Bible & Freeman Kidnapping and Murders ////// 669 | Forensic Files

thank you [Music] [Music] thank you [Music] hours after Laura a Bible and Ashley
Freeman went missing nearly 20 years ago search parties were formed missing persons signs were hung up and the
community of course was on edge and tonight we hear from a close friend of the girls who is still staying hopeful
that their bodies will be found news on 6's Amy Kaufman is on that story in Veneto with the latest Amy
Craig and Terry Ronnie Busick is sitting in the Craig County jail tonight facing
four counts of murder but despite the gruesome details of this case one of Laura and Ashley's closest childhood
friends tells me that she helps people remember who the girls were as opposed to what they went through
easy to get lost in the details of this but what I hope and wish is that people won't dwell on those things and that
they will take that energy and remember the girls Sheena Ruiz says she was coming home
from basketball at Blue Jacket High School when she found out about the fire at the Freeman house she immediately
rushed home to call Laura to see if Ashley was okay I just wanted to get home to get to a phone you know to call
Laura and that's when he told me that she was with her that was like a shot to the gut 24 hours later after
investigators left the home turned crime scene family and friends went to make sure nothing was missed they sifted
through all the way to the ground to make sure those two girls were in there and they weren't so we knew we had to
get a search party going Sheena and her family were involved in several different searches and hung up missing
posters across the area but says even when it was difficult she never gave up hope Laura and Ashley were such Fighters
and both so full of life and love Sheena says she still thinks about them every day I didn't get a chance to have
children get married so I hope those of us that are here make something of that for them because ultimately everyone is
fighting for the same goal to get the girls home knowing that that will give them some closure and peace of mind
that'll give me closure Sheena tells me that she's still hopeful that Laura and Ashley's bodies will be found so if you
have any information that could help lead investigators to Laura and Ashley's bodies you're asked to call OSBI live on
the scene on the story from Craig County Amy Kaufman News on Six [Music] foreign
this story will make your blood boil back in December of 1999 two people were killed and two girls were taken in May
of 2017 True Crime garage covered this case in episodes 107 and 108 titled the missing Welch girls our show description
read something like this in the early morning hours of December 30th 1999 in Welch Oklahoma a trailer home fire is
reported firefighters arrive and put out the Blaze the dead body of wife and mother Kathy Freeman is discovered her
husband daughter and family friend are missing law enforcement theorized Kathy's husband Danny shot her set the
home on fire and abducted his daughter Ashley and their friend Laura the following day to everyone's surprise
Laura's family was looking for Clues at the scene of the fire there and then they find the body of Danny Freeman and
the description goes goes on to read Tonight We Gather in the garage and discuss what could have possibly
happened the night in the trailer we also want to know what happened to Ashley Freeman and Laura Bible well
today We Gather in the garage once again to discuss the aggravating update we have in this case first let's go through
a little recap of this story this True Crime Story Now 23 years old it's been 23 years and the families here are still
seeking answers and truly when you get down to it still Seeking Justice because it's sad to say but we have seen
it before and I don't ever want to see it again but sometimes unfortunately evil wins and here in this case I am
hoping that we can all pull together and make sure that evil does not win so let's go back in time Captain to the
end of 1999. many were bracing themselves for the Y2K scare but in the Tiny Town of Welch Oklahoma two girls
were celebrating something other than the upcoming new year in New Millennium they were celebrating a birthday
Welch is located in Craig County which is one of the northeastern most counties in Oklahoma
this case is so well known in this part of the country that if you were to look up Welch Oklahoma this case is
highlighted on the Welch Wikipedia page sixteen-year-old Laura Bible spent the evening of Wednesday December 29 1999 at
her best friend's house her best friend Ashley Freeman was turning 16 years old on this day
and the two friends along with Ashley's parents and a few other friends were going to have some fun for the
youngster's birthday these two were the best of friends longtime friends the kind that you are
so used to seeing them together that they almost start looking alike in some of these pictures captain Laura
and Ashley almost look like they could be cousins if we started looking alike I I'm gonna quit now they're celebrating
Ashley's family's house they they own a trailer that was close to Welsh Oklahoma
yeah this is a trailer home this is their residence much of the following is from the Charlie project website which
is by far in my humble garage opinion the best database of missing persons that's
charlieproject.org and I know many people spend a lot of time reading all of the cases and profiles on that site
just remember to donate a few dollars while you are there to make sure that the Charlie project site never goes away
Kathy Freeman Ashley's mother took the two girls to Big Bill's Barbecue on North Wilson Street in Veneta Oklahoma
the group traveled in Kathy's blue Toyota to pick up feed for the Freeman's livestock as well as water from Kathy's
mother's house the Freeman's trailer had a wood burning stove in the living room
and phone service and electricity the Freeman family was described as Avid hunters and outdoor enthusiasts who
enjoyed living in the remote location due to the fact that they were Hunters there were numerous Firearms stockpiled
inside the home Ashley's boyfriend Jeremy Hurst told investigators that he met the women at a
local Walmart after their dinner he gave Ashley a silver chain with a heart-shaped pendant embedded with her
birthstone for her birthday present Jeremy Hurst said that he returned to the Freeman's home with both of the
girls shortly afterwards he said that nothing appeared to be amiss while he was there and that he departed sometime
between 9 30 and 10 30 p.m Ashley's father Danny Freeman also had relatives over for the birthday party they left
after Jeremy Hearst left the trailer that night authorities said that no outgoing telephone calls were made from
the family's home during the night Kathy planned to take Ashley to her driver's test the following morning Laura had a
dental appointment scheduled for the following morning and planned to leave the trailer shortly beforehand now Laura
is 16 so she's driving age she drove to the Freeman residence that evening a passing motorist reported a fire in
the vicinity of the Freeman's Residence at approximately 6 a.m this is on the morning of Thursday December 30th 1999.
