(NewsNation) — A man arrested in connection to the killings of two Kansas moms who went missing in March revealed in court Wednesday he cannot pay for an attorney to represent him.
Paul Grice, 31, was arrested and charged with the kidnappings and first-degree murder of Veronica Butler, 27, and Jilian Kelley, 39.
Tifany Adams, 54; her boyfriend Tad Cullum, 43; Cora Twombly, 44; and her husband Cole Twombly, 50, were arrested before him on the same charges.
Butler and Kelley were traveling together to Oklahoma to pick up Butler’s two children, aged 6 and 8, for supervised visitation from Adams’ home when they vanished last month. Adams is the children’s paternal grandmother.
It was several weeks after Butler and Kelly went missing before they were both found dead in a rural area of Oklahoma.
While police have not shared much about the ongoing investigation with the public, probable cause affidavits obtained by NewsNation revealed a bitter custody battle between Butler and Adams involving death threats and plans for violence.
The scene at Grice’s court appearance Wednesday was much calmer than at a previous hearing for the other four suspects, where victims of the family members had to be held back, swearing at the accused as they entered the building.
Grice said he will need a public defender appointed for him as he can’t afford to hire a private lawyer. According to the court documents, Grice admitted he was part of the planning, killing and burying of Butler and Kelley.
When asked by a NewsNation reporter while walking into court if he had anything to say to the victims’ families, Grice said, “Sorry for their loss.”
To his family, Grice said, “I miss them. I love them.”
Residents of Guymon, Oklahoma, who spoke to NewsNation said he lived with his wife and kids out in the country. Grice’s wife, NewsNation was told, has since left town with the children and says she knew absolutely nothing about the alleged killings.
Those who knew Grice say they’re in a state of shock.
“I felt good seeing him walk in,” one woman who came to the hearing said. “We’re on our way to see that justice takes place.”
What we know about killings of Kansas moms
Family members, who have been asked to postpone media interviews until the police tell them otherwise, say Butler and Kelley were involved in their community and their churches.
Butler has a memorial service scheduled at the beginning of May. A memorial was held for Kelley on Sunday.
At the time of the two women’s deaths, Butler’s kids had been staying with Adams. Police have described Kelley and Butler as acquaintances. NewsNation learned that Kelley had supervised the visits Butler had with her children. The father of the two children had legal custody but was in a rehabilitation facility, so the children were living with Adams at the time of the disappearance.
Court documents show investigators said Adams confessed to killing Butler and Kelley and also indicate there were previous attempts to kill Butler in Oklahoma and Kansas.
Grice and the other suspects are part of an allegedly anti-government religious group called “God’s Misfits,” with the group meeting at the Twombly residence weekly, per court documents.