Serial killers

Despite the conventional profile of serial killers as lone nuts driven solely by their own internal demons, there is a compelling case to be made that many of the most prominent serial killers are intelligence assets. Countless serial killers appear to be subjects of mind control programs like those found in Project MKUltra, exhibiting telltale qualities such as early childhood abuse, dissociative disorders, pedophilia, and connections to known or suspected intelligence fronts (like the military, prisons, mental hospitals, and cults). Many of these murders, far from being random killings, are actually targeted assassinations or clean-up operations on behalf of various criminal enterprises (like murder-for-hire, drug trafficking, or sex rings), which the killers are often associated with. Other murders have no political motive, but fit the profile of Satanic cult killings or a domestic version of the Phoenix Program aimed at terrorizing the public into submission. While this is no doubt a controversial position to take on serial killers, there is often an astounding number of common elements in serial killer cases pointing to some kind of government / intelligence involvement. The "serial killer" presented to the public is often a fall-guy taking responsibility for group actions or (on rarer occasions) an entirely innocent patsy.

Programmed to Kill subjects

Building off the research of Mae Brussell, Maury Terry, and Dave Emory, Programmed to Kill by Dave McGowan was the first major work to explore the idea of mind-controlled serial killers. He chronicled some of the most famous serial killers and grouped them into thematic categories. Below is the evidence of official government complicity and/or mind control for the serial killers profiled in McGowan's book:

Prostitution rings

• Marc Dutroux - the head of a Belgian child kidnapping ring with elite clients that was partially exposed in the Dutroux affair
• Emile Louis - apparently framed for the murders of women in the French city of Auxerre who were actually killed by a group of high-ranking local men
• Patrice Alegre - leader of a drug and prostitution network (that involved minors) with elite clients in the French city of Toulouse
• Wayne Williams - the designated patsy for the Atlanta child murders, who was involved in the pedophile and Satanic cult operations as a photographer but not the murders, Williams showed tentative signs of being under mind control; a prosecution witness testified under cross examination that he had a "split personality"; Williams' journal from 1992 mentioned he received CIA training at age 18 from a paramilitary camp near Atlanta, and an extremely likely suspect for this training would have been Mitch WerBell III

Mexican cult killers

Commonalities of serial killer cases

Name	Abuse and dissociation	Pedophilia	Government links	Satanic/cult links	Protection	Railroading	Parapolitical significance
Henry Lee Lucas			Claimed he was trained to kill at a paramilitary camp in the Everglades, which happened to be the location of CIA camps for training anti-Castro Cubans that were operating in the same time period as Lucas claimed	Worked for the Hand of Death cult	Only death row inmate to receive a commutation by Texas governor George W. Bush
Ottis Toole				Worked for the Hand of Death cult According to Dave McGowan, he visited the Process Church headquarters in New Orleans
Rafael Resendez-Ramirez				Raised in Matamoros, Mexico by outside his home by non-family members Said at trial ("with all the secrecy that’s in the family") that he was "instructed" to do "anything that can put down Christianity"

Archetypal lone nuts

Commonalities of serial killer cases

Name	Abuse and dissociation	Pedophilia	Government links	Satanic/cult links	Protection	Railroading	Parapolitical significance
David Berkowitz			Served in the US Army, during which time he took LSD	Affiliated with a splinter group of the Process Church, likely the same "Four P" cult involved in the Manson murders			Some of the Son of Sam murders (Lauria, Denaro, and Freund) may have been retaliation against people who knew too much about a Nugan Hand-connected drug ring importing heroin through blood supplies
Cary Stayner	Brother Steven Stayner was kidnapped by a pedophile at age 7 and held as a sex slave for 7 years Cary was molested by his uncle	Bartered with his FBI interrogators for child pornography in exchange for a confession Former girlfriends commented that he couldn't get aroused by adult women, only children				Numerous viable suspects from a drug trafficking ring with evidence linking them to the Sund and Pelosso murders were found, and then immediately discarded following Stayner's confession	Paul Candler, the ringleader of the drug group that included the initial suspects as well as Stayner, was a hitman for the corrupt Mariposa County law enforcement apparatus involved in drug importation

Others who are suspected of being in this group, but with less substantial evidence, include:

• "Monster of Florence" - at various times, these killings have been linked to a Satanic cult led by the wealthy and powerful or Operation Gladio
• Richard Speck - him single-handedly subduing six women, then cutting a sheet into strips and tying them up one by one while the rest did nothing to resist, is highly implausible, but not totally impossible; until his alibi for the night of the murders is confirmed definitively, it can't be ruled out that Speck was guilty all by himself, even though a fair amount of compelling evidence points to him being a fall-guy
• Charles Whitman - the "Texas Tower Sniper" behind a mass shooting at the University of Texas in Austin; his note that he left the night before, when he killed his wife and mother, revealed he was facing an urge (of unknown origin) to kill, though later reports would indicate he had a brain tumor

Northern California

Commonalities of serial killer cases

Name	Abuse and dissociation	Pedophilia	Government links	Satanic/cult links	Protection	Railroading	Parapolitical significance
Stanley Baker				Openly professed his involvement in "Four P" cult, a breakaway from the Process Church led by the "Grand Chingon"
John Linley Frazier
Herb Mullin	Diagnosed with MPD, his alters included a Mexican laborer, an Eastern philosopher, and local columnist Herb Caen (whom Dave McGowan labels an "unofficial Anton LaVey publicist")		As a young adult, he was institutionalized numerous times, including voluntarily to Mendocino State Hospital (which was overrun by the Peoples Temple) and a stay at a mental hospital (which Ed Sanders claimed was run by the US Army) in Hawaii (where Jim Jones had also spent time at a mental hospital in the 1960s, and where Ed Sanders claimed a mind control project to create serial killers was ongoing)
Edmund Kemper
Richard Chase

Superstars

Commonalities of serial killer cases

Name	Abuse and dissociation	Pedophilia	Government links	Satanic/cult links	Protection	Railroading	Parapolitical significance
Angelo Buono		Was known to be attracted to underage girls, and married at least two of them					As the mastermind behind the murders, who exerted a controlling influence on partner Kenneth Bianchi, he may have been a mind control "handler" of sorts Ran a child prostitution ring whose clients included political and business elites such as a city councilman, a police chief, and a chief aide to a member of the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors One of his clients included mob figure Joe Bonanno Multiple connections to the Hollywood crowd (he had shared a home with actor Artie Ford and was acquainted with Frank Sinatra), and some Hollywood figures were in turn suspects in the Hillside Strangler murders
Kenneth Bianchi	Was diagnosed with MPD by some of the doctors who examined him, although others (most of them connected to the CIA) claimed he was faking it		Regularly visited a hospital under the pretense of getting outpatient treatments for cancer, which he didn't have, although he did bring home medical forms and receipts indicating he was getting some type of treatment
John Wayne Gacy	A police detective noted that "His personality could change in a split second" In his confession, Gacy attributed the murders to an alter personality named Jack Hanley					Though Gacy alone was convicted for his crimes, it is apparent that some of his young male employees were complicit in finding victims and disposing of the bodies: It was claimed that Gacy employees Michael Rossi and David Cram had no idea the holes he asked them to dig were graves, even though the stench of decaying flesh in his house was said to be overwhelming Gacy himself acknowledged being a copycat of Dean Corll, who used two younger males to abduct victims for him to torture and murder After Russell Nelson disappeared, his friend Robert Young, who was with Nelson when he disappeared, started phoning his family to extort money from them, and when two family members came down to Chicago, Young offered them jobs with Gacy Rossi moved in with John Mowery days before Mowery disappeared, insisted Mowery meet someone who was about to leave town (Gacy was about to head out of town), and later told Mowery's friends that he knew about a place where a bunch of dead bodies were buried that police didn't know about Even more disturbingly, there is evidence that some of his employees killed victims on their own without Gacy being involved: Several of Gacy's employees had keys to his home, and at least one of them (Paske) was in a criminal enterprise that likely gave him his own motive to dump bodies there Some of the victims attributed to Gacy were abducted and murdered while plane tickets showed he was not even in Illinois	Attained a high-level position in the Chicago Democratic Party, even meeting Rosalynn Carter Gacy claimed to work for the Syndicate One of his employees was Phillip Paske, the business partner of John Norman in a child trafficking ring whose clients likely included nationwide elites such as Alan Baer and Harold Andersen of Omaha Gacy specialized in drugstore and pharmacy remodels, had a steady supply of drugs, and employed victim John Butkovich who was likely part of the drug trade with Puerto Ricans in Chicago
Ted Bundy	Acquaintances, an investigator, and the Colorado judge all commented on how Bundy's physical appearance could radically change depending on the situation, to the point where he didn't even look like the same person			All of the Seattle victims either never turned up, turned up with certain organs selectively removed, or only turned up as skulls, leading to rumors that the killings were ritualistic Police informants talked of seeing "Ted" leading cult gatherings, and drew connections to other serial killers like Stanley Baker and Thomas Creech with occult overtones Two of the suspects in the Seattle murders who weren't Bundy later turned up in Utah and Colorado at the same time Bundy lived in those states, and were arguably better suspects for the physical murders themselves, raising the possibility that Bundy was leading a cult that traveled interstate		Bundy was attributed responsibility for two attacks on the same day, those of Carol DaRonch and Debra Kent, even though the timing would almost certainly preclude his involvement in both, and DaRonch initially failed to identify Bundy while the main witness in the Kent case initially made an adamant ID of a local drug trafficker The star witness in the Caryn Campbell murder trial identified not Bundy, but Pitkin County Undersheriff Ben Meyers, who had previously left his job as police chief of Grand Junction CO in the wake of corruption rumors In the Chi Omega case, semen found in the bed of one of the Chi Omega victims was from a nonsecretor whereas Bundy was proven to be a secretor, and the bite mark evidence against him matched the state of his teeth after the murder which was different from before the murder	Bundy's crimes frequently had some tie to law enforcement: one Utah victim was a police chief's daughter; corrupt police chief Meyers was identified instead of Bundy in the Campbell murder; Julie Cunningham was friends with the daughter of the Salem OR chief of detectives who used to work with Meyers; Bundy was seen by one witness at the same place and time of Linda Benson's murder, itself suspected of being linked to Meyers; before attacking Kimberly Leach, Bundy nearly abducted the daughter of prominent Jacksonville FL detective Jim Parmenter

Next generation

Commonalities of serial killer cases

Name	Abuse and dissociation	Pedophilia	Government links	Satanic/cult links	Protection	Railroading	Parapolitical significance
Doug Clark
Bobby Joe Long	Cousin of Henry Lee Lucas						One of his victims, Lana Long, was a former Los Angeles resident who had danced at many nightclubs including that of Eddie Nash, and was raising money before her murder to get out of town, perhaps to escape a local sex ring in Tampa rumored to be recruiting women for snuff films
Richard Ramirez			Was mentored by his older cousin Mike, who served in Vietnam as a Phoenix Program assassin

Collectors

Commonalities of serial killer cases

Name	Abuse and dissociation	Pedophilia	Government links	Satanic/cult links	Protection	Railroading	Parapolitical significance
Leonard Lake
Charles Ng
Bob Berdella				Appeared to have an interest in Satanism, though investigators disputed it		The lead investigator, Troy Cole, was a "former" employee of the CIA	Based on an FBI tip, Berdella was briefly a suspect in the Johnny Gosch and Eugene Martin abductions in the Des Moines IA area One entry in his torture log mentions Oliver North, and he felt compelled to explain it away as innocuous
Gary Heidnik			Entering the US Army with the intent of becoming a military policeman, they instead (likely as a form of "blooding") trained him as a medic and sent him to be an orderly at an Army hospital in West Germany, where he was experimented on with hallucinogenic drugs
Jeffrey Dahmer
Herb Baumeister					Virgil Vandagriff, a private investigator hired by the missing victims' families, seems to have delayed the identification of Baumeister. In August 1994, he was the first one to speak with a witness who had survived a visit to Fox Hollow Farm. One of Vandagriff's investigators tracked down the farm, but inexplicably showed the witness an aerial photograph, leaving him unable to identify the property. Vandagriff's secretary Connie Pierce, who had worked closely with the witness, died suddenly at age 46 in November 1997. As an Indianapolis law enforcement officer, Vandagriff was a strange character. He learned hypnosis in the mid 1970s from the LAPD and employed it in hundreds of cases throughout his career, including that of "Speedway Bomber" Brett Kimberlin.

Patsies and assassins

Commonalities of serial killer cases

Name	Abuse and dissociation	Pedophilia	Government links	Satanic/cult links	Protection	Railroading	Parapolitical significance
Albert DeSalvo			F. Lee Bailey, purportedly DeSalvo's defense attorney, has a record of being a legal fixer for intelligence operations The confessions made by DeSalvo were extracted under hypnosis by William Joseph Bryan, a CIA-connected hypnotist who was likely involved in programming Sirhan Sirhan			Nearly everyone on the task force initially believed multiple perpetrators were involved, something that was forgotten after DeSalvo confessed Many of the details given in DeSalvo's confessions were inaccurate, but nevertheless accepted by police DeSalvo was never tried for the murders, but "defense" attorney Bailey decided to defend him from sexual assault charges by essentially putting his own client on trial for murder Two DNA samples collected from Mary Sullivan, one from a semen stain in her pubic hair, did not match DeSalvo's DNA according to a 2001 test; yet in 2013, there was suddenly a brand-new test confirming that DNA had matched to DeSalvo	The more likely suspect in Patricia Bissette's murder was defense contractor Jules Rothman
Arthur Shawcross			Phoenix Program assassin during the Vietnam War
Danny Rolling
William Heirens

Other likely subjects

After Programmed to Kill was published, researchers have discovered other serial killers who fit the same profile described in McGowan's book:

• Ed Gein
• Patrick Kearney (the Freeway Killer)
• Gerard John Schaefer Jr.
• Kenneth McKenna a.k.a. "Mad Dog"
• Robert Charles Browne
• Philip Arthur Thompson
• Dean Corll
• Randy Kraft (the Scorecard Killer and the Freeway Killer)
• Thomas Creech
• Gary Addison Taylor
• Bernard Hunwick
• Golden State Killer (i.e. the East Area Rapist and the Original Night Stalker)
• Oakland County Child Killer, abbv. "OCCK"
• Rodney Alcala (the Dating Game Killer)
• William Bonin (the Freeway Killer)
• Lawrence Bittaker and Roy Norris (the Toolbox Killers)
• Dennis Rader (the BTK Killer)
• Andre Rand (the "Cropsey" killer)
• Larry Eyler (the Highway Murderer)
• John Joubert - abductor and murderer of boys in Maine and Nebraska; radar technician at Offutt AFB, which is a key center for government mind control programs and the Franklin child sex ring; made possibly ritualistic carvings on both of his Nebraska victims
• David Parker Ray (the Toy Box Killer)
• Gary Ridgway (the Green River Killer)
• Robert Pickton
• Joel Rifkin
• Aileen Wuornos
• Derrick Todd Lee
• Long Island Serial Killer
• Miranda Barbour (the Craigslist Killer)

External links

Books and resources

• The Family by Ed Sanders (1971) - deleted Ch.5 on the Process Church, deleted Ch.10 on the Solar Lodge of the O.T.O.
• The Ultimate Evil by Maury Terry (1989)
• The Ultimate Evil: The Truth about the Cult Murders: Son of Sam & Beyond by Maury Terry (1999)
• Programmed to Kill by Dave McGowan (2004) - based on his earlier series; 2014 interview that gives his mother's affirmation of McMartin
• Sinister Forces—The Nine: A Grimoire of American Political Witchcraft by Peter Levenda (2005)
• Sinister Forces—A Warm Gun: A Grimoire of American Political Witchcraft by Peter Levenda (2005)
• Sinister Forces—The Manson Secret: A Grimoire of American Political Witchcraft by Peter Levenda (2006)
• Weird Scenes Inside the Canyon by Dave McGowan (2014)
• Programmed To Kill/Satanic Cover-Up series on Youtube by LOLFIELDANDLOVE
  • Ed Opperman interview in 2017 with the person who runs the channel

Henry Lee Lucas and Ottis Toole

• Hand of Death: The Henry Lee Lucas Story by Max Call (1985)
• Third Coast, "The Life and Deaths of Henry Lee Lucas" by Nan Cuba, 1985/07
• Attorney General of Texas (Jim Mattox), "LUCAS REPORT", 1986/04
• The Confessions of Henry Lee Lucas by Mike Cox (1991)
• Henry Lee Lucas: The Shocking True Story of America's Most Notorious Serial Killer by Joel Norris (1991)
• They Call Me Sister Clemmie: The Henry Lee Lucas Story by Clementine Schroeder (1993)
• Crime Library, "Henry Lee Lucas: Deadly Drifter" by Patrick Bellamy: chapters 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, ..., 17
  • "[After killing his mother] Henry was later picked up by police in Toledo, Ohio and returned to Michigan and charged with second-degree murder. Despite assuring police that he had acted in self-defence, he later pleaded guilty and was sentenced to 20-40 years in the State Prison of Southern Michigan."
  • "Henry’s would later describe his time in South Michigan as a "nightmare that would not end." Almost from the time he was imprisoned, he complained of hearing "voices" in his head that taunted him day and night. The prison's psychologists interviewed him in an attempt to settle him down. Lucas talked freely about the voices inside his head, including his mother’s. "She wanted me to commit suicide for what I done to her," he told them. He blamed his destructive and undisciplined behaviour on her influence. Weeks later, Henry wrote a letter to his sister telling her that he couldn’t stand it any more and was going to kill himself.
    
