Cullum lawyers say Texas County DA violated gag order in murder case
Cullum's lawyers want murder charges tossed, saying DA George Leach III broke a gag order in the Veronica Butler and Jilian Kelley case.
Tad Cullum’s lawyers asked a Texas County judge to dismiss the murder charges against him, accusing District Attorney George “Buddy” Leach III of violating the court’s gag order in the case tied to the deaths of Kansas mothers Veronica Butler and Jilian Kelley.
The defense also wants Leach sanctioned. In the filing, Cullum’s attorneys said the gag order was meant to prevent prejudice for or against the defense, and they pointed to an online blog post and a news report that mentioned Leach as evidence of the alleged violation.
The motion puts another high-stakes issue in front of a case that has already been marked by major pretrial fights. Prosecutors have sought the death penalty against Cullum and Cole Twombly, and both men have pleaded not guilty to charges connected to the killings.
Butler, 27, and Kelley, 39, disappeared on March 30, 2024, while traveling through the Oklahoma Panhandle to pick up Butler’s children for a court-ordered visitation. Authorities later found their bodies on April 14, 2024, buried on a rural property in Texas County.
Five people have been charged in the case: Tifany Adams, Tad Cullum, Cole Twombly, Cora Twombly and Paul Grice. The prosecution has already generated repeated disputes over judicial recusal, and a Texas County judge has recently ruled on more than 40 motions, a sign of how contested the case remains as trial approaches.
Leach has served as district attorney for Oklahoma’s District 1 since his appointment in September 2021. His office covers Beaver, Cimarron, Harper and Texas counties, putting the Texas County courthouse in the middle of one of the state’s most closely watched murder prosecutions.
The broader case has drawn attention well beyond the Panhandle, including a proposed Oklahoma Highway 95 memorial naming a stretch in Texas County for Butler and Kelley. For now, the immediate question is whether the judge finds the gag-order claim serious enough to sanction Leach, dismiss charges, or leave the prosecution intact and push the case toward its 2026 trial dates.
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