Instead call the Cleveland County Sheriff at 405-701-7700. Certain convictions you cant have to get hired at a police department. Police traveled to the De Soto PD called him, and said Is this Mr. Gilley? and he said yeah. K: This is one of the only times we ever came across the Sloan family coming to Norman to be involved with the case. 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. And that pool cue was over on the passengers side, on the floor and it was completely wiped clean, didnt have anybodys fingerprints on it., Recording of Brake: So I think Sloan grabbed that pool cue handle and said Ill kick your ass and Gilley shot him with the handgun. They were spurred on by the initial evidence; the assault charge, Henslee hiring Gilley out of line with protocols and Gilley disappearing. What became the most important, Jacobson told us, was finding the murder weapon. K: Youre listening to Uncovered: the Lovers Lane Murders. Investigators located in the basement a 3 feet by 4 feet container heavily wrapped in high density plastic, packing tape, and rope stored under the stairs of the basement. They checked his police car, finding that on an average night, he would drive well over 100 miles on patrol. He has an old binder with newspaper clippings, police reports and photos he took of the crime scene when it was discovered. The National Guard was called in to contain the crowd, and shots were fired when students wouldnt disperse. Said hes shoot rabbits with it and stuff. Its every single step we take in our evidence transfer or testing or anything and is logged in a computer system. Everytime I just about get it out of my head, somebody calls and says weve got a guy that thinks hes got the gun. 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. Thousands gathered for a demonstration on the Kent State University campus in Ohio. When the OSBI, along with the Norman Police Department and the Cleveland County Sheriffs Office, found the bodies on Monday, May 11, Sheryl and David had been missing for just over 24 hours. 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 Now he is not working at this time. Believed under the right circumstances, especially if the possibility of discovery were probable, that Gilley would not hesitate to kill a person or persons to help cover an illegal act he was committingThis is also from Sheriff Johnston, Randall County Texas, where Gilley worked at one point. 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 [] And theres probably a million cases like that This one is really unique in that it involved a police officer and I think that if we had had 100 percent cooperation from the get go, that we could have cleared it., K: It wasnt until 1972 that the case seemed like it might pick back up again. (The US average is 35.4) NOTE: Click on the links below to see charts for each crime category. Crime at 6400 BLOCK OF 36TH AVENUE NW on 02/19/2023 1:20 PM. There were press conferences asking for information and a reward fund was set up, raising thousands of dollars to give to anyone who could provide helpful details. August Murders accounted for 1.5% of all violent crimes and 0.2% of reported index crimes. K: 1970. He said the politics were too much, that true policing was impossible because of it. Recording of Linda: I know justice was not served It was one of the hardest things Ive ever done in my life, cause every day I would drive from Oklahoma City clear to Norman, to the courthouse and you know Kayla, what I heard in that was just even, even proof to me more and more that he did do this.. Did Henslee know about the assault charge? Because you know her parents were there. 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. NORMAN Cory Jay Bodily was killed in 2008. Then Mr. Gilley said are you accusing me of stealing your $10? I think dad was with him for a long time with what was going on He was so honest and wanted justice done. She looks like she died almost immediately. Video source: Dylan Strilko/WEATHER TRAKER /TMX. Not only does the department interact with the Norman community on a more regular basis, but the hiring protocols for officers have completely changed. K: Brake had the actual statements that Jacobson is referring to, from when Butch was questioned by investigators on Nov. 24, 1970. If you see them, do not try and apprehend them yourself as they are most likely armed and dangerous. As the night hours of May 9 wear on, Sheryls dadbecomes worried. We were told he had been living in a nursing home. Sheryl met David Sloan at Steak and Ale, a restaurant in Oklahoma City where they both worked. So we got Ken involved and he became really instrumental in being able to help us out with kind of what happened back in the beginning, how the case got convoluted into this big cover up thing by the then chief of police.. WebAllegations of obstruction and cover-ups have plagued the Norman Police Department in the years since the murders, but changes made hope to rectify those concerns. The judge for the jury was the former Cleveland