That happens all the time at OU. Because those guys werent even policemen when this thing happened. View on Google Maps Street View. WebThis horrific crime happened on June 13, 1977 at Camp Scott in Mayes County. He was found to not be involved with the case at all. 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. And then, on the last full day of trial, on Friday, Nov. 8, Perrine put Gilley on the stand. Recording of Pearo: Its bad enough in a normal murder case, I mean we know we take every murder seriously but if theres a dirty cop somewhere, that looks bad on all of us. 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.. 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. NORMAN Investigators arrested a man in connection with the death of a woman whose remains were found at Lake Thunderbird last Monday. 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. When you read Davids autopsy report, you find massive right hemoral thorax. According to the Cleveland County Sheriff's Office, 30-year-old Austin Blake Godwin was booked into the Cleveland County jail early Wednesday, shortly after surrendering himself at the Norman Episode 4 crosses state lines into Dallas, Texas, where the investigation is reopened in the 1990s. 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. I call, my dad picks up the phone. This is an 18.6% increase from the previous year. The verdict was inevitable in my opinion. There is no other perpetrator that makes any sense at all, none., Recording of Ken: When you get in a situation like that, you never really think youre going to die. As I remember it, they thought he was guilty but after 20 years, you know hes sitting there, Dave and Sheryl had been dead for 20 years. FOX23 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. Date: 2/28 #1 DRIVING W/ LICENSE CANC/SUSP/REVOKED. Well Recording of Linda: I thought, Ive seen you. My mom, of course, is there, and I was there with her. Pearo also testified, noting that almost all the evidence from the crime scene had disappeared, except one bullet casing. We flipped through the following days, seeing article after article following police officials and community groups. This was a disappointment, but it paled in comparison to the news detectives received when they went to the OSBI to retrieve the rest of the case evidence. Of course Gilley passed the polygraph and we didnt get to talk to him or anything.. The more I learned about that night, the more I realized it started off just like the fraternity parties today. 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. Whoever did that knew about crime scenes and knew about firearms they knew what they were doing. Click on the image below to view the Lexis Nexis Community Crime map. K: He kept the Benhams updated on the case. A lot of blood and congestion in the right lung from a wound in the lung. 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. He maintained that his wife at the time of the murders was with him before he started his night shift, though she denied it. Your chance of being a victim of violent crime in Norman is 1 in 316 and property crime is 1 in 32. Get to know their families and the rural Norman road that is just the beginning of the unsolved mystery. And its important to remember here that Gilley left the Norman police force on May 15. 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. Five days later, a few miles west of OUs campus, shots were fired again, ending the lives of two college students. Police reported that in 2018 Sandoval described Sanchez as her brother and that he and his wife were abusing her. Gilley was white, 5-foot-8 and close to 180 pounds. 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. The OU Daily, in a new podcast series called Uncovered, investigated a pair of murders that took place May 9, 1970 in Norman. Everytime I just about get it out of my head, somebody calls and says weve got a guy that thinks hes got the gun. And its also important to remember the climate of the time, that even though the majority of Normans community trusted law enforcement officials, the younger generation was having increasingly negative run-ins with officers, whether through protesting or individual incidents. They arrested a man who was picked up on the side of the road in a different town because someone reported him as having blood on his clothes. Witnesses were dying, people were moving or losing track of them. Bill Maher funeral home. But there were also bullet casings, almost 30 of them, scattered in the dirt and brush. And over the years, when we went back and started looking for those things, the OSBI couldnt locate them. I did not see the flashlight myself, but as he was shoving me out the door, my head hit the door. Now you dont die right away from a wound in the lung unless there is a major artery hit. And we think that was sort of a mistake because of what the jurors said in some of their questionnaires. K: Youre listening to Uncovered: The Lovers Lane Murders. Instead call the Cleveland County Sheriff at 405-701-7700. 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. While Sandoval lived with Sanchez and his wife, there were multiple reports filed with law enforcement and state agencies, investigators said. Recording of Ken: There was just like half a dozen guys on the police department that would even talk to us. Recording of Ken: Its amazing to me the interest thats continued in this case. 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.. K: This past spring, our newsroom got a call asking if we could look through our old newspapers to find a picture taken of a Jimi Hendrix concert on campus from the May 12, 1970 paper. Splashed along the front pages of newspapers and TV station headlines were two words: not guilty. WebIf you reside in Norman, then there is a 1 in 321 chance that you will experience a violent crime. We were very close. According to articles, testimonies and interviews, Henslee was worried. Recording of Minty: He just sat there quietly at the defense table the entire time. Recording of Brake: There was no official record at any check in Texas to indicate that Gilley had ever made contact with Sloan, officially. 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. Episode 1 whos who and what do I need to do to keep a job or to get that promotion. 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. And now I can talk about it without breaking down and crying. Recording of Ken: As far as physical evidence, evidence is required to sustain a murder conviction, we didnt have any. 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.. The jurors came back Monday, Nov. 11 with a verdict. Address: 6400 BLOCK OF 36TH AVENUE NW, Norman, OK. View Source Square with arrow pointing upper right. Jacobson also testified. Gilley said he was not guilty. Except one, a few days later. K: Next time on Uncovered: The Lovers Lane Murders. Tornadoes tore through Oklahoma, leaving severe damage in Norman, home to the University of Oklahoma. Maybe the war protesters from earlier that week had started rioting. 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. K: Next time on Uncovered: The Lovers Lane Murders. Were just, you just dont let it go. So we called him at work. Investigators called former colleagues and bosses of Gilley, looking for character statements. 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. I dont anymore. A tight knit group. Authorities found a 9mm handgun inside a trash can in the garage, according to an arrest warrant. 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