    Some time later he made good on his threats and slashed his wrists and stomach with a razor blade on two separate occasions. Jail staff thwarted both attempts and he was transferred to Iona State Mental hospital for treatment. What followed were four-and-a-half years of drug and shock therapy, both of which only succeeded in making Henry meaner and more prone to violence. At one stage he told the doctors that if he were released he would definitely kill again." - it is actually Ionia State Hospital
  • "After a brief stop over in Virginia, to visit his half-brother Harry Waugh, Lucas arrived at his destination. While in Shreveport, Henry was offered the job of driving a car to Los Angeles but declined after he became convinced that he would be working for the Mafia. [...]"
  • "What disturbed the investigators most was that Lucas told the story without any emotion or remorse, as though he were describing an incident that someone else was responsible for."
• Encyclopedia of Serial Killers by Michael Newton entry for Lucas
• Encyclopedia of Serial Killers by Michael Newton entry for Toole
• Fort Worth Star-Telegram (from Associated Press), "Lucas' murder convictions", 1998/06/16
• The Pylon, "True Crime Blacksburg: The Henry Lee Lucas Story", 2016/10/31 - cross-checks claims in Max Call's book
• Robert Kenner, The Confession Killer, 2019
• FBI documents on Henry Lee Lucas
• Lucas task force documents sent by Bob Prince in 2021
• Contemporaneous news articles
  • UPI, "A man charged in the death of an 80-year-old...", 1983/06/21
  • Fort Worth Star-Telegram, "Law officers to pool knowledge on Lucas", 1983/09/28
  • New York Times, "2 SUSPECTS' STORIES OF KILLINGS CULLED", 1983/11/04
  • Austin American-Statesman, "Toole recounts 'routine' of killings", 1983/12/11
  • UPI, "Sheriff Jim Boutwell, under questioning by defense attorneys, today...", 1984/04/04
  • Washington Post, "The Dark Journey of Henry Lucas", 1984/10/10
  • Shreveport Journal, "Henry Lee Lucas / The life and travels of a vagabond killer", 1985/01/28
  • Chicago Tribune, "SERIAL KILLER RECOUNTS GRISLY TRAIL ACROSS U.S.", 1985/03/24
  • Los Angeles Times, "Attorney General Linked Him to Killings : Lucas Likely Innocent in 2 State Deaths", 1985/04/14 - murders in Riverside County CA
  • Washington Post, "The Killer Who Recanted", 1985/04/15
  • Texas Monthly, "The Henry Lee Lucas Show", 1985/06 - on p.116: "Lucas recently told a radio evangelist that he had been pressured to recant his confessions. Does that mean the body count is back up to 360? Stay tuned."
  • D Magazine, "THE TWO FACES OF HENRY LEE LUCAS" by Nan Cuba and Dr. Joel Norris, 1985/10: "For a year and a half Lucas and many law enforcement officials claimed he was the most prodigious killer in history, with as many as 3,000* victims. Then Dallas Times Herald reporter Hugh Aynesworth cried hoax, Lucas decided he didn’t want to be put to death by the state and Attorney General Jim Mattox helped start a grand jury investigation in McLennan County. During those days, Lucas told reporters, “I didn’t kill nobody excepting Mom,” but privately he said that he suspected he had been captured by a death cult and that McLennan County District Attorney Vic Feazell and others were forcing him to deny the truth."
  • UPI, "Lucas's 'last trial' opens in El Paso", 1986/09/07
  • Deseret News, "DID SERIAL KILLER LIE ABOUT 600 SLAYINGS?", 1990/05/17
  • Serial Killer Magazine page with excerpts from Lucas's trials
• Law enforcement documents
  • Texas Rangers case synopses
    • ...
    • Report no. 18
    • ...
  • California Department of Justice report published 1984/09/10 on their investigation of Henry Lee Lucas
• Early life of Lucas
  • From p.257 of Serial Killers: Up Close and Personal: Inside the World of Torturers, Psychopaths and Mass Murderers by Christopher Berry-Dee, it's said that Lucas was incarcerated at Chillicothe prison in Ohio, just as Charles Manson was and Thomas Creech later would be: "On May 28, 1956, with the very real chance of being brought down by dogs, or a bullet in the back, Lucas and a fellow convict escaped from an outside road repair detail. They stole a car and sped off for Ohio. When they ran out of gas, they stole another vehicle and crossed the state line into Michigan. Interstate flight and auto theft across a State line are federal offences, and State Troopers arrested them in Toledo in July, after which, Henry started a 13-month term at the Ohio Federal State Reformatory at Chillicothe. After his federal term had expired, he was returned in shackles to the Virginia State Penitentiary to complete his original sentence. He was back on the streets in September 1959."
  • Viola Lucas murder - in 1960 in Tecumseh MI
    • 1960/01/12 autopsy report of Viola Lucas
    • Austin American-Statesman, "Deadly rampage part of loner's seamy past", 1983/07/03 (pages 1A, 18A, 19A): "Two of his sisters rationalize that the lack of blood meant their mother was dead before she was stabbed, perhaps from a heart attack, and that Lucas didn't do the actual killing, or that he may have been convicted because he couldn't afford a good lawyer. Jennings, however, thinks Lucas is guilty. [...] "The day before mom died she said she wanted me to take care of Henry. She told me he's going to spend his whole life in prison. How she knew it, I can't say." Jennings and her husband stayed on in Michigan to raise their family, but she said she received letters from Lucas in prison threatening to kill her because she wouldn't visit him."
• Mental institutions that Lucas had stayed in
  • UPI, "A man charged in the death of an 80-year-old...", 1983/06/21: "According to the weapons indictment, Lucas was convicted in March 1960 of stabbing his mother to death in Lenawee County, Mich. McGaugaty said Lucas, who received a 20-years sentence for the murder of his mother, spent part of his sentence in a Michigan mental institution before he was returned to prison and released in 1975. [...] Lucas, who has a fifth grade education, said he had been held in Ionia Michicagn State Hospital for the criminally insane for six years. He also said he spent three weeks in a Princeton, W. Va. mental institution. 'They turned me lose and told me to go back home. They said, 'you are all right,'' he said."
  • Los Angeles Times, "Killer Lays Claim to Trail of Grisly Deaths", 1983/10/30 (pages 1 21, 22): "Douthitt: How many state hospitals have you been to?
    Lucas: Well, I have been to the Ionia State Hospital for the Criminally Insane in Michigan. I have been to a mental hospital in Princeton, W. Va. And I tell them my problems, and they don't want to do nothing about it, but there is a hundred, oh, about a hundred women out there that says different."
  • Ionia State Hospital
    • As first observed by Jimmy Falun Gong of the Programmed to Chill podcast, an MKUltra subproject was run on "sexual psychopaths" at Ionia, possibly overlapping the time that Lucas was there
    • Detroit Free Press, "CIA Drug Subjects At Ionia Hunted", 1977/08/06 (OCR): "The CIA is attempting to locate 142 mental patients from the former Ionia State Hospital who were the subjects of experimentation with LSD and marijuana derivatives in a CIA-sponsored program. The experiments, revealed in documents released this week by the CIA, were conducted from 1957 to 1960 on patients classified as sexual psychopaths under a now-repealed law. Patients at the hospital never were told of the experiments, in which the subjects were given the drugs while being interrogated by doctors. "We're trying to locate the victims to inform them and advise them of their rights and possibly make restitution," a CIA spokesman said Friday. All those judged criminally insane were once sent to the Ionia State Hospital, which was run by the Department of Corrections. The program under which sexual psychopaths were committed without trial ended in the late 1960s, and the hospital was closed in 1975. One of the drug program researchers, Dr. John G. Haarer, said Friday that the CIA had not told him it was about to release information on the experiments. Dr. Haarer, now a general practitioner in Sarasota, Fla., said the victims of the experiments were committed and selected "through legal channels." He identified Dr. Perry Robertson, now deceased, as the chief researcher. [...] RECORDS OF the Department of Mental Health show that Haarer was medical superintendent of the hospital during two years when the experiments were conducted. CIA documents indicate that subjects were selected from those committed through the Detroit Recorder's Court psychiatric clinic and that some state judges may have been informed of the program."
    • Note that Lucas claimed to have been doing marijuana and LSD, the same drugs used in the Ionia experiments, while staying at the Hobbs NM home of William Gray (which was likely a safehouse for Hand of Death members per Lucas's description)
  • Mental hospital in Princeton WV or Bluefield WV
    • Fort Worth Star-Telegram, "Lucas tale is gory whodunit on grand scale", 1985/08/25 (pages 1, 15): "JOHN NOYES JR., a student at Jackson State University, was vacuuming his car on the morning of March 25, 1979, at a carwash alongside Interstate 20 in Jackson, Miss. He was shot to death, apparently by someone traveling the interstate [...] now the case is off the cleared list — as it turns out Lucas was been in a Bluefield, W.Va., mental hospital when the killing took place."
• Early life of Toole
  • Sondra London, "The Devil's Child", 1991
  • Ted Drake album of drawings and letters sent by Ottis Toole from Florida State Prison
• Hand of Death cult allegations
  • From p.295-296 of The Unsolved Murder of Adam Walsh: Book Two: Finding the Victim by Arthur Jay Harris (2016): "[...] Further, Lucas and Toole apparently had told others at the time of doing Satanic things in South Florida. In 1996, Phil Mundy asked Frieda and Frank's older sister Sarah Patterson if she knew whether Ottis had taken trips to Dade or Broward. Yes, she said, "They was talking about that they was having some worshipping thing, devil worshipping groups down in that area." She said Lucas spoke about it too."
  • Hollywood Police Department interview of Henry Lee Lucas on 1983/12/06 (File 40 of Vol. VIII of the Florida state attorney's Adam Walsh case file)
    • "Q. Who‘s Jack Smart?
      
      A. He's one of my friends out there in California which I knowed before. I got in touch with him and we went from there, from Beaumont down into Henley and he give us an apartment down there at his house.
      
      Q. What part of California is that?
      
      A. Uh I guess you'd have to say it's next to Riverside, California. It's in the Riverside area.
      
      Q. How old a guy is Jack Smart?
      
      A. He's about fifty I imagine, somewhere around fifty.
      
      Q. What kind of business is he in?
      
      A. He has a part-time antique place there, he sells antiques and stuff. He's one of the members of the cult up there and I lived out there with him until, I went there in February and lived with him until about the last of May.
      
      Q. February of '82?
      
      A. '82 yea. I lived with him up until about May of, last of May of '82, so he asked me come out here and take care of his mother-in-law for him cause she was givin him quite a bit of trouble and stuff like that. Well he actually sent me out here to kill her was what he was doin." (p.13-14)
    • "Q. Who would you meet in Miami? (inaudible)
      
      A. Ah Don Meredith down there is one of the guys meeting.
      
      Q. Where does he live?
      
      A. He lives two places. He lives in ah, out in Shrevesport, Louisiana and he lives in Miami, Florida. Which one is his real residence I don't know. I know he's got a house out here in Shrevesport, Louisiana, but ah...
      
      Q. How old is Don Meredith?
      
      A. The last time I saw him he's about 53. That's the last time I saw him.
      
      Q. How long ago would that have been?
      
      A. May of '81.
      
      Q. What does he do for a living?
      
      A. He runs an antique place, he runs hot car, ah in other words he runs hot cars cross country, he has people go pick cars up and run 'em into California for him and they sell 'em into Mexico. That's a pretty good business as far as stealing cars.
      
      Q. He's also affiliated with the cult though?
      
      A. Yeah he's ah, he's the head ah, ah, I guess you call him. He's the one there wears the robe with the hands.
      
      Q. That cult, that's called the Hands of Death?
      
      A. Yeah it's the Hands of the Devil is what it is. Everybody that's in the organization just calls it the Hands of Death." (p.29-30)
    • "A. I've had Colorado tell me that he's [Toole] told that he’s killed this one out there and that one out there. He's - it's possible, I mean he's mentioned about five here and using other passports and stuff and using different names on there.
      
      Q. Would he ever fly?
      
      A. I've never known him to fly. I've known him to travel by car or a train but I haven't known him to fly. He said he's flown all over ah, from what he's told me on the tape up there." (p.66)
    • "A. Oh yeah we've picked 'em up out of shopping centers too. Ah you know stores. I mean it just ain't a few of 'em, there's quite a few kids cross country, you figure me and OTTIS have been in ah, well together and alone we've been in 36 states, ah we've been in Canada, we've been in Alaska and we've been in Switzerland, we've been in Old Mexico, ah there's alot of places there we've had kids and ah well he can't say, unless he's got the mixed up with them times why it wasn't possible." (p.83)
  • FD-302 of the 1984/03/27 FBI interview of Ottis Toole about the cult (unredacted version in File 4 of Vol. IX of the Florida state attorney's Adam Walsh case file)
  • Brownsville Herald, "Killer Lucas claims he's member of a death cult", 1984/04/23: "Skeptical investigators are checking mass murderer Henry Lee Lucas’s claim that he killed some of his victims because he belonged to a cult that required human sacrifice. In an interview published in Sunday’s editions of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram, the 47-year-old drifter, who contends he killed 360 people, said the organization — called “The Hands of Death” — has hundreds of members roaming the country. “I belonged to a cult,” Lucas said. “It was a devil’s organization. For initiation you would have to go out and kill a person.” [...] Sister Clemmie, a Catholic lay worker who asked that her last name not be used, said she had heard from two prisoners in the Williamson County Jail in Georgetown about the cult before she met Lucas. She said in both cases, the prisoners told her they could not convert to Christianity because they feared reprisals from the cult. [...] [Lucas] said the cult killed on contract and performed ritual crucifixions of animals and humans. “They were supposed to bring the devil back to life,” Lucas said. Lucas said he was first approached by the cult in Shreveport, La., after learning that a “companion” already belonged, and later joined the cult after a failed attempt to reunite with his family. Lucas did not name his companion, but said he “participated in it worse than I did. He would eat human flesh and drink human blood.” However, Lucas was known to have traveled with Ottis Elwood Toole, who was scheduled to go on trial today in Jacksonville, Fla., on homicide charges, and who investigators said has also mentioned a cult. Boutwell said Toole has told authorities of eating human flesh on more than one occasion. Texas Ranger Sgt. Bob Prince, who is involved in the investigation, said authorities were skeptical of the cult claims but were investigating nonetheless."
  • Shreveport Journal, "'Hands of Death': Organized satanic killers of 8,000? Or the product of a vivid imagination?", 1984/04/27: "Most local lawmen say they have no reason to believe such an organization exists and generally discount the Lucas account. But a federal agent formerly stationed in Shreveport says the FBI is investigating claims the “Hands of Death” may be responsible for as many as 8,000 homicides in the United States. The agent, who demanded strict anonymity in return for his comments, said the agency was investigating reports of the cult’s activities. But he admitted, “The whole thing could turn out to be a total hoax.” [...] Lucas told Gail Reeves, a reporter for the Fort Worth Star-Telegram, that he was approached by a man while he was waiting to cross a bridge in Shreveport and was asked to join the cult. “He told me he had been ‘screened’ by the cult, that Ottis was already a member and that they had been watching him (Lucas).” [...] Bossier Parish lawmen have said Lucas is a “solid suspect” in the January 1981 slaying of a still unidentified girl whose body was found in north Bossier Parish, and Bossier City police “have not ruled out” Lucas and/or Toole as possible suspects in several killings. [...] The 36-year-old Toole is scheduled to go on trial Monday for the arson-murder of a man in Florida. In October 1983, Toole reportedly told Calcasieu Parish sheriff’s deputies interviewing him in connection with the stabbing death of Katherine Corbello Martin that he was a member of a satanic cult that had trained with other cult members in the Florida Everglades. Both Lucas and Toole have been indicted in the slaying of 19-year-old Northeast Louisiana co-ed Kathy Whorton of Bastrop. In addition to the Corbello Martin slaying, Toole has been charged in Ouachita Parish with the slaying of 17-year-old Sherry Alford of Swartz. Bossier Parish Chief Deputy Larry Deen said investigators had turned up no evidence of the cult other than in Lucas and Toole’s statements. Shreveport Chief of Detectives Maj. Robert Merolla said, “We investigated the story and we could find no evidence of the cult here.”"
  • Austin American-Statesman, "Lucas can't promise he won't kill again", 1984/05/01 (pages 1, 7): "He told of a devil-worshiping Cult that he said inspired him to commit many of his murders, [...] He says the cult is called the Hands of Death and has "hundreds" of members across the United States. He says the cult has met in the Everglades and on beaches. He says it kills animals and humans in order to reincarnate the devil. He said cult members wear tattoos: a scorpion for kidnappers, a snake for members who have done crucifixions, and a flame, cross and hand design for "pure killers." LUCAS SAID he once had all three types of tattoos on his hand, but they have since worn off. Rangers said authorities are investigating Lucas' statements about the cult, but declined to say whether they have found evidence to verify it exists."
  • FD-302 of the 1984/05/14 FBI interview of Henry Lee Lucas about the cult (unredacted version in File 4 of Vol. IX of the Florida state attorney's Adam Walsh case file)
    • p.2: "LUCAS recalled that the warehouse was in the warehouse district of Miami and could be found by following the road which goes to the pier area of Miami. At a point where this road crosses a beach, the warehouse could be found by following the beach south to the third warehouse on the right-hand side. LUCAS stated that there are two roads going to the pier area in Miami, one going to an island and the other not going to an island. LUCAS stated that the road which does not go to an island is the road that crosses the beach described above. LUCAS described the warehouse as an old one which stores different types of equipment to be shipped over seas. LUCAS said that some stolen merchandise is also handled by METRIC. LUCAS added that he believes that the road going to the pier area that he described above is the first road that crosses the Everglades once you arrive in Miami but that it should be followed east towards the ocean."
    • p.4: "LUCAS advised that he was given specific assignments by METRIC on behalf of the cult on occasion. Once TOOLE called LUCAS from San Antonio, Texas and asked LUCAS to travel from Maryland to San Antonio since he had an assignment to kill two millionaires in Bastrop, Texas. LUCAS traveled to San Antonio and met TOOLE and they traveled to the home of the two millionaires. LUCAS said that he waited outside while TOOLE killed the man and his wife after which they loaded their bodies in a van and LUCAS and TOOLE drove to Reno, Nevada where they dumped the bodies in the desert nearby. LUCAS advised that an unknown lady in Houston, Texas had hired the "Hands of Death" to commit the killings and the assignment had been given to TOOLE. LUCAS said that he and TOOLE got $5,000 each for the murder. LUCAS used his $5,000 to purchase a travel trailer."
      • Evidently refers to the 1976/01/27 disappearance of John Whatley and Faye Whatley
    • p.5: "LUCAS also stated that he received an assignment once from METRIC to kill President CARTER. This assignment was given in 1979 and LUCAS followed CARTER to several different locations in Washington, D.C. and once to Palm Springs, California but did not kill CARTER although he had several opportunities to shoot him. LUCAS understood that he was given the assignment because of various laws that were being passed that the "Hands of Death" organization did not want passed."
      • See the alleged May 5, 1979 plot to assassinate Jimmy Carter during a speech in Los Angeles, attested to by a drifter named Raymond Lee Harvey who implicated three Latino men, one of whom went by "Julio" but turned out to be an illegal Mexican immigrant named Osvaldo Espinoza Ortiz and another one of whom indeed rented a hotel at the claimed location under the claimed name of Umberto Camacho
        • Cincinnati Enquirer, "Sanity Test Given To Suspect Held In Carter Death Plot", 1979/05/17: "A court-appointed psychiatrist has examined Raymond L. Harvey to determine whether the former mental patient is competent to stand trial on charges of scheming to kill President Carter 11 days ago. Federal authorities would not disclose results of the examination by Dr. Seymour Pollack, but they must choose between indicting Harvey by today, proceeding with a preliminary hearing or dismissing charges against him. The 35-year-old transient, who claims to have spent half his life in mental institutions and attempted suicide 10 to 12 times, was arrested holding a starter's pistol and 70 rounds of blank ammunition just before the President was to speak at a Cinco de Mayo gathering here. Assistant U.S. Attorney Donald Etra requested appointment of Pollack after Harvey told the Federal Bureau of Investigation of his mental history."
        • Miami Herald, "Long Probe Into Plot To Assassinate Carter Ends With 2 Released", 1979/05/31: "Harvey, 35, a native of Ohio who was declared mentally deranged at the age of 6 and was institutionalized for 20 years, has lived for several years in the Skid Row section of downtown Los Angeles."
        • Given that Harvey was an Ohio native and spent over half of his life in mental institutions, it is worth asking if he ever spent time at Chillicothe (where Charles Manson, Henry Lee Lucas, and Thomas Creech all spent time) or other Ohio mental institutions that possibly ran parallel programs
    • p.5: "LUCAS also said that the death squads in El Salvador are being set up by the "Hands of Death" organization out of Miami. When asked how he knew this, LUCAS replied that he knows because they are being set up out of Miami and guns are being sent to the death squads from Miami. LUCAS said that the death squads have been in existence long before the United States was aware of it and that he once was even asked to go to El Salvador to join the squads and kill people. LUCAS said that he refused but did take assignments to go to Spain and Canada where he committed some killings."
      • Presence in Canada
        • On 1982/01/02, police in British Columbia ran a NCIC inquiry on Lucas (p.204 of the Mattox report)
        • On 1982/10/02, police in Sussex, New Brunswick ran a NCIC inquiry on Toole (p.218 of the Mattox report)
        • On 1982/10/26, police in Prince Albert, Saskatchewan ran a NCIC inquiry on Lucas (p.220 of the Mattox report)
        • On 1983/02/04, police in Prince Albert, Saskatchewan ran a NCIC inquiry on Lucas (p.222 of the Mattox report)
        • On 1983/02/19, police in Prince Albert, Saskatchewan ran a NCIC inquiry on Lucas (p.223 of the Mattox report)
    • p.5-6: "LUCAS added that he has also been involved in a lot of kidnappings in which he has kidnapped people "to order." LUCAS explained that he was told by METRIC to kidnap a person of a specific age, height, weight, hair color and take them through El Paso to a location outside of Monterey, Mexico. LUCAS said that children were sometimes kidnapped and taken to Mexico for adoption purposes and older women were kidnapped and taken to Mexico for prostitution purposes. LUCAS said that METRIC normally gives him his assignments and he last saw METRIC in 1981 in Miami. LUCAS said that METRIC used to live in Shreveport, Louisiana but he has since disappeared from the area. LUCAS explained that he was recently taken by the Shreveport Police Department around Shreveport and he pointed out the house where METRIC had lived but they determined that METRIC had left the area."
    • p.6: "JACK SMART
      Hemet, California
      Race: White
      Sex: Male
      Height: 6'2"
      Weight: 170-180
      Age: Late 40s
      Miscellaneous: Sells antique furniture and is married to OBEARA SMART
      