First Responders arrive on the scene and shortly after authorities discovered Kathy Freeman's remains inside the
debris during that afternoon search of the trailer in the property investigators initially stated that they
were positive that no other bodies were inside the home and did not secure the location during the overnight hours
Danny Freeman Ashley's father at the time was considered to be the prime suspect in his wife's murder in fact
authorities believe that he may have abducted Ashley and Laura and traveled elsewhere with them but the problem with
this Theory here Captain was that all of the Freeman's Vehicles were parked near
the home they're found on the property yeah a lot of this initial investigation doesn't make a lot of sense but you
could see where law enforcement was going with this thought hey we found the mother we can't find the father we can't
find the kids one could assume father took the kids Laura Bible's car was also nearby and one detail that was
thought to be added strange at the time was that the keys Laura's keys were found in the car and in the ignition
that following day now again this is a very remote area they don't have any nearby neighbors I can see
16 year old I could even see myself just leaving the keys in the car she's planning on getting up and going to that
dental appointment early the next morning later we have Laura Bible's family they're at the scene
and remember this is an unsecured scene they're trying to figure out what happened to their daughter to their
loved one they find Laura's purse propped up inside the trailer and that is the only evidence
that they found of their daughter at the scene the vehicle parked outside keys in
the ignition and Laura Bible's purse propped up against uh I believe it was uh like a corner in in one of the walls
in one of the rooms of the trailer the following morning the Bible's return to the trailer and attempt to gather more
evidence as to their daughter's whereabouts J Bible is Laura's father this is when Jay Bible discovers Danny
Freeman's body in the bedroom of the mobile home so that theory is completely wiped out well it makes you wonder how
law enforcement and firefighters missed this victim correct and it also makes it
extra difficult in upsetting that they didn't secure the scene either yeah because one could question if he didn't
find it that day is it possible that he was taken away from that scene and then brought back later it was determined
that both Danny and Kathy Freeman had died as the result of gunshot wounds not from the fire
Danny's body was partially covered by debris inside the bedroom this explaining why his remains were
overlooked by firefighters and police the medical examiner determined that Danny's right collarbone had been
fractured prior to the entrance of the Fatal gunshot wound so it would appear that there was some kind of scuffle some
kind of fight he Danny certainly had injuries that took place right before he was killed
with that gunshot well it raises questions why would somebody want this couple dead
why would they set their place Ablaze and where are these girls and the coroner determined that Kathy Freeman
died at approximately 5 a.m on that day and remember the fires reported at approximately 6 a.m that morning
investigators believed that the fire was intentionally set this as an attempt to
destroy evidence of these two crimes and potentially cover them up completely an
extensive search for the girls produced no evidence as to their whereabouts Lorraine Bible Laura's mother told
reporters that Ashley her daughter's friend had been saving her money to purchase a used vehicle remember she's
going to get her driver's test the day after her birthday Lorraine said that she believed that Ashley had about
twelve hundred dollars in her savings Ashley's boyfriend Jeremy Hearst said that Ashley actually had saved between
three thousand and four thousand dollars for a vehicle wow she was employed at a
convenience store in town and was using a lot of that money to purchase her first car
the boyfriend Jeremy Hurst said that Ashley did not have a bank account and in fact she kept her money sealed in a
tupperware container in the family's freezer authorities armed with this information
were unable to locate any evidence of the cash after the fire Lorraine stated that Ashley and Danny had been arguing
earlier in the month regarding what vehicle she was going to buy she claimed that Ashley wanted to purchase a
different car than what Danny had decided she should be buying Oklahoma law enforcement officer David Haynes
shot and killed the Freeman's son Shane the year before in 1998. Shane was found
on a country road in possession of a stolen vehicle when the officer encountered him
Shane Freeman allegedly reached behind his back and pulled a gun on the officer prompting officer Hayes to fire at him
right the incident was investigated and Hayes's actions were found to be justified
he and his brother who was also a law enforcement officer said that they both were required to take polygraph exams
after the girls disappearances in 1999. neither of them though however were ever considered to
be suspects in the investigation well this is a strange case strange scenario and then a fractured relationship
between the Freemans and law enforcement so a lot of the families started believing that maybe law enforcement was
Behind These murders yeah local law enforcement possibly involved in the murders and then The Disappearance of
the girls as well of course we're being told by law enforcement that there's no evidence
that seemed to support that theory at the time but as you can imagine Captain that's going to be difficult for
several of the Freeman Family to agree with that statement there was speculation that Ashley and
Laura may have been involved in the Freeman's murders after the searches failed to
produce evidence as to their whereabouts investigators stated that there was nothing in either girl's background to
suggested all that they could be capable of such a horrible crime Ashley was a member of the Welch high school
basketball team Laura was a cheerleader who planned to become a cosmetologist after her high school graduation both
girls were very much the girl next door they were they were good kids both girls
were viewed as well-behaved teenagers well with such a heinous crime and there's obviously so much confusion so
we're going to have so many suspects and so many different angles that law enforcement enforcement is going to have
to dive into that's right Captain several suspects were looked at and investigated over the years this
includes serial killers Tommy Lynn sells and Jeremy Bryan Jones both who we discussed briefly in our original
coverage of this case we talked about both of those serial killers and that's because both of these guys
confessed on separate occasions these two didn't know each other uh confessed to having committed the
murders police pursued both possibilities but neither killer could offer up solid
proof that they were involved and neither killer could lead the authorities to the missing girls as well
right so the case dragged on throughout the years and as we said at the top of today's show it's 23 years
