The two stayed there for an unknown amount of time. Months went by without a response or a jury. Sanchez and his wife lived at the Ann Branden Boulevard apartment until October 2018, according to investigators. 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. We were told he had been living in a nursing home. Recording of Linda: This was one of the weirdest things ever. 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. Before Green died, Gilley had come back to investigators claiming that Green had something to do with the murders of Sheryl and David. Oklahoma City, OK It says after being acquainted with Frank Gilley, it was the opinion of this officer that Gilley is very capable of committing such an act of which he is being investigated by your department. The place Dave and Sheryl went was popular, though they probably werent expecting to find any company. Recording of Kayla: Can you speak about the relationship between Henslee and Gilley? When I first heard that, there was a little bit of shock and, as I read further, a little bit of intrigue. They began to feel the full weight of frustration that only a couple of guys were truly working together to bring down a case held back by politics. This is an 18.6% increase from the previous year. There was a carnival coming to town and classes were ending soon, so students were hosting parties. They covered for one another and allowed scandals and corruption to be swept under the rug. Recording of Linda: Our family was very close, very close. The family was polite and helpful after the murders, but wanted more than anything to just move on. The verdict was inevitable in my opinion. 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. 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 I think he just thought it was embarrassing to have the guy being investigated.. K: Sheryls dad, Ben Benham, testified, answering questions on what it was like to file a missing persons report for his daughter. Date: 2/28 #1 stephens co hold. WebIn 2019, Oklahoma law enforcement reported 249 murders. David came to OU as a student from Amarillo, Texas, in 1966. It was just gone, all the evidence was just gone.. 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 But it was one that, it was kind of a taboo subject., Recording of Kayla: Why? 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. Cold Cases, Missing and Unsolved Crimes. She told them he was home with her, but later recanted her statement, saying she didnt know exactly where he was. Recording of Linda: I would just love to look him straight in the face and say What happened? Now Im almost like, not mad, I dont wanna use that word but damn, I wish they had had DNA back then., Left in the Dark: Patients, teachers and graduate students left behind after closure of Counseling Psychology Clinic, Oklahoma football: Many players have tattoos, some have special meaning, Hidden Legends: Ada Lois Sipuel Fisher, OU College of Laws first black student, Hidden Legends: Clara Luper, Oklahoma City Sit-in, Hidden Legends: Sylvia Lewis, University of Oklahomas first African American regent, Oklahoma football: Kyler Murrays 2018 season defined by big moments, confidence in self, Oklahoma football: Kyler Murray wins 2018 Heisman, Black History Month 2019: David Surratt returns to OU amid cultural reckoning on campus, Black History Month 2019: Prentice Gautt, first black football player on scholarship at OU remembered for humility and respect, Black History Month 2019: George Henderson reflects on activism, years of service at OU, Oklahoma football: Creed Humphrey and other Sooners stayed in their home state to play football, OU scores three 5-star wide receivers, each with a similar story, OU football: CeeDee Lambs journey full of hardship and pain makes him the perfect leader for Sooners, We all kind of felt that was our own little Woodstock: Norman residents reminisce on music glory days, reflect on current scene, Norman businesses, apartment complexes struggle to recycle at low costs as city program initiatives continue to fall short, A board in repair: University of Oklahoma Board of Regents seek best practices for university governance, Five years after SAE: OU community discusses universitys efforts to address diversity, acknowledges more work needs to be done. Oklahoma is 10.8% cheaper than Norman, Oklahoma. Recording of Ken: But we jumped in the car in Oklahoma City and drove out to Lubbock, drove all night. Now detectives believed themselves to be without any physical evidence. 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. Police identified the murder suspect as Isis McMullen. And then we sort of told him Weve got some good news and bad news. Believed under the right circumstances, especially if the possibility of discovery were probable, that Gilley would not hesitate to kill a person or persons to help cover an illegal act he was committingThis is also from Sheriff Johnston, Randall County Texas, where Gilley worked at one point. The violent crime rate in Norman is 289.4 per 100,000 people. The funnel was just one instance of severe weekend weather in various parts of the U.S. But agents like Ken Jacobson didnt believe that and kept investigating. We got out there and the polygrapher is an old Texas Ranger, one of Hensleys buddies. 