      LUCAS stated that SMART asked LUCAS in late 1979 to transport marijuana for the organization and LUCAS did so. Later on, he also transported "Angel dust" and cocaine. LUCAS advised that SMART has assisted him in killings in Los Angeles and Palm Springs, California as well as in the desert near Palm Springs on an Indian reservation near Beaumont, California. LUCAS has provided all of this information to California authorities but they have been unable to find any bodies. [...]"
      • Note that Jack Smart was the husband to one of Kate Rich's daughters Obera Smart, who gave Lucas a place to stay in Hemet CA for several months at the start of 1982. Smart and his wife would claim that Lucas stayed with them this entire time, though Lucas is tied to multiple murders during that period including one (that of Barbara Begley) where multiple eyewitnesses implicate him. As such, the Smarts are clearly giving Lucas a fake alibi for murder, which strongly supports his claim of Jack Smart (as well as Kate Rich and some of her family members) being in the cult.
      • TODO: Could Philip Arthur Thompson be a member of the cult? Lucas places cult members in Riverside County CA (including on Indian reservations there) smuggling drugs and performing contract murders, which PAT did on the Cabazon reservation. Lucas claims that the cult ran El Salvador's death squads, for whom PAT was "attempting to get together a million-dollar bankroll for a shipment of automatic weapons". And PAT was, per a statement Valerie McDonald made to a close friend, involved in "Satanistic" activities with his friends at a San Francisco apartment he managed in 1980.
    • p.6-7: "[...] LUCAS advised that JACK's brother, TONY SMART, is also a member.
      
      TONY SMART
      San Jacinto, California
      Race: White
      Sex: Male
      Occupation: Retired - following an injury he sustained after a fall while working as a sand blaster
      
      TONY SMART has accompanied JACK SMART and LUCAS on several killings in California as well. LUCAS stated that TONY SMART's residence can be located by traveling on Interstate 10 to the Hemet exit and follow the road towards Hemet until you arrive at a blinking light. From there go left to a stop sign and take a right until you come to a four way stop. At the four way stop go straight through and the first trailer park on the right-hand side of the road is the one where SMART has his trailer. The trailer park is run by SMART's father and SMART's trailer is the third trailer on the right-hand side as you go in the first entrance. LUCAS described SMART's trailer as being gold and yellow in color. LUCAS was last there on September 30, 1982."
    • p.7: "BILL and DEBBIE SMITH
      Poplar Bluff, Missouri
      
      LUCAS stated that he met them in California in 1981 and traveled with them for a time. LUCAS was able to get BILL SMITH to kill some people on the road. LUCAS stated that BILL has a tattoo of a scorpion on his right arm above his wrist. LUCAS believes that the Poplar Bluff Police Department traced BILL and DEBBIE SMITH but they did not confess to being members of the cult."
    • p.7: "RAY DILLON
      Suburbs near Washington, D.C.
      Race: White
      Sex: Male
      Height: 6'
      Weight: 190-200
      Age: Late 40s
      Hair: Blondish gray
      
      LUCAS last saw DILLON five years ago and stated that he has no job but merely roams around the country. According to LUCAS, DILLON's wife works for some government organization. LUCAS stated that he has seen DILLON at some of the "Hands of Death" meetings. LUCAS described DILLON as being some kind of an overseer in the organization."
  • Cult recruiter Don Meredith / Don Metric / Don Meteric
    • Crime Library summary (from Ch.8 above) of how Lucas and Toole claim to have gotten involved with the Hand of Death - mentions a cult recruiter named Don Meteric whom they met at an abandoned warehouse on the Miami coast
    • From p.40-44 of Hand of Death - details Meteric, who claimed to be in the auto transport business (ed. note: just like the person Thomas Creech claims recruited him), taking Lucas down to Shreveport on an all-expenses-paid trip, telling Lucas that he belonged to a "big organization" that "had our eyes on you ever since you left prison in Michigan", offering him a job driving cars with contraband inside, and then offering him a contract murder job in Miami after he turned down the former
  • Everglades paramilitary camps
    • Anti-Castro Cuban groups with CIA connections (such as Alpha 66) trained at paramilitary camps in the Everglades throughout the 60s, 70s, and 80s to prepare for an invasion of Cuba
      • The Independent, "Florida's Cuban exiles have mixed emotions over US rapprochement", 2014/12/21: "For so long, many of the exiles believed they would go back to Cuba in battle gear. They would vanquish Fidel Castro by any means necessary. “Next year in Cuba!” they would say when making a toast. Some trained in the Florida Everglades for the invasion that would surely liberate their homeland from the Communists. “Unfortunately, those who trained in the Seventies and Eighties for an invasion, now they have to use a walker,” Tomas Regalado Jnr said. He is the Mayor of Miami and 67 years old, one of the many Cuban Americans for whom Mr Castro’s revolution has been a multigenerational existential crisis."
      • Newsweek, "Fidel Castro, Polarizing Cuban Revolutionary, Dies At 90", 2016/11/26: "“Fidel Castro is a demon,” says Ernesto Díaz, head of Alpha 66, an anti-Castro group that once ran a paramilitary training camp in the Everglades."
    • The CIA-funded Contras trained at similar camps in the Everglades during the 80s
      • New York Times, "LATIN EXILES FOCUS ON NICARAGUA AS THEY TRAIN URGENTLY IN FLORIDA", 1981/12/23: "In a camp near the Florida Everglades, the military training of exiles to infiltrate and overthrow the Government of Nicaragua has taken on a special urgency. Within three months the situation in Nicaragua will blow up, Hector Fabian, one of the Cuban leaders of the exile group, the Inter-American Defense Force, said. The force, which says it is financed by Panamanian and Cuban exile groups and fund-raising efforts by Nicaraguans, has been training for months. It says it is dedicated to the armed overthrow of the Governments of Nicaragua, Cuba and Panama."
      • Douglas Valentine, "Creating a Crime: How the CIA Commandeered the DEA", 2015/09/11: "The CIA’s use of the DEA to employ terrorists would continue apace. For example, in 1981, DEA Agent Dick Salmi recruited Roberto Cabrillo, a drug smuggling member of CORU, an organization of murderous Cuban exiles formed by drug smuggler Frank Castro and Luis Posada while George Bush was DCI. The DEA arrested Castro in 1981, but the CIA engineered his release and hired him to establish a Contra training camp in the Florida Everglades. Posada reportedly managed resupply and drug shipments for the Contras in El Salvador, in cahoots with Felix Rodriguez. Charged in Venezuela with blowing up a Cuban airliner and killing 73 people in 1976, Posada was shielded from extradition by George W. Bush in the mid-2000s." - note that Luis Posada Carriles was friends with fellow CIA asset Philip Arthur Thompson
  • From p.276-277 of The Unsolved Murder of Adam Walsh: Book Two: Finding the Victim by Arthur Jay Harris (2016):
    
        No law enforcement agent seems to have believed that the cult actually existed. Although Lucas often spoke in detail about it, and even gave the FBI a few names of other members, nothing apparently checked out. But the best reason to think it wasn't just Lucas's imagination was that Toole, separately, also gave the FBI a lot of essentially overlapping details about it while adding some and contradicting others. Could these two blockheads have made it all up?
        One overlap was the tattoos. In the report of Toole's March 1984 interview, an FBI agent wrote that Toole said "Lucas had a tattoo of a cross with hands at the base and flames of fire in the web of his right hand and that this is a sign of the members of the Hand of Death." Toole said he didn't have a tattoo but he'd worn a ring with a devil's head, as did others in the cult. In the report of Lucas's FBI interview in May 1984, another agent wrote, "Lucas stated that members can also recognize one another by a tattoo they should have on their right hand in the webbing between the thumb and forefinger. Lucas stated that tattoo is of a cross, flames, and hands."
        Lucas showed the agent what he said was his tattoo, although he admitted it had nearly worn off. The agent reported he could only see some "very faint dark lines whose shape could not be discerned." (A 1998 AP story reported that Lucas's arms had tattoos of a naked woman, a sinking ship, the comic strip character Blondie, and a Boy Scout fleur-de-lis.)
        Lucas added that some members had tattoos signifying additional things. Those with snakes were kidnappers, and those with scorpions were "ritual killers who kill for the ceremonies the cult engages in."
     
  • Mexican cult confirmations
    • Following the 1989 discovery of the Matamoros cult in Mexico, some Texas law enforcement officials found it so eerily similar to Lucas's earlier "Hand of Death" story that they reinvestigated his allegations. According to p.17 of Carl Raschke's Painted Black, Williamson County sheriff Jim Boutwell later told a reporter that they verified Lucas was involved in cult activities: "Finally, the Texas attorney general's office decided to take a second look at earlier statements by convicted mass killer Henry Lee Lucas, waiting on death row, that he had been connected with a satanic cult operating along the border of Texas and Mexico. Lucas had called the cult the "Hand of Death." Lucas's credibility had been in serious doubt because he had first "confessed" to the murder of 600 persons all around the United States, then withdrew his statements and said he was responsible for the deaths of only three victims, including his own mother. Three years earlier Lucas had drawn a map of cult killing sites for a Catholic lay worker from Georgetown named "Sister" Clemmie Schroeder, who had served as his spiritual advisor. Jim Boutwell, the sheriff of Texas' Williamson County who aided in a Texas Rangers task force that gathered the Lucas confessions, told a valley newspaper that investigators had verified Lucas was involved in cult activities. He also noted that he had seen a map similar to the one supplied by Sister Clemmie." (full Ch.1 text) The newspaper article is likely: Brownsville Herald, "Lucas Map Said to Show Border Cult Activities", 1989/04/21, p.8A
    • Texas Monthly, "The Work of The Devil" by Gary Cartwright, 1989/06: "When lawmen finally began to sort things out, the ritual killings seemed almost predestined. A map drawn two years ago by confessed mass-killer Henry Lee Lucas had predicted with inexplicable accuracy that the bodies of victims of satanic rituals would be found about where Kilroy and others were found."
    • Russ Winter, "The Use of Cultists and Serial Killers in Death Squad Hits", 2017/07/03: "In one of his interviews, Lucas said that was a neighboring cult ranch but that “we had the same thing going on.”"
  • Jack Smart background
    • On 1976/09/01, police in Desert Hot Springs CA ran a NCIC inquiry on Jack Smart (p.74-75 of the Mattox report)
    • From p.50 of the Mattox report: "While in custody on October 25 [1982], Lucas told Ranger Ryan that he and Jack Smart had committed five aggravated robberies together."
    • Becky Powell letter to Jack and O'Bera Smart postmarked 1982/05/24 - gives their address as 26610 Hemet St., Hemet, CA 92343
    • KXAS broadcast on 1985/04/17 about the emerging Lucas confession controversy (MP4 video) - at 1:42 discusses a 1982/02/12 murder in Covington LA which Lucas confessed to, narrating "But Jack Smart says he worked with him that day in California" followed by a clip of Smart saying "He would have to be shot there and back by rocket"
    • Fort Worth Star-Telegram, "Lucas weaves web of confessions, alibis", 1985/08/26 (pages 1, 6): "Texas Rangers and officers who have investigated Lucas-related cases during that time say they do not trust Smart's statements [giving Lucas an alibi during the first few months of 1982] because he is a convicted robber."
    • Full name is Jack Emerson Smart, born 1931/12/16
    • Known criminal history of Jack Smart
      • 1964/08/12 robbery in Washington state (probably King County WA) with case number 029492
      • 1995/06/09 speeding in Glennallen AK with case number 3GL-95-T815060
      • 1997/12/01 DUI in Riverside County CA with case number 102255
    • Marriage history of Jack Smart
      • 1968/11/27 in Los Angeles CA: Jack E Smart (age 36) and Shirley E Kocher (age 31)
      • 1978/05/19 in Clark County NV: Jack Emerson Smart (of California) to Obera Dennis (of California); recorded under Book 539, Page B145945, Instrument number 943073
      • 1997/09/12 in Clark County NV: Jack Emerson Smart (of California) to Benjawan Chansawang (of California); recorded under Book 915, Page C883546, Instrument number 75073
    • Property records for 26610 Hemet St.
      • Riverside County Assessor entry - assessment number is 552220022; transferred on 1972/04/01 for $0 (document #1972-0044969); transferred on 1992/12/11 for $0 (document #1992-0472956); transferred on 1999/08/24 for $0 (document #1999-0379171 and #1999-0379172); transferred on 2001/02/23 for $0 (document #2001-0073378 and #2001-0773378); transferred on 2001/08/01 for $0 (document #2001-0361126); transferred on 2006/03/27 for $0 (document #2006-0215725); transferred on 2009/04/17 for $0 (document #2009-0185716); transferred on 2012/03/20 for $0 (document #2012-0129494); transferred on 2020/10/19 for $170,000 (document #2020-0501253); transferred on 2021/06/21 for $295,000 (document #2021-0373460)
      • Document number 1992-472956 - grantor is DENNIS OBERA; grantees are DENNIS OBERA and FREGIA STACY J
      • Document number 1999-379171 - grantors are SMART OBERA, DENNIS OBERA, and FREGIA STACY J; grantee is SMART OBERA
      • Document number 2001-073378 - grantors are OBERA SMART TRUST and SMART OBERA TR; grantee is FREGIA JAMES BAILEY III
      • Document number 2001-361126 - grantor is FREGIA JAMES BAILEY III; grantees are ESPARZA SANTIAGO and ESPARZA MARION
      • Document number 2006-0215725 - grantor is ESPARZA SANTIAGO; grantee is ESPARZA MARION
      • Document number 2009-0185716 - grantor is ESPARZA MARION; grantees are ESPARZA MARION and ROHLMANN ERNEST
      • Document number 2012-0129494 - grantor is ESPARZA MARION; grantee is ROHLMANN ERNEST; assessor parcel number is 552-220-022
    • Property records for 132 N. Algona Ave. in San Jacinto CA
      • Los Angeles Times, "OFFERS ACCEPTED", 1994/07/29 - lists a $36,055 offer by "Smart" for 132 N. Algona Ave., San Jacinto, CA
      • Riverside County Assessor entry - assessment number is 434283012; transferred on 1994/08/10 for $36,500 (document #1994-0314605); transferred on 1999/08/13 for $0 (document #1999-0364639); transferred on 1999/08/24 for $0 (document #1999-0379173); transferred on 2001/02/22 for $0 (document #2021-0536329); transferred on 2021/09/09 for $235,000 (document #2021-0536741)
      • Document number 1994-314605 - grantor is U S A VETERANS ADMN; grantee is SMART OBERA
      • Document number 1999-364639 - grantor is SMART OBERA TR; grantees are SMART OBERA TR, FREGIA STACY JUNE TR, and SMART OBERA TRUST
      • Document number 1999-379173 - grantors are SMART OBERA TR, FREGIA STACY JUNE TR, and SMART OBERA TRUST; grantee is SMART OBERA TRUST
      • Document number 2021-0536329 - affidavit death for SMART OBERA; assessor parcel number is 434-283-012
    • Ancient Faces entry for Obera Smart - birth date is 1921/08/03; death date is 2001/02/22
    • Fregia family background - per Obera's death certificate, Stacy Fregia is Obera's daughter
      • Tennessee Comptroller of the Treasury property records for 5919 HILHAM ROAD COOKEVILLE, TN 38501 - owner as of 2023/01/01 is FREGIA JAMES BAILEY III; sales (all for $0) occurred on 1960/09/12, 1961/08/28, 1962/12/11, 1963/02/09, and 2020/11/09
    • ClustrMaps page for Janet Smart (possibly related?) - birth date is 1948/11/18; currently living at 4732 Papaya Park, Destin, FL 32541; lived at 884 Pinnacle Hill Rd, Kingston Springs, TN 37082 in 2018 and 2010; lived at 132 N Algona Ave, San Jacinto, CA 92583 in 2006 (an address also connected to Stacy J Fregia and Smart Obera)
  • Bill and Deborah Smith background
    • p.3 of an Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation report from 1983/07/14 on possible Lucas homicides in Oklahoma (in File 4 of Vol. VII of the Florida state attorney's Adam Walsh case file): "6. LUCUS claims that he was traveling with a couple known as the SMITHS and stopped at a bar somewhere near Ft. Smith, Arkansas. He claims to have picked up a female in the bar and took her out to the side of the road and killed her. He took this girl from the bar while the SMITHS stayed behind. The SMITHS, DEBBIE and BILL, were traveling companions from Poplar Bluff, Missouri and all of them had been coming from Pasadena, California. This girl he claims he killed from the bar was redheaded, skinny, wore glasses, and was well dressed in a lady's suit with a jacket and was wearing high-heeled shoes. He believes this would have been in October of 1982 when this occurred. He recalls that he left her body up on top of a bank off the side of a road in a wooded area."
    • Document titled "ASSOCIATES OF HENRY LEE LUCAS AND OTTIS ELWOOD TOOLE" (in File 12 of Vol. VII of the Florida state attorney's Adam Walsh case file) - lists HARRY WILLIAM SMITH (said to be of Pasadena TX) and DEBRA SUE SMITH
  • JFK assassination overlap
    • From p.131 of Hand of Death: "He'd been told that Lee Harvey Oswald had been a cult member and he'd been shot while being moved by the Dallas police. Don Meteric had offered Henry a contract calling for the murder of President Jimmy Carter and in his mind this seemed to confirm what he'd heard about Oswald."
    • From p.215-216 of Me & Lee: How I Came to Know, Love and Lose Lee Harvey Oswald by Judyth Vary Baker (2010):
      
