murders in norman, oklahoma

It was private enough for young couples to park their cars and be intimate. Hes got a big smile, seems confident. Recording of Ken: So we showed them photographs and they picked Gilley We ended up with seven couples, 14 kids, that picked Gilleys picture out that claimed this had happened to them on Lovers Lane.. Five days later, a few miles west of OUs campus, shots were fired again, ending the lives of two college students. K: Gilley had a clean official record until this incident in 1968. K: This was one of the houses Gilley lived in full-time while he was on the Norman police force and on and off for a few months after the murders. Recording of Linda: When something like this happens, you feel like, What could I do? And the neighbor across the street had gone to OU So I called her and explained that you know Sherry went on this date last night, and she isnt home yet. Recording of Brake: There was no official record at any check in Texas to indicate that Gilley had ever made contact with Sloan, officially. Those pressing to charge Gilley uncover what they believe to be undeniable evidence, but the stakes may have been too high for those who wished to keep Gilley from being arrested. What do you think was the change there?, Recording of Linda: I dont know how to explain that. WebOn Feb. 13, the Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation opened a suspicious death investigation after remains were found at the lake in Norman. What do you think was the change there? Now Im almost like, not mad, I dont wanna use that word but damn, I wish they had had DNA back then., Left in the Dark: Patients, teachers and graduate students left behind after closure of Counseling Psychology Clinic, Oklahoma football: Many players have tattoos, some have special meaning, Hidden Legends: Ada Lois Sipuel Fisher, OU College of Laws first black student, Hidden Legends: Clara Luper, Oklahoma City Sit-in, Hidden Legends: Sylvia Lewis, University of Oklahomas first African American regent, Oklahoma football: Kyler Murrays 2018 season defined by big moments, confidence in self, Oklahoma football: Kyler Murray wins 2018 Heisman, Black History Month 2019: David Surratt returns to OU amid cultural reckoning on campus, Black History Month 2019: Prentice Gautt, first black football player on scholarship at OU remembered for humility and respect, Black History Month 2019: George Henderson reflects on activism, years of service at OU, Oklahoma football: Creed Humphrey and other Sooners stayed in their home state to play football, OU scores three 5-star wide receivers, each with a similar story, OU football: CeeDee Lambs journey full of hardship and pain makes him the perfect leader for Sooners, We all kind of felt that was our own little Woodstock: Norman residents reminisce on music glory days, reflect on current scene, Norman businesses, apartment complexes struggle to recycle at low costs as city program initiatives continue to fall short, A board in repair: University of Oklahoma Board of Regents seek best practices for university governance, Five years after SAE: OU community discusses universitys efforts to address diversity, acknowledges more work needs to be done. And now I can talk about it without breaking down and crying. Theres a large backyard shaded by multiple trees. She did have a couple of chest wounds, but there was not a lot of bleeding internally in that. According to articles, testimonies and interviews, Henslee was worried. K: Frank Gilley lived in Texas working odd jobs until he died in March 2002, according to the Amarillo Globe-News. She told them he was home with her, but later recanted her statement, saying she didnt know exactly where he was. Because you know her parents were there. K: Many of the individuals named in our investigation died within 10 or 15 years of the case going to trial. Back to Brake reading Bodens statement: Recording of Brake: We watched it go down and when it was down, we were still there for a few minutes and a car drove by and I didnt see it but Rick did. The Norman Police Department said it didnt hold any officials records back that far that we could use to verify specific details. K: 1970. So when I walked in there, and they say, Can we help you? And Im just here, My sister is missing and Ive just wondered, and they stopped me and go, What is her name? And when I said Sherry Benham, they turned to me and say, You need to go home. Im like, Well my dad-, No, you need to go home, now. Youre probably gonna think, how could anyone be as nave as I was. He said his assault charges and even the call from the Amarillo TV station were retaliation for a contentious sheriff election in Amarillo in 1968, among other things, and that he was being used as a, quote, political football.. K: We heard this again from Brake, who had a copy of the official police reports Ken filed the day they found the bodies. K: Randall County is a small portion of land encompassing the southern half of Amarillo, a lake and a few other small towns with a current population of about 120,000. He told Rick that it would cost us a $20 fine each or he would have to take us down As he was leaning up against the car, he asked me, and this was one of the first things he said, eh asked me if Rick and I had ever gone all the way together or something like that. Way past that 1991 trial. It was a much smaller department then, often only a few police officers would be out patrolling the