now and we have families that are still looking for answers and still looking for justice now it appears to me Captain
in reviewing this case that it was never what I would call a cold case so it was
never really a cold case it seems like new leads and tips were constantly coming in over the years but as it were
for a large part of the investigation the police were having no luck solving the case well there's so many local
rumors and speculation and then you have these killers that are confessing and it
makes you wonder are they just are they so mentally deranged that they're confessing to these crimes or is it that
law enforcement is just so good at getting a confession detectives said that things started coming together for
the case in 2016 and 2017. there was a major break in the case according to the media uh this in April of 2018
so now we're 18 years after the two teens vanished and after the murders in April 2018 this is when police announced
that they had made a serious break in the case so authorities are saying that they
identified Warren Phillip Phil Welch II uh his real name is his legal name would
be Warren Phillip Welch II but he goes by Phil and David a Pennington and Ronnie Dean
Busick as all having been involved in the murders the arson and the Abduction of
the two girls police say that the three of these guys Welsh Pennington and Busick all went to the Freeman trailer
in the middle of the night on the night in question they killed Danny and Kathy they set the trailer home on fire and
left taking the girls with them but because this is 18 years later after the crimes Pennington and Welch
were deceased by the time that they were named as suspects in the case identified
as suspects in the case yeah I'd like to dig up their dead bones and kill them again but Ronnie Dean Busick was alive
and so he was arrested and charged with four counts of first-degree murder two counts of kidnapping and one count of
arson Phil Welch one of the deceased members of this group of sniffers losers was described
as evil and said by witnesses to be thought of as The Mastermind in the killings of Ashley Laura and Ashley's
parents he died in 2007. David Pennington died in 2015. so in 2018 once the police figured out
what happened and how a lot of this went down there was only one man left standing only one guy to to arrest and
charge here in this case all three of these dudes had criminal histories and both Welch and Pennington
had documented histories of violence against women right one strange tidbit here in this
case Captain was that an auto insurance card was found near the crime scene this
was a few days after the murders in 1999. so after the the two murders are discovered the arson
and now with both parents dead it's believed that the two girls were abducted a few days after this they find
an auto insurance card near the crime scene and we say near the crime scene it it
sounds like police didn't do their job when you just say near the crime scene but keep in mind I believe that their
nearest neighbor at the time lived like a mile away so near the crime scene could mean
could mean three-quarters of a mile away from the home right but this card shouldn't be out there it doesn't it
doesn't get there just all all willy-nilly the insurance card belonged to Welch's then girlfriend
who said that she did not know the Freeman family and had never been to their home had never been to their
property and had no idea why her insurance card was there though she did admit that Welch
Phil Welch knew Danny Freeman yeah and maybe he took her vehicle correct and up until a few months before Danny and
Kathy were killed Phil Welch was their nearest neighbor he was living in a house that is
stated to be less than a mile to the south of the Freeman's trailer so still living a good distance away the
insurance card was not given much significance early on in this investigation by police uh not given
much significance at the time by police so a private investigator working for one of the families kept this insurance
card instead the same private investigator found the blue Mercury Topaz vehicle that was linked to
the insurance card it had been sent to a salvage yard the investigator told police about this vehicle but said that
the police wouldn't take the car into evidence in fact they called for revoking the private investigator state
license from the Council on Law Enforcement Education and Training for quote interfering in their investigation
into the Freeman and Bible case but what we do know now Captain all of these years later is that that insurance
card later turned out to be a very important clue in this case yes very important indeed my friend all three of
these scumbags had a lengthy criminal history that's correct and Phil Welch was known as a quote
cooker of methamphetamine and Pennington his friend one of these other guys was also involved with the drug meth as well
definitely no Heisenberg or Pinkman after Ashley and Laura's disappearance Welch broke up with his girlfriend the
one that had the vehicle and the insurance card but he kept her vehicle that Mercury
Topaz he began dating another woman shortly afterwards and it said that she moved in with him in the spring of 2000.
this girlfriend later told police that Welch had Ashley and Laura's missing persons poster nailed to a wall
in his home and he lived in pitcher Oklahoma now while she's staying there and living
with him she says that she overheard Phil Welch talking with the other two suspects Pennington and Busick about
the Freeman and Bible case she said that the three men implied that they had murdered the Freeman parents
over a drug debt and then taken Ashley and Laura with them and eventually killed the girls as
well she went on to tell police that Phil Welch had several Polaroid photos of the
two girls and his girlfriend that she had seen these photos the the photos showed the two girls bound and
lying on a bed that bed in the picture matched the one in Phil Welch's bedroom yeah there was a
long-standing rumor by locals that there was this party that took place and that some men had these
Polaroids of the girls and that was a long-standing rumor that we eventually figure out is true in February 2017 the
Craig County Sheriff found some previously unknown notes and documents about the free men and Bible case
this included notes about the case but also notes from that private investigator the one who had the
insurance card in his possession the papers had been left over from a previous Sheriff Administration and had
apparently been misplaced now acting on the information in those nodes investigators received additional leads
this linking Phil Welch Pennington and Ronnie bussick to the case and they started to locate and
question other Witnesses one witness was a former girlfriend of Penningtons who said that Pennington had physically
abused her and threatened her life she said that he had bragged to her on more than one occasion about killing the
Freemans during a quote bad drug deal according to this witness Pennington told her one of the Freeman's parents
was buying drugs when Ashley and Laura suddenly walked into the room they were using Phil Welch's
girlfriend's vehicle that Mercury Topaz that night Pennington told his girlfriend that he and the other men
