The charges: One count of perjury. 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. I said my dad has been in Norman all day. Enhanced Cost of Living Calculator Now includes childcare, taxes, health, housing for home owners vs renters, insurance costs and more when you upgrade to premium. Henslee is quoted saying this in multiple articles and testimonies. According to articles, testimonies and interviews, Henslee was worried. Hogue is now charged with first-degree murder in her sons death. -36.90% lower than the Oklahoma violent crime rate of 458.6 per 100,000 people. They took the weapons and tried to match them with some of the shell casings from the crime scene, but the tests came back without a ballistics match, Jacobson said. Sloans was in Amarillo at the First Presbyterian Church that Wednesday. K: The phone call from the Amarillo TV station eventually prompted some case investigators to seriously look into Gilley. We were never able to get in contact with any of these family members, though. When we got upstairs, Mr. Gilley was filling out the paperwork on the Mexican boy and he asked the boy how much money he had and the boy said $10. Investigators spoke with former wives of Gilleys who said he was obsessed with his former life as a cop, keeping firearms, badges, uniforms and other police paraphernalia,close by, that he had a rampant temper and always carried a gun. Mike Brake, a police reporter for the Oklahoma Journal in 1970, went out to the crime scene with officers. What truly happened to Dave and Sheryl is still and may always be speculation, but some people believe they have a pretty good guess. They didnt know anyone new was being hired. We think David recognized him from that trial in Amarillo, Recording of Brake: Heres whats interesting about the autopsy report that told me at the time how I think it transpired. WebCrime rate in Norman, Oklahoma (OK): murders, rapes, robberies, assaults, burglaries, thefts, auto thefts, arson, law enforcement employees, police officers, crime map Crime rate in Perrine put in dozens of requests, ranging from declaring a mistrial to requesting that words like grotesque not be allowed in the courtroom. Per page 1; 2; 3 > Christopher Sanders. The DA at the time, I told him I wanted to file kind of a lesser charge on Gilley, just so hed go to jail, because I thought hed fall to pieces in jail. 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 This was the only physical evidence in the entire case. Sanchez and his wife lived at the Ann Branden Boulevard apartment until October 2018, according to investigators. Davids keys, wallet and shoes were all missing, too. Before Green died, Gilley had come back to investigators claiming that Green had something to do with the murders of Sheryl and David. I hope you do. But then, he got pretty far but not real far, and started thinking. Words he said he believes she would have said.. K: Gilley was living close to Dallas in De Soto, Texas, in the early 90s. I hope he died alone and a very painful death. K: Youre listening to Uncovered: The Lovers Lane Murders. Joshua Bookout. Hes reading a statement from a boy in Amarillo who witnessed a crucial altercation involving Frank Gilley. And on March 1, 1991, after roughly a month of testimony and deliberation, the second Cleveland County grand jury looking into Gilley returned an indictment. And so were not letting that go. They arrested a man who was picked up on the side of the road in a different town because someone reported him as having blood on his clothes. In the safe we found some more weapons, one of them was a sawed-off shotgun, which is illegal. K: Brake and Jacobson had personal theories they shared with me on exactly what happened the night of the murders. During the May 14 search of Sanchezs home, authorities made contact with Sanchez near his garage. We talked to more than just that agency to try to uncover those things and those issues such as in this case an issue we had in Amarillo., Recording of Kayla: You mentioned that that was kind of a change. The cloudy past of the man suspected for the murders is investigated in episode 3, as well as the beginnings of a cover-up, a retracted alibi and testimony from various couples who were also harassed on Lovers Lanes. K: Gilley had a clean official record until this incident in 1968. Most of these shots were in the upper body and head. She was 19. Of course Gilley passed the polygraph and we didnt get to talk to him or anything.. Recording of Foster: Back then a lot more of that stuff what went on. With the information from the previous investigation, the gun turning up and interviews with every single original witnesses, except one that died, detectives decided to try and get a warrant to search Gilleys De Soto residence. Description: DISTURBANCE/DOMESTIC. Well start back up with thoughts from Linda Adams, Sheryls older sister. It chronicles what Gilley called a scandal, telling detectives and reporters there was a plot against him. Norman violent crime is 14.7. The grand jury Sheryls father had requested would finally convene. That's -25.38% lower than the national rate of 387.8 per 100,000 people. A Norman man has been arrested in connection with the murder of a Wellston woman whose remains were found at Lake Thunderbird, the Oklahoma Bureau of Investigation reported Wednesday. What we think happened is Sloan and Benham were up on the lovers lane and Gilley approached them, probably came up to David Sloan, his side of the car, and said Im the sheriff of Cleveland County, probably made David get out and talk to him. 