city at a time. It was just gone, all the evidence was just gone.. Pearo and Jacobson worked closely at times, and as Pearo found out more about the case, his determination to give Sheryl and David justice mimicked his predecessor. What happens next leaves him and his family reeling while the Norman Police Department begins investigation. Davids fraternity went out to search the field as well, but they didnt find anything helpful. WebAbout 20 miles (32 kilometers) south of Oklahoma City, the Norman Police Department responded Sunday night to storm damage on the south and eastern sides of Norman. Joshua Bookout. With the information from the previous investigation, the gun turning up and interviews with every single original witnesses, except one that died, detectives decided to try and get a warrant to search Gilleys De Soto residence. Those types of safeguards are in place. There was every bit of circumstantial case you could have wanted to the point of you have to ask, who else in the world could have done it? Alex Murdaugh speaks with his attorney during his double murder trial at the Colleton County Courthouse in Walterboro, S.C., Friday, Feb. 3, 2023. And then we sort of told him Weve got some good news and bad news. WebNORMAN, OKLAHOMA: The trial of a 45-year-old father, who allegedly molested and killed his daughter and then told the police that the 22-year-old accidentally shot herself, started K: Thats Chip Minty, a reporter at The Oklahoman who covered the trial, describing Gilleys demeanor on Oct. 21, 1991, as jurors were picked. K: By this point, it had been over a year since the murders and the small group of dedicated investigators had spent hundreds of hours on the case. Recording of Linda: Well, she loved her job I love, theres this one picture of Sherri, she looked so cute she had the little red skirt and the white top, you know, and she was just so cute in it.. And now youve seen me.. But the DA at that time was adamant that the case was going to go to trial with what we had because, you know, the case wasnt improving. NORMAN Police conducting a murder investigation say the decomposed body of a woman with special needs was found inside a container in the basement of a home about three years after she went missing. I hope he died alone and a very painful death. Splashed along the front pages of newspapers and TV station headlines were two words: not guilty. Everytime I just about get it out of my head, somebody calls and says weve got a guy that thinks hes got the gun. And its important to remember here that Gilley left the Norman police force on May 15. Ronald Lee McMullen Jr., who hails from Norman, was charged with first-degree murder after Kailee Jo McMullen was found deceased from a single gunshot wound to the face on the morning of June 29, 2017, according to a People Magazine report. Dallas in De Soto, Texas, in the early 90s. Compare Norman crime data to If you see them, do not try and apprehend them yourself as they are most likely armed and dangerous. Date: 2/28 #1 stephens co hold. David was shot 11 times and Sheryl 14. A daughter of an ex-wife said Gilley told her he had killed someone and kept a diary of old cases with pictures of dead bodies. NOTES: STEPHENS CO. More Info. K: This was the same polygraph Henslee had Gilley take shortly after the murders, the test Henslee said proved Gilleys innocence. K: The Norman Police Department also changed its evidence protocols, said Sarah Jensen, the public information officer for NPD. As the night hours of May 9 wear on, Sheryls dadbecomes worried. But I was. He questioned witnesses intensely, returning again and again to the lack of physical evidence and the 20-year gap between the murders and the trial that might affect recollections of what happened. They began surveillance on Gilley, finding out where he lived now, following him to work. K: Boden and her date Rick had been west of Norman, in the same area that David and Sheryl were just 30 days earlier. So if you come across something at a department where something may have beentried to be swept under the rug because the department didnt want to look bad, the current chief or sheriff didnt want to look bad for whatever reason you might think that happens. K: Brake and Jacobson had personal theories they shared with me on exactly what happened the night of the murders. WebNorman man arrested in connection with murder of woman found at Lake Thunderbird; Former Norman car dealer accused of tampering in criminal case; Body recovered at Lake Recording of Ken: Yeah., Recording of Pearo: We had a cold case file and I would go through old homicide cases, not so much as to try to solve them, but to see how guys worked them in the past and that sort of thing.. Im Kayla Branch and at the end of episode three, investigators had taken testimonies from 14 young adults who came forward claiming Frank Gilley had harassed them while they parked on lovers lanes. Recording of Pearo: And he told us where hed gotten it. ADVERTISEMENT Recording of Pearo: Its bad enough in a normal murder case, I mean we know we take every murder seriously but if theres a dirty cop somewhere, that looks bad on all of us. He brought up the likelihood that Butch Green, his former partner who died a year after the murders, was the real potential suspect. Oklahomas Failure to Protect law treats those who enable child abuse the same as actual abusers. WebNORMAN Police conducting a murder investigation say the decomposed body