decided to take the girls from the crime scene to quote have some fun with them [Music]
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betterhelp [Music] all right cheers mates to the windows to the walls cheers to everybody in the back cheers
to you colonel cheers to you captain so normally when we have an update it's normally a good thing but this is not an
update that we are that thrilled about but if you want more information about this case again we covered this episode
107 and 108. yeah and we go through the Tommy Lynn cells and the other serial killer Jones we go through those
theories a little more extensively than we did here today as well as covering some other theories about the case and
what was interesting in our coverage about the case we didn't know how active the case was at the time and we didn't
know that all of these things were kind of Brewing behind the scenes but some of
the theories we reviewed were similar to what we would learn all of these years later in 2018 when they said that they
made an arrest and they were charging Ronnie Busick with murder abduction and arson now leading up to that arrest we
still have police working on this case and they're rounding up these additional Witnesses and collecting statements that
will help them build a case against basic and the other two deceased persons that were involved in this case as well
now multiple other Witnesses connected the three men Pennington Welch and Busick to the case
and these Witnesses are giving similar stories about these guys boasting and bragging about their involvement in
the Freeman and Bible case some of them said that they had seen the Polaroids of Ashley and Laura and some
of the photos the two girls were bound and gagged lying on a bed and in others they were duct taped to chairs
by the time investigators learned about the photos these photos had all seemed to have disappeared as well and may have
been destroyed by one or all of the suspects but Witnesses said they had seen them and they could describe in
great detail to authorities what these Polaroids were what they were of and and what were seen
in the photographs there were approximately 10 to 15 photos of the girls is the rumor the Witnesses
were able to identify the bed that was seen in one of the at least one of the photos a blanket on that bed and these
Witnesses were able to identify the bed in the blanket as belonging to Phil Welch
and some of the photos showed Phil Welch lying next to the girls Ronnie bussick told one witness the girls had been kept
alive for days perhaps as long as two weeks in a trailer in picture Oklahoma where they were raped tortured and
eventually strangled to death Ronnie bussick said that Phil Welch had shot Kathy and Danny Freeman and that he
and the other assailant Pennington stayed behind at the scene at the murder scene to set the fire
to the trailer to cover up the crimes to cover up the evidence and right when they stayed behind this is when Phil
Welch took the two teenage girls away from the scene Pennington and Welch had both threatened Witnesses saying that
Ashley and Laura were in a quote pit and that Witnesses might end up in the same pit if they tell what they may know
or or have overheard from these men now because of these threats none of the witnesses would come forward
this changed in 2017 when they discovered those lost notes investigative notes in
the case and law enforcement were circling back and going to these people and asking them for statements or things
that they have known is probably helped too loosen the the grip on these Witnesses a
bit because we know that by 2017 two of these three terrible people had passed away
so these Witnesses probably felt a little safer and a little more secure in being able to give statements to law
enforcement after two of these guys were already dead well think about that for a
second I mean you have information you want to go to police but there's three killers out there
you know what they're being accused of you you believe you know who did it you've heard the other rumors
there would be a part of you that would be afraid that if the cops don't get them
or the information you give the police if it's not enough what are they going to do to you
and if you're local and if you're keeping your ear to the ground you're hearing whispers from the bushes you're
you're paying attention to the investigation and paying attention to local rumor and
local scuttlebutt you may know that there's been some I'm using air quotes here evidence this stuff turned out
later to be evidence at the time they didn't know what they had but you may know that hey here's this private
investigator here's these other people that have provided law enforcement with leads and they've turned away from them
so if I drop a dime here and try to call in one of these guys who one dude is known
by many to be quote evil all three of them are known to have a criminal background and at least two of
them A History of Violence if you're going to drop a dime and call one or all three of these guys into
authorities what are you going to do then after you hang up the phone are you going to hope and pray that they follow
up on that lead and arrest all of them so that no harm will come your way uh it's a it's a very dicey situation
after all of this news comes out in 2018 of course we learned that Ronnie bussick
the only person of the three still alive the only suspect that is still alive out of three
suspects he's arrested for quadruple homicide he tells police and this will make its way to the
media that he suffers from memory loss and didn't remember what happened on the night of the murders
he doesn't remember the arson or where Laura and Ashley are he it's reported that he has a low
IQ and has sustained brain damage from extensive drug use and from an incident that took place in 1978 when he was shot
in the head nonetheless he was found legally competent to stand trial so they move forward with court
proceedings in July of 2020 Ronnie bussick pled guilty to accessory to second-degree
murder so you can see it's originally first degree murder quadruple homicide arson abduction
kidnapping you know all of these charges look what it's reduced to pled guilty to
accessory to second-degree murder well it becomes difficult for law enforcement because maybe you can prove that he's
involved but because there's so many people involved you can't prove that he's the trigger man so you have to
take what you can get sometimes so they make a deal with them so maybe the in the in the best case scenario you you
end up having to make a deal with this monster right you're making a deal with the devil here you don't want to but
you're hoping that with him being the only one left of the three you can't leverage each other against one another
right each one of these guys against one another to to to draw out information because if it's true that this guy has
severe memory loss and does not know the information that you're seeking you could likely get it from one of the
other guys but that's not going to work today because they're dead and gone and what is he charged with
what is his sentence well his sentence is supposed to be 10 years prison time which I believe the families