          [...] Dave also brought out three rings: an aquamarine ring that he said belonged to his mother, a small ruby ring that glowed purple under the light, and one carved with an ugly mythological creature.
          “This is my priestly ring,” he said. “I use it for black magic. And Satanic rituals.”
          “Are you serious?” I said, taking up the exotic ring.
          “Of course note,” Dave replied. “When I say a Mass, and sometimes I do say Mass, it isn't a Black Mass. I'm not a son of Satan, so I wouldn't wear that thing. I love God. But I use things like this to penetrate religious cults. I can go into certain places around here with that ring on, and they think I'm one of them.”
       
  • Son of Sam cult overlap
    • From p.175 of Raising Hell by Michael Newton (1993): "[In a 1991 interview with Sondra London] Toole not only described his late grandmother as a “devil-worshiper,” but he also spoke of personal visits to the New Orleans headquarters of the satanic Process Church of Final Judgment, elsewhere linked to such diverse killers as the Charles Manson “family” and New York's “Son of Sam.”"
    • In p.421-422 of Sinister Forces—The Manson Secret by Peter Levenda, there's evidence that the Hand of Death and Process Church spinoffs might be connected: "Another mound site, of possibly less importance, lies in Beaumont, Texas – a site that shows up in both the Son of Sam case, as well as in the Henry Lee Lucas case. According to Lucas, the 'Hand of Death' cult that he insisted existed in Texas, and was responsible for murders throughout the United States, was based in or around Beaumont at one point, and was responsible for the murder of a lawyer there. Beaumont, a suburb of Houston, and is where Sam cultist John Carr's ex-wife lived with her daughter. Berkowitz visited Beaumont when he obtained the famous .44 Charter Arms Bulldog revolver that was used in the Sam killings. Houston has been identified in the same literature is a cult center for the group rivaling Los Angeles; Minot, North Dakota; and New York City."
    • One rumored Hand of Death member is Jeffrey Dahmer, who was associated in Wisconsin with former New York cult member John Paul Ranieri. The recruitment by Don Meteric that Lucas describes is also eerily similar to the alleged cult recruitment of Thomas Creech, and Creech was reportedly (TODO source) linked to the Process cult by Maury Terry in his subsequent investigation.
  • Interview with Max Call circa 1990 about his Hand of Death book - discussed in a Rigorous Intuition comment by robotilt: "Henry Lee Lucas and The Hand of Death: Interview with Max Call http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=6029101858123509319 In 1990 I conducted an interview with Max Call, author of The Hand of Death, a book detailing Henry Lee Lucas’ involvement with an alleged satanic cult of that name. (The video was part of preproduction work on an aborted documentary about Henry Lee Lucas and part of our information gathering. It was never intended for public consumption, hence the production values are crude to nonexistent.)"
  • Transcript of the 90s interview with Max Call from p.55-66 of SERIAL KILLER MAGAZINE ISSUE 18, Issue 18 by James Gilks (webpage) - says that the cult tried to kill Henry twice while he was in prison: one by poisoning his food and once by shooting him through the window of his prison cell (which led to a man getting arrested and incarcerated in the Georgetown jail pending trial); claims the FBI flew over the Everglades to look for the Hand of Death training camp but was unwilling to search on the ground, even though Henry told them why they couldn't spot it from the air; offers his personal belief that the FBI did find traces of the camp, but since it was a mobile installation, it was moved; mentions that Henry told the authorities about a ranch in Mexico, explaining how it operated and pointing out the location on a map, but the authorities refused to do anything because it would require going through the State Department; claims that Attorney General Jim Mattox told Henry that if he recanted all of his confessions to Waco murders he would walk on all his charges except perjury, which was really a lie to discredit Henry and get publicity to distract from the criminal investigation of Waco DA Vic Feazell; says that Henry didn't remember what lie he told the church camp about Becky being gone after he murdered her, so Call decided to write that Henry said Becky ran away with a truck driver; claims that when Mattox told Henry to recant and got him a new attorney, who told Henry that he found the truck driver and that the trucker could testify Becky left with him, not knowing that it was a story Call made up, which proves that the authorities were falsifying evidence to discredit Henry's confessions; asserts that Henry was unable to remember a lot of the details of his murders due to drug use, and when a corrupt law enforcement officer would feed him details, he would view it as divine intervention from God to help him remember what he did, leading him to make false confessions; also alludes to the possibility that Henry might have (intentionally or unintentionally) taken credit for murders committed by other Hand of Death members; agrees that the "Madam Morris" (ed. note: Matamoros) cult was likely related to the Hand of Death; claims that after he gave a presentation to Texas law enforcement about cults, many of the police officers from all over Texas approached him afterwards to confirm that they saw markers of the Hand of Death in murders they had on the books; claims that the Hand of Death murders all leave a distinctive mark, but one that varies, such as a cross on the breast or buttocks, a nipped off earlobe, a book of matches in the victim's hand, etc.; includes a letter from Henry on 1992/11/24 that mentions the Hand of Death and the book he helped Max Call write
  • Serial Killer Magazine, "THE HAND OF DEATH CULT: FACT OR FICTION?" by Anna M. Griffy
  • Billy Bob Barton, "An Interview With Ottis Toole: The Cannibal Kid", 2000
  • Other suspected members
    • Thomas Creech
    • Rodney Syphurs
    • Johnny Reaves Jr.
    • Spencer Bennett
      • Austin American-Statesman, "Deadly rampage part of loner's seamy past", 1983/07/03 (pages 1A, 18A, 19A): "Bennett, who saw the couple frequently, said his fatherly instincts caused him to keep an eye on Lucas, but he never saw him mistreat or fondle her. [...] Lucas "talked very little, but he seemed to have good sense, and you'd never see him do something stupid," said Bennett, who added that he doubts that Lucas committed the murders he is claiming."
    • William Papet
    • William Gray (of Hobbs NM) - aka William Berninger Gray, William B. Gray, W. B. Gray, W.B. Gray, Bill Gray; born 1921/10/09 (in Oklahoma) and died 1983/02/03 (in ZIP code 75169 in Wills Point TX) with SSN 463-18-9441
      • p.112 of Texas Marriage Records Vol. 85 - records the 1944/10/03 marriage of William B. Gray and Bobbie Cloys Langley (certificate # 51595 in Dallas County TX)
      • p.1257 of 1947 births from the Texas Department of Health Bureau of Vital Statistics - lists Cheryl Diann Gray born 1947/05/28 in Hockley County TX to Bobbie Cloys Langley and William Berninger Gray
      • Lovington Daily Leader, "Civil Filings In District Court", 1957/04/17: "William B. Gray vs Jennings Drilling Co., seeks compensation for broken right foot."
      • Lovington Daily Leader, "ON THE DOCKET", 1967/12/05: "William Berninger Gray, charged with aggravated assault, battery, attempted fourth degree felony, defended by Glen Houston"
      • Hobbs Daily News-Sun, "Seven Burglaries Include Two Losses Above $1,000", 1975/09/15: "W. B. Gray, 306 East Castle, said a color television set valued at $480 was taken sometime between 6:30 p.m. and 7:50 p.m. Saturday from his residence."
      • 1980/07/22 warranty deed in Lea County NM (reception # 198027611; book 382, page 610) - transfer of block 19, lot 9, subdivision SOUTHERN HTS ADD, HOBBS from COLONIAL HOMES INC to GRAY BOBBIE CLOYS and GRAY WILLIAM BERNINGER
      • Find A Grave memorial for William B. Gray - born 1921; died 1983; son of Rufus Issue Gray (1889–1964) and Lula V Halliburton Gray (1892–1982); married Bobbie Cloys "Mimi" Langley Gray in 1944
      • Carnes Brothers Funeral Home and Cremations obituary for Terry Wayne Gray (1953 - 2021): "Terry Wayne Gray passed away suddenly on January 15th in Galveston, Texas at the age of 67. He was born in Farmington, New Mexico on June 20, 1953 to William Berninger Gray and Bobbie Cloys Langley Gray. Terry graduated from Hobbs High School and attended New Mexico State University.
        
        Terry was preceded in death by mother, Bobbie Cloys Langley Gray, father, William Berninger Gray, sister, Cheryl Diane Gray Allen, niece, Tiffany Dee Allen, and nephews Kenneth Allen Jr and Delaney Allen."
      • Background of Jennings Drilling Co. in Hobbs
        • Hobbs Daily News-Sun, "It's Chilly Up There", 1963/12/11 (pages 1, 5): "Former Hobbs mayor and city commissioner William R. (Bill) Hollis, now living in Calgary, Alberta, Canada, has written friends here of experiencing 25-degree-below-zero weather already this winter. He sent acquaintances a copy of the Calgary Herald of Nov. 20 telling of the cold snap and describing it as breaking a 63-year record for cold on that date. Hollis, a longtime Hobbs resident, moved to Calgary in May, 1961 as a partner in the Jennings Drilling Co., Ltd., along with another Hobbsan and associate, Ken Jennings. With Hollis in Calgary is his mother, Mrs. Minnie Hollis."
        • Santa Fe New Mexican, "Hobbs man on board", 1969/10/02: "A Hobbs man has been named to the State Investment Council seat vacated recently by the resignation of Robert M. McKinney, Santa Fe. The appointment of Alan J. Antweil, a Democrat, was announced Tuesday morning by Gov. David F. Cargo. Antweil operates an oilfield supply company, is chairman of the board of Farmers and Merchants Bank in Las Cruces, is a director of Jennings Drilling Co., Calgary, Canada, president and director of Danbar Cattle Co. in Hobbs and a director of the American National Bank, Cheyenne, Wyo. He and his wife have three children."
    • Carl Elmer Jenkins
    • Kate Rich
    • Ruben Moore
    • Jeffrey Dahmer
    • Robert Charles Browne
    • Kenneth McKenna
    • Frank Hale
      • Florida Department of Corrections information on inmate HALE, FRANK M - DC number is 870527; birth date is 07/31/1956; received a life sentence for first degree murder on 09/28/1983; currently residing at UNION C.I. (i.e. Florida State Prison in Raiford FL)
      • Picuki.com library for #ottistoole (Google searches 1, 2): "Letter from an inmate named Frank Hale who was friends with Ottis Toole and a member of the Hand of Death Cult. He calls himself Frank the Butcher in the letter and talks about all kinds of stuff including unsolved murders he was responsible for in the Bay Area and being [...]"
  • House of Prayer (run by Ruben Moore) background - a Pentecostal commune; highly likely to be linked with the cult
    • Wichita Falls Times Record News (from Associated Press), "The stranger and the Samaritan: Reuben Moore recalls Lucas before terror gripped Stoneburg" by Paul Recer, 1983/10/10
    • The Town Talk (Alexandria LA), "Couple Changes Lucas Alibi Story", 1984/08/10: "A Texas couple who insisted convicted murderer Henry Lee Lucas ate breakfast with them the morning a Louisiana woman was killed have retracted that alibi, investigators said. Chief deputy Wallace Laird of St. Tammany Parish said Rueben Moore and his wife had modified statements made to a New Orleans television station claiming Lucas ate breakfast with them every day in the time he lived with them. "They said he could have been gone up to 48 hours without their knowing," Laird said."
    • Times Record News (Wichita Falls TX), "Terror hid behind a friendly face", 1998/06/28 (pages 1, 12)
      • "By all accounts, Ruben Moore is the kind of man who would gladly surrender the shirt from his back to a stranger in need, and, on that summer day in 1982, Lucas was a man in need. He came from California with little more than his clothes and his 15-year-old common-law-wife, Frieda "Becky" Powell. He'd been sent to Ringgold by the daughter of 80-year-old Kate Rich, who boarded him and paid him for doing odd jobs around her home. The same relatives soon chased him out of Ringgold, however, when it became clear that Lucas was charging more beer and cigarettes at the community store than he could ever work off. So when Moore picked up Lucas and Powell while they wandered down the highway between Ringgold and Stoneburg, he came along at the best possible time for the one-eyed drifter. And soon, Lucas moved in on Moore like he had with Rich, living in one of the chicken barns that the Pentecostal preacher was fashioning into apartments at his House of Prayer Campground in Stoneburg. The campground — it was called that because it was meant for camp revival meetings, not because it was a camping-out ground — was another philanthropic project of Moore's. He hoped to board down-on-their-luck worshippers who came to the revivals, putting them up in one of the apartments that he and Lucas built around the chicken wire and bare boards of the barn."
      • ""When they told us what all he had done and what they thought he had done, none of us believed it," says Moore's nephew, Travis. "Not Uncle Ruben, not nobody. Hell, Henry Lucas fixed my motorcycle, he bought me beer, he done things for me. We went and did everything together. And I just never would have believed it. That one-eyed bastard. That murdering mother goose." [...] Travis Moore especially recalls his old "running buddy" with mixed emotions. "We was always going off to the lake or to Wichita or over to the beer store," he says. "He was my best buddy at that time. I remember one time at the lake, and I was swimming with Becky, and he was just sitting over there watching us" — Moore's eyes glaze and he pauses, lost in the memory, before he focuses again — "That sick bastard." In fact, Travis Moore might have grown a little too close to Lucas: When investigators began breathing down Lucas' neck, they pulled Moore into their net too, vaguely suspicious that he might have helped his friend kill Rich. "(Then-sheriff W.F.) Conway was all over me, wanting to know whether I was in on it, too," Moore said. "Hell, I'm a bad man. I'm a drunkard and a paint huffer and whatever else. I'm bad. But I ain't that bad. At that time, Moore, like other Stoneburg residents, didn't believe that Lucas was guilty, not even after Conway discovered that Lucas was a felon who had killed his mother in Michigan in 1962. The sheriff, now dead, had a well-known hatred for Lucas: Courthouse insiders say Conway never handcuffed his prisoner so he could shoot him if he tried to ran."
      • "Lucas' word was good in Stoneburg, despite his strange disappearances — many residents remember him driving off into the night in Ruben's car, then returning at sunrise to begin the day's work — and the weird plea Powell made to some of her new neighbors. "She told one of my uncles, 'Please help me or he'll kill me, too,'" said Bowie resident Judy Hawkins, [Ruben Moore niece Deborah] Miser's sister and the woman who eventually sold Lucas the car he fled in. "At the time, nobody knew what she was talking about or took her seriously because everyone thought Henry was all right." [...] But in the summer of 1982, only a few folks in Stoneburg saw through to the real Henry Lee Lucas. Ruben Moore even brought him back to town after been jailed on suspicion of killing Kate Rich: "If Uncle Ruben trusted him, there was no reason for us not to trust him," Miser said."
      • "[After the disappearances of Becky and Kate] Other Stoneburg residents started coming forward with strange stories about Lucas. Some claimed they caught him peeping in windows, while others cited evidence that linked him to the death of several animals, pets and livestock that died of poisoning or other mysterious maladies. And someone tried to kill Ruben Moore by stuffing rags into a stove vent and breaking a gas line, apparently hoping that he would either smother or explode. Although they never proved it, most Stoneburg residents blame those attempted murders on Lucas. Then Lucas "bought" a car from Hawkins, paying her $50 and promising to pay out the remaining $250. One day in October, her car disappeared at the same time Lucas did; a few weeks later, she came home to discover an "army" of cops crawling over her house. The car had been found in California, where investigators tested it and found traces of human blood. Hawkins never saw her car again, but she did run across Lucas in the following months. He wouldn't admit to killing Rich or Powell, and detectives couldn't match the blood in the car to Rich's, so they were forced to let him go. "In all that time after they let him go, he was in and out of here all the time," Miser said. "He used to borrow Uncle Ruben's car and be gone in it to God knows where. I wonder sometimes if he killed anybody at that time. There's no telling how many bodies are buried up through here and we don't know about it."
      • "[After Lucas confessed and led police to Rich's remains] That's when Stoneburg finally deserted Henry Lee Lucas. And that's when his former friends finally told investigators about Lucas' midnight jaunts, the explosive temper tantrums that he managed to hide from most people, his fondness for bestiality and his strange habit of lurking near homes at night."
      • "Travis Moore would see him, his running buddy, one last time, when both were in the Montague County Jail, Lucas on murder charges and Moore locked up for violating his probation on methamphetamine charges."
      • "The church camp has changed less than might be expected in the past 15 years: A sign out front still welcomes visitors to the House of Prayer Campground. Ruben Moore no longer lives there; he moved to Oklahoma, where he lives "way out in the boonies," after Lucas once threatened in a television interview to return to Montague County and tie up a few loose ends, Miser said. Ruben Moore could not be reached for comment for this story."
  • Jonestown connection
    • Calgary Herald (from Dallas Time Herald), "Just one more ‘incredible’ confession needed", 1985/04/16: "Lucas has told authorities that he and his homosexual companion Ottis Toole were members of a cult called "The Hands Of Death," whose 500 members nationwide traveled worldwide to France, Switzerland, Japan and Mexico killing "for hire," sacrificing humans and often eating their flesh. Asked how the cultists, who he said are scattered throughout the U.S. and Canada, were summoned to the periodic sacrificial rites, he replied: "We'd send each other postcards." Last June, a Japanese television crew went to Georgetown, to interview Lucas. He greeted them with a grin and said, "I've got one in your country." He once explained to a reporter that he had killed "every way known to man. Everything except poison. I never used poison; that's just too bad." Asked how he knew the terrible effects of poison, Lucas grinned: "You remember what happened in Guyana? I was the one that carried the poison to 'em.""
    • Shreveport Times, "Book says Lucas took poison to Jonestown, stalked Carter", 1985/05/02: "A recently published book claims Henry Lee Lucas had a contract to kill then-President Carter and delivered the poison to the Rev. Jim Jones in November 1978 that was used in the mass suicide of 913 of Jones' followers in Guyana. The book, The Hands of Death — The Story of Henry Lee Lucas, was written by Dallas author Max Call and has a foreword by Williamson County Sheriff Jim Boutwell. Call said Wednesday he has 40-45 hours of taped conversations with the self-professed serial killer, and that Lucas claims he was a member of the underground cult The Hands of Death. [...] In his book, Call said that "Henry told me he was sent down (to Guyana) on a chartered flight to deliver the poison. He delivered it and then flew back." Another source familiar with Lucas told the Waco newspaper that the one-eyed drifter originally said he had driven the poison to Guyana."
  • Real person named Don Meteric? - unlikely but worth pursuing
    • Google Groups thread from 2002 by "rafe araya" mentioning a Don Meteric of "Rockford" who is a divemaster at "Shoreline Divexpeditions"
      • "Divemaster Don Meteric at Shoreline Divexpeditions (Rockford) is an imcompetent and dangerous fool. He will be stripped of all certification, I'll personally see to that. He was charged this morning with various misdemeanors and one particularly nasty felony (rape). But let's forget about his actual criminal behavior. Let's instead focus on his dangerous and outright sadistic practices as a divemaster and trainer.
        