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. He said yes Do you know if Gilley owned or had in his possession any .22 caliber weapons? I mean this guy was a cop and he did this stuff. K: In the spring of 1971, the bodies of Gilleys former partner Butch Green and Greens mistress were found after her husband shot and killed them when he found the pair together. Except one, a few days later. K: We heard this again from Brake, who had a copy of the official police reports Ken filed the day they found the bodies. But amid the chaos, David Sloan and Sheryl Benham were preparing for a date. By early morning Sunday, Sheryls dad had driven to Norman to speak with police and report her missing. K: This past spring, our newsroom got a call asking if we could look through our old newspapers to find a picture taken of a Jimi Hendrix concert on campus from the May 12, 1970 paper. Investigators told me that they started to hear rumors, that GIlley had an obsession with lovers lanes, just like the one where David and Sheryl were found. Gilley said he had never met Sloan. On the following Wednesday and Thursday, funerals were held. Recording of Pearo: He thought we were just working the dickens out of his burglary. It was like, Hey look, that case will probably never go anywhere, so forget that one, you can look at the rest of them. DALLAS -- A 56-year-old former Oklahoma policeman has been arrested and charged with killing two University of Oklahoma students on a rural lovers lane more than 20 years ago. But again, a guy has knowledge of firearms would pick a .22 to use, you know, all you have to worry about is that firing pin, and if you throw the gun in the river, the evidence is gone. Recording of Brake: He answered the relevant question truthful. K: Jacobson, who had been involved with the case from the very morning the bodies were found, was happy another set of investigators would take up where he left off. And they said Well Mr. Gilley, Im standing here in your living room and it looks like somebody broke into your house.. If you see them, do not try and apprehend them yourself as they are most likely armed and dangerous. Gilley took the test four days after the bodies were found. FOX23 spoke with survivors who are just grateful to be alive following Sundays EF-2 tornado that ripped through Norman at around 9:20 p.m. K: For Ken Jacobson, that was his introduction to the murders of Sheryl Benham and David Sloan. If you come across them, do not attempt to apprehend them yourself. I think while he was shoving her into the trunk he had to slug her a couple times. K: Next time on Uncovered: The Lovers Lane Murders. K: Welcome back to Uncovered: The Lovers Lane Murders. The two stayed there for an unknown amount of time. Those types of safeguards are in place. Any kind of doubt that he could create was important to him. 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. When you read Davids autopsy report, you find massive right hemoral thorax. No murder weapon, no footprints, no tire tracks. K: There was plenty of evidence in the case right after the murders happened that today would have most likely garnered a conviction through DNA testing, said Jordan Solorzano, the public information officer at the Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation. He maintained that his wife at the time of the murders was with him before he started his night shift, though she denied it. Recording of Linda: He looked at my mom and said, Sue, Im going after him and theyre not going to do anything, and he got his truck and took off and I know he had a rifle. Date: 2/28 #1 stephens co hold. 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. He had lived in small towns in northern Texas his whole life and spent over a decade in the Amarillo area as a sheriffs deputy for Potter County. Crime at 6400 BLOCK OF 36TH AVENUE NW on 02/19/2023 1:20 PM. Well we thought that was unusual because Frank lived in Amarillo.. I would just bawl. Recording of Foster: One, we have basic requirements of age. The explanation that Gilley was being framed ended up as somewhat of the official stance of the police department. Two years later, it seems like charges might be put against Gilley, but nothing is certain. Instead, immediately call the Cleveland County Sheriff's Department at 405-701-7700. The OU Daily, in a new podcast series called Uncovered, investigated a pair of murders that took place May 9, 1970 in Norman. Christopher Sanders. WebNorman man arrested in connection with murder of woman found at Lake Thunderbird; Former Norman car dealer accused of tampering in criminal case; Body recovered at Lake It was the summer after Woodstock and Americas counterculture was thriving. K: Jacobson left the OSBI almost a year later. And if he did know, what did he think when investigators were first tipped off by an Amarillo reporter to look into Gilley as a possible suspect in the murders of Sheryl and Dave? He has an old binder with newspaper clippings, police reports and photos he took of the crime scene when it was discovered. They were spurred on by the initial evidence; the assault charge, Henslee hiring Gilley out of line with protocols and Gilley disappearing. Gilleys parents testified he was at his home the night of the murders, but his former wife said she couldnt confirm where he was that night. Im Kayla Branch. Recording of Pearo: The Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation, because they had helped out on the murder investigation as well and theyre the ones that have the labs and everything in the state of Oklahoma, so the evidence was all turned over the the OSBI. Jacobson also testified. It was just gone, all the evidence was just gone.. Sheryl graduated from Putnam City High School in 1969 and was living in Oklahoma City with her parents, her older sister Linda and Lindas oldest son. NORMAN Investigators arrested a man in connection with the death of a woman whose remains were found at Lake Thunderbird last Monday. Norman investigators tried to use these charges to connect Gilley with Sheryl and Daves murders, but in the end, nothing ever came of that either. K: Welcome back to Uncovered: The Lovers Lane Murders. Click on the image below to view the Lexis Nexis Community Crime map. K: Brake had the actual statements that Jacobson is referring to, from when Butch was questioned by investigators on Nov. 24, 1970. And they are locked in the trunk now, what are they going to do. But agents like Ken Jacobson didnt believe that and kept investigating. About 20 miles (32 kilometers) south of Oklahoma City, the Norman Police Department responded Sunday night to storm damage on the south and eastern sides of Norman. Web9801 DEERFIELD DR, NORMAN, OK 73026 Get a FREE Property Report for this home. The murders of David Sloan and Sheryl Benham remain unsolved. 