Deceased/Not Found OK - Lauria Bible & Ashley Freeman, both 16, Welch, 30 Dec 1999 *GUILTY* *released from prison 2023* #2

[findcarrie]

Laura Bible and Ashley freeman vanished from Welsh Oklahoma on December 30, 1999. These two young ladies disappeared under real questionable circumstances. There had been a fire that night and once the fire was extinguished the police found the bodies of Kathy and Danny Freeman.

A year prior to the house fire and disappearance of Bible and Freeman, an accidental shooting/suicide was being contested regarding Danny Freeman's son. It was believed he was killed by police and did not shoot himself. This case was featured on Unsolved Mysteries. These two young ladies are still missing.

gomcs.org

Thread #1

 

[Legally Bland]

From last week.

The defense maintains that Busick is not [competent], primarily because of a gunshot wound to the head that he suffered in 1978. Fragments of the .22-caliber round remain in his brain to this day, Mosely told the jury.

The traumatic brain injury causes him to "hyperfocus on whatever stimuli is in the moment" and not recognize "the gravity of what's happening to him," Mosely said. Consequently, he "can't make decisions" about his own defense and "can't give the story that's needed to litigate the case one way or another," she said.

"I would point out that 1978 is decades before the crimes Mr. Busick is accused of," District Attorney Matt Ballard said during his opening statement.

The defendant lived independently for 41 years following that injury, he said. The problem is that he learned over the 20 years since the Freeman-Bible murders "that keeping his mouth shut has kept him out of prison," Ballard told jurors.

"It's not that he can't provide the information (the victims' families need for closure)," Ballard said. "It's that he won't provide it."

He told the jury that the state will call two experts who contend that he is competent. One of them was chosen by the state. But the other is a presumably independent expert appointed by the court, he said. While the defense has its own expert who'll contend that he is not competent, all the experts expected to testify at the trial agree on a couple of matters, Ballard said.

Competency trial begins in case of Freeman-Bible murders

 

[Legally Bland]

Tiffany Alaniz
@TiffanyAlaniz
·
29m

BREAKING: After deliberating for 45 minutes, jurors have reached a verdict in the competency trial for Ronnie Busick. Busick is charged with 4 counts of murder for the deaths of Lauria Bible, Ashley Freeman & Ashley’s parents.

Tiffany Alaniz on Twitter

 

[Legally Bland]

Tiffany Alaniz
@TiffanyAlaniz

Jurors rule Ronnie Busick is compent [competent] to stand trial

Tiffany Alaniz on Twitter

 

[Legally Bland]

This tweet is a bit clearer:
__________________

Jax Miller

@RealJaxMiller
·
42m

BREAKING NEWS: a jury made up of 3 women and 3 men in Vinita, OK have found accused killer Ronnie Dean Busick COMPETENT to stand trial in the murders of Kathy, Danny, and Ashley Freeman, and the murder of Lauria Bible. <3 More to come!


Jax Miller on Twitter

 

[TexasT]

Twitter

 

[msmag]

Jury finds Ronnie Busick competent to stand trial

 

[Legally Bland]

Jury finds Ronnie Busick competent to stand trial

From that link:

The trial will begin Feb. 7 at 9 a.m.

 

[Niner]

Update in red - so I can shorten this up a bit.

Wednesday, December 18th:
*Jury Trial continues Day 2 (re competency) (@ 9am CT) - OK – Danny (40) & Kathy Freeman (37), their daughter Ashley (16) & her friend Lauria Bible (16) (Dec. 29-30, 1999, Welch; girls have not been found) - *Ronnie Dean Busick (68/37 @ time of crime) was arrested (4/22/18) & official charged (4/30/18) with 2 counts of first-degree murder with malice aforethought or accessory to 1st degree murder, 2 additional counts of 1st degree murder, 2 counts of kidnapping, and 1 count of first-degree arson or accessory to 1st degree arson. $1M bond.
Two other men, Warren Philip "Phil" Welch II (61) died in 2007 & David A. Pennington (56) died in 2015, are implicated in the deaths but have themselves died.
Jury Trial began on 12/13/19 re competency. Jury: 3 men & 3 women, with 2 alternates. 12/18/19: Found Busick competent to stand trial.
Trial is set to begin on 2/7/20.
Court info from 5/11/18 thru 11/1/19 reference post #982 here:
Still Missing - OK - Lauria Bible, 16, & Ashley Freeman, 16, Welch, 30 December 1999 *ARREST*
11/19/19 Update: Defendant demands a jury trial for competency. Set for 12/13/19.
12/13/19 Day 1: A jury of three men & three women, along with two alternates, was chosen Friday. Opening statements done. Witness: Gilbert Martinez, a San Antonio, Texas, neuropsychologist. On Wednesday, two other competency examination reports will be presented — from the state and the Oklahoma Forensic Center. The competency trial resumes on Wednesday, 12/18.
12/18/19 Update: Witnesses: Gregg Graves, one of Busick’s attorneys. Dr. Scott Orth, director of psychology at the Oklahoma Forensic Center (exam w/Busick for 90 minutes). After deliberating for 45 minutes, a jury made up of 3 women and 3 men in Vinita, OK have found accused killer Busick COMPETENT to stand trial in the murders of Kathy, Danny, and Ashley Freeman, and the murder of Lauria Bible. The trial will begin Feb. 7 at 9 a.m.

 

[Legally Bland]

I think this is the official missing page foe Lauria, so hopefully it's ok to post.