were originally told it was going to be 15 years and then when he does get out he's going to get five years of
probation but keep in mind he does not plead guilty until July of 2020. they announced the arrest in April of 2018.
so two of those years he spent in jail his sentence while it's handed down in 2020 and would start in 2020 he does get
credited with that two years that he did in jail leading up to what was supposed
to be a trial which turns out to be a plea agreement yeah this guy's a real douche Taco so in that plea agreement he
said that Ashley and Laura's bodies had been put in The Root Cellar of a residence near 6th and Ethel in pitcher
Oklahoma however searches of that area turned up nothing Ronnie bussick was sentenced to
as we said 10 years in prison and five years of probation authorities still hope to recover the girls bodies and
that's what the families want as well it's been 23 years captain and I know the families feel like no one has helped
them there have been six or seven major Digs at least with local law enforcement the
Sheriff's Office are calling major digs in this case over the years uh all of these major digs were based off of what
they believed to be credible information coming into them about the possible location of the two girls or evidence
leading them to the two girls and unfortunately of those digs that took place over the
years they've really turned up nothing well it's a tough situation because somebody that's this evil you wouldn't
put it past them that they would lie to law enforcement or lie to the families but in his case
you don't know if he's lying or if he's telling you the truth and he just can't remember so here we sit now and it's
like either Ronnie bussick either does not know where Ashley and Laura are or he simply
refuses to to tell police where the girls can be found and keep in mind that was part of the deal that he was
offered Ronnie bussick received a lighter sentence in trade for information of where the girls are and
as said he either does not know or refuses to give up that information so I Ask of all of you why in the hell should
this guy get that lighter sentence when he did not uphold his end of this bargain I 100 agree with you and it's
and what they should be doing is saying hey we're not going to let you out until
you give us this information until we can confirm that what you're telling us is the truth until we get until we can
recover the bodies of these victims so whatever your sentence was supposed to be that's the sentence that you're
going to serve and the reason why we're having this update today here in the garage we're almost treating
this like it's an emergency podcast it is we have to get this information out we have to get this there needs to be a
a great deal of media attention made in a strong effort made in this case because these people were wronged four
people were murdered two girls were abducted and tortured for what could have been days or even up to two weeks
yeah these criminals they should have been tortured themselves we're doing this emergency podcast because we sit
here May 9th 2023 and this guy the only guy that's still alive of the three Ronnie Busick
is going to be walking out of prison in less than two weeks time from now he is scheduled to be released
Friday May 19 2023 so if you live in this area if you live in the great state of Oklahoma
guess who your next neighbor yes guess who your next neighbor could be it could be a guy who is guilty of quadruple
homicide arson he's been involved in drugs and other crimes throughout his adult life
killed four people and was involved and participated in the rape and torture of I mean they're teenage girls they're
children kidnapped them tortured them raped them then murdered them and he's the only one that's alive who's to say
that he wasn't The Mastermind who's to say that he is not the most evil of these three we don't have the other two
guys to talk to to confirm or refute his statements of the the memories he chooses to have about that
night and the days afterwards yeah and where is the protection for the family four of their family members are dead
where's the protection for them where's the justice for the victims right again if you make a deal and you can't provide
the information to law enforcement there should be no deal revoke the deal take the deal back he didn't hold up his end
of the bargain you didn't want to make a deal with the devil to begin with you felt that you were backed into a corner
and you had to and then sadly and shamefully this is the result this guy was locked up in jail waiting trial
in 2018 gets this really major deal in his benefit in 2020 and here we're sitting here
that was July of 2020. it's not even been three years and they're going to release this guy
so even if you're going to give him credit for his two years in jail we're talking about this guy kills four
people of ducks and rapes people and gets basically a five-year prison sentence well this is what pisses me off
so much too is when they go well it's good behavior again you're locked in with other animals if you step out of
line they might kill you but on top of that a lot of these a lot of these [ __ ]
princesses they're they're they're drug addicts and so well when they're not on drugs
they're not killing and raping people so this guy gets out I don't care what age he's at or what health level he's at
he gets back on drugs watch out he's 71 years old many are saying well he's too old he's not a danger anymore that's not
what this is about I mean that's part of it but but the big part of it is supposed to be
that he receives a some type of punishment on this planet that is I I was going to say worthy of the
crimes he committed but I mean nothing nothing can bring these people back and but but still five years is absolutely
shameful and appalling and I hope that the people of Oklahoma it's horseshit catch wind of this because this this is
news this wasn't something that the families were told five years ago oh he'll be out in 2023. now this was news
to the families and to to the people of this area as well just within the past couple of weeks and so now they're
they're scurrying they're they're trying to figure out is there anything that we
can do to keep this guy behind bars but again 71 years old I would argue somebody that that participated in these
types of crimes if he's breathing he's a danger and and not only that he did this
In Cahoots with two others who's to say how far his tentacles can or cannot reach who who else is he in in
communication with or relationship with that that could get to to some of these people or what other crimes will he
commit once he gets back out yeah and if there's a uproar as far as the public is concerned as far as media
local news covering this national news covering this the argument here is pretty simple he did not supply law
enforcement with the information that he claimed that he had so the deal should be off the table so okay
uh he was a model citizen he he had no problems in prison while he should be spending a longer amount of time in
prison because that information that he gave didn't work out so until he can give that information they should not
