Loved ones of slain Kansas moms Veronica Butler and Jilian Kelley had choice words in court for the quartet of suspects accused of killing the duo last month, reportedly yelling out Wednesday that one was a “fucking bitch” and the others were “sorry pieces of shit.”
NewsNation added that the loved ones had to be held back from attacking the suspects as they entered a courtroom on Wednesday morning—the first time they’ve been seen in public since they were arrested Saturday on murder and kidnapping charges.
Those arraigned Wednesday included Tifany Adams, the grandmother and guardian of Butler’s children, as well as her boyfriend, Tad Bert Cullum, and two of their friends, Cora and Cole Earl Twombly. An Oklahoma judge denied each of them bail.
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Phones and cameras weren’t allowed in Wednesday’s hearing, but NewsNation reporter Brian Entin described the mood inside the Texas County courtroom as being “extremely emotional.”
Footage from outside the courthouse showed the suspects being escorted inside one by one. They each wore bulletproof vests, handcuffs, and an orange and white striped prisoner jumpsuit.
After the arraignment, a woman who identified herself as Butler’s aunt spoke through tears to NewsNation as she described holding her brother back from attacking the suspects.
“To hold my brother back from jumping, there’s just too many emotions—so much anger,” she said. “I don’t understand how somebody can hate somebody so much that you want to kill them. My niece did not deserve that, and neither did the young lady with her.”
The woman added that she did not know any of the suspects personally.
The case has rocked the rural Oklahoma panhandle since March 30. That’s when Butler, a 27-year-old engulfed in a nasty custody dispute with her ex and his mom, and Jillian Kelley, a 38-year-old preacher’s wife who had volunteered to supervise a visit between Butler and her kids, disappeared while on the way to Adams’ home.
A frantic search ensued, but police quickly determined that Butler and Kelley were likely victims of foul play. Their vehicle was found on a dirt path hundreds of feet off a rural highway, with pools of blood found around it. Sources told NewsNation previously that the women may have been executed.
In a probable cause affidavit for Adams, obtained by The Daily Beast, prosecutors allege that the four suspects were in an anti-government group named God’s Misfits. The group met weekly and allegedly once plotted to have Butler killed—seemingly because she was motioning in court to regain custody of her children, who were in Adams’ care.
The affidavit added that the suspects had purchased burner phones, which were found near the scene of the crime, and tasers, which may have been used to subdue Butler and Kelley.
Two bodies were found this weekend in Oklahoma, but authorities there have yet to confirm whether they are Butler and Kelley. Despite that, a spokesperson said Monday there is “no” chance the two mothers are still alive.
