An Oklahoma grandmother convicted of helping orchestrate the stabbing deaths of two Kansas mothers — whose remains were later found buried inside a freezer — has been sentenced.
On Monday, Feb. 2, Tifany Adams, 56, of Keys, Oklahoma, received two life sentences without the possibility of parole for her role in the killings of Veronica Butler, 27, and Butler’s friend Jilian Kelley, 39, according to online court records.
Adams also received two five-year sentences for unlawful removal of a dead body and two seven-year sentences for unlawful desecration of a human corpse.
At the time of the killings, Adams was involved in a custody dispute with Butler over Adams’ grandchildren.
In October 2025, Adams was convicted after entering a no-contest plea, according to online court records.
The two women were reported missing on March 30, 2024, after their van was found abandoned along a highway in rural Texas County, Oklahoma, the Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation said in a statement.
Butler — who shared two children with Adams’ son — had traveled from Kansas with Kelley to meet Adams and pick up the children, then ages 6 and 8, so they could attend a birthday party in Oklahoma, authorities said at the time.
Two weeks later, investigators found Butler and Kelley’s bodies buried in a freezer in Texas County. Both women had been fatally stabbed.
Butler was stabbed nine times and suffered 21 additional cuts, including defensive wounds, an autopsy showed, KVII reports.
In April 2024, Adams and three other suspects were arrested in connection with the deaths: Adams’ boyfriend Tad Bert Cullum, along with Cole Earl Twombly, 50, and Cora Twombly, 44.
They were charged with two counts of first-degree murder, two counts of kidnapping, and one count of first-degree conspiracy to commit murder.
The four were described in court filings as members of a fringe anti-government religious group called “God’s Misfits,” according to an affidavit cited by the Des Moines Register and FOX 25.
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Ten days later, investigators obtained a warrant for a fifth suspect, Paul Grice, 31, who was later arrested and charged with the same alleged crimes, KFDA reports.
Authorities previously said Butler and Kelley were ambushed when they arrived at the intersection where the meeting had been arranged, KVII reports.
Court documents also allege Adams purchased five stun guns and burner phones, KVII reports.
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Cora Twombly allegedly told investigators, “The plan was to throw an anvil through Butler’s windshield while driving, making it look like an accident because anvils regularly fall off of work vehicles,” KVII reports.
According to KFDA, Grice and Cora Twombly have entered plea agreements with prosecutors.
Cullum’s trial is scheduled to begin in October 2026, while Cole Twombly’s trial is set for February 2027.
Their attorneys did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
