GUYMON, Okla. — Tifany Adams, the woman prosecutors described as the mastermind behind the murders of two Kansas mothers, was sentenced Monday to life in prison without the possibility of parole.
Adams received two life sentences for first-degree murder in the deaths of Veronica Butler and Jilian Kelley. She was also sentenced to five years each on two counts of unlawful removal of a dead body and seven years each on two counts of unlawful desecration of a human corpse. All sentences will be served concurrently.
Butler and Kelley were killed on Easter weekend in 2024 after traveling from Hugoton, Kansas, to Texas County, Oklahoma. Kelley was accompanying Butler to supervise a court-ordered visit with Butler’s children.
According to court documents, Adams — the paternal grandmother of Butler’s children — orchestrated the killings amid an ongoing custody dispute. Prosecutors said the children were at the center of the motive.
In October, Adams entered a no-contest plea as part of a deal that removed the death penalty from consideration. As part of the agreement, the state dismissed charges of conspiracy to commit first-degree murder and two counts of child neglect. Prosecutors also agreed not to require Adams to testify against other defendants.
During sentencing, Adams showed no visible emotion as family members of both victims delivered impact statements. Her attorneys argued she acted out of a misguided attempt to protect her grandchildren, while prosecutors countered that the children were instead used to facilitate the murders.
Court-appointed attorney fees were waived under the plea agreement, though the judge said a final decision on court costs and fees would be made later.
Adams is the first of five defendants to be sentenced in connection with the case. Co-defendants Cora Twombly and Paul Grice are expected to be sentenced at a later date. Both accepted plea deals that could result in life sentences with the possibility of parole after 30 years, pending judicial approval.