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 he told me, he said if I file a case like that, itll set law enforcement back 20 years in Oklahoma., Recording of Kayla: Now what does that mean? Recording of Ken: There was just like half a dozen guys on the police department that would even talk to us. Recording of Pearo: Because of the way it was handled back in the 70s and the fact that the main suspect had been a Norman officer. We announced that we were going to go for the death penalty on those cases because of the circumstances. He was married multiple times and had a few children. The next day, after testimony from 33 witnesses and 21 years since the murders, District Judge Patricia Herron ruled Gilley would stand trial in Cleveland County for the murders of David Sloan and Sheryl Benham. Click on the image below to view the Lexis Nexis Community Crime map. It sits in a quiet neighborhood. -36.90% lower than the Oklahoma violent crime rate of 458.6 per 100,000 people. Investigators said Sandoval at one time was placed in Griffin Memorial Hospital for mental health treatment, and on Feb. 17, 2018 she filed a report with Norman police stating Sanchez and his wife were abusing her. The police department brought in dozens of suspects, potential witnesses, family members and friends to interview. In July, a hearing was held to determine whether the case had enough evidence to go to trial. Yeah we should do that. They began surveillance on Gilley, finding out where he lived now, following him to work. 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. Grady 2 Views. We never found anyone from Daves family to speak to like this, so we were given a much clearer look at the Benham family from Lindas vivid recollections of almost 50 years ago. WebNORMAN, Okla. Norman police on Thursday released the identities of two men who died in an apparent murder-suicide. Recording of Foster: One, we have basic requirements of age. K: For Ken Jacobson, that was his introduction to the murders of Sheryl Benham and David Sloan. Im writing this in hopes that some of the people receiving this letter can provide answers, he typed. As the night hours of May 9 wear on, Sheryls dadbecomes worried. And they are locked in the trunk now, what are they going to do. They just couldnt get past the death penalty portion., Recording of Brake: I think there were people on that jury who said I believe he did it but I can not send him to the electric chair When NPD first contacted me back then and said they were going to try and revitalize the case and they started running through all the material again, I remember sitting down there in the homicide office down in Norman with the file sitting on the desk between us saying Its great what you guys are doing but I dont think you can nail him. He agreed to give Gilley a polygraph test, unbeknownst to case investigators. K: NPD responded to public criticism of its officers over the years, said Major Kevin Foster. 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. Recording of Linda: I thought whoopie, OK good, fine, you know? Most of the trial information was kept from the public, but news articles indicated that Henslee and other officers testified, as did Jacobson and the other investigators. .. 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.. 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. But there were also bullet casings, almost 30 of them, scattered in the dirt and brush. He asked me if Id ever had sexual intercourse. College students going out together, laughing with friends, looking forward to the future. 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. NORMAN Investigators arrested a man in connection with the death of a woman whose remains were found at Lake Thunderbird last Monday. Dave Pearo and some of those guys, they really wanted to go after it.. 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. He was going to drive to Amarillo, Texas, and kill him. So he passed the polygraph. Hogue is now charged with first-degree murder in her sons death. Munoz told investigators he knew nothing about a dead body in the basement and gave them his consent to conduct a search. WebForty years ago this month, Oklahoma suffered one of its most horrific murder scenes near the small town of Locust Grove. The twister tossed vehicles around including one on top of another. 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. Maybe altered and those things would be extremely difficult to occur today based on the procedures that are in place.. Recording of Ken: Its my opinion that there were a lot of folks working against us. Mr. Gilley asked him another question and the boy answered it. 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. Joshua Bookout. And theyre almost all headshots at that point. If you come across them, do not attempt to apprehend them yourself. And then he said something about Well you couldnt even convict him again or something like that. Recording of Pearo: Its always a let down. 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. K: Eventually, Norman prosecutors declared they would be seeking the death penalty for Gilley due to the period of torture and terror David and Sheryl endured while being locked alive in the trunk. 