        Okay, I know damned well that some of you here are friends of Meteric. In fact, I recognize a few names here as his fellow drinking buddies down at the Red Dog tittybar. You're getting upset? Tough turds. Get over it.
        
        I'm sorry, but giving faulty equipment to trainees (including bad regulators and corroded tanks) and "punishing" them with forced consumption of chum and "sea lemonade" (piss and seawater) is totally fucking wrong, it's not even funny. Without his dive assistants to provide muscle, Meteric is a fucking coward.
        
        And this is just the tip of a very ugly iceburg. Witnesses will be coming forth in droves. For the past decade all sorts of bizarre nonsense has been going on at Shoreline Divexpeditions, with Meteric holding the reins. And guess what, now he got his. Wanna figure out why?"
      • People search information for Rafael Araya-Garcia / Rafael Garcia Ayar Sr. of Minneapolis MN / Chicago IL / Burbank CA / Lansing IL: myrelatives.com, FastPeopleSearch
      • People search information for Rafael G. Ayar Jr. of Plainfield IL / Lansing IL / Blue Island IL / Davie FL: FastPeopleSearch
    • Northern Star, "Satanism and occult followings becoming more common in area", 1989/11/16: "In the last decade, more and more reports of clandestine gatherings, ritualistic animal and human sacrifice and child abuse have surfaced in the United States. In the Midwest especially, reports of organized Satanism and juvenile experimentation have increased. "A true Satanist wants to put down anything religion puts forth. If the Midwest is the Bible Belt, you're going to see alot of activity here," said Det. Loyal Slaughter of the Rockford Police Department Crime Prevention Unit."
    • Donald Metric of Joliet IL
      • Locate Family page on the METRIC last name - lists Donald Metric who lives on 81 N Chicago Street in Joliet IL
      • All People information on Donald Metric of Joliet IL - matches the address and phone number (815-727-7882) on the Locate Family page; said to be a principal at Judson Family Services
      • Yelp page for Kids Hope United in Joliet IL - shares the same phone number
    • "good sound amps for pick playing?" thread on TalkBass.com started 2006/12/28 by "don meteric": "I play bass in a death metal band and use Rotosound steels and play heavily with a pick."
    • "Double bass sound on a fretless" thread on TalkBass.com started 2006/12/30 in which "don meteric" posts: "I agree if you want true upright tone, you can't beat the real thing. however, I learned to play bass from lessons with Carol Kaye and she started me on the bebop bass when I was beginning."
    • 2007/01/24 post by "rod3232" about a Stallone movie soundtrack: "that Stallone movie COBRA is awful, but there's a 20 minute guitar solo that is ripping with incredible harmonic tones (and Frank Stallone on hideous vocals). the guitarist was Don Meteric and he used a Strat with a bridge humbucker and Marshall 2203. can't identify what humbucker he used?"
    • "single pickup for clean AND distortion?" thread on the Bare Knuckle Pickups Forum started 2008/04/25 by "don meteric": "I've got an old BC Rich Assassin with a single humbucker at the bridge and want to replace the current pickup. it's some DiMarzio model and it's muddy as hell. [...] I play a lot of old metal, like Venom, Slayer, Metallica, Annihilator, King Diamond, Megadeth, etc. I use a Marshall 6100LM half-stack. I need something that can sound good on both clean tones and heavy distortion. is this a possibility? which Bare Knuckle models should I look into? Many thanks..........Don"
    • MyLife.com information of Donmetric L. Harris - has a criminal record; lives on 46 Wenz Road, Toledo, OH 43615
• Patricia Webb murder - in 1974 in Lincoln NE
  • From The Encyclopedia of Serial Killers by Michael Newton: "By 1974, Toole was drifting, touring the western states in an old pickup truck. Acquaintances thought nothing of it, at the time, but later evidence suggests he may have claimed at least four victims in a six-month period. Police suspect him in the death of 24-year-old Patricia Webb, shot in Lincoln, Nebraska, on April 18."
  • Lincoln Journal Star, "Epilogue: 38 years later, Patricia Webb death still a mystery", 2012/08/20: "A new employee of the Adult Book and Cinema Store disappeared overnight April 18, 1974, along with 51 bondage-themed adult magazines, a calculator and $30. A cord leading to an extension from a pay phone had been cut and the shop door left unlocked. Two and a half days later, Oscar Fiene went to feed cattle on a vacant farm he owned east of Hallam and spotted a blue jacket sleeve and patch of thigh barely visible under a haystack. Patricia Carol Webb’s bullet-riddled body was nude under the hay, except for a quilted jacket, one of 143 extra-large jackets distributed by a feed mill and given to customers or sold to employees. Webb, 24, had a piece of tape over her mouth. [...] The 1972 opening of the Adult Book and Cinema at 140 S. 11th St. shocked Lincoln. [...] “Everybody in that era kind of thought anything having to do with pornography was probably organized crime,” Barksdale said. Common wisdom held that the Mafia ran such stores, along with gambling, drugs and prostitution. [...] Then authorities revealed Webb had been an undercover drug informant for the Nebraska State Patrol and was supposed to testify in court the day she disappeared. [...] Police never found the .22- and .25-caliber guns that put at least six bullets in Webb's head and four in her body. [...] Witnesses came forward to say they saw a young woman leave the store with a black man at about 1 a.m. April 18 and get into a large, older car that looked like a boxy Cadillac or Buick and may have had another person inside. Police developed two strong suspects, a man matching the description that witnesses gave and his partner, a white man, but they couldn't definitively connect them to the slaying. [...] They were the type of guys you'd hire if you needed cement poured, a hole dug or help collecting a debt, he said. [...] Larry Ball of Lincoln was an investigator for the State Patrol when Webb was a “special employee” for it. He said in a 1990 interview that she and another undercover informant played key roles in late 1973 and early 1974, setting up 60 or 70 undercover drug buys leading to the arrests and convictions of more than two dozen people. She stopped the undercover work in early 1974 and wanted to start again, but she owed $3,000 to $4,000 to finance companies, Ball said. [...] Police have investigated tips involving outlaw motorcycle gangs, serial rapists and satanic cults."
• Shelley Robertson murder - in 1974 in Golden CO
  • From The Encyclopedia of Serial Killers by Michael Newton: "By 1974, Toole was drifting, touring the western states in an old pickup truck. Acquaintances thought nothing of it, at the time, but later evidence suggests he may have claimed at least four victims in a six-month period. [...] on July 1, 24-year-old Shelley Robertson disappeared from Golden, Colorado, her nude body recovered from Berthed Pass, near Vail, on August 21. Ted Bundy is frequently blamed for Robertson's death, but the last innocent person to see her alive -- a policeman -- watched as she accepted a ride from "a wild-haired man driving an old pickup truck." (In those days, dapper Ted Bundy habitually drove a Volkswagen "bug.")"
• Sun Ok Cousin murder and Yon Cha Lee assault - in 1974 in Colorado Springs CO
  • People, "Is An Innocent Man Behind Bars? Park Estep Has Served 10 Years for a Murder a Mass Killer Now Admits", 1984/11/05
  • From The Encyclopedia of Serial Killers by Michael Newton: "By 1974, Toole was drifting, touring the western states in an old pickup truck. Acquaintances thought nothing of it, at the time, but later evidence suggests he may have claimed at least four victims in a six-month period. [...] On September 19, 1974, a lone gunman invaded a massage parlor in Colorado Springs. Employee Yon Lee was stabbed, her throat slashed, before the attacker moved on to rape, shoot, and stab co-worker Sun Ok Cousin. Both women were set on fire, but Lee survived to describe her assailant as clean-shaven, 6 foot 2 and 195 pounds, driving a white pickup truck. Police, for reasons yet unclear, arrested -- and ultimately convicted -- Park Estep, a mustachioed soldier who stood 5 foot 10, tipped the scales at a mere 150 pounds, and owned a red pickup."
  • Colorado Court of Appeals, no. 86CA0951: People v. Estep, appeal decision, 1990/03/29
• Ellen Holman murder - in 1974 in Pueblo CO
  • From The Encyclopedia of Serial Killers by Michael Newton: "By 1974, Toole was drifting, touring the western states in an old pickup truck. Acquaintances thought nothing of it, at the time, but later evidence suggests he may have claimed at least four victims in a six-month period. [...] on October 10, 31-year-old Ellen Holman was abducted from Pueblo, Colorado, shot three times in the head, and dumped near the Oklahoma border. Homicide investigators now believe Toole pulled the trigger in that crime."
• Deborah Sue Williamson murder - in 1975 in Lubbock TX
  • Lubbock Avalanche-Journal, "Cultists In Death Probe Focus", 1976/02/15 (pages 1, 10): "HOMICIDE DETECTIVES, pushing their widespread probe into a loosely knit group which may be linked to the deaths of three young women, continued last week to make inroads into Lubbock’s homosexual and narcotics communities. According to one detective, recent investigation has centered around the mysterious death of Marcella Valenzuela, a 20-year-old nightclub dancer whose body was found in the bathtub of her apartment Jan. 5. [...] Police launched their investigation into the group, a loosely organized cult of homosexuals, narcotics addicts and devil worshipers, after information uncovered by The Avalanche-Journal revealed members of the cult were associated with the dead women. Since the widespread police probe began almost two weeks ago, detectives have methodicatlly re-interviewed persons associated with Miss Valenzuela, Debbie Sue Williamson and Vickie Stroud Stokes, looking for similarities in their associates. Investigation so far reflects no evidence that the women were members of the group; however, they may have been associated with persons who were involved in 20-to 25-member cult. Detectives have proven a link between the attractive Miss Valenzuela and two reported ringleaders of the highly secretive group. [...] Two detectives last week questioned the operator and several customers at a North Lubbock gay bar. The 25-year-old lesbian, said by several sources to be the leader of the group, repeatedly has denied to officers she was involved in any of the deaths. The woman, who has served a sentence in the penitentiary and is now confined in Lubbock County Jail, also denies being a member of a satanic cult. However, several sources who said they fear for their lives have confirmed the cult exists. [...] The bulk of its members reportedly were recruited by the lesbian leader who reportedly "uses devil worship and drugs to keep the others in line.” The information discovered by The Avalanche-Journal also led officers to reopen their investigation into three deaths originally ruled suicides. [...] “What makes me so mad about them is that they pick on young kids about 14 or 15 who are susceptible to their come-ons,” said one source who knows the groups’ members well. [...] There’s no doubt about it,” said one detective, “Some of these kids are convinced she (the lesbian leader) has power over their minds. It makes it hard to get them to say anything.”"
  • KLBK, "Could her case be solved soon? LPD shares major update in the search for 18-year-old Debbie Williamson’s killer", 2022/04/13 (updated 2022/04/21): "On Saturday, Liz Flatt, Debbie’s sister, said the end to her unsolved murder investigation could come soon. Last year, the Lubbock Police Department assigned a new detective, which Flatt said was just what the case needed. “I’ve been fighting for 5 long, hard years to get LPD to do what Sergeant [Justin] Anderson and his team are doing,” Flatt said. [...] Flatt said LPD continues to re-interview people and re-examine evidence; this time, using forensic technology. [...] In January, Flatt and Sergeant Anderson decided together to send evidence to a private lab for any DNA that may have been left at the scene. [...] Over the last several months, rumors about possible suspects have circulated on Facebook. She said two private investigators who are not affiliated with Debbie’s family have wrongly accused two individuals on her sister’s Facebook page: Unsolved Murder of Deborah Sue Williamson (Debbie Agnew). “They have wrongly, and I mean wrongly, made two individuals look very guilty on that Facebook page and they have no right to do that. Absolutely no right,” Flatt said. [...] “They removed me from my own sister’s Facebook page and blocked me. [It was] very disturbing, upsetting and just shocking,” Flatt cried. “I have fought for so long for justice for my sister and, then for them to do this to me…” [...] The private investigators spoke with our newsroom on March 26 and suggested KLBK not speak with Debbie’s sister; instead, to speak with Debbie’s widowed husband. They said they no longer have a relationship with Flatt and suggested she cannot be trusted. [...] The two also said they are releasing a book with new information about the case next month. Flatt said the private investigators’ conduct is concerning and maddening."
  • NEA Report, "“Silent Silhouette” details an in-depth investigation into the unsolved stabbing death of Deborah Sue Williamson", 2022/08/17: "In June of 2021, investigative journalist and true crime author George Jared teamed with his investigative partner former Army counterintelligence officer Jennifer Bucholtz decided to delve into the mystery surrounding the woman’s death. Their new book “Silent Silhouette” details their investigation into the case. It includes interviews, case files, interviews with witnesses and persons of interest. The case has haunted the city of Lubbock, Texas for many years and has surprising connections to Northeast Arkansas. [...] “Debbie’s case immediately caught my attention because, based on the actions the killer took during the commission of the murder and the minutes afterwards, the murder was personal in nature and likely committed by someone close to Debbie,” she said. “Knowing that, it baffled me that the case had gone nearly 46 years without being solved. I believe Debbie’s case has a high solvability rate and had her and her husband’s inner circle been more heavily scrutinized in 1975, the killer likely would have been discovered back then.” [...] To study the case better, the duo traveled to Lubbock in August 2021 to track down those who’d given witness statements to the police in 1975 and to visit the home on the night of the anniversary of the murder. One person they tracked down early on was Debbie’s widower, Doug. [...] Doug was questioned as a suspect several times. He passed a polygraph test. The night of the murder he was the manager of a Pizza Inn. The waitress that worked with him that night a college student named Mary Ann, told police that he was there the entire night. Another employee, Paul Neel, asked to leave early that night to go on a date with a woman named Tina. Neel had previously dated Debbie and was friends with Doug. He clocked out that night at 8:43 p.m. and arrived for his date with Tina around 10 p.m. Jared and Bucholtz tracked down Neel and Tina and interviewed them extensively. What they and other witnesses said will shock many readers, Jared said."
  • Lubbock TX police corruption
    • Substantial Evidence: A Whistleblower's True Tale of Corruption, Death and Justice by Bill Hubbard (1998)
  • Jennifer Bucholtz and George Jared background
    • Case Breakers affiliation
      • "Meet the Case Breakers Team", 2022/07 - under Private Investigators & Forensic Experts are "APUS, College Adjunct Instructor Jen Bucholtz – former Army Counterintelligence (Peyton, CO)" and "PI George Jared – Field Investigator, Three-Time Author, Podcaster (Jonesboro, AR)"; under Consultants / Federal Agencies & Departments is "U.S. Atty. Joe Russoniello (ret.) – Former FBI, 2-time US Attorney & SF Law School Dean (S.F., CA)"
      • Note that the Case Breakers claimed in 2021 to have identified the "Zodiac killer" as Gary Francis Poste
• John Whatley and Faye Eva Whatley disappearance - in 1976 in Bastrop TX
  • Websleuths thread on the disappearances
  • Bastrop Advertiser, "What Could Have Happened to the Whatleys?", 1976/03/25: "Bennett Blake of Houston, son-in-law of the Whatleys, reported them missing more than five weeks ago, either four or five days after something eerie occurred at their home. [...] Blake's wife, daughter of Mrs. Whatley by a prior marriage, became worried when the couple failed to show up as planned for the wedding rehearsal of their granddaughter Jan. 30 as well as the wedding the next day. [...] Long distance calls to the Whatley home went unanswered, and Blake telephoned Bastrop County Sheriff Jimmy Nutt the Saturday night of Jan. 31. Nutt dispatched a deputy sheriff to the Whatley ranch six miles north of Bastrop near the old Hills Prairie settlement. [...] The only hint of foul play was a .22 caliber bullet hole fired through a window from inside the house. Only the Whatleys seemed to be missing at the time, but officers later determined an inside bedroom door was gone. [...] Nutt is checking on all rumors, and his investigation has touched on something which occurred in Mexico over half a century ago. Whatley, born in Mexico, was the son of a physician in Chihuahua. [...] The Whatley property was confiscated by revolutionaries, and young John escaped from Mexico under a wagon. A rumor persisted that someone in Mexico might have come to Bastrop to kill Whatley and prevent him from reclaiming his family's expropriated land. [...] Whatley, a self made millionaire since coming to Texas, once operated a small dairy at Ridgetop in what is now North Austin. He sold the dairy, bought land northwest of Austin and in turn sold it for a reported $500,000. [...] Bastrop County Deputy Sheriff Verlin Hemphill says Whatley's assets are somewhere between $2 million and $7 million. [...] [Faye Whatley] is a former fraternity housemother and women's dormitory employee at the University of Texas in Austin. She had two children by a previous marriage, Mrs. Blake of Houston and a son who was killed in a plane crash."
  • Amarillo Globe-Times, "Disappearances of Texas Rancher, Wife Stymie Investigators", 1977/01/19: "The wealthy rancher, Nutt said, was last seen by some pecan thrashers, who told officers he was accompanied by man convicted of burglary. The man is wanted in Florida for violating his probation and Nutt never got to question him about the missing Whatleys."
  • Austin American-Statesman, "Lucas claims he killed wealthy Bastrop couple", 1984/04/20 (pages 1, 10): "Convicted murderer Henry Lee Lucas Thursday led authorities to the former home of a wealthy Bastrop County couple who disappeared in 1976 and said he and a companion killed the pair. John Whatley, 74, and his wife, Faye, 68, were discovered missing Jan. 31, 1976. "I believe what he told us," said Bastrop County Sheriff Tommy Moseley, who accompanied Lucas to the home. "I'm pretty well convinced he did it, because he told us things, gave us details he couldn't have known otherwise." Moseley said Lucas told him the Whatleys were stabbed to death "and their bodies were taken to Nevada and dumped in the desert." [...] Moseley said Lucas made a statement concerning the case. The sheriff said Lucas had had an accomplice, but would not say whether it was Toole, who has been implicated in other murders. [...] Nutt said this morning that it's "very possible" that Lucas and his accomplice used the missing door to load the bodies into their truck. The door was found in a barn loft about a year after the Whatleys' disappearance. Nutt said the barn had been searched "over and over again but maybe we missed it." Nutt said he believed Lucas' statements have cleared the case."
  • 1984/06/22 letter from Anita Whatley Lorenz to Sgt. Bob Prince of the Texas Rangers: "Recently I received a clipping taken from the Dallas News of June 7. The clipping stated that a man named Toole had confessed that he was paid ten thousand dollars to kill my brother John Whatley and his wife Fay. He met a man by the name of Lucas in San Antonio, gave him five thousand dollars and they went to the ranch not far from Bastrop, Texas and stabbed the couple to death.
    
