WebExplore recent crime in Norman, OK. SpotCrime crime map shows crime incident data down to neighborhood crime activity including, reports, trends, and alerts. He might have fired most of the ammunition from it already and he doesnt have the firepower to kill them both. Those types of safeguards are in place. 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.. It is like a fairy tale now. So we called him at work. 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. WebMost accurate 2021 crime rates for Norman, OK. It may have been almost 50 years since the murders, but Linda said it rarely feels that long. Recording of Pearo: Frank had rented a house from this guy and he brings in this .22 caliber rifle.. WebIn April 2004, the Oklahoma Senate, by a vote of 38 to 7, and the Oklahoma House of Representatives, by a vote of 92 to 4, approved a constitutional ban on same-sex marriage.On November 2, 2004, Oklahoma voters approved Oklahoma Question 711, a constitutional amendment which banned same-sex marriage and any "legal incidents 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. Come on home. So I hung up. We flipped through the following days, seeing article after article following police officials and community groups. We were never able to get in contact with any of these family members, though. Police traveled to the Tornadoes tore through Oklahoma, leaving severe damage in Norman, home to the University of Oklahoma. K: The new team of investigators led by Pearo took the gun and ran tests, but it came back without a match. When Davids mom arrived at the Benham house later that Sunday, Linda decided she was going to leave for Norman to see if she could help find Sheryl. It was private enough for young couples to park their cars and be intimate. Investigators called former colleagues and bosses of Gilley, looking for character statements. 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.. Recording of Ken: Well, Id been to law enforcement academy at LSU for 90 days and I got back that Sunday, Mothers Day was going to take a couple of days off but was going by the office to get my expenses I was actually in the bank parking lot, I remember where I was, and the chief agent called me on the radio and asked if I would go to Norman to help them with a vehicle theyd recovered in a missing persons case. K: After finding the car and the bodies, officers from all of the agencies came together to sweep the area. Recording of Ken: Its amazing to me the interest thats continued in this case. An officer who cut into the plastic detected an odor that they could identify with a decomposing human corpse.. When police got there, the crime scene had been swept clean. K: Welcome back to Uncovered: The Lovers Lane Murders. You know, you think youre going to get out of this, youre going to go to class the next day or go to work or whatever you do. This is an 18.6% increase from the previous year. State police officers came to assist. By early morning Sunday, Sheryls dad had driven to Norman to speak with police and report her missing. K: Brake and Jacobson had personal theories they shared with me on exactly what happened the night of the murders. Four students were killed and nine others were wounded. 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). Then here we can and were visiting it again, making the news again. Brake saved a newspaper article about Sheryls funeral the next day. Gilley said he had never met Sloan. Henslee said he had fired Gilley a few days after the murders because of the tip that Gilley liked to harass couples on lovers lanes, but also said he had never seen any physical evidence to this day that ties Gilley to the crime., Recording of Ken: One of the comments Henslee made was that he didnt have enough power to influence a murder investigation. Well pick back up the day the bodies were found. K: Gilley had a clean official record until this incident in 1968. Well, we shared the same bedroom. 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. She suggested we go to the police station and see if anythings come up. On the night of the murders , his car logged only about 30. Weve got pictures of them but thats it. In episode 2, listen to the the story of Sheryls sister, Linda, on the day her family searched for Sheryl. I know who you are, youre Frank Gilley, Recording of Brake: So what I think happened is they stopped there to make some whoopie, and I think maybe Sherry was already undressed when Gilley approached. 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. He has an old binder with newspaper clippings, police reports and photos he took of the crime scene when it was discovered. Today, that house is tall and long, bricked at the bottom. Hundreds of court documents back that up. Address: 6400 BLOCK OF 36TH AVENUE NW, Norman, OK. View Source Square with arrow pointing upper right. Sanchez and his wife lived at the Ann Branden Boulevard apartment until October 2018, according to investigators. And then he comes back. That was good enough for me to go after him with everything I had.. And now youve seen me.. 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. Recording of Brake: Ava Yvonne Boden, this was her statement on Nov. 14, 1970. As a matter of fact, he, even all those years later, he kept track of where Gilley was on the sly, would leave him a little note on his car every once in a while, Gilley wouldnt know where it came from, but were still looking at you, that kind of stuff, a little psychological warfare. But amid the chaos, David Sloan and Sheryl Benham were preparing for a date. He was taken before a grand jury in Amarillo and indicted, given a suspended sentence and put on probation for an aggravated assault charge, though it was deemed a misdemeanor. When the husband went to court, it was speculated that Gilley was involved, that maybe he had tipped off the husband to the affair. It was the summer after Woodstock and Americas counterculture was thriving. Seven: How much Henslee knew but wasnt letting on? A lot of blood and congestion in the right lung from a wound in the lung. I dont think she was shot at that point. K: Welcome back to Uncovered: The Lovers Lane Murders. 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. This incident is alleged to have happened in early June. This meant that investigators were not only working a difficult case, but also working against bosses and colleagues, politics and public perception. K: 1970. 