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. Recording of Ken: I dont know. The sawed-off shotgun allowed them to arrest him for an illegal weapons charge, but eventually he was released to go home in Desoto, Texas. I just dont think its there. Turns out I was right. Police reported that in 2018 Sandoval described Sanchez as her brother and that he and his wife were abusing her. Instead call the Cleveland County Sheriff at 405-701-7700. Its seized, its packaged. So theres checks and balances to make sure the stuff isnt happening. I dont think Henslee was convinced that Gilley had done it at that point. They left the fraternity house around 11:30 p.m. and went to a place in western Norman known as Lovers Lane. In 1970, Norman was going through a period of growth, but this part of town, out past the main highway and now home to a large residential area with houses and schools, was still just farmland and brush. It may have been almost 50 years since the murders, but Linda said it rarely feels that long. K: Mike Brake, the reporter who covered the case in its earlier days, said the same thing. Police were spread thin. On the last day of the pretrial, one of the most interesting pieces of evidence emerged, though it was never corroborated, when a new witness was called to the stand. At the end of episode four, police called Frank Gilley at work and told him to hurry home. Investigators called former colleagues and bosses of Gilley, looking for character statements. Why that change?, Recording of Foster: Its just due to the public pressures on things and us relooking at things and listening to the public go Oh yeah yeah, that does make sense, that would be a lot better. WebGet full property details, plus crime rates, environmental hazards, natural disaster risks and more at HomeDisclosure.com 145441690. K: The first full day of the July hearing had testimony from seven witnesses, including Gilleys parents, a former wife and the Norman police chief from the 1970s, Bill Henslee. Crime news across America. You know, you think youre going to get out of this, youre going to go to class the next day or go to work or whatever you do. After picking Sheryl up at her Oklahoma City home, the pair drove down to Norman to attend a party at Daves fraternity. She suggested we go to the police station and see if anythings come up. Episode 4 crosses state lines into Dallas, Texas, where the investigation is reopened in the 1990s. Recording of Linda: Ken Jacobson, I remember that name a lot. Having a conversation with Gilley in reference to his activities when he was a deputy sheriff in Amarillo, he told me of several investigations he had made and also relayed to me that during patrolling for our police department, he asked where any parkers went. Here, Linda, K: NPD responded to public criticism of its officers over the years, said. He showed us this information he had collected over the years. Due to the current status of the case, information is limited at this time, Jensen said. Badge was in a black holder. K: In the search warrant, officers claimed that Gilley likely still had possession of items from the crime scene, like Davids shoes and car keys, a scrapbook of newspaper articles and personal photos of the scene and possibly the murder weapon. Investigators said Sandoval was last known to be alive and residing with Sanchez and his wife in an apartment in the 1600 block of Ann Branden Boulevard. K: After finding the car and the bodies, officers from all of the agencies came together to sweep the area. An article almost 15 years later cites the grand jurys final decision, saying, We have investigated any and all complaints against the district attorney or his office and find them without merit., Recording of Ken: Some people just couldnt believe that a police officer had done something like this and of course I didnt believe it at first. Recording of Pearo: You could see some of the resentment from people who are now adults still going back to their college days and being really critical on the police. Yeah we should do that. Recording of Brake: When he got on the elevator there, there was a Mexican boy about 18 years old on there with us, as well as another deputy. The Benhams became close with investigators, especially Ken Jacobson, the lead investigator from the Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation. 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 My mom, of course, is there, and I was there with her. Maybe hes just gone away and somebody will rescue them or find them. He told me that if he asked Rick if I were a virgin and he told him I was and he asked me if I myself was and I told him no. Munoz told investigators he knew nothing about a dead body in the basement and gave them his consent to conduct a search. On Saturday, May 9, 1970, Dave was 21. But it was one that, it was kind of a taboo subject., Recording of Kayla: Why? Theres a large backyard shaded by multiple trees. Maybe Sheryl had been drugged. Most of those who were involved in the case have died, but my team and I were able to track down individuals who remember first-hand what happened all those years ago. Gilley was white, 5-foot-8 and close to 180 pounds. With the information from the previous investigation, the gun turning up and interviews with every single original witnesses, except one that died, detectives decided to try and get a warrant to search Gilleys De Soto residence. K: A few months into the investigation, detectives persuaded Henslee to give Gilley a second polygraph test. Oklahomas Failure to Protect law treats those who enable child abuse the same as actual abusers. 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