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. The Norman Police Department begins investigations into the crime and receives tips on who might have been involved with the killings. 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. I think he locked them in the trunk after wounding David., Recording of Brake: I think at this point hes just got the little .22 pistol. Video source: Dylan Strilko/WEATHER TRAKER /TMX. WebNORMAN, Okla. Police have identified the two people killed in a double-homicide in Norman. Four students were killed and nine others were wounded. Tornado hits Norman damaging the electric system and causing power cuts. Norman violent crime is 14.7. Officers with assault charges arent usually allowed to continue policing. Not only does the department interact with the Norman community on a more regular basis, but the hiring protocols for officers have completely changed. And we started to hear this idea that the Norman police were covering themselves and trying to make up for the public outcry against them 20 years earlier. After picking Sheryl up at her Oklahoma City home, the pair drove down to Norman to attend a party at Daves fraternity. Did they find Sherry? Yes. Two days later, testimony began. Thousands gathered for a demonstration on the Kent State University campus in Ohio. 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. 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. WebGet full property details, plus crime rates, environmental hazards, natural disaster risks and more at HomeDisclosure.com 145441690. They patted each other on the back, good to see you, and all that stuff. Badge was in a black holder. No murder weapon, no footprints, no tire tracks. K: He kept the Benhams updated on the case. And now youve seen me.. Grady. K: After Ken Jacobson left the OSBI, he eventually started working as security for a company in Dallas. Recording of Brake: Some friends told me that the man was Frank Gilley and that he hit me in the head with a flashlight. Im Kayla Branch and Ill be your host as we hear stories and first-hand accounts from those involved with the case. Decades of investigations followed, creating ripples in the Norman community still felt today. Why?, Recording of Brake: I think Gilley was just out there trying to get a glimpse of some boobies and harass some kids like hed done many times before and runs into somebody that knew who he was.. Did you ever see Gilley with any type of badge other than the one he had? Address: 6400 BLOCK OF 36TH AVENUE NW, Norman, OK. View Source Square with arrow pointing upper right. Two years later, it seems like charges might be put against Gilley, but nothing is certain. We had talked about wanting to devote resources to an investigative piece, and what unfolded left us determined to tell the stories of not only of those who died, but really about those who spent their lives with the case and how police at the local and state level conduct investigations. 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 Ken: So we showed them photographs and they picked Gilley We ended up with seven couples, 14 kids, that picked Gilleys picture out that claimed this had happened to them on Lovers Lane.. The murders are intrinsically tied to the decade they occurred the type of technology available for investigations, the loss of trust in police and the beginnings of harsh public scrutiny into government bodies. Two counts of first-degree murder. 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.. 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. 112 GREAT OAKS DR, NORMAN, OK 73071 Property Report 145441690 Perrine put in dozens of requests, ranging from declaring a mistrial to requesting that words like grotesque not be allowed in the courtroom. She was 19. Episode 4 crosses state lines into Dallas, Texas, where the investigation is reopened in the 1990s. 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. Hundreds of court documents back that up. 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 What became the most important, Jacobson told us, was finding the murder weapon. . Just after 3 p.m. Wednesday, officers responded to a Which, the police chief, if he doesnt have enough power to influence, whos going to?. An old pool cue, broken in half, was in the front seat. Joshua Bookout. Said if I went out in the woods and took off all my clothes, he wouldnt take me to jail.. Its not that we know everything and that the other side of that is us hearing it but its that the public is coming to us and telling us because in the past, a lot of people didnt, it didnt affect them they didnt care or if it was affecting them they was too afraid to come to the police because theys like Ill just be in more trouble if I try to tell them were doing some wrong. Lets go! Well, they did find her. W. E. Joslin, a worker on the Norman dairy farm owned by Charles Haynes in western Norman, said he arrived at the property, which has a view of the lovers lane where David and Sheryl were killed, at about 3 a.m. to go to work on Mothers Day 1970. 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. Maybe hes just gone away and somebody will rescue them or find them. 