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. WebForty years ago this month, Oklahoma suffered one of its most horrific murder scenes near the small town of Locust Grove. And we were brought up, we went to church, my dad was a Mason. 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.. 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. Five days later, a few miles west of OUs campus, shots were fired again, ending the lives of two college students. When we found Lindas phone number and reached out to her, she had reservations about telling her story to another set of reporters, but she became an invaluable source, sharing personal details from a family struck with tragedy. 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. Recording of Ken: Well Frank and Henslee and the sheriff were all buddies from out there and so we asked Henslee if we could take a look at that letter and he couldnt produce it. My mind was, Where could I go, what couldve happened? She drove me to Norman. But in March of 1970, just two months before the murders, he was hired, by police chief Bill Henslee. Recording of Linda: She also loved her first nephew, my son that was living there with us She was just crazy about him She had, believe it or not, she had a blue Mustang, a baby blue Mustang. K: Randall County is a small portion of land encompassing the southern half of Amarillo, a lake and a few other small towns with a current population of about 120,000. K: Gilley was living close to Dallas in De Soto, Texas, in the early 90s. NORMAN Investigators arrested a man in connection with the death of a woman whose remains were found at Lake Thunderbird last Monday. NORMAN, Okla. - Special agents from the Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation have arrested a man in connection to the murder of a woman who was found at Lake Thunderbird. Recording of Ken: But we jumped in the car in Oklahoma City and drove out to Lubbock, drove all night. Ten-Mile Flats is the official name of the area that was home to many of Normans secluded roads, which were commonly known as Lovers Lanes. Dallas in De Soto, Texas, in the early 90s. College students going out together, laughing with friends, looking forward to the future. The articles mention the relationship between Henslee and Gilley, that they had worked numerous cases together when Henslee was a Texas Ranger assigned to Pampa, Texas and Gilley was still in Potter County, about an hour southwest. He was arrested early May 6, 1977, after being found by a neighbor asleep outside the bloody apartment. He resigned and worked for an amusements company before being hired at the Norman Police Department, according to articles in the Norman Transcript. 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. Not only does the department interact with the Norman community on a more regular basis, but the hiring protocols for officers have completely changed. Davids fraternity went out to search the field as well, but they didnt find anything helpful. WebCBS News Six people were killed in a series of shootings Friday in northwestern Mississippi, authorities said. But this night ended differently. A reporter there had a tip about someone on Normans police force. K: This is Dave Pearo, a Norman police officer from 1981 to 2004. Recording of Pearo: There were a bunch of them that sat there and kind of kicked it around and decided that they werent going to go for an arrest warrant but wanted to go for a grand jury, which to me was very disappointing because Im a go get them arrest them kind of guy.. He told me that he still keeps an eye out for talk of the murders, mentioning in particular a message board where he saw people talking about the case. Recording of Linda: I dont know how to explain that. I didnt really want to, but I thought itll be pretty easy; I live in Midwest City and Ill drive down there and we can process that car in an hour or two. During the May 14 search of Sanchezs home, authorities made contact with Sanchez near his garage. He said his assault charges and even the call from the Amarillo TV station were retaliation for a contentious sheriff election in Amarillo in 1968, among other things, and that he was being used as a, quote, political football.. 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. The final episode explores the trial that took place 20 years after the murders and follows up with current law enforcement administrations on evidence and hiring protocols. It was pretty tough. Recording of Minty: He just sat there quietly at the defense table the entire time. Did Henslee know about the assault charge? And inside the trunk were the bodies of David and Sheryl, shot and mutilated. They were younger detectives and they knew that was kind of like a festering sore. 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. The highest number of murders were reported on We got out there and the polygrapher is an old Texas Ranger, one of Hensleys buddies. 