In the early morning hours of March 25, 2022, the life of 27-year-old Elizabeth Dillard, a mother from Tulsa, Oklahoma, was tragically cut short. Her body was discovered at approximately 7:30 a.m. on the front porch of her home in the Turley neighborhood. Investigators believe she was shot as she was entering her house, a particularly heartbreaking detail given that her children were inside at the time.
The news of the young mother's violent death sent ripples of concern through the community.
The investigation into Dillard's death soon uncovered a darker, more complex story. On April 5, 2022, the Tulsa Police Department arrested a man named Terryl Brooks. His arrest was not only in connection with Dillard's homicide but also for the death of another woman, Star Rainbow Dancer. Evidence found at both crime scenes linked Brooks to the two murders. The cases took another grim turn when investigators connected Brooks to the disappearance and murder of a third woman, Tyra Whitaker, whose body was discovered in a shallow grave. It is believed that Brooks had been in relationships with or knew all three women.
Following his arrest, Terryl Brooks was charged with two counts of first-degree murder for the deaths of Elizabeth Dillard and Star Rainbow Dancer, with a third murder charge anticipated for the death of Tyra Whitaker. While incarcerated, Brooks has faced additional legal troubles, including charges for assaulting detention officers and making death threats against witnesses in his cases. The legal proceedings against him are ongoing, as the community awaits justice for the three women whose lives were violently taken.
