Recording of Ken: Well it was open but they didnt do anything on it The agent that was signed to that after I left, I doubt if he did half a dozen interviews. Particularly a lot more nowadays than there was back in the 1970s.. An old pool cue, broken in half, was in the front seat. 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. K: For Ken Jacobson, that was his introduction to the murders of Sheryl Benham and David Sloan. K: He told us about finding the old case information from the murders and becoming interested. ADVERTISEMENT K: Ten days before Green told investigators what he knew about Gilley, they learned that multiple young couples had recently been harassed by an unknown man on lovers lanes. K: Welcome back to Uncovered: The Lovers Lane Murders. An article almost 15 years later cites the grand jurys final decision, saying, We have investigated any and all complaints against the district attorney or his office and find them without merit., Recording of Ken: Some people just couldnt believe that a police officer had done something like this and of course I didnt believe it at first. 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 Map Browse By State K: We heard this again from Brake, who had a copy of the official police reports Ken filed the day they found the bodies. My mom, of course, is there, and I was there with her. K: In the spring of 1971, the bodies of Gilleys former partner Butch Green and Greens mistress were found after her husband shot and killed them when he found the pair together. On Saturday, May 9, 1970, Dave was 21. WebWJ Edwards 2-15-39, Convicted of Murder Story 1: Two Are Held in City Death, Shots Blamed on Robbery Fear Two men were held in the city jail Monday and funeral arrangements completed for a third as the aftermath of a shooting Sunday night in a one-room house at 129 West Chickasaw Avenue, Services for [] What became the most important, Jacobson told us, was finding the murder weapon. They take that very seriously because they testify to that in court as to who exactly has touched that piece of property, analyzed it, when it left to go to OSBI, when it returned. And they said Well Mr. Gilley, Im standing here in your living room and it looks like somebody broke into your house.. Thats when we realized this case was more than a pair of untimely deaths. Recording of Ken: Frank stood on the porch and he said, Well Rangers can come in, but you guys from Oklahoma cant come in. And the Ranger said, You dont have any choice Frank, these guys are with us and were all coming in. Frank said, I dont have any .22 caliber weapons, I never owned one, I wouldnt have one. I asked him why and he relayed to me that when he was in Amarillo, he went and would bust the parkers up and make them get out of the car and harass them and then let them go. Benham did write the letter on May 11, 1971, exactly one year after the body of his daughter and her date were found in the trunk of Daves car. Web9801 DEERFIELD DR, NORMAN, OK 73026 Get a FREE Property Report for this home. 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? Recording of Pearo: We went down and we talked to a judge in Dallas. K: Lubbock and Amarillo are nearly two hours away from each other. Im Kayla Branch and Ill be your host as we hear stories and first-hand accounts from those involved with the case. 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. When the couples started coming to police, investigators put together a line up of photos of officers. WebNORMAN, Okla. Norman police on Thursday released the identities of two men who died in an apparent murder-suicide. Dallas in De Soto, Texas, in the early 90s. 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. His secretary had said he got mail, so we think he called that old sheriff out there and said write me a letter from Frank and date it back.. K: Thats Chip Minty, a reporter at The Oklahoman who covered the trial, describing Gilleys demeanor on Oct. 21, 1991, as jurors were picked. They patted each other on the back, good to see you, and all that stuff. Cold Cases, Missing and Unsolved Crimes. K: Police had starting investigating where Sheryl and David could have been after Sheryls dad filed the missing persons report. But it was one that, it was kind of a taboo subject., Recording of Kayla: Why? I hope you do. But then, he got pretty far but not real far, and started thinking. As I remember it, they thought he was guilty but after 20 years, you know hes sitting there, Dave and Sheryl had been dead for 20 years. SpotCrime crime details. Investigators were also dealing with the biases of the Norman community. He told me that he still keeps an eye out for talk of the murders, mentioning in particular a message board where he saw people talking about the case. K: Brake had the actual statements that Jacobson is referring to, from when Butch was questioned by investigators on Nov. 24, 1970. She told them he was home with her, but later recanted her statement, saying she didnt know exactly where he was. WebNORMAN, Okla. Police have identified the two people killed in a double-homicide in Norman. 