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. K: Perrine also focused on technicalities, like Gilley not being read his Miranda Rights at certain points or the lawfulness of using testimony from witnesses who had died before the trial started. Born on Dec. 28, 1935, he was in his mid-30s during the early 1970s. He hoped to become director of the OSBI, Jacobson said, and a mark like this on someones record could derail a rising career. Words he said he believes she would have said.. Dallas in De Soto, Texas, in the early 90s. At the end of episode four, police called Frank Gilley at work and told him to hurry home. Heres a quote about Sher right there: She loved life and lived to make people happy. Dr. Bailey said he told her young friends that detailing her high moral character and firm Christian beliefs, then urged the crowd especially the young to trust in God. Any kind of doubt that he could create was important to him. Two days later, testimony began. 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. I said my dad has been in Norman all day. But again, a guy has knowledge of firearms would pick a .22 to use, you know, all you have to worry about is that firing pin, and if you throw the gun in the river, the evidence is gone. Tornado hits Norman damaging the electric system and causing power cuts. And its important to remember here that Gilley left the Norman police force on May 15. Just after 3 p.m. Wednesday, officers responded to a Munoz said he had to call police to get Sanchez to leave. Episode 4 crosses state lines into Dallas, Texas, where the investigation is reopened in the 1990s. Authorities found a 9mm handgun inside a trash can in the garage, according to an arrest warrant. The Norman Police Department begins investigations into the crime and receives tips on who might have been involved with the killings. 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. The case becomes exceedingly complicated and twisted from here on out, so be prepared. For Linda, talking openly about her sister is something thats relatively new. 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 Pearo: Ken never gave up on the case. You know You had this last so where is it?. 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. We think David recognized him from that trial in Amarillo, Recording of Brake: Heres whats interesting about the autopsy report that told me at the time how I think it transpired. I think he just thought it was embarrassing to have the guy being investigated.. Per page 1; 2; 3 > Christopher Sanders. Recording of Linda: I thought, Ive seen you. WebAbout 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. And the further you get into it, the further you want to get into it. 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. They didnt know anyone new was being hired. So theres checks and balances to make sure the stuff isnt happening. 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. 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. 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. Now he is not working at this time. Why? He had a .22 caliber rifle in his locker at the Norman Police Department and also has several pistols of this caliber in his residence in Norman. It would be the publics first look at new details and theories regarding the case. 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. 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. And now I can talk about it without breaking down and crying. Im Kayla Branch. Sloans ex-girlfriend, who helped find the car after Ben Benham reported his daughter missing, told the jury she drove to the lovers lane area and happened upon the car, but left and reported it to police when she realized there was blood in the front seat and she smelled what she described in news articles as the smell of death. The medical examiner explained in detail how Dave and Sheryl died, both shot over 10 times, including bullets fired directly into each of their eyes. WebBest Places to Live | Compare cost of living, crime, cities, schools and more. 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. 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. Decades of investigations followed, creating ripples in the Norman community still felt today. NOTES: GRADY CO The explanation that Gilley was being framed ended up as somewhat of the official stance of the police department. Grady. Gilley said he was not guilty. Oklahoma is 10.8% cheaper than Norman, Oklahoma. Detectives are actively completing a thorough and detailed investigation. Who knows.. We still do polygraph examinations. They were spurred on by the initial evidence; the assault charge, Henslee hiring Gilley out of line with protocols and Gilley disappearing. I think dad was with him for a long time with what was going on He was so honest and wanted justice done. K: That was the voice of Mike Brake, the reporter from the Oklahoma Journal who covered the Sheryl Benham-David Sloan case in the early 70s. He agreed to give Gilley a polygraph test, unbeknownst to case investigators. 112 GREAT OAKS DR, NORMAN, OK 73071 Property Report 145441690 David came to OU as a student from Amarillo, Texas, in 1966. 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. Thats where Dave would have walked when he came to pick Sheryl up for their date Saturday night. 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. 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. Maybe altered and those things would be extremely difficult to occur today based on the procedures that are in place.. Officers with assault charges arent usually allowed to continue policing. A daughter of an ex-wife said Gilley told her he had killed someone and kept a diary of old cases with pictures of dead bodies. When I first heard that, there was a little bit of shock and, as I read further, a little bit of intrigue. K: This was one of the houses Gilley lived in full-time while he was on the Norman police force and on and off for a few months after the murders. The twister tossed vehicles around including one on top of another. 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. In addition to debris, there are cars with K: Youre listening to Uncovered: The Lovers Lane Murders. 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. Recording of Foster: One, we have basic requirements of age. Said hes shoot rabbits with it and stuff. K: Youre listening to Uncovered: The Lovers Lane Murders. When it was decided the case would once again be brought to a grand jury in February 1991, the trajectory looked similar to when the murders were first investigated in the 1970s: A team of investigators followed Gilley, arrested him for a related but not directly connected charge and then a grand jury determines whether he could stand trial. Mike Brake, a police reporter for the Oklahoma Journal in 1970, went out to the crime scene with officers. Two counts of first-degree murder. They were from a .22 caliber weapon. 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