In a significant development in the case of two Kansas women who were murdered last year, two of the five accused individuals, Cole Twombly and Tad Cullum, have been rearraigned and have entered pleas of not guilty.

The rearraignment follows a recent move by Texas County District Attorney George H. Leach III, who announced last month his intention to pursue the death penalty for Twombly and Cullum. This update was initially reported by KAMR.

The tragic case began when the bodies of Veronica Butler, aged 27, and Jilian Kelley, aged 39, were discovered on April 14. The two women had vanished two weeks earlier during a trip meant to retrieve Butler’s children from their grandmother’s residence in Texas County, Oklahoma. This grim discovery was reported by CrimeOnline. Subsequently, the grandmother, Tifany Adams, along with her boyfriend Cullum, Twombly, his wife Cora Twombly, and Paul Grice, faced multiple charges related to the murders.

The group allegedly set a deadly trap for the two women as they journeyed to Adams’ home from Kansas. Following the murders, the bodies of Butler and Kelley were reportedly placed in a freezer before being buried in a location prepared by Cullum.

Tifany Adams has already entered a plea of no contest to two counts of first-degree murder, as well as charges concerning the unlawful removal and desecration of human remains, according to KSN. Her sentencing is set for January 28, 2026.

Meanwhile, Cora Twombly and Paul Grice have accepted plea agreements that remove the possibility of the death penalty for them, contingent upon their cooperation and testimony. They participated in a procedural hearing on Wednesday.

A judge set the trial dates for the remaining two defendants — Cullum for June 1, 2026, and Twombly for October 19, 2026.