned, they didn't have to worry about Butler anymore, court documents said.
The gang reportedly often met at the Twombley's household for their meetings, and the girl allegedly told agents that they had previously attempted to murder Butler.
She explained to officers that in February, the group hatched a plan to take Butler's life, but she wouldn't leave her home. Agents later found that Adams had searched for ways to get someone out of a house on the internet.
The women's bodies were found buried eight feet under ground in a freezer covered by a concrete slab on this desolate stretch of Oklahoma
Butler's mother-in-law had also searched for taser pain levels, pre-paid phones and gun shops, the affidavit said.
Agents found that in addition to buying burner phones, Adams also purchased five stun guns on March 23, according to the affidavit.
Butler's children were reportedly staying with their grandmother, Adams, as Butler and her husband, Wrangler Cole Rickman, who was in a rehabilitation center at the time, were going through a divorce and custody battle.
On March 20, ten days before they went missing, Butler filed a petition in court that would grant her more time with her children, with her goal being full custody.
Butler had weekly, court-mandated visits every Saturday with the kids, while Kelley, one of four people listed, supervised the visits.
It was Butler's six-year-old daughter's birthday and they were planning to celebrate.