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. Recording of Ken: It turns out, there werent that many people working toward the same goal., Recording of Brake: Frank Gilley did it. Per page 1; 2; 3 > Christopher Sanders. Recording of Linda: Well, she loved her job I love, theres this one picture of Sherri, she looked so cute she had the little red skirt and the white top, you know, and she was just so cute in it.. NORMAN, Okla. An Oklahoma man shot and killed his estranged wife and her divorce lawyer, then took his own life, police reported Wednesday. He showed us this information he had collected over the years. Recording of Ken: Henslee set it up and at that time, we werent sure if Henslee was for us or against us. Grady. K: In fact, for 20 years, he, the initial investigator and pursuer of justice, kept a single shell casing in an envelope, one he picked up while walking the fields after finding the bodies of Sheryl and Dave. He probably has a .22 pistol. K: For Ken Jacobson, that was his introduction to the murders of Sheryl Benham and David Sloan. I think when you ask around about other places or just other people that are in this profession when they talk about getting hired at Norman youll learn that our process is a lot harder and a lot more scrutinizing than a lot of places We still do psychological testing. K: Welcome back to Uncovered: The Lovers Lane Murders. But handwritten here, in Ken Jacobsons handwriting, Gilley made a verbal statement on 5-12-70 to this agent that he was personally acquainted with Sloan and had trouble with that wise punk in Amarillo two or three times.. Recording of Brake: He told me that if anyone asked me about a .22 rifle, which he might own, to tell them no. Recording of Brake: 200 people. WebBest Places to Live | Compare cost of living, crime, cities, schools and more. The case is almost 50 years old and remains unsolved. They took in Sheryls ex-boyfriend for questioning. He told them that Gilley was their main suspect, but they were struggling to convince other law enforcement officials, like the DAs office or the OSBI, that he could be charged with the murders of Sheryl and David. There arent families like that now, I dont think. 112 GREAT OAKS DR, NORMAN, OK 73071 Property Report 145441690 It sits in a quiet neighborhood. 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 [] This one kind of absorbs you. 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. Type in Norman, OK in the upper left address window, then click on Go to Address.. Recording of Pearo: So we went to De Soto, went in his house, we found a gun safe in his house that we couldnt get in to Frank was at work, so we got a locksmith to come out and get us in the safe. A lot of blood and congestion in the right lung from a wound in the lung. Here, Linda Adams, the sister of Sheryl Benham, is describing the first time she had come in contact with Frank Gilley, the man she believes killed her sister and her date, David Sloan, 21 years earlier. Police are still investigating the homicides of Elijah Mothershed, his fiancee Carnesha Powell and their daughter Roshawna Stevens. State police officers came to assist. And after almost 50 years, she said the pain is more manageable. I think thats what happened and the autopsy points to that as well. 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 Thats when we realized this case was more than a pair of untimely deaths. On the way up, Mr. Gilley made several remarks to the Mexican, one remark was that he didnt like his face. TWO FOUND DEAD IN TRUNK. Those five words, in large bold font, headlined a story on the bottom right corner of the May 12 front page. Investigators were also dealing with the biases of the Norman community. .. On June 8, 1970, they had driven down to Norman It says Well we were on a dirt road and had pulled up toward the west to where the sun was going down.. She was 19. And even though these statements were coming in after the murders of Sheryl and David, police were including pictures of Gilley. I had an awful time letting go of it. Tornadoes tore through Oklahoma, leaving severe damage in Norman, home to the University of Oklahoma. Recording of Jacobson: David Sloan was from Amarillo, and when they tried Gilley on his aggravated assault out there, they tried it like a murder case because it was a horrible thing for a law enforcement officer to be accused of aggravated assault. He was working as a recent recruit to the Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation in 1970 and was assigned to the case full time. Then Mr. Gilley said are you accusing me of stealing your $10? K: Thats David Pearo, the lead case investigator for the Norman Police Department in the 1990s. Particularly a lot more nowadays than there was back in the 1970s.. He was going to drive to Amarillo, Texas, and kill him. And we think that was sort of a mistake because of what the jurors said in some of their questionnaires. Instead call the Cleveland County Sheriff at 405-701-7700. You know You had this last so where is it?. Gilley said he had never met Sloan. In the following months, officers deliberated how best to pin Gilley down for the murders. Because those guys werent even policemen when this thing happened. Officers also started looking into Gilleys personal life, interviewing the woman he was married to in the 70s about his whereabouts the night of the murders. WebRT @dtblove05: Oklahoma University football team helping out one of their teammates clean up after a tornado destroyed his house in Norman, OK. 28 Feb 2023 01:09:39 Those pressing to charge Gilley uncover what they believe to be undeniable evidence, but the stakes may have been too high for those who wished to keep Gilley from being arrested. What more do you want me to say?, Recording of Linda: What all he did to how many people after Sherry and Dave? An officer who cut into the plastic detected an odor that they could identify with a decomposing human corpse.. NORMAN Cory Jay Bodily was killed in 2008. But Jacobson, never did let go of the case. I was able to talk to my supervisor, went up the chain and went to the chief and said Hey look, can we maybe open this case back up and take another look at it, see where we can go with it? He said yeah, but go to the DAs office and talk things over with him.. Investigators said Bill Henslee, the Norman police chief at the time, wanted to make sure this case didnt reflect poorly on him or the department. 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.