even be considering him reducing his time at all and typically good behavior results in you serving 80 percent of
your sentence here he's serving 50 or slightly less than 50 percent yeah and keep in mind this makes the justice
system look like a joke yeah he's older but these crimes were committed 23 years ago
they weren't committed 55 years ago he would have been in his 40s and in fact both Laura Bible and Ashley Freeman
have been missing since that night the night of December 30th 1999 they were both just 16 years old in fact Ashley
Freeman had been 16 for one day when they were abducted and then subjected to torture today Laura would be just 40
years old and Ashley just 39. yeah I don't care if you're tired of me saying it he made a deal he didn't live up to
his end of the deal until he does he needs to spend more time in prison this is not the first time that we've done an
update in this case in the missing Welch girls case in fact we did an update after
basic was arrested and then convicted after he pled guilty on our other show off the Record
OTR if you're nasty and big news if you haven't already heard off the Record is coming back in a big
way and it's back and it's better than ever yeah coffee in the Big Time agave in the big time yeah you can get uh off
the Record if you're nasty you just go to Apple podcast and you'll see a subscription sign up on the subscription
you get the first 50 episodes that we've ever put out of True Crime garage we just released our
two bonus episodes on off the Record Tony Muncie bonus episode and also uh the brick of family murders and then
this Sunday will be the first new OTR if you're nasty and we got a lot of stuff already recorded for off the
Record that we're super excited for you guys to check out it's gonna be awesome but it's also a great way to support
this show because there's no middleman now all of our bonus content before was through Stitcher premium now off the
Record is completely independent it's just me and Nick's show so thanks for the support so we often do these case
updates on off the Record and dive a little deeper and take a different weird angle sometimes in these cases on off
the Record now sad news and another missing person's case not related to this case but a case that
we covered on True Crime Garage in fact we covered this case February 2023 February of this year in episode 650 and
that is the missing person's case of Beau man and I can see here there's sad news
coming from help find Bow Man on Twitter and help find Bowman the Facebook group
they are saying friends we have difficult news here's a statement from our entire
family we were notified by the Santa Monica California police that Beau man's remains were found in a grassy area
about a mile from where an Uber dropped him off on November 30 2021 his identity was confirmed through
dental records at this point we have no further details on what led to his death
we want to thank all of those who helped us search for him and who prayed for Bose safe return over the past year and
a half Beau was a beautiful soul who spent the better part of his life helping others we miss his infectious
smile and positive attitude every day we know his spirit will live on through his
company and passion sober grid as it continues to help those struggling with the grip of addiction so certainly our
thoughts and prayers uh and feelings go out to Bow Man's family and friends and all of those who
were searching for him over the last year and a half again that was our episode number 650 from February of this
year sad news I want to give go through this article captain if you will allow me because this is
gives an interesting perspective on the Welch girls case in the current state of the case and this is an article
an online article from Fox 23 News right that came out just earlier this month on
May 2nd and the headline reads family of 1999 missing Welch girl Laura Bible says
Henrietta tragedy hits close to home and the article reads the family of Laura Bible a teenage girl from Greene County
who disappeared and investigators believe was likely murdered along with her friend Ashley Freeman say the
tragedy in Henrietta strikes close to their hearts Laura Bible and Ashley Freeman were kidnapped and murdered
after a sleepover for Ashley's birthday in 1999. the Bible family says their hearts go out to the families involved
in the Henrietta tragedy Laura's mom Laureen and her cousin Lisa say they were shocked when they heard about the
missing girls and the tragedy in Henrietta quote when it came through and it said there were two missing girls
they were missing and you find out they went to a sleepover exact same thing with Laura and Ashley Lorraine said
quote I just couldn't even read it because it was just too real and too close to home Lisa added Lisa and
Laureen say the deaths of 14 year old Ivy Webster and 16 year old Brittany Brewer along with five other people
including three other teens brought memories flooding back and they want to help quote it's a very sad place to have
to be but it does help to know that you're not alone and that other people have went through and in our case
still going through what they went through just yesterday said Lisa they need to know that they can pick up a
phone or go to our page where they can text us just talk to somebody that knows the shoes that they are in last week the
Bible family was told Ronnie bussick the only suspect still alive in lore and Ashley's disappearance is getting out of
prison early for good behavior meanwhile in Henrietta convicted rapist Jesse McFadden was
believed to be one of the bodies found with the children in this week's tragedy this was only hours after he missed a
scheduled court appearance accused of sexting an underage girl while he was in prison Lisa says the Henrietta tragedy
highlights the Need For Justice Reform in Oklahoma quote why was he released had there been
different laws had they have held him accountable for what he was doing while he was in prison there are six people
that would have been alive still today these two girls that would have went to a sleepover and
come home like they should have so that is the Bible family immediate and extended voicing their opinions on
this this case that just broke not too long ago down in Henrietta where similar situation unfortunately Captain where we
have somebody who is a criminal uh somebody that deserves and should be behind bars he's let out he's released
and then he is set free to kill again and that's exactly what we're talking about with Ronnie bussick's case and
Laura Bible and Ashley Freeman this guy I don't care how old he is I don't care that he's 71 years old he's getting out
he's he's admitted to his involvement his direct involvement and participation in killing
four people setting a fire to cover up these crimes and torturing children's [ __ ]
appalling uh for for more than more than a day or two maybe even up to two weeks
it's despicable he's getting out he served five years basically of a month shy of a five-year prison sentence
for good behavior and he's going to get a very limited probation period this guy
is dangerous this guy it should this should be of a major concern not just to the Bible
family and to the Freeman family but to All Families in this area in regard to this very dangerous individual being