Find Lauria Bible-BBI
17 hrs ·
I’ve finally made it home and can reflect on the last week. We so glad this step is behind us. We can rest thru the holidays and try to breathe. We will be back in court on February 7th. We are looking forward to the break before it starts again. Having listened to everything last Friday and today, I know we are only just getting started. All of the testimony to come before us will be very difficult. We have learned patients for sure but I know this will be an entire new level of patients and understanding. For now, we will finish the plans for the 20 year memorial service coming up and continue working towards the next search. Thank you to every single one of you who had been praying for us and supporting us along the way!

Find Lauria Bible-BBI

 

[jaejae]

Here is another report about the developments in this case:

Jury Finds Man Fit for Trial in 1999 Slayings in Oklahoma

 

[Niner]

Here is another report about the developments in this case:

Jury Finds Man Fit for Trial in 1999 Slayings in Oklahoma

from the article:

Busick is slated to come back to court on Feb. 7, when his preliminary hearing date will be set.

Wait a sec - I thought his TRIAL starts on Feb. 7th??!!

Now - which article is correct??

Okay - answered my own questions - good thing I can access this court site:


02/07/2019 9:00am PRELIMINARY HEARING SOUNDING DOCKET

link: "STATE OF OKLAHOMA vs. BUSICK, RONNIE DEAN " (CF-2018-00056) | On Demand Court Records

and I believe the site meant "2020" on the year....

 

[Niner]

Yes they did - here's the

Docket:
12/18/2019 CM: CR: L. GRIFFIN, JUDGE STOUT PRESIDING. MATT BALLARD AND ISAAC SHIELDS PRESENT FOR THE STATE. DEFENDANT PRESENT WITH ATTYS GRETCHEN MOSLEY, GREGG GRAVES & DELIA LOPEZ. TRIAL CONTINUES: TESTIMONEY HEARD FROM GREGG GRAVES, TESTIMONEY HEARD FROM SCOTT ORTH, STATES EXHIBITS 1 & 2 ADMITTED INTO EVIDENSE. SHAWN ROBERSON TESTIFIES, STATES EXHIBITS 3 & 4 AMITTED INTO EVIDENCE. STATE RESTS. JURY DELIBERATES AND REACHES A VERDIT. JURY FINDS THE DEFENDANT COMPETENT. DEFENDANT ORDERED TO REAPPEAR FEBRUARY 7, 2020 ON THE PHSD AT 9:00AM
12/19/2019 OPENING INSTRUCTIONS
12/19/2019 CLOSING INSTRUCTIONS
12/19/2019 VERDICT

 

[TexasT]

They never go on first settings , I wouldn’t be surprised if a trial didn’t start til spring / summer .

 

[msmag]

Lauria Bible's family and friends will be holding a 20 year memorial Dec 30 at 6PM at the Vinita Park right across from the jail cell where Busick is.
Everyone who wants to join in the memorial are invited.
From Lauria's mother:
We had hoped we would never be here. Twenty years. We are inviting the public to come out and light a candle with us and honor Lauria and Ashley. Let’s join in prayer on the lawn of South Park, just next to the Craig County Jail, where Ronnie Busick, the only known living suspect, is being held. We hope to make this the biggest gathering to honor the girls. Please share the event and plan to attend.

 

[msmag]

What does it mean that the state is seeking "the excusing of the endorsements of witnesses, who are only identified by initials in the probable cause affidavit?

I am thinking that because of the possible real threat to all the witnesses who appeared in the paperwork and was only listed by their initials, that the court will not force their names to be made public and so on. Some of the people have gotten death threats and some are still being threatened. My personal opinion, since I know who these people are.. that if most of these people who testified on the paperwork were subpoenaed to come to court and testify, there is a good chance they won't show up.
This is from the OK courts
Upon filing of an application by the district attorney, notice to defense counsel, and hearing establishing need for witness protection or preservation of the integrity of evidence, the district court may excuse witness endorsement, or some part thereof. Such proceedings shall be conducted in camera, and the record shall be sealed and filed in the office of the district court clerk, and shall not be opened except by order of the district court.

 

[msmag]

It might have saved the girls. I read in an article upthread that the insurance card was found within 2 days of the fire, iirc. And the girls were kept alive for days rather than hours. This case is so heartbreaking, and infuriating at the same time. I can't imagine being a surviving family member and having to deal with this knowledge.

Yes some certainly knew where the girls were and if they hadn't of been all strung out and paranoid they would have been able to report this and maybe the girls could have been saved. It was sloppy LE work all the way around.

 

[TedMac]

Freeman-Bible case 20th anniversary marks long-suffering loss

"Lorene Bible thinks the approach of the 20th anniversary of the Freeman-Bible murder case on Monday packs a cumulative hurt that will be felt all the deeper by family and friends of the victims than on past anniversaries of the crime.

There's just something about realizing that it's now been 20 long years of speculation and uncertainty about who killed Danny and Kathy Freeman and what befell their daughter, Ashley, and Ashley's friend, Lauria Bible, in the early morning hours of Dec. 30, 1999, that makes this anniversary of the crime tougher to face, she believes."

 

[perkinwarbeck]

20 years later, Bible family member feels sting of cousin's disappearance

Life changed for Lisa Bible Broderick 20 years ago this weekend when her cousin, 16-year-old Lauria Bible, disappeared along with her friend Ashley Freeman.

It’s a moment etched in Broderick’s mind, shaping her as a person and mother over the past two decades and contributing to her relationships with her children. As her own daughter, Lexi, edges closer to the age she last saw Lauria alive, Broderick is trying to move forward while remaining vigilant because of the past.
---​

 

[perkinwarbeck]

Freeman-Bible case 20th anniversary marks long-suffering loss

This is the best article in a long, long while about this sad, sad case. Twenty years. Wow.

If Busick knows where the bodies are buried and gives that info up -- major plea bargain. But I doubt that he does.