God’s Misfits ‘anti-government group’ accused of murdering two women, include GOP county chair
Two members claimed they were going on a ‘mission’ before Veronica Butler and Jilian Kelley vanished
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Four members of a group, calling itself “God’s Misfits” are sitting in jail in Oklahoma, accused of kidnapping and murdering two friends, according to court filings.
Tifany Machel Adams, 54; Tad Bert Cullum, 43; Cole Earl Twombly, 50; and Cora Twombly, 44 have been charged with murder, kidnapping and conspiracy to commit murder, in relation to the disappearance of Veronica Butler, 27, and Jilian Kelley, 39 last month.
The two women were heading to pick up Ms Butler’s two children from their grandmother, Ms Adams, when they disappeared. Their car was found abandoned at a rural crossroads near a trail of blood, broken hammer, a pistol magazine and one woman’s glasses. Two bodies were discovered this weekend, which are believed to be the two women.
Authorities have alleged that the four suspects kidnapped and killed the two women, confirming on 16 April that two bodies found on 14 April were those of the two victims.
Who are the members of God’s Misfits?
The Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation has named the four suspects as members of “God’s Misfits”, according to court documents seen by The Independent. The group was described as “anti-government” and “religious”.
Tifany Machel Adams, 54
Ms Adams is the paternal grandmother to missing Veronia Butler’s children. Her son Wrangler Rickman, 26, is currently in a rehabilitation centre, according to court documents.
She was allegedly involved in an ongoing custody battle over the two children, aged six and eight.
On Tuesday it was reported that Ms Adams was elected chair of her local Republican Party in Cimarron County, which borders Texas County.
State Sen. Nathan Dahm, who is the chairman of the Oklahoma GOP, told KOCO 5 that he was aware of her involvement.
“This is a tragic situation, with innocent children being at the centre of this still-developing situation,” he told the outlet. “While we at the Oklahoma Republican Party have no personal relationship or knowledge of the individuals who have been accused in this senseless crime, we have been made aware that Ms Adams was previously elected by a handful of people to the role of Chair in her county.
“We ask everyone to join us in praying for the family and most especially the children devastated by this horrible tragedy.”
Mr Dahm has not yet responded to a request for further comment from The Independent.
Tad Bert Cullum, 43
The boyfriend of Ms Adams, has lived in and around Texas and Cimarron Counties in Oklahoma for most of his life, according to public records.
Cole Earl Twombly, 50
Mr Twombly appears to have moved from Colorado to Oklahoma around 2005, according to public records. He and Cora Twombly have been married since June 2015.
He posted on Facebook the day before his arrest, thanking friends for their birthday wishes.
“Got to dance in the front yard with the lovely and gracious Cora Twombly, have cake, and share the evening with our new daughter in love!” he said.
Cora Twombly, 44
Ms Twombly was previously known as Cora White. Her 16-year-old daughter, known in court documents as CW, lives with her and spoke to investigators on 3 April about the group that her parents are allegedly part of.
“CW advised that she was told by Cora that Adams, Cullum, Cora, Cole... were involved in the deaths of Butler and Kelley,” court documents read.
The court documents also mention three other possible members of God’s Misfits. They are not suspects in the case.
- Paul Grice
- Barrett Cook
- Lacy Cook.
The Independent has determined that Lacey Cook and her husband Barrett Cook live in Keyes, Oklahoma, the same town as Ms Adams and Mr Cullum.
Mr and Ms Twombly live around 40 miles away, in Texhoma, Oklahoma, public records revealed.
It is unclear if God’s Misfits have other members.
What do they believe?
The Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation (OSBI) said that Ms Twombly’s daughter, known as CW in court records, described the group as an “anti-government group that has a religious affiliation”.
Investigators found that “God’s Misfits” held regular, weekly meetings at both the Twomblys’ and Cooks’ homes.
The day before Ms Butler and Ms Kelley disappeared, CW claimed her parents said they were going on a “mission” the following day.
Have the suspects appeared in court?
The group appeared for their arraignment hearings on 17 April at the Texas County Courthouse.
All four arrived separately in orange jumpsuits, handcuffs and what appeared to be bullet-proof vests.
Emotions reportedly ran high, with some relatives of the victims being held back from trying to get to the suspects.
They were denied bond and will appear in court again in May.
Does God’s Misfits have members outside Oklahoma?
Social media searches have revealed no online presence of the Oklahoma-based God’s Misfits group.
There is another group called “God’s Misfits” on Facebook but they sought to distance themselves from the Oklahoma murder case this week, and said they had nothing to do with it.
“Someway, people think they are part of us. Nothing could be more wrong,” the group’s owner, who goes by Squirrel, posted on Facebook. “God’s misfits is about spreading the gospel of Jesus Christ, not about hate and murder.”
In a later video, posted later on Tuesday, Squirrel responded to messages he had received about the murder case and said that he started up his religious group’s website in 2015.
He called news of another God’s Misfits group “whacked-out” and said that people had messaged him, calling his group a “cult”.
“I ain’t got nothing to do with all of that,” he said. “I am about scripture and about spreading the love of Jesus. I am not an anti-government murderer.”
The God Misfits Facebook group did not respond to The Independent’s request for information at the time of publication.