murders in norman, oklahoma

Sanchez was charged with possession of a firearm after a former felony conviction. Maybe Sheryl had been drugged. K: Gilley rushed home to a frenzy of officers. Thousands gathered for a demonstration on the Kent State University campus in Ohio. It wasnt going to get any better.. What happens is you have blood seepage into the lung., Recording of Ken: I think he came out of that car and Frank had to shoot him a couple times, I dont think he intended to shoot anybody, he just wanted, you know, to do his thing. Mr. Gilley asked him another question and the boy answered it. Instead call the Cleveland County Sheriff at 405-701-7700. 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. There arent families like that now, I dont think. Did you ever see Gilley with any type of badge other than the one he had? Some guy said that to me and I kinda went off on him a little bit.. The medical examiner said Byron He brought up the likelihood that Butch Green, his former partner who died a year after the murders, was the real potential suspect. Recording of Kayla: Why do you think that is? Police said the double-murder occurred late Tuesday night in this University of Oklahoma community 20 miles south of Oklahoma City. 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. And they said Well Mr. Gilley, Im standing here in your living room and it looks like somebody broke into your house.. whos who and what do I need to do to keep a job or to get that promotion. 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. Gilleys attorney, Robert Perrine, said most of the evidence was not conclusive. Episode 1 explores how The Daily came across the story of the two murdered teenagers, David Sloan and Sheryl Benham. He agreed to give Gilley a polygraph test, unbeknownst to case investigators. We announced that we were going to go for the death penalty on those cases because of the circumstances. WebHome / Select Cities / 2023 Comparing Bakersfield, CA vs. Norman, OK 2023 Compare Crime Rates: Bakersfield, CA vs Norman, OK Change Cities : Bakersfield, CA: Norman, OK: United A few days after he came here, to the state crime bureau for a polygraph test. Im Kayla Branch and Ill be your host as we hear stories and first-hand accounts from those involved with the case. Most of the case takes place in central Oklahoma and Northern Texas, but our story begins five days earlier in Kent, Ohio, on Monday, May 4, 1970. Recording of Linda: Ken Jacobson, I remember that name a lot. 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.. WebIf you reside in Norman, then there is a 1 in 321 chance that you will experience a violent crime. But there were also bullet casings, almost 30 of them, scattered in the dirt and brush. She was 19. 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. He has an old binder with newspaper clippings, police reports and photos he took of the crime scene when it was discovered. So we called him at work. Joshua Bookout. View on Google Maps Street View. The judge for the jury was the former Cleveland County DA who had previously refused to go after Gilley, Jacobson said. And the further you get into it, the further you want to get into it. As the night hours of May 9 wear on, Sheryls dadbecomes worried. And then we sort of told him Weve got some good news and bad news. And even though these statements were coming in after the murders of Sheryl and David, police were including pictures of Gilley. He probably has a .22 pistol. Authorities found a 9mm handgun inside a trash can in the garage, according to an arrest warrant. K: Youre listening to Uncovered: the Lovers Lane Murders. I would just bawl. By early morning Sunday, Sheryls dad had driven to Norman to speak with police and report her missing. Henslee is quoted saying this in multiple articles and testimonies. Said if I went out in the woods and took off all my clothes, he wouldnt take me to jail.. K: They lived in a house off of Northwest 46th Street, a main road in Oklahoma City. David and Sheryl were each shot at least 10 times, and Davids car had multiple bullet holes through the rear of the car and the trunk. He was only on the force for three years, mostly focused on this one case. K: A few months into the investigation, detectives persuaded Henslee to give Gilley a second polygraph test. Jacobson said calls flooded in, but every one of them led to a dead end. It was us that broke into your house and youre under arrest. So he started looking around and he looked at me and he said, Where are you from? and I said Norman, Oklahoma. And he said I thought so.. She was just, oh, well-respected, very intelligent, just you know My dad was a very strict father, but he, uh, you just knew what to do and what not to do.. And its important to remember here that Gilley left the Norman police force on May 15. Whether he actually knew or rather it was just oh my gosh this is embarrassing, I dont know, I think more likely the latter. Potter County, where Gilley was working directly before he came to Norman, covers the northern half of Amarillo. You know You had this last so where is it?. NORMAN Police conducting a murder investigation say the decomposed body of a woman with special needs was found inside a container in the basement of a home about three years after she went missing. They stayed at the Sigma Alpha Epsilon fraternity house for a few hours, hanging out with friends. K: He kept the Benhams updated on the case. When I first heard that, there was a little bit of shock and, as I read further, a little bit of intrigue. This was the only physical evidence in the entire case. Recording of Linda: I thought whoopie, OK good, fine, you know? The police department brought in dozens of suspects, potential witnesses, family members and friends to interview. K: Sheryls mom died in 1995 and her dad in 2001. Now Im almost like, not mad, I dont wanna use that word but damn, I wish they had had DNA back then.. 