released number one and number two their treatment and punishments and sentences
that they hand out for these very violent very dangerous criminals going forward in their state the until this
gets fixed the people in Oklahoma aren't safe and here's the thing this story of Ronnie getting out early
this story of this Jesse McFadden who gets out and then kills again these are the stories that everybody
needs to tell somebody to pay attention to listen to this podcast pass along an article this great article
from Fox 23 News tell your friends tell your family this is no good and you don't have to be in
the state of Oklahoma to make a difference here this is something that everyone everywhere should care about their own
personal safety the safety of their children this is ridiculous oh yeah and Society in general
sometimes seems like such a freaking joke and we act like that we can't do anything about it well we can thank you
Captain and I want to um discuss before we ramp up here today because I think this is a pretty
powerful stuff and it really leaves a lot to think about when we talk about this case but a letter that fell into
our hands here Captain um and it needs to be communicated in everybody needs to know about this so
this is a letter from the attorney general in Oklahoma his name is gintner Drummond
so Mr Drummond in the attorney general for the the state of Oklahoma says and he's talking to the the free men and
Bible families addressing the families here of these these victims of these child victims
and his letter says I understand and share your frustrations regarding Ronnie bussick's scheduled release from prison
the murders of lower Bible and Ashley Freeman and the murders of Danny and Kathy Freeman were horrific and
deserving of the harshest punishment Allowed by law okay he's got some things right so far
the letter goes on to say unfortunately after thoroughly examining examining my office's statutory Authority and
Consulting with district attorney Matt Ballard it is evident that neither the Attorney
General nor the district attorney possesses the legal authority to delay busick's release from prison
I am extremely sorry that I cannot provide any relief to you your family's willingness to speak out about this
unjust outcome demonstrates that those convicted of accessory to murder should be required to serve at least 85 percent
of the sentence imposed I stand ready to assist any legislator who might wish to draft a bill
addressing this clear problem please know however that this law will apply only to Future cases given
constitutional limitations I hope knowing that I can join the citizens of Oklahoma who see and share
your pain and disappointment can give you some amount of comfort I am suggesting in a separate letter to
Representative Steve bashor that any Bill introduced to change the accessory to murder law be named after
Laura and the Freeman Family as a testament to the power of your voices and to ensure that your loved
ones names live on your families will remain in my thoughts please know that I am inspired by your
fight to seek Justice for your loved ones and that's right here at the garage we are inspired by their fight as well
to continue to stick up for and fight for justice for their loved ones so our hats and our thoughts and uh prayers our
hats go off to the the Freeman family and the in the Bible family and our thoughts
go out to them and we certainly wish them the best of luck in this very difficult aggravating situation and hear
what the the Attorney General is saying there everyone this is not just a one isolated incident type problem
this is something that needs to be changed in the state of Oklahoma Ronnie bussick's getting out early and it looks
like we're all handcuffed and there's very little that we can do to change that he's getting out May 19th lock up
your lock up the women and children any husband too uh keep your family safe the
best you can when you have a quadruple murderer out walking on the streets and out roaming the streets
of your good neighborhoods share this story tell somebody you know tell other people about the story the
story needs to be the best chance to get change in Oklahoma is to put a lot of ear balls and a lot of eyeballs on this
case and we know that our listeners are really good at doing that the important thing also to remember here
is that this is still an ongoing case right we have some of the story we have one guy who
remains that has told us what he says happened I don't know how much we can believe him again he could be he could
be the Mastermind of all this for all we know but at the end of the day even if we can get some good positive
change this is still a missing person's case remember you they made a deal with the devil and the devil duped them right
the devil duped them it tricked all of us Bamboozled all of us he didn't give up the location of Laura
Bible and Ashley Freeman they are still missing both Laura Bible and Ashley Freeman have
been missing since the night of December 30th 1999. they were both just 16 years old today
Laura would be just 40 years old and Ashley 39. Laura is Native American she is listed at five foot five inches tall
with brown hair and hazel eyes she may have been wearing a blue shirt jeans white sneakers or black boots
and she was wearing a silver heart-shaped earrings with embedded diamonds Ashley Freeman is
Caucasian five foot seven inches tall she has blonde hair and blue eyes Ashley had an athletic build back in 1999 she
may have been wearing a t-shirt jeans a baseball cap white sneakers a windbreaker and a class ring inscribed
with the phrase Blue Jacket High School class of 2000. very important stuff right here if you have any information
that could help to find Laura and or Ashley or if you have any further information
about the suspects that we've been talking about Ronnie Busick Warren Phil Welch or David Pennington
or any other criminal activity that any or all of these guys have been involved in
please contact the Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation and notice the descriptions make mental note of those
descriptions of Laura and Ashley if you have seen any of these items that they may have been wearing there's some very
specific items here too these are clues that could help lead us to finding to finally finding Ashley
Freeman and Laura Bible we talk about silver heart-shaped earrings with embedded diamonds very
unique we talk about a windbreaker and a class ring inscribed with the phrase Blue Jacket High School class of 2000.
these are key items very specific items that may help lead to finding one or both of these girls we need to bring
them home to their loved ones and if what we believe happened took place we need to get them a a
proper resting place if you have any information at all or know somebody that does please do not hesitate please
please call reach out to the Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation their phone number is
800-522-8017 and their number will be listed in today's show notes thank you that wraps up things for today make sure
you join us back here in the garage next week and until then be good be kind and
don't live [Music] [Applause] thank you