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. Investigators were also dealing with the biases of the Norman community. On the way up, Mr. Gilley made several remarks to the Mexican, one remark was that he didnt like his face. And we were brought up, we went to church, my dad was a Mason. Uncovered: The Lovers Lane Murders is a five-part investigative podcast into the murders of two teenagers in Norman, Oklahoma in 1970. The murders of David Sloan and Sheryl Benham remain unsolved. I was taken into his car and handcuffed to be taken to the jail, along with some of the other boys . What really happened? He says he found the gun in Aug. of 1970,, Recording of Pearo: but kept it for 20 years and didnt know that there was any significance to the fact that it was a .22 rifle and that it may have belonged to Gilley So we didnt know if this was the gun or not, but it sort of caught Gilley in a lie. The explanation that Gilley was being framed ended up as somewhat of the official stance of the police department. I said my dad has been in Norman all day. K: Along with the drive NPD felt to clear its name, the clock was ticking. K: Welcome back to Uncovered: The Lovers Lane Murders. 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. The last known report was on April 16, 2018, investigators said. Davids keys, wallet and shoes were all missing, too. There would have been music, talking, some drinking, maybe dancing. K: There were clothes, a bloody blanket, hair and the roughly 30 shell casings that were all missing. They were from a .22 caliber weapon. One of them was Butch Green, who had ridden with Frank, who gave the statement that Frank did in fact carry a .22 rifle on duty in the car. If you see them, do not try and apprehend them yourself as they are most likely armed and dangerous. 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. Gilley took the test four days after the bodies were found. In the following months, officers deliberated how best to pin Gilley down for the murders. WebMost accurate 2021 crime rates for Norman, OK. We got several Norman officers lined up and walked across the area to see if we could find anything He told me, I knew that smart punk in Amarillo. At the time, I thought, Boy, thats a cold statement to make, the guy just got taken out of the trunk, he was shot a couple dozen times or so. He came up to me and volunteered that, none of the officers had anything to say, they just did what they had to do. One: Why a man with an aggravated assault charge in Texas had been hired as a Norman cop? Its just that willingness to listen and to take action on those things.. The boy had been dropped off at a party in late May or early June 1968, and later in the evening he got into a fight until Gilley pulled him off. 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. Shes a grandmother too, visiting her grandchildren as they graduate from college and get drivers licenses, close to the same age Sheryl was when she died. So I go, Dad did you find Sherry? I mean this guy was a cop and he did this stuff. Violent Crime Rate Norman, OK Oklahoma USA 2000 2002 2004 2006 2008 2010 2012 2014 2016 2018 100 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. But he signed off on the search warrant.. K: He told us about finding the old case information from the murders and becoming interested. JOSEPH WAYNE McCOOL Come on home. So I hung up. K: Police had starting investigating where Sheryl and David could have been after Sheryls dad filed the missing persons report. K: Almost two days later, their belongings were found dropped in and around Daves car, a 1966 Pontiac GTO. I told him we hadnt. She found the newspaper with the requested photo, but also found what led to the months long Daily investigation into that pair of murders. Recording of Brake: He told me that if anyone asked me about a .22 rifle, which he might own, to tell them no. Yes, he had a badge in a black badge holder that was for the sheriffs office.. Gilleys attorney, Robert Perrine, said most of the evidence was not conclusive. 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. View on Google Maps Street View. K: Back to that Tuesday in 1970: the OU protest ended peacefully, but police and residents were on edge for the rest of the week. Type in Norman, OK in the upper left address window, then click on Go to Address.. Benham did write the letter on May 11, 1971, exactly one year after the body of his daughter and her date were found in the trunk of Daves car. Munoz said he had to call police to get Sanchez to leave. It was another disappointing end again.. K: Youre listening to Uncovered: the Lovers Lane Murders. Jacobson also testified. WebNorman police shoot suspect who allegedly killed 1, shot another The shooting happened around 6 p.m. Thursday in the 300 block of East Comanche. WebFOX23 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. WebCrime Statistics. Munoz told investigators he last saw Sanchez in May of 2020 when Sanchez was trying to get into the house uninvited, according to the search warrant affidavit. WebExplore recent crime in Norman, OK. SpotCrime crime map shows crime incident data down to neighborhood crime activity including, reports, trends, and alerts. K: Boden and her date Rick had been west of Norman, in the same area that David and Sheryl were just 30 days earlier. 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.