of a woman with special needs was found inside a container in the basement of a home about Tornadoes tore through Oklahoma, leaving severe damage in Norman, home to the University of Oklahoma. I dont fault them for trying. It was like, Hey look, that case will probably never go anywhere, so forget that one, you can look at the rest of them. Did you ever see Gilley with any type of badge other than the one he had? Were just, you just dont let it go. K: At this point, as we were learning all of this and trying to connect the dots, we started to have some questions. Thats where Dave would have walked when he came to pick Sheryl up for their date Saturday night. So theres checks and balances to make sure the stuff isnt happening. I dont anymore. We flipped through the following days, seeing article after article following police officials and community groups. K: Back to that Tuesday in 1970: the OU protest ended peacefully, but police and residents were on edge for the rest of the week. And its also important to remember the climate of the time, that even though the majority of Normans community trusted law enforcement officials, the younger generation was having increasingly negative run-ins with officers, whether through protesting or individual incidents. We still do a complete background on these people talking to everybody looking at everything. K: From interviews, news articles and court documents, we were able to piece together an outline of that night. She suggested we go to the police station and see if anythings come up. Recording of Minty: his job was to cast some kind of doubt on the jurys mind about whether, you know, the validity of those claims. Two years later, it seems like charges might be put against Gilley, but nothing is certain. My mind was, Where could I go, what couldve happened? She drove me to Norman. Recording of Ken: There was just like half a dozen guys on the police department that would even talk to us. The medical examiner said Byron K: Next time, on Uncovered: The Lovers Lane Murders. According to the Cleveland County Sheriff's Office, 30-year-old Austin Blake Godwin was booked into the Cleveland County jail early Wednesday, shortly after surrendering himself at the Norman K: Jacobson, who had been involved with the case from the very morning the bodies were found, was happy another set of investigators would take up where he left off. Crime at 6400 BLOCK OF 36TH AVENUE NW on 02/19/2023 1:20 PM. As he was leaving the barn about 7 a.m., he saw two men standing next to two parked cars. Recording of Linda: This was one of the weirdest things ever. FIND A FACILITY. Recording of Pearo: He thought we were just working the dickens out of his burglary. Seven: How much Henslee knew but wasnt letting on? The National Guard was called in to contain the crowd, and shots were fired when students wouldnt disperse. K: A few days in, the couples that identified Gilley in 1970 as the man who harassed them on Lovers Lanes told the grand jury Gilley had mentioned the murders of David and Sheryl to them when he approached their cars. He showed us this information he had collected over the years. But as 1970 wore on, other facts started showing up that were strange, Jacobson told us, describing them as being too many coincidences to not be connected. When I first heard that, there was a little bit of shock and, as I read further, a little bit of intrigue. She was 19. K: Gilley was living close to Dallas in De Soto, Texas, in the early 90s. We were very close. Get full property details, plus crime rates, environmental hazards, natural disaster risks and more at HomeDisclosure.com 202371154. When it was decided the case would once again be brought to a grand jury in February 1991, the trajectory looked similar to when the murders were first investigated in the 1970s: A team of investigators followed Gilley, arrested him for a related but not directly connected charge and then a grand jury determines whether he could stand trial. He says he found the gun in Aug. of 1970,, Recording of Pearo: but kept it for 20 years and didnt know that there was any significance to the fact that it was a .22 rifle and that it may have belonged to Gilley So we didnt know if this was the gun or not, but it sort of caught Gilley in a lie. The twister tossed vehicles around including one on top of another. K: Welcome back to Uncovered: The Lovers Lane Murders. Recording of Linda: I thought whoopie, OK good, fine, you know? Recording of Linda: Ken Jacobson, I remember that name a lot. K: Investigators on the case soon discovered that Gilley had been hired by Henslee without a background check or fingerprints taken, which we were told were normal hiring steps at the time. A Norman man has been arrested in connection with the murder of a Wellston woman whose remains were found at Lake Thunderbird, the Oklahoma Bureau of Investigation reported Wednesday. Linda, Sheryls older sister by two years, stayed at their family home in Oklahoma City with her mom. Uncovered: The Lovers Lane Murders is a five-part investigative podcast into the murders of two teenagers in Norman, Oklahoma in 1970. Well pick back up the day the bodies were found. Said Sherry Benham, they turned to me and say, you know Guard called... Stayed at their family home in Oklahoma city with her mom but was... The test Henslee said proved Gilleys innocence to everybody looking at everything he thought were! 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