4-Year Anniversary of Craig County Double-Murder Nears

The daughter of Bill and Leota Huls said she believes she knows the motive behind their killing.

Thursday, November 8th 2012, 5:49 pm

By: News On 6

4-Year Anniversary of Craig County Double-Murder Nears

Friday marks the fourth anniversary of the murders of Bill and Leota Huls, a couple in their 60s, who were shot to death in their rural Craig County home.

Bill, a mechanic, and Leota, a nurse, were loved and respected in their church and were generous to those in need.

So why would someone go into their home on a Sunday morning and shoot them each in the head?

Bill and Leota dated only three months before deciding to get married.

They had a daughter, Malinda, and later adopted a son and daughter.

They were hard-working and lived a quiet life in the country.

After years of working as mechanic and farming, Bill had a medical procedure that went terribly wrong and left him with the mental capacity of an 18-month-old.

Leota cared for him day and night, even though her health was also beginning to decline.

They received a settlement that went into a family trust, to be split 11 ways between their children and grandchildren, either once the kids reached a certain age or sooner, if the couple died.

"The motive was the trust," daughter Malinda Howard said.

Howard found them that terrible Sunday morning – November 9, 2008 – when they didn't show up for church.

She said because her father wandered, there were keypads on each door and she doesn't believe her mother would've opened the door to someone she didn't know and trust.

"She knew who she let in," Howard said.

Had her mother felt threatened, Howard said, she could've gotten into the safe room or grabbed her gun that was kept nearby, nothing was taken from the home except Leota's purse.

"There is no doubt in my mind," Howard said. "I know who is responsible. I just need the public's help."

She's hoping someone overheard something or saw something or knows something will finally come forward.

"God is going to give the ultimate punishment, but why should they have freedom when they took it from her and my dad?" Howard said.

Howard said she will never stop trying to get the case solved.

The family is offering a $5,000 reward and the Oklahoma Bureau of Investigation has put up an additional $10,000 for information leading to a conviction.

Anyone with information can call 1-800-522-8077.