    In a previous article Lucas said that he did the killing and that he had an associate but did not name him. He also said that the bodies were taken to the desert in Nevada and dumped. I hope that you are continuing to work on this case to find the person who hired these men. He is as guilty as they are and is a social menace and should be removed from circulation."
• Clemmie Curtis murder - in 1976 in Huntington WV
  • Charleston Daily Mail, "HUNTINGTON OFFICER CUFFED, FATALLY SHOT", 1976/08/04: "Cabell County Sheriff Ted T. Barr said "there is a 99 per cent probability" that Huntington police officer Clemmie Curtis was killed with his own gun. [...] Curtis, 30, a nine-year veteran on the force, was shot in a heavily wooded area known as "Shangri-La" or "Snake Road" yesterday afternoon, according to Barr. Exact time of death is unknown, but Barr said Curtis was seen buying lunch at 2:30 and the body was found about 6 p.m. Barr said Curtis had been shot once in the chest, his hands were handcuffed in front, and was found lying on his back about two feet from the municipally owned unmarked white Dodge he had been driving. His .38 caliber police pistol lay alongside. Huntington police said Curtis was bound with his police handcuffs."
  • Chicago Tribune, "SERIAL KILLER RECOUNTS GRISLY TRAIL ACROSS U.S.", 1985/03/24: "Paula Curtis, 37, a registered nurse and the widow of a Huntington, W.Va., police officer who was shot to death along Int. Hwy. 64 by Lucas Aug. 3, 1976, doesn`t think that`s such a bad idea. The death of Patrolman Clemmie Curtis, 30, was ruled a suicide for 8 1/2 years until Lucas confessed to it and pleaded guilty Jan. 22. He and Toole were sentenced to life without parole."
  • Fort Worth Star-Telegram, "Lucas' confessions convincing", 1985/08/27 (pages 1, 10): "Lucas has since said he was given details of the Curtis slaying that night in the Huntington jail by Curtis' old partner and that Curtis' picture in the photo lineup was marked. Curtis did not work with a partner. [...] When Lucas pleaded guilty, Curtis' family gained benefits they had been denied when his death had been ruled a suicide. But local people said the widow, Paula Curtis, had made herself unpopular with the police department by her continual requests to have the case reopened. "I didn't get any promotion out of it," Bevins said. "In fact, I got messed over about it. ... It insults the hell out of me" to have it said he had helped Lucas."
  • Office Down Memorial Page entry for Patrolman Clemmie E. Curtis - a 2008/12/16 comment by Christopher Clagg says "10-42 They finally tied one of your killers to the child they had killed. I know Azel Bryant took your death with him wishing the HPD had found your killer."
• Holly Andrews murder - in 1976 near Georgetown CO
  • Westword, "Ghost Story", 2001/02/15
    • "Tammy and Holly Andrews, only eleven months apart in age, were close friends. Both went to Columbine High School in Littleton, where Holly was outgoing, popular and took great pride in her role as a majorette."
    • "Dave eventually spent time in juvenile hall; Tammy received psychological counseling for running away from home; and in late 1976, Holly spent two months at Fort Logan Mental Health Center."
    • "Most of Lucas's account, especially the description of Holly's clothes, matched the details of the case -- if not exactly, then close enough for Gillespie and Whiteside. Lucas seemed to know things that only the killer would know. "He was quite lucid about the details and certain about the facts," says Whiteside, who retired from the CBI in 1999 after serving as director for twelve years. He even said that Holly had told him she wanted to run away to California, something she had indeed discussed with her brother Dave in the weeks before her death, according to police reports. He also correctly described the fatal stab wound to Holly's heart and correctly listed the contents of her purse."
    • "On March 13, 1984, the Clear Creek County district attorney's office charged Lucas with first-degree murder and with felony murder, which is murder committed in the process of committing another felony -- in this case, sexual assault."
    • "In June 1984, Lucas confessed to the 1979 slaying of seventeen-year-old Linda Ruth Hutchings, who'd last been seen alive on August 14 of that year. Her body was found on September 1 in a swampy area in Jefferson County. She had been beaten to death. Jefferson County sheriff's investigator Steve Forsyth went to Texas to interview Lucas. Following the advice of a Texas Ranger, Forsyth opened the interview by showing Lucas a photograph of Hutchings. Lucas told Forsyth he had just been drawing a picture of Hutchings -- it was his habit to make drawings of his victims to show investigators. "Mr. Lucas was able to relate to me details involving the victim and himself which are known only to law-enforcement personnel and Lucas," Forsyth wrote in an affidavit for Lucas's arrest on charges of first-degree murder."
    • "On December 26, 1976, the day Holly Andrews was killed, records from the report show that "Lucas resided at Benjamin Trailer in Port Deposit, Maryland." Lucas paid his rent on December 3 and was investigated by Maryland police in connection with an incident involving his nephew's car on December 8."
  • Lisa Marie Fuqua, "A Cold Case is Solved with DNA — So Why is the Killer Free?", 2019/11/18: "December 26, 1976, Holly Andrews 16, was visiting her mother for Christmas in Columbine, Colorado. One evening she left to visit a friend and didn’t return. The next day skiers would find her naked body, except for blue knee-high socks. [...] The case went cold until 1983 when serial killer Henry Lee Lucas confessed that he raped and killed Holly. Officials proved that Lucas could not have killed Holly, because they knew he was in another part of the country at the time. But they had to wonder if he was covering for another member of The Hand of Death Satanic Cult. [...] The way she was killed is reminiscent of other cult murders that have happened. She was raped and stabbed six times in the back, with the final seventh blow straight to the heart. And they are usually left to be found naked, except for their socks. [...] Ricky Lee Harnish 52, was still living in a halfway house after being released from his 2005 arrest for selling methamphetamine. When they ran his DNA sample, it hit on the cold case murder of Holly Andrews, thirty-one years earlier. [...] We know that he was 21 when he raped and killed Holly in Columbine, Colorado. After that, he lived in Kansas, Texas, and New Mexico for the most prolonged periods of time. With several other states in between. Harnish also changed careers. He was a car salesman, a seismograph operator, a steakhouse chef, a fiber-optics installer, and a drug dealer. Harnish was able to charm his way into almost anything. He was always flush with money and had the nicest rides people remembered, like the vintage black Corvette, and the classic Harley-Davidson ‘74. [...] Only hours before his trial was to begin, Harnish took a plea deal. He was given a measly 10–24 years for the brutal, rape, and murder of a young girl. [...] Harnish barely served nine years, then was released. What’s even stranger than the short time he was given for the rape and murder of a youth, is that when he was released, he wasn’t on parole, and didn’t have to register as a sex offender. He was just free to do whatever he wanted."
• Russell Curtis King murder - in 1977 in Harris County TX
  • Port Arthur News, "Lopez noted for artistic achievement", 1977/04/25: "Jeff Lopez, 22-year-old professional song writer, formerly of Groves, recently was notified by the ASCAP Panel for Popular Awards in New York that he has been chosen for a monetary award for his accomplishments in the music field. [...] Lopez is a writer for Tuffy Music, which is incorporated with Mel Tillis Enterprises of Nashville, Tenn., and the song was released on a Tuffy Label. Entertainer of the Year Mel Tillis recorded Lopez's composition, "Pretty Lady," in 1973 and sang it on Dinah Snore's television show. Tillis' newest release written by Lopez is entitled "Come on Home." It was released by MGM on an album and was chosen as the single released from the album."
  • Fort Worth Star-Telegram, "Law officers to pool knowledge on Lucas", 1983/09/28: "In addition, sources told the Star-Telegram that Toole has told Harris County sheriff's officers that he and Lucas killed and castrated a Houston music publisher Oct. 1, 1979. Russell Curtis King was beaten to death with a tire tool, and his mutilated body was left in an oilfield near Humble, north of Houston, law enforcement sources said. Relatives said King was in his 50s and had dabbled in the music business while also working as a welder. He ran Tuffy Music Inc. in Houston and was associated with country music singer Mel Tillis in an extension of that music publishing operation in Nashville."
  • Fort Worth Star-Telegram, "Police deny Lucas was led to confess killings", 1985/08/28 (pages 1, 2): "And Russell Curtis King, a "high-rolling" music promoter who left a party for country-western singer Mel Tillis and was found three days later in a northeast Harris County oilfield, his sexual organs cut away."
• Polk County Jane Doe murder - found in 1977 in Corrigan TX
  • Websleuths thread on UP10868 (pages 1, 2) - note that the "Estimated postmortem interval" was 3 months, which (given that she was found 1977/11/25) fits Stephanie Lee Smith more than Kathi McCurdy; a 2020/12/08 reply says "The longest running theory is she was a victim of Henry Lee Lucas named Stephanie Lee Smith. However, when Smith’s parents arrived they refused to accept it was their daughter or claim her remains. That’s what led to a local funeral home director giving her a proper burial, albeit as Jane Doe."
  • Stephanie Lee Smith - originally this Jane Doe was identified as Smith, and Lucas confessed to murdering her in an account that clearly refers to Smith, but the identification was later challenged
    • Doe Network page for 3845DFLA - Stephanie Lee Smith - disappeared from New Orleans LA on 1977/06/09; note that both ears were pierced
  • Kathi McCurdy - it appears that this Jane Doe was more recently identified by DNA as McCurdy, though no details have been released
    • Charley Project page for Kathi Ann McCurdy - disappeared from Little Rock AR on 1976/10/14
    • Websleuths thread on MP76653 (Kathi Ann MCCURDY) - a 2021/10/21 reply says "Kathy was my husband’s aunt. The body was identified through DNA testing and the family was informed yesterday (October 20, 2021). We know basically no details yet."
    • Find A Grave memorial for Kathi Ann McCurdy - born 1959/07/24 in Bell County TX; died 1977/11/25; buried at Union Springs Cemetery in Corrigan TX; had a younger sister Kim Elaine McCurdy who was born in Killeen TX and died at 9 months old
• St. Tammany Parish LA murders in the late 70s and early 80s - notable for having physical evidence against Lucas (ballistics in the Wagner case, fingerprints in the Broyles case, suspect hair in the Sharp case, victim hair in the Manguno case), though all of this evidence was later disputed
  • Shreveport Times, "Lucas evidence bypasses DA", 1984/07/04: "COVINGTON (AP) — District Attorney Marion B. Farmer said he hasn't seen any of the evidence linking admitted mass murderer Henry Lee Lucas to violent crimes here, but he wasn't upset about that. "I don't know that it's necessary to apprise us of their findings at this time. I guess their investigation is still proceeding," Farmer said Monday. Lucas, 47, has been accused of four murders in St. Tammany, as well as the rape of a 74-year-old Slidell area woman and the beating and robbery of a 55-year-old Covington man."
  • Albuquerque Journal, "Lucas, Toole To Be Called In Probe of Three Slayings", 1984/08/17: "COVINGTON, La. (AP) — Admitted mass slayer Henry Lee Lucas and convicted killer Ottis Elwood Toole will be called before a St. Tammany Parish grand jury investigating three killings in the parish, says District Attorney Marion B. Farmer. However, Farmer said Wednesday, if the two refuse, they cannot be forced to testify. He said that, as a result of a meeting with Sheriff Patrick J. Canulette's investigators, the grand jury will be convened within a few weeks to look into the slayings. The grand jury will try to determine any links between Lucas and Toole and the deaths of Folsom housewife Ruth Ann Manguno, teen-ager Roxanne Sharp of Covington and motel owner Kenneth Lee Broyles of Slidell. Bench warrants charging Lucas and Toole with the three slayings have been issued but have not been served, officials said. [...] Farmer said Rueben Moore and his wife, Faye, of Montague County, Texas, also will be subpoenaed."
  • Shreveport Times, "Lucas case files found in ex-prosecutor's home", 1985/01/20: "SLIDELL (AP) — For the second time in a week, St. Tammany Parish District Attorney Walter P. Reed has reported that files of active murder cases were misplaced before he took office, including files on serial murderer Henry Lee Lucas. Some files are still missing, according to the South Louisiana prosecutor, but he would not comment on the subject matter of those files. Thomas Mull, an assistant district attorney under former District Attorney Marion Farmer, said he discovered material at his private office and his home after Reed complained that a file could not be found in his office. But Mull added that some items reported missing were "never ... in my control or possession." Reed said missing files may yet be found in the district attorney's office. "We're continuing the search, but a lot of the files are in disarray," he said. [...] Mull had been sent by Farmer to Georgetown, Texas, last year. Lucas was being held there and Mull questioned him about murders in St. Tammany Parish. Lucas has been linked to the 1978 murder of St. Tammany Parish Deputy Louis Wagner II, the 1983 killing of Folsom housewife Ruth Ann Maguno, and the 1982 murders of 16-year-old Roxanne Sharp of Covington and Slidell motel owner Kenneth Broyles. Mull said he spent hundreds of hours on the case and had material spread around his office, car and home. "I thought I had put it all back when I finished my report, but someone cleaned my room at home and evidently placed a portion in the wardrobe and some was still in my locker," Mull said. "I'm positive now that all of the material I had in my possession has been returned. It was certainly an innocent mistake and nothing deliberate," Mull said."
  • The Town Talk (Alexandria LA), "Prosecutors to Probe Lucas Killings", 1985/06/16: "SLIDELL (AP) — Two special prosecutors have been appointed to direct the grand jury investigation of whether Henry Lee Lucas really committed four St. Tammany Parish murders to which he once confessed, the district attorney says. District Attorney Walter P. Reed said he had appointed Patrick J. Berrigan of Slidell and Paul L. Katz of Covington to head the special grand jury investigation because his regular staff is busy with routine criminal and civil matters. Lucas had confessed to hundreds of murders, and was convicted of 10 and sentenced to die in Texas for one. However, he since has recanted all but one confession, and other evidence indicates he was nowhere near some of the murder sites when the murders were committed. Berrigan said he expects that Lucas will be subpoenaed to appear before the grand jury, but could not say when. The panel is investigating four killings to which Lucas had confessed: the June 1978 murder of St. Tammany Parish sheriff's Sgt. Louis Wagner, the 1983 murder of Folsom housewife Ruth Ann Manguno, and the 1982 murders of teen-ager Roxanne Sharp of Covington and Slidell motel owner Kenneth Broyles. Last year, when Marion Farmer was district attorney, he expressed veiled skepticism about the value of evidence purporting to link Lucas to the four killings. Sheriff Patrick Canulette has maintained that Lucas committed the crimes."
  • Fort Worth Star-Telegram, "House of horrors has sideshow", 1985/08/29 (pages 12A, 13A, 16A): "One of the major problems with the cases: much of the evidence related to three of the four cases — those handled by the sheriff's department — has disappeared. Sheriff's detectives say they turned all the evidence over to former District Attorney Marion Farmer, at Farmer's insistence, while he was in office. Farmer's associates have laid the blame for the missing evidence on the sheriff's department, suggesting that some of the evidence that supposedly disappeared — including the fingerprint — never existed or was removed by the sheriff's office. Farmer says the cases against Lucas were never prosecuted under his administration because "it was the opinion of myself and other attorneys in my office that Henry Lee Lucas did not commit crimes here in St. Tammany's Parish." Ed McGehee and Dennis LaRocca, detectives with the sheriff's department, say, however, that when they presented the evidence to Farmer, he said he could not afford to prosecute the Wagner case because someone else had already been convicted for the crime, and to admit that the wrong person had been prosecuted the first time would hurt his re-election campaign."
  • Louis Wagner murder - in 1978
    • Fort Worth Star-Telegram, "House of horrors has sideshow", 1985/08/29 (pages 12A, 13A, 16A): "(Robert Lee Willie, who received the death penalty in another case, confessed to the Wagner killing and was convicted of it. McGehee and LaRocca said Willie recanted that confession shortly before he was executed and said he had made the confession so he would be taken to a prison from which he had escaped before and from which he hoped he could escape again.) "Why would Bill Alford (Farmer's assistant) and Marion Farmer want to get rid of evidence? I'll tell you why," LaRocca said. "When we showed him that (Wagner) case, he had already convicted R.L. Willie for it, without any physical or circumstantial evidence. He rode the crest of that wave. We presented this to him and he said, 'Oh, what do I do now? I can't bring this up now, do you want me to commit political suicide? I'm running for re-election.' ... We said, 'What about the victims?' He said, 'I can't worry about them, I have to win this election.'" Farmer says such a conversation never took place. [...] [Lucas and Toole] said they took the officer's gun with them. A gun that could be Wagner's, similar to a type the officer had once owned, with a police-style left-handed holster, was recovered from a small lake in Oklahoma; Lucas confessed to a crime that occurred near that lake and said he might have thrown the weapon in a body of water nearby. [...] According to information that McGehee says came from the North Carolina Bureau of Investigation, Toole told North Carolina officers on April 17, 1984, about having killed a deputy sheriff in Louisiana after he stopped them. Toole said that to North Carolina officers the day before Lucas was interviewed by the Covington officers and a month before Toole was interviewed by them. The statement was sent to Covington after McGehee had interviewed both men."
  • Roxanne Sharp murder - in 1982
  • Kenneth Broyles murder - in 1982
    • Leesville Daily Leader, "Family of murdered woman is positive Lucas is her killer", 1985/04/19: "In a related development, a fingerprint believed to be that of Lucas and liking him to a St. Tammany Parish murder is apparently lost and may never have been properly analyzed to see if it really was his, a local television station reports. WDSU showed a state police crime report of fingerprints taken from the scene of a hotel where Kenneth Broyles was murdered on Aug. 28, 1982. The television sation said Wednesday the report links none of the prints to Lucas. However, St. Tammany Detective Ed McGehee told the station he print in question was never really sent to the state police crime lab. McGehee said he believes the print was lost, which he said would mean, “You’ve broken the chain of evidence and it’s no good anyway.” There was a great deal of conflicting information surrounding the Broyles killing prior to the report. In a statement, Lucas said he wore surgical gloves on the night of the killing. Later he said his traveling companion Ottis Toole did the killing. And some people have said Lucas was miles away from St. Tammany Parish at the time of the killing."
    • Fort Worth Star-Telegram, "House of horrors has sideshow", 1985/08/29 (pages 12A, 13A, 16A): "The fingerprint that sheriff's detectives say matched Lucas came from the killing of Kenneth Broyles at the Kings Inn Motel in Slidell, La., on Aug. 28, 1982. McGehee says the print was verified in June 1984 as being that of Lucas' left index finger by a local officer who is a qualified fingerprint expert. In the fall, he said, Alford asked that the print be sent to the state crime lab in Baton Rouge for further identification. McGehee also says Alford asked for other evidence in the Lucas-related cases to be turned over to the district attorney's office. McGehee says he tok the envelope, containing various fingerprints that had been lifted from the counter of the motel, to Baton Rouge. When the fingerprint expert there said none of those in the envelope matched Lucas', he checked back with the Covington officer who had made the original identification. McGehee said the one print the local officer had identified as Lucas' was missing from the envelope."
  • Ruth Ann Manguno murder - in 1983
    • The Town Talk (Alexandria LA), "Couple Changes Lucas Alibi Story", 1984/08/10: "A Texas couple who insisted convicted murderer Henry Lee Lucas ate breakfast with them the morning a Louisiana woman was killed have retracted that alibi, investigators said. Chief deputy Wallace Laird of St. Tammany Parish said Rueben Moore and his wife had modified statements made to a New Orleans television station claiming Lucas ate breakfast with them every day in the time he lived with them. "They said he could have been gone up to 48 hours without their knowing," Laird said."
    • Fort Worth Star-Telegram, "House of horrors has sideshow", 1985/08/29 (pages 12A, 13A, 16A): "In the killing of Ruth Manguno, the sheriff's department matched a hair found in a bloodstained car that Lucas had abandoned in San Jon, N.M. — the car he said he was driving when he killed her — with one from Manguno. Although hairs cannot be matched with the surety of fingerprints, McGehee said the hair found in the car exhibits an extremely rare banding pattern contained in Manguno's hair. Farmer said, "The nicest thing I can say about that (the hair found in the car) is that I have serious doubts about that evidence. The vehicle had been gone over by others with a vacuum cleaner. The idea that they found something that had never been found before is mind-boggling.""
  • Louisiana public officials involved in the case
    • Bill Alford - first assistant DA under Marion Farmer; formerly an assistant DA to Jim Garrison involved in the JFK assassination probe (and ensuing Clay Shaw trial), who went on to assist with an attempted frame-up of Garrison on corruption charges
      • New Orleans Times-Picayune, "Former prosecutor, criminal defense lawyer William Alford dies at 76", 2016/08/08: "Alford, a tall man with an imposing courtroom presence, worked as an assistant district attorney in six parishes during his long career and was formerly chief assistant district attorney in the 22nd Judicial District under Marion Farmer. Farmer, a friend of Alford's since their freshman year at LSU, said the 6-foot-6-inch Alford had a football scholarship and was a tight end for the freshman team before giving up football. Both men got their law degrees from Tulane, and Farmer made him chief of trials during his term as DA for St. Tammany and Washington parishes in the early 1980s. Alford went to work for Garrison right out law school and was among the three assistant district attorneys who in 1969 helped Garrison prosecute New Orleans businessman Clay Shaw for conspiracy in the assassination of President John F. Kennedy. [...] In St. Tammany Parish, Alford successfully prosecuted Robert Lee Willie, who was executed for the murder of Faith Hathaway, a case that was the focus of the film "Dead Men Walking." [...] A native of Dixie, Alabama, Alford graduated from University Laboratory School in Baton Rouge and from LSU, where he was president of the Gamma Iota chapter of the Sigma Chi fraternity. He received his law degree from Tulane in 1966. He served at various times as an assistant attorney general, chairman of the Criminal Law Section of the Louisiana State Bar Association, special counsel to the Louisiana Judiciary Commission, member of the St. Tammany Parish Planning and Zoning Commissions and chairman of the Covington Housing Authority."
      • Orleans Parish assistant DA under Jim Garrison
        • From p.118 of A Farewell to Justice by Joan Mellen (2005), based on an author interview with Alford:
          
