Family Offers Reward In Welch Cold Case Murders

A Green Country family is offering a reward they hope will help bring their loved ones killer to justice.

Bill and Leota Hul were murdered north of Welch, Oklahoma in November of 2008, and the case has since gone cold.

The couple lived out in the country. He was disabled and she was known to help people around town who needed it, which makes their murders all that more mysterious.

Their family and friends are desperate to know who did it and why. Bill and Leota Huls were well known and well loved near Welch, where they had lived for 30 years.

He had been a mechanic; she a registered nurse. They had made plans to one day retire and go camping with family and travel, but Bill had a reaction to a medication that left him totally disabled.

Leota refused to put him in a nursing home and devoted herself to his care.

"He was to the point, he needed assistance with eating, walking, going to the bathroom, she was pretty much taking care of him 24/7," said Malinda Howard, daughter.

When Malinda's mother didn't show up for church that November of 2008, and she couldn't reach her by phone, she knew something was wrong. She never dreamed her parents would be found in their home, both shot in the head.

"They took someone very special away from us, and I'd just like to know why. What was so important they had to do this?" Malinda said.

Investigators believe Leota knew her killer, because there was no forced entry and she had to unlock the door to let them in. She had a safe room in the house but didn't feel the need to go to it. The only thing taken was her purse.

"She had jars of money sitting everywhere. There was lots of stuff they could've taken: car in the garage, TV's, lots of stuff, but they only took her purse. It just to throw us off," she said.

The purse was never found, but her cell phone was recovered about a week later. Investigators say they need outside help to solve this case. They say anything anyone has heard or seen will help.

"I will never stop trying to find out, and I know that if we don't find out, God will take care of it in the end," Malinda said.

Still, Malinda says the family would like some justice here and now and says they will never give up hope, which is why they're now offering the $5,000 reward.

Anyone with information can call the OSBI at 918-582-9075.