K: Articles about the murders were all over the central Oklahoma news, and Linda said her family was asked to do multiple interviews those next few days. And so were not letting that go. Authorities found a 9mm handgun inside a trash can in the garage, according to an arrest warrant. 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. . I think before when it was brought up, I still hurt so bad and my emotions. 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: He told us about finding the old case information from the murders and becoming interested. So when I walked in there, and they say, Can we help you? And Im just here, My sister is missing and Ive just wondered, and they stopped me and go, What is her name? And when I said Sherry Benham, they turned to me and say, You need to go home. Im like, Well my dad-, No, you need to go home, now. Youre probably gonna think, how could anyone be as nave as I was. K: But investigators did find .22 caliber weapons in the house, however they were technically owned by Gilleys father. K: A few months into the investigation, detectives persuaded Henslee to give Gilley a second polygraph test. 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. 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. NORMAN, Okla. (KOKH) Police identified the suspect in a homicide and officer-involved shooting in Norman that happened earlier this month. And he answered a crucial question about why the case came into the spotlight again after nearly 20 years since the initial investigation. WebCrime Statistics. They walked up and down the field, finding a few things more bullets, mostly. 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 States Violent Crime: 24: 14.7: 22.7 Property Crime: 60: 40.9: 35.4: The Crime Indices range from 1 (low crime) to 100 (high crime). Episode 4 crosses state lines into Dallas, Texas, where the investigation is reopened in the 1990s. He moved to Edmond as an administrator for the Edmond Police Department and died in May 1999. I think he started his lovers lane harassment and I think David recognized him. 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 Jacobson also testified. Did they find Sherry? Yes. Date: 2/28 #1 stephens co hold. Recording of Brake: 200 people. You know they were sort of at least at peace, at least a little bit. I spent an awful lot of time on it in 1970, 73 but after that it just.. Recording of Kayla: Puttered out. Detectives are actively completing a thorough and detailed investigation. I asked him why and he relayed to me that when he was in Amarillo, he went and would bust the parkers up and make them get out of the car and harass them and then let them go. 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. 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He was part of the Sigma Alpha Epsilon fraternity. Well start back up with thoughts from Linda Adams, Sheryls older sister. Said if I went out in the woods and took off all my clothes, he wouldnt take me to jail.. Now this detail, the assault charge, is crucial because case investigators used it to show that Gilley should never have been hired by the Norman Police Department in the first place. Officers with assault charges arent usually allowed to continue policing. I think thats what happened and the autopsy points to that as well. DNA testing wasnt being used yet, so police had few options. Your chance of being a victim of violent crime in Norman is 1 in 316 and property crime is 1 in 32. Henslee backed him, saying Gilley wasnt the kind of man to commit any serious crimes, definitely not murder. Most of these shots were in the upper body and head. He spoke of how Gilley admitted to him he did know David before the murders, though Gilley previously testified he had never met David. Munoz said he had to call police to get Sanchez to leave. WebAccording to the most recent data from the FBI, the total crime rate in Norman is 2,867.6 per 100,000 people. It wasnt going to get any better.. 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. Davids keys, wallet and shoes were all missing, too. Recording of Brake: He contacted somebody here, said theres a guy in your town there who was a bad apple out here, who is known for messing with Lovers Lane couples, and they started checking into him and found out he is on probation and shouldnt have ever been hired by the Norman Police Department in the first place., Recording of Ken: Frank made a couple of comments to me after the bodies were taken out of the car. Sheryl met David Sloan at Steak and Ale, a restaurant in Oklahoma City where they both worked. And then, on the last full day of trial, on Friday, Nov. 8, Perrine put Gilley on the stand. Once completed, we will present the case to the District Attorneys office, who will review the case and file the appropriate charges., Your California Privacy Rights/Privacy Policy. But there were also bullet casings, almost 30 of them, scattered in the dirt and brush. WebOklahoma Bookings. A tight knit group. And over the years, when we went back and started looking for those things, the OSBI couldnt locate them. The Norman Police Department said it didnt hold any officials records back that far that we could use to verify specific details. The place Dave and Sheryl went was popular, though they probably werent expecting to find any company. He has an old binder with newspaper clippings, police reports and photos he took of the crime scene when it was discovered. 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. Then Mr. Gilley said are you accusing me of stealing your $10? Other officers also took the stand, saying Gilley kept several guns in his work locker at the police department, one of which was a .22 caliber rifle with a hexagon barrel, the specific caliber of weapon used in the murders. At the end of episode four, police called Frank Gilley at work and told him to hurry home. The police department brought in dozens of suspects, potential witnesses, family members and friends to interview. He brought up the likelihood that Butch Green, his former partner who died a year after the murders, was the real potential suspect. Investigators located in the basement a 3 feet by 4 feet container heavily wrapped in high density plastic, packing tape, and rope stored under the stairs of the basement. A Daily staffer began flipping through pages in our large, dusty archive books. Thousands gathered for a demonstration on the Kent State University campus in Ohio. So I go, Dad did you find Sherry? Im Kayla Branch and Ill be your host as we hear stories and first-hand accounts from those involved with the case. Recording of Pearo: Frank had rented a house from this guy and he brings in this .22 caliber rifle.. They checked his police car, finding that on an average night, he would drive well over 100 miles on patrol. And they said Well Mr. Gilley, Im standing here in your living room and it looks like somebody broke into your house.. 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. But I was. 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. Thats where Dave would have walked when he came to pick Sheryl up for their date Saturday night. 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. Police said the double-murder occurred late Tuesday night in this University of Oklahoma community 20 miles south of Oklahoma City. Sloans was in Amarillo at the First Presbyterian Church that Wednesday. Rarely did he make any type of gestures that would draw any interest.He was quiet and he didnt do anything to call attention to himself.. 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. The more I learned about that night, the more I realized it started off just like the fraternity parties today. Margarita Sandoval was 19 years old when family first reported her missing in 2018. When you read Davids autopsy report, you find massive right hemoral thorax. K: They lived in a house off of Northwest 46th Street, a main road in Oklahoma City. Recording of Foster: Back then a lot more of that stuff what went on. 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. Instead, immediately call the Cleveland County Sheriff's Department at 405-701-7700. Re-reading articles and court documents, its clear he challenged every step of the trial. The call came from a TV station in Amarillo, Texas, a few days after the murders. 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