              On the ceiling were bloody palm prints. Many hands had been suspended there, William Alford thought, and he wondered whether anyone had died or been seriously injured in this room. A black gown bore "whip marks," William Gurvich noticed. Five whips bore traces of blood. A cat-o'-nine-tails sat in the closet. "Let's lift those and dust for prints," Alford said. Ivon refused. The boss didn't want to make Shaw's sexuality an issue.
              [...]
              Jim Garrison sent the phalluses, whips and chains to Robert Heath, the head of psychiatry at Tulane. Heath concluded that Shaw's motive for becoming involved in a conspiracy to murder President Kennedy "could very possibly have been rooted in his 'sadistic, homosexual abnormality,'" a thesis Jim Garrison rejected.
           
        • Shreveport Journal, "Alford Quits His Job As Executive DA", 1971/06/22
        • Shreveport Times, "Grand Jury Hears Ex-Garrison Aide", 1971/07/02: "A former assistant district attorney who resigned with a blast as Dist. Atty Jim Garrison appeared before a parish grand jury Thursday, the day after Garrison was arrested on charges of taking bribes to protect pinball concerns. William R. Alford Jr. accused Garrison of protecting organized crime in his statement of resignation two weeks ago. He declined to comment on his testimony before the Orleans Parish Grand Jury but said he had been scneduled to appear before Garrison's arrest on federal charges."
        • From p.335 of A Farewell to Justice by Joan Mellen (2005), based on an author interview with Alford: "Gallinghouse wanted to subpoena William Alford, but Alford had no desire to testify against Jim Garrison. He engineered what he called a "Gervais," after the master, and qualified to run for district attorney against Garrison in his coming reelection campaign. Now there would be a conflict of interest in Alford's testifying. "You've ruined yourself as a witness!" Gallinghouse sputtered. Precisely, Alford thought."
        • New Orleans Times-Picayune, "Tapes Played in Court Link Garrison to Bribery Scheme", 1973/08/29: "Taped conversations between government informer Pershing Gervais and former New Orleans Police Department Capt. Frederick Soule Sr., played as evidence in U.S. District Court here Tuesday, directly linked Dist. Atty. Jim Garrison to a complex bribbery scheme designed to prevent crackdowns on illegal pinball gambling in New Orleans. [...] Also during that conversation, names "Bill Alford" and "Cates" were brought up. Soule testified that "Bill Alford" mentioned in passing was former Asst. Dist. Atty. William Alford, and "Cates" was former police Capt. Sidney Cates, but added that to his knowledge neither Alford nor Cates had any knowledge of the bribery scheme."
        • Harold Weisberg notes on 1973/09/08 about recent news stories on Garrison's federal trial: "8/29- these were out of order. Mention of Bill Alford. He was in charge of all pinball prosecutions, which this story doesn't say. Not them alone, but all of them. Despite his protestations when he quit, about a week before the big federal blast, he did fix cases or at least offered to fix one for me that I didn't ask or hint that he fix."
        • Background of Jim Garrison's federal bribery scandal
          • The Fourth Decade Vol. 1 No. 4, "Pershing Gervais and the Attempt to Frame Jim Garrison" by Peter R. Whitmey, 1994/05
      • St. Tammany Parish assistant DA under Marion Farmer
        • The Daily Advertiser (Lafayette LA), "Woman Given Sentence", 1980/12/25: "A woman who admitted she tried to collect $220,000 in fraudulent death benefits by helping fake her husband's drowning was fined $200 and given a one-year suspended jail sentence Tuesday. District Attorney Marion Farmer of St. Tammany Parish called it one of the most bizarre cases he had ever seen when Diane Tannehill, 30, and three others were indicted by a grand jury earlier. District Judge Thomas W. Tanner imposed the sentence after Mrs. Tannehill, of Baton Rouge, pleaded guilty to the attempted theft of more than $500 in the scheme to get $220,000 in death benefits from her husband's employer, Exxon Corp. of Baton Rouge. Her husband, James Tannehill, is still in jail in Texas. He, Glen Patrick Bordelon and Betty Keel are awaiting trial on similar charges. A trial date of Jan. 12 has been set for Bordelon and Ms. Keel in Covington. [...] A notation by the clerk of court said Mrs. Tannehill's sentence resulted from a "plea bargain" — an arrangement from which assistant prosecutor William Alford Jr. disassociated himself."
        • The News-Star (Monroe LA), "Charges against hospital expected", 1983/12/17: "Criminal charges are expected from a St. Tammany Parish grand jury investigation of financial troubles at Slidell Memorial Hospital, prosecutors said. Assistant District Attorney William R. Alford Jr. said Thursday that some charges were expected, but would not elaborate."
      • Defense attorney in Covington LA
        • Kidnapping of the son of St. Tammany Parish sheriff Patrick Canulette
          • UPI, "Sheriff's son abducted from classroom", 1985/02/21: "An armed woman released two weeks ago from a mental hospital burst into a classroom, fired at a pregnant teacher, and kidnapped a sheriff's 11-year-old son, stashing him at a motel until her capture. Linda Danner, 29, was arrested two hours after the incident Wednesday at a motel about 30 miles away. Andy Canulette was rescued unharmed. [...] 'She started telling me my dad was in the Mafia and all that stuff,' the boy said. Sheriff Pat Canulette flew to suburban Kenner by helicopter for a reunion with his son. He said he had never met the woman charged in the incident. 'This woman was arrested several weeks ago. She was making phone calls to my home,' he said. Danner, 29, spent two weeks with psychiatrists at Southeast Louisiana Hospital in Mandeville and was released. 'They said nothing was wrong with her,' said Canulette. 'I'm not too happy about that at all.'"
          • The Daily Advertiser (Lafayette LA), "Lawyer says client sick", 1985/02/26: "The defense lawyer for Linda Danner, accused of kidnapping the St. Tammany Parish sheriff's son, said she is not a criminal and that she needs medical treatment. "The lady is sick. She is not a criminal," said William Alford Jr., a former first assistant parish attorney who said he was hired by husband, Warren Danner."
      • Catalogue of questionable statements by Alford
        • Claiming that he wanted to dust the BDSM paraphernalia in Clay Shaw's home for fingerprints (which could have led to additional suspects), but was overruled due to Garrison not wanting to investigate anything related to Shaw's sexuality; yet this is contradicted by Garrison sending those very same items to a Tulane psychiatrist to get a profile on Shaw
        • Claiming that he had no interest in helping the feds convict Garrison on bribery charges, despite publicly resigning and blasting Garrison for alleged corruption a week before the federal indictment
• Trasie Wood murder - in 1979 in Beaumont CA
  • California Court of Appeals for the Fourth District Division 2, cr. 12316, cr. 14575: The PEOPLE of the State of California, Plaintiff and Respondent, v. Michael Edward BOWEN, Defendant and Appellant. IN RE: Michael Edward BOWEN on Habeas Corpus, appeal decision, 1982/12/09: "On Saturday evening, October 6, 1979, defendant drove from Beaumont with two friends in his mother's station wagon to a Redlands skating rink.   During the half-hour drive to the rink, defendant and his two friends consumed a pint of rum and smoked three marijuana and hashish cigarettes between them.   After some time at the rink, they saw three girls they knew, Trasie W. and two twin sisters, and later on the three boys and two of the girls, Trasie and one twin, drove back to Beaumont.   Trasie and one of defendant's friends who were girlfriend and boyfriend, sat by themselves in the back seat.   The group parked near an oak tree and talked and smoked hashish for about an hour.   Defendant then drove everybody home.   The twin was dropped off first and then Trasie's boyfriend.   Defendant's other friend was the next one to be driven home, leaving defendant and Trasie alone in the car.
    
    Trasie's body was found the next morning near a dirt road in Cherry Valley.   She was wearing only a pair of socks.   An autopsy performed later that day revealed that she had suffered multiple skull fractures from eight blows to the head;  that one of her teeth had been knocked out, probably by a fist;  and that there was spermatozoa in her vagina."
  • Topix post by Kelly Holcomb about the Tracy Woods murder claiming that Henry Lee Lucas rather than Mike Bowen is the murderer
• Rita Salazar and Frank Kevin Key murder - in 1978 near Georgetown TX and Hewitt TX
  • Austin American-Statesman, "Tijerina's sentence: 40 years", 2012/02/29 (pages B1, B8): "Investigators think there is another suspect in the case because when Key and Salazar were kidnapped, they were taken in a different car to a different location, Williamson County District Attorney John Bradley said. He declined to provide further details about the ongoing investigation. [...] Key’s mother, Geraldine Key, said outside court that she was relieved that justice had been served. She said she used to want vengeance for her son’s death but not anymore. Still, her grief lingered, she said. “My son was shot nine times, and I wouldn’t even do that to an animal,” she said. She also said that she did not think Tijerina was the person who shot her son. McLennan County First Assistant District Attorney Michael Jarrett disagreed. He said outside the courtroom that Tijerina had bragged to other jail inmates about shooting Kevin Key. Tijerina’s defense attorney, Russell Hunt Jr., said outside court that Tijerina told him he didn’t kill the victims or sexually assault Salazar."
• Debra Jackson murder - in 1979 on Halloween in Georgetown TX; was formerly known as Orange Socks before her 2019 identification
  • Elmer Gene Washington as a suspect
    • Comment by @vicfeazell620 on KXAN, "In-depth: The Henry Lee Lucas confession — true or false?", 2019/08/10: "It was the truck driver."
  • KVUE, "1979 'Orange Socks' cold case victim identified as Debra Jackson of Abilene", 2019/08/06 (updated 2019/09/03): "The victim has been identified as Debra Louise Jackson of Abilene, Texas, who died at the age of 23 from apparent strangulation. She was found dead on Oct. 31, 1979, off of Interstate Highway 35 north of Georgetown in a concrete drainage ditch near Walburg Road. [...] After meeting with Jackson's family, officials learned that she left home in Abilene in 1977. Her family did not report her missing at this time, so her information was not entered in any databases. Also, officials said her Social Security activity halted after 1979. Officials said she could also be known by the names of Debra Louise Larned or Debra Louise Moon. Based on information officials have gathered, they learned that Jackson eventually began working at a Ramada Inn in Amarillo in 1978 located at 2508 E. Interstate Highway 40 and, later that year, at an assisted living center called Bur-Mont Inc. in Azle, Texas, located at 7150 Gantt Access Road. Officials believe she also worked at R.E. West and C.G. Cole Admiral PTR, Realty Investment LTD, in 1979 at an unknown location."
  • Real estate investment firm employer
    • United States Bankruptcy Court for the Ninth Circuit, no. LA 86-07001-GM: In re REALTY INVESTMENTS, LTD. V, a Texas Limited Partnership, Debtor, opinion, 1987/04/08 (amended 1987/06/19): "Realty Investments Ltd. V (hereinafter "Realty Investments" or "debtor") is a Texas limited partnership formed on October 20, 1978 for the purpose of owning and operating the United Bank Building in Pueblo, Colorado. Kinnickinnic Realty Company (hereinafter "KK") sold this building to the debtor in December, 1978 for $4,625,000.00: part cash, part assumption of the existing first and second deeds of trust, and the balance as a non-recourse third deed of trust.
      