Bible & Freeman Kidnapping and Murders ////// 669

Part 1 of 1

www.TrueCrimeGarage.com (http://www.truecrimegarage.com/)

Back in May of 2017 we covered a story we titled “The Missing Welch Girls.” That was a two part story and you can still listen, they are episodes 107 & 108. Since then, we have provided an update on our other show "Off The Record.” Today we come to you with another update, but no the good kind. One of the men responsible for the murder or four people and the abduction of our two missing Welch girls, Lauria Bible and Ashley Freeman is scheduled for an early release from prison. This is an outrage! Ronnie Busick will be released on Friday, May 19th, 2023. Yet, these two young ladies are still missing. Both Laura Bible and Ashley Freeman have been missing since December 30th 1999. They were both just sixteen years old. Today Laura would be just 40 years old and Ashley 39.

Laura is Native American. She is listed at 5’5 inches tall, with Brown hair, and hazel eyes. She may have been wearing a blue shirt, jeans, white sneakers or black boots, and silver heart-shaped earrings with imbedded diamonds.

Ashley Freeman is caucasian, 5 foot 7 inches tall. She has Blonde hair, and blue eyes. Ashley had an athletic build in 1999. She may have been wearing a t-shirt, jeans, a baseball cap, white sneakers, a windbreaker and a class ring inscribed with the phrase "Bluejacket High School Class of 2000."

If you have any information of the possible whereabouts of Lauria Bible and Ashley Freeman, or if you have any further information about Ronnie Busick, Warren Phil Welch or David Pennington or any other criminal activity that any or all of these guys were involved in please contact the Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation 1-800-522-8017. Or you can email the show TrueCrimeGarage@gmail.com

Brief Summary

The episode discusses the ongoing search for missing girls Laura Bible and Ashley Freeman, focusing on recent developments and the implications of Ronnie Busick's early release from prison.

Key points

The Disappearance of Laura and Ashley. Nearly 20 years ago, two girls went missing after a tragic fire. Their families continue to seek justice.
A Major Break in the Case. In 2018, police identified suspects in the murders and abduction of the two girls.
A Gruesome Discovery. The bodies of Kathy Freeman and Danny Freeman were found, but the girls remained missing.
The Freeman and Bible Case. A chilling look into the abduction and murder of Ashley and Laura.
Ronnie Busick's Arrest. The only surviving suspect is arrested for quadruple homicide.
The Plea Deal Controversy. Busick pleads guilty to accessory to murder, raising questions about justice.

Episode highlights

Episode quotes

I hope those of us that are here make something of that for them.

A friend's wish for the future in honor of Laura and Ashley.

2:43WatchMay 10, 2023

Tension

75/ 100High tension

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