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. On the night of the murders , his car logged only about 30. A few days after he came here, to the state crime bureau for a polygraph test. Soon after he testified, the jury began deliberations. He might have fired most of the ammunition from it already and he doesnt have the firepower to kill them both. I dont anymore. What happens next leaves him and his family reeling while the Norman Police Department begins investigation. Theres a large backyard shaded by multiple trees. A suspect is in custody, the sheriff's office in Tate County, Mississippi, When you read Davids autopsy report, you find massive right hemoral thorax. At the end of episode four, police called Frank Gilley at work and told him to hurry home. This was a disappointment, but it paled in comparison to the news detectives received when they went to the OSBI to retrieve the rest of the case evidence. DALLAS -- A 56-year-old former Oklahoma policeman has been arrested and charged with killing two University of Oklahoma students on a rural lovers lane more than 20 years ago. They began to feel the full weight of frustration that only a couple of guys were truly working together to bring down a case held back by politics. It seemed like there was a main theory our sources kept coming back to on why it was so difficult to solve the case, even after the testimonies from other young couples who had also been harassed on lovers lanes in the area and from Butch Green, Gilleys former partner, who told police Gilley had lied about not owning .22 caliber weapons. WebOn Feb. 13, the Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation opened a suspicious death investigation after remains were found at the lake in Norman. She talked about Sheryl like this every time we had a phone call. TWO FOUND DEAD IN TRUNK. Those five words, in large bold font, headlined a story on the bottom right corner of the May 12 front page. Tornado hits Norman damaging the electric system and causing power cuts. Its been 48 years and the case has been closed and reopened, seen two grand juries and one trial. We had talked about wanting to devote resources to an investigative piece, and what unfolded left us determined to tell the stories of not only of those who died, but really about those who spent their lives with the case and how police at the local and state level conduct investigations. He hoped to become director of the OSBI, Jacobson said, and a mark like this on someones record could derail a rising career. And over the years, when we went back and started looking for those things, the OSBI couldnt locate them. We got out there and the polygrapher is an old Texas Ranger, one of Hensleys buddies. Recording of Ken: But we jumped in the car in Oklahoma City and drove out to Lubbock, drove all night. Recording of Ken: Well, Id been to law enforcement academy at LSU for 90 days and I got back that Sunday, Mothers Day was going to take a couple of days off but was going by the office to get my expenses I was actually in the bank parking lot, I remember where I was, and the chief agent called me on the radio and asked if I would go to Norman to help them with a vehicle theyd recovered in a missing persons case. youve got this policy thats a lot stronger than some other places. Recording of Brake:Sheriff Johnston said he believed Gilley was very much capable of committing the type of crime that is involved in this case, he said in his opinion, GIlley was a very sadistic personality.. And so were not letting that go. We still do polygraph examinations. And they did a good job, far as cleaning it up and everything.. Three, four and five: Why before Gilley was hired, he didnt take a polygraph test, have a background check or enter his fingerprints into the system? Now Im almost like, not mad, I dont wanna use that word but damn, I wish they had had DNA back then.. The car was riddled with bullet holes. I dont think she was shot at that point. It was like, Hey look, that case will probably never go anywhere, so forget that one, you can look at the rest of them. K: This past spring, our newsroom got a call asking if we could look through our old newspapers to find a picture taken of a Jimi Hendrix concert on campus from the May 12, 1970 paper. Recording of Brake: They asked, Were you acquainted with Frank Gilley when he was employed by the Norman Police Department? Henslee said he had fired Gilley a few days after the murders because of the tip that Gilley liked to harass couples on lovers lanes, but also said he had never seen any physical evidence to this day that ties Gilley to the crime., Recording of Ken: One of the comments Henslee made was that he didnt have enough power to influence a murder investigation. Pearo also testified, noting that almost all the evidence from the crime scene had disappeared, except one bullet casing. They had broken up a few months before, but Jacobson said he just wasnt the type to commit a murder. The last known report was on April 16, 2018, investigators said. Recording of Linda: He looked at my mom and said, Sue, Im going after him and theyre not going to do anything, and he got his truck and took off and I know he had a rifle. 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