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. On May 14, investigators executed a search warrant at Sanchezs home at 1224 Westlawn Dr. and recovered documents showing he and his wife were receiving Social Security benefits intended for Sandoval. But agents like Ken Jacobson didnt believe that and kept investigating. And now I can talk about it without breaking down and crying. Forty years ago, Gregory W. Canatis got into a fight with his father in their Midwest City apartment and killed him with a brand-new butcher knife. On March 8, 1972, the grand jury met for the first time in Cleveland County to listen to witness testimonies and decide if there were any charges that could be filed against Gilley or if there was mishandling they could hold the local law agencies accountable for. Gilley had taken his first polygraph a few days after the murders and when Henslee said he passed, Gilley packed up his bags and left the force. Recording of Ken: I dont know. On Tuesday, May 5, the University of Oklahoma Student Association gathered hundreds of students to protest not only the war, but the actions of law enforcement in Ohio. They were from a .22 caliber weapon. Recording of Linda: I dont know how to explain that. 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. A tight knit group. It seemed like there was a main theory our sources kept coming back to on why it was so difficult to solve the case, even after the testimonies from other young couples who had also been harassed on lovers lanes in the area and from Butch Green, Gilleys former partner, who told police Gilley had lied about not owning .22 caliber weapons. WebExplore recent crime in Norman, OK. SpotCrime crime map shows crime incident data down to neighborhood crime activity including, reports, trends, and alerts. Witnesses were dying, people were moving or losing track of them. Come on home. So I hung up. Joshua Bookout. On the way up, Mr. Gilley made several remarks to the Mexican, one remark was that he didnt like his face. It was really hard for them when we told them we were reopening the case again because it had been so long and sort of accepted the fact as much as they could. Oklahomas Failure to Protect law treats those who enable child abuse the same as actual abusers. Keep in mind that they had been at a fraternity party at the SAE house. Pearo and his fellow investigators would drive to Dallas frequently, watching Gilleys house, following him to work, trying to put together enough evidence to arrest him. Tornadoes tore through Oklahoma, leaving severe damage in Norman, home to the University of Oklahoma. We were very close. Everytime I just about get it out of my head, somebody calls and says weve got a guy that thinks hes got the gun. Another unsolved case is that of 2-year-old Riah Thomas. He said yes Do you know if Gilley owned or had in his possession any .22 caliber weapons? 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 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. Im Kayla Branch and at the end of episode three, investigators had taken testimonies from 14 young adults who came forward claiming Frank Gilley had harassed them while they parked on lovers lanes. Davids mom raised him and her other children on her own, according to Linda. 112 GREAT OAKS DR, NORMAN, OK 73071 Property Report 145441690 We got out there and the polygrapher is an old Texas Ranger, one of Hensleys buddies. K: We heard this again from Brake, who had a copy of the official police reports Ken filed the day they found the bodies. I got to know her parents very well. K: Henslee talked about why Gilley left the Norman police force, saying he asked Gilley to go because the assault charges would make NPD look bad. WebNORMAN Police conducting a murder investigation say the decomposed body of a woman with special needs was found inside a container in the basement of a home about Recording of Pearo: Frank had rented a house from this guy and he brings in this .22 caliber rifle.. He was arrested early May 6, 1977, after being found by a neighbor asleep outside the bloody apartment. Hundreds of thousands of college students were protesting the Vietnam War. K: Boden and her date Rick had been west of Norman, in the same area that David and Sheryl were just 30 days earlier. Soon after he testified, the jury began deliberations. I think while he was shoving her into the trunk he had to slug her a couple times. Recording of Ken: But we jumped in the car in Oklahoma City and drove out to Lubbock, drove all night. Recording of Kayla: Is that difficult to do?, Recording of Brake: Let me tell you, its not difficult to do for a true sociopath., K: Ex-policeman appears victim of hate plot, headlines a June 2, 1970 article in the Norman Transcript. 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.. The way up, mr. Gilley asked him another question and the boy answered.. Sort of told him Weve got some good news and bad news of a firearm a... Police reports and photos he took of the crime scene when it was.... A firearm after a former felony conviction was working directly before he came to Norman, covers the half... After Gilley, Jacobson said college students were protesting the Vietnam War garage according! Of them University murders in norman, oklahoma in Ohio arrested early May 6, 1977, after being found by neighbor. 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