County DA who had previously refused to go after Gilley, Jacobson said. Cold Cases, Missing and Unsolved Crimes. Five days later, a few miles west of OUs campus, shots were fired again, ending the lives of two college students. K: For Ken Jacobson, that was his introduction to the murders of Sheryl Benham and David Sloan. Recording of Linda: Early the next morning, my sister had not come home and we knew something was wrong I remember my mother shaking me saying, Linda, Linda. Im like, What? She said, Have you heard from Sherry? Im like, What are you talking about? And I begin to hear all this, She never came home last night. My very first thought was Oh my god, Sherry, are you in trouble now. My dad was gone before daylight driving to Norman. It was another disappointing end again.. Many thought a cop would never commit such a crime. Jacobson said calls flooded in, but every one of them led to a dead end. . Then here we can and were visiting it again, making the news again. So I wanted to file impersonating an officer and he would tell these kids he was the sheriff and the DA refused to file. K: With Gilley arrested, Pearo believes detectives can finally charge him with the murders of Sheryl and David, but the Cleveland County DA wants to give a grand jury another try. He probably has a .22 pistol. On the following Wednesday and Thursday, funerals were held. Some guy said that to me and I kinda went off on him a little bit.. 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. K: The caliber of the weapon that killed Dave and Sheryl. Per page 1; 2; 3 > Christopher Sanders. When he arrived, he was arrested. Recording of Brake: This is a contact with the Dave Kelley, who was with the DA office in Potter County, Texas. Plus the chief added some automatic disqualifiers to that on drug usage, domestic issues that you may have that will automatically disqualify you from our process. They began surveillance on Gilley, finding out where he lived now, following him to work. One of them was Butch Green, who had ridden with Frank, who gave the statement that Frank did in fact carry a .22 rifle on duty in the car. Which, the police chief, if he doesnt have enough power to influence, whos going to?. Another unsolved case is that of 2-year-old Riah Thomas. 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. Heres a quote about Sher right there: She loved life and lived to make people happy. Dr. Bailey said he told her young friends that detailing her high moral character and firm Christian beliefs, then urged the crowd especially the young to trust in God. Using the testimonies from other young couples and from Butch Green, they eventually secured a warrant to search Gilleys home in Amarillo in December of 1970. On the way up, Mr. Gilley made several remarks to the Mexican, one remark was that he didnt like his face. Recording of Pearo: Frank had rented a house from this guy and he brings in this .22 caliber rifle.. K: When Jacobson and the team of investigators finally have enough evidence to put real pressure on Gilley, they run into opposition from Henslee and other Oklahoma law enforcement. Violent Crime Rate Norman, OK Oklahoma USA 2000 2002 2004 2006 2008 2010 2012 2014 2016 2018 100 The next few days were chaos. So got a lot of fire power.. And then he goes on duty and comes back in the police car and finishes them off., Recording of Brake: And you notice there were a couple bullet holes in the fenders of the car. WebIn April 2004, the Oklahoma Senate, by a vote of 38 to 7, and the Oklahoma House of Representatives, by a vote of 92 to 4, approved a constitutional ban on same-sex marriage.On November 2, 2004, Oklahoma voters approved Oklahoma Question 711, a constitutional amendment which banned same-sex marriage and any "legal incidents I dont anymore. What truly happened to Dave and Sheryl is still and may always be speculation, but some people believe they have a pretty good guess. That's 22.24% higher than the national rate of 2,346.0 per 100,000 people The daughter of one of his wives said Gilley had answered yes when she asked if hed ever killed anyone, though there is no record of a lawful killing on Gilleys police file. 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 Recording of Brake: He answered the relevant question truthful. The only thing we had to work with was the shell casing that had been ejected, and the firing pin makes a distinct impression on the shell casing, and this one was unusual But we could never match them. So I think that helped cloud their decision was the fact they thought he was guilty by a good percentage that he was guilty, probably enough to convict. Recording of Brake: Ava Yvonne Boden, this was her statement on Nov. 14, 1970. Two decades had gone by and the investigators werent going to gather much more than they already had, Ken Jacobson, the 1970s OSBI investigator, said. And over the years, when we went back and started looking for those things, the OSBI couldnt locate them. 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