Fifth arrest made in connection to murdered Kansas moms

Stephanie Nutt
·2 min read
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TEXAS COUNTY, Okla. (KSNW) — A fifth person has been arrested in connection to the murders of Kansas moms Jilian Kelley and Veronica Butler.

According to the Oklahoma state court records, an arrest warrant was issued on Wednesday, April 24, for Paul Grice, 31, on suspicion of two counts of murder in the first degree – deliberate intent, two counts of kidnapping, and one count of conspiracy to commit murder in the first degree.

According to the affidavit of probable cause for an arrest warrant for Grice, during an interview, he admitted that he was a part of the planning, killing and subsequential burial of Butler and Kelley.

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Grice was mentioned several times in other affidavits related to the case.

The affidavits state Grice was also a member of “God’s Misfits,” an anti-government group that had a religious affiliation.

Grice was allegedly involved in other attempts to kill Butler, the affidavit states. One attempt was in February when Grice, along with Tifany Adams, Tad Cullum, Cole and Cora Twombly, went to Hugoton to get Butler to leave her house, but she never did. The plan was to make her death look like an accident by throwing an anvil through Butler’s windshield while she was driving “because anvils regularly fall off of work trucks.”

The affidavit of probable cause for an arrest warrant for Grice revealed he had a cell phone conversation with Cullum and Adams prior to the disappearance of Butler and Kelley on Saturday, March 30. After their disappearance, Grice was at his home with Cullum.

KSN typically does not name suspects until they are charged. However, due to the public interest in this case and the concern from the community, we have decided to release the names of the suspects in this case.

Grice’s first appearance is scheduled for Wednesday, May 1.

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