      This bankruptcy is one of a series of some eighty cases which were filed in this court (with approximately another forty being filed in other courts across the country). These bankruptcies are loosely referred to as the "Tatco cases" because either Tatco or G.C. Cole Corporation is the general partner of each individual limited partnership. Each limited partnership owns as its single asset a piece of commercial real property. The properties are spread across the United States."
    • OpenCorporates page on THE G. C. COLE CORPORATION - based in Texas with company number 0038843500 and TIN 30002873237; address is 2709 BEDFORDSHIRE BEDFORD, TX 76021; on 1976/09/07 added Mark Mahlo as an officer and agent; has branches in other states including Alabama, Florida, California, and Georgia
    • D Magazine, "GRAND PRIX, GRAND SCAM-GRAND JURY?", 1985/07: "Though [Don] Walker has been in the public eye for the last two years, details of his past remain guarded. His company promotional material, for instance, fails to mention a brief stint in 1979 as financial officer of Wesco Investments Inc., where he worked for Ronald E. West, a silver-tongued California tax shelter promoter, and G. Charles Cole, a Southern Methodist University MBA who was West’s Dallas-based partner.
      
      Cole, West and Ralph Freedson, a disbarred Houston attorney, were indicted last year for preparing tax returns that reported $50 million in partnership losses during 1977 and 1978 for 805 syndication investors, $18 million of which the government said were fraudulent. Walker testified in late March at Cole and Freedson’s trial, a few days before he filed for bankruptcy. Cole and Freedson were acquitted on April 2, partly due to credibility problems of a key government witness. West fled the country."
    • United States Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit, nos. 92-3370, 92-3381: Koester v. American Republic Investments, Inc., opinion, 1993/12/14
      • "This diversity case arose from the ashes of an all too common financial disaster. Plaintiffs are St. Louis professionals who invested some $9,000,000 in real estate limited partnerships in the late 1970's and early 1980's, primarily for tax sheltering purposes. In hindsight, the properties were wildly overpriced. The projects were eventually sold or foreclosed, leaving plaintiffs with large investment losses. They sued the general partners and insiders for breach of their fiduciary duties. Two of those insiders, defendants G. Charles Cole and Sherman Mazur, appeal jury verdicts awarding the various plaintiffs a total of $6,400,000 in compensatory damages and $4,800,000 in punitive damages. We reverse the judgments against Cole because plaintiffs' claims against him are time barred. We reverse the awards of punitive damages but affirm the awards of compensatory damages against Mazur."
      • "The parties' relationships began in 1978, when Cole and his colleague, Ron West, traveled to St. Louis and made a presentation regarding their real estate syndication efforts to an investor group that included some of these plaintiffs. Over the next few years, plaintiffs invested as limited partners in thirteen "investment level" partnerships. Though each plaintiff invested individually, and is suing individually in this lawsuit, plaintiff Harry J. Nichols, a St. Louis attorney, performed many services for the limited partner investors as a group, including review of Confidential Investment Memoranda, partnership agreements, and real estate documents, and day-to-day communication with the general partners and property managers. The syndicators paid Nichols $477,000 in fees or commissions for these efforts.
        
        The investment level partnerships reinvested plaintiffs' money in numerous "project level" limited partnerships. These partnerships acquired and managed commercial real estate properties and "passed through" to plaintiffs tax deductions greatly exceeding their investments (though some of these aggressive deductions were eventually disallowed following I.R.S. audits). Typically, a corporation owned by Cole was the general partner of the project level partnerships."
    • Ronald E. West background
      • Los Angeles Times, "OF REAL ESTATE & PEOPLE", 1970/05/03: "Ronald E. West and Norman J. Metcalfe have joined the financial control staff of Kaufman & Broad, national housing and development firm. West formerly was senior internal auditor with Glass Containers Corp. of Fullerton and internal auditor of Conrac Corp., New York City. Metcalfe had been with the financial staff of Aluminum Co. of America since 1967."
    • G. Charles Cole background
    • Sherman Mazur background
      • Los Angeles Times, "‘Rescuer’ of Ailing Real Estate Deals Is Fixture in Court", 1988/06/27 (pages IV-1, IV-2, IV-4)
        • "Lawsuits filed by former associates and investors in California and Texas allege that instead of helping troubled real estate partnerships work out their financial problems, Mazur and his American Resource Corp. defrauded them. Among the allegations made in the lawsuits: That Mazur and companies he controls let partnerships slip into foreclosure by failing to pay lenders, that he took over partnerships by promising stock that was never delivered and that money was “skimmed” from partnerships that were later put into bankruptcy proceedings. [...] His lawyer, H. Roy Jeppson, said the fraud allegations made in the lawsuits against Mazur are “without any foundation whatsoever.”"
        • "For the past year, he has managed about 580 post office, utility and government buildings owned by investors in tax shelter programs promoted by North Hollywood businessman Gerald L. Schulman. Schulman, 56, was convicted by a federal judge in Los Angeles last February of 20 counts of felony tax fraud. Prosecutors argued that Schulman had designed partnerships that took interest deductions on phony loans that Schulman arranged. [...] Introduced by their rabbi, Mazur and Schulman struck a deal last year in which Mazur would pay $30 million to take over Schulman’s role as manager of the buildings and also acquire a small interest that Schulman held in trust deeds on the buildings. Schulman never told his investors that Mazur was taking over as manager, Schulman said in a deposition"
        • "A native of New York, Mazur, 39, sports boyish good looks and curly brown hair, and he typically dresses in European-style suits. As his business has grown, so has his social and political profile. He serves on the board of the Joffrey Ballet and is a special financial adviser to Childhelp, a national child abuse prevention organization in Woodland Hills. Campaign finance records show that in 1986 he gave $104,750 to the unsuccessful campaign by former Lt. Gov. Mike Curb, making him one of Curb’s largest contributors." - note that Curb is founder and (as of 2024) chairman of Curb Records, parent company since 2016 of Word Entertainment (started by Jarrell McCracken) of which Curb (as of 2024) is also chairman
        • "Mazur is described by those who know him as charming and self-confident. Former business associates say he frequently impressed them by dropping the names of well-known business people he had met, most notably Michael Milken, Drexel Burnham Lambert’s “junk bond” king, and Milken’s brother, Lowell, also a Drexel executive. “He’d say ‘Mike and I are tight,’ and ‘I can count on Mike,’ ” said Brian Cunningham, a Gilroy, Calif., real estate lawyer over whose partnerships Mazur gained control. A Drexel spokesman, however, said that while Mazur has met the Milkens “a couple of times over the years” that “it’s not what you’d call a close relationship, business or otherwise.” Jeppson said Mazur has met the Milken brothers, but said he doesn’t recall him boasting to people about knowing them."
      • Los Angeles Times, "Real Estate Whiz Sherman Mazur Pleads Guilty to 7 Counts of Fraud : Crime: He diverted cash to himself from bankrupt partnerships and then failed to report millions in federal income taxes", 1993/07/09: "In his guilty pleas, Mazur admitted to taking $1 million from the partnerships and to failing to report nearly $3 million of income on his personal tax returns in 1985 and 1986. Mazur’s plea came the same day that former Lincoln Savings & Loan chief Charles H. Keating Jr. was sentenced to 12 1/2 years in federal prison, and one day after Charles W. Knapp, a former freewheeling S&L executive who once ran giant American Savings, was convicted on three counts of lying to obtain a $15-million loan. While the timing was coincidental, the outcomes nonetheless highlight how some of those who abused the banking and real estate industries in the United States during the 1980s are now paying a severe price. [...] Touted in the mid-1980s as a rising star in U.S. real estate, Mazur was once lauded for specializing in real estate workouts, in which he gained control of troubled properties with the understanding he would nurse them back to financial health. At his peak, Mazur operated through the now-defunct American Resource Corp. in Century City, with about $750 million worth of apartments and office buildings he had obtained from financially sick partnerships. (Anthony Sarno and Joseph V. Nash, two former associates of Knapp, were officers of American Resource in 1986, said Assistant U.S. Atty. Maureen A. Tighe. But Sarno and Nash--who were convicted with Knapp in the loan fraud scheme--were not accused of any wrongdoing in Mazur’s case, she said.)"
      • Gerald Schulman background
        • Los Angeles Times, "N. Hollywood Businessman Guilty on 20 Counts in Tax Fraud Case", 1988/02/13: "Schulman was represented in the trial by three attorneys from the prestigious Washington, D.C., law firm headed by noted criminal defense lawyer Edward Bennett Williams."
        • Los Angeles Times, "Gerald Schulman: A Success Story Built on Fraud", 1988/06/19: "For $15,000 a year, he joined an elite circle of Democratic contributors who lunched regularly with U.S. senators, at least four of whom visited his Encino home. [...] But Schulman really made his mark as a real estate syndicator. Since the mid-1970s, Schulman persuaded 5,000 investors to put up $200 million and pool their money in tax shelters. His clients included comedian Robin Williams, film director Woody Allen and enough major league baseball players to field an all-star team. With their money, Schulman formed investment partnerships that acquired nearly 600 buildings, two-thirds of them used as U.S. post offices, which generated close to $40 million a year in rent. His North Hollywood-based Postal Management Services Co. in 1986 claimed to manage $950 million in assets in 47 states and Puerto Rico. He also was the Postal Service’s biggest landlord. [...] “I was very impressed with him. I thought he was a very successful man, very generous and a very good man,” said former Gov. Edmund G. (Pat) Brown, a friend of Schulman’s. [...] [After detailing Schulman's extensive criminal record in the 60s and 70s] Contrast that picture with the Gerald Schulman of the 1980s. [...] “It was very elaborate. There was the sunken tennis court, a guest house in the back, as I recall, and a waterfall of some sort that ran through the garden,” recalled Rep. Tony Coelho (D-Merced), the House majority whip, who said he visited the home for a political fund-raiser. [...] Campaign records show that he gave at least $100,000 total to various Democratic candidates, with his favorites being Sen. Alan Cranston (D-Calif.), former presidential candidate Sen. Paul Simon (D.-Ill.) and California Assembly Speaker Willie Brown (D-San Francisco). [...] In late 1985, he received $60 million through a complex loan from the investment banking firm of Drexel Burnham Lambert. The loan was secured by notes on the investors’ buildings. Investors were not told of the Drexel loan, according to Schulman’s deposition. Attorneys for the investors are now raising questions about why Drexel would lend the money when the properties were already so encumbered with other loans. [...] As Schulman was pressed financially, he sought help in 1987 from his rabbi, Isaiah Zeldin of the Stephen S. Wise Temple near Sherman Oaks, according to Schulman’s deposition. Zeldin, who confirmed his role in an interview, introduced Schulman to temple member Sherman Mazur, a Century City businessman whom real estate consultants have called a “white knight” for troubled real estate partnerships."
      • General Commerce Bank involvement - alongside a few partners of Adnan Khashoggi such as Rakesh Saxena and Regis Possino; interesting that Mazur's children as well as General Commerce itself were involved with the voting machine company AccuPoll, one of the industry lobbyists for the Help America Vote Act (HAVA) alongside VoteHere (both companies that received very little business following HAVA, raising the question of whether they were shell companies whose main purpose was lobbying)
        • St. Louis Post-Dispatch, "Firm's operations could trouble voters" by Christopher Carey, 2005/08/13: "AccuPoll is one of at least four publicly traded companies that have listed Mazur's children as stockholders, Post-Dispatch research shows. Shares of all four companies have been peddled to foreign investors by overseas firms that regulators warned were unlicensed telemarketing operations, known as "boiler rooms." Each stock declined sharply in value, leaving buyers with little to show for their money. [...] AccuPoll's SEC filings also show that the company got financing and consulting services from businesses managed by a lawyer named Reid Breitman. Those entities used the same address that Sherman Mazur and his children have used in corporation filings. Breitman, 38, declined to comment Friday, saying he adopted a policy of not talking to reporters after another publication unfairly drew an association between him and a "criminal" who once leased the office he now occupies. The building, a former art gallery in Santa Monica, Calif., also has been used by Regis Possino, 57, a disbarred lawyer with separate convictions for drug dealing and fraud. Four overseas brokerages have marketed AccuPoll's shares to European investors. Regulators in Spain and Great Britain issued warnings about two of the firms, Anderson Fitzpatrick AG and Tana Corum Holdings, saying they were offering investments without proper licenses. [...] AccuPoll was incorporated in 2001, in the aftermath of the bitterly disputed 2000 presidential election. [...] AccuPoll became publicly traded in 2002, when it merged with Western International Pizza Corp., a dormant Salt Lake City business whose shares were still registered with the SEC. As part of that transaction, a group of AccuPoll investors split 18.6 million shares of the combined company's stock, or roughly a fourth of the total changing hands, SEC filings show. One of those investors, a limited-liability corporation that got 4.2 million shares of stock, was managed by Jamie A. Mazur, 27, Sherman Mazur's son. Another limited-liability corporation, which got 4 million shares, was managed by Jennifer Mazur, 26, Sherman Mazur's daughter. In addition, AccuPoll issued 3.8 million shares as a retainer to three consultants - Jamie Mazur, Breitman and GCH Capital Ltd. The company gave them warrants to buy 2 million more shares at a discounted price. Breitman once was managing director of GCH Capital. He also manages Palisades Holdings LLC, which provided AccuPoll with $1.9 million in loans that were convertible to stock. California corporation filings lists GCH's address as 2224 Main Street in Santa Monica, Calif. AccuPoll's agreement with Palisades Holdings lists the same address for that company. The address also appears in the Nevada corporation filing for a business that Sherman Mazur incorporated in December. A Canadian newspaper, the Vancouver Sun, published a set of articles July 25 that identified Sherman Mazur as a behind-the-scenes player at General Commerce Bank AG, an Austrian firm that pushed shares of obscure U.S. companies. Before Austrian authorities shut down General Commerce in 2001, regulators in other nations had added it to their list of operations selling securities without proper authorization. California corporation records show that in August 2001, the mailing address for GCH Capital was in Vienna and matched the address used by General Commerce Bank. Rakesh Saxena, an international fugitive under house arrest in Canada, told the Vancouver paper that he had enlisted General Commerce to sell shares of several unlisted companies. He said the firm used boiler rooms in Spain, Germany and Belgium to market the stock. The story identified the operators of General Commerce as Sherman Mazur, Possino and Raoul Berthaumieu, who went to prison in the early 1990s for writing $1.6 million in bad checks on a Los Angeles bank account, depositing them at the old Centerre Bank of St. Louis (later Boatmen's, now Bank of America) and withdrawing $655,000. [...] Chester L. Noblett Jr., AccuPoll's executive vice president for sales and marketing, previously was chairman and chief executive of eSat Inc., a broadband communications company. Two of Mazur's children, Emily and Trent, were shareholders. They filed to sell $960,000 of eSat shares in the spring of 2000 - while they were still minors. Shares of eSat were marketed to foreign investors by securities boiler rooms operating out of Asia. The company later went out of business. Craig A. Hewitt, who until May was AccuPoll's chief financial officer, previously was chief financial officer of Junum Inc., a credit repair and monitoring firm. Junum had a financing agreement with Breitman's Palisades Holdings and consulting agreements with GCH Capital and Jamie Mazur. Junum gave up on its credit business in 2002 and merged into a company that develops lottery games for international markets."
• Elizabeth Allen murder - in 1980 with her body left in San Bernardino County CA
  • El Paso Herald-Post, "Former law agent says Lucas lied about murders", 1986/09/18: "Lucas also was a suspect in the 1980 disappearance of a 50-year-old El Paso woman, a detective testified Wednesday. The body of Elizabeth Allen has never been recovered after she disappeared in January 1980, El Paso police detective Greg Lucas testified. Detective Lucas is not related to Henry Lee Lucas. Allen’s car was found about 15 miles from Jack and Obera Smart's house in California. No Lucas fingerprints were found on the car. The Smarts were friends of Lucas, the detective said."
  • Note that Lucas allegedly met Jack Smart in January 1982, so if Lucas was involved in Allen's murder, this may be a sign that his association with Smart went back further (corroborating the claim of Smart being a fellow cultist)
• Northwest Florida murder spree in late 1980 and early 1981
  • From p.266-267 of The Unsolved Murder of Adam Walsh: Book Two: Finding the Victim by Arthur Jay Harris (2016):
    
        But a few years later the game was back afoot. In FDLE's investigative summary reports of the northwest Florida murders, Toole's information was specific. Further, despite what Lucas told the press in 1989, a year before he had confessed to them as well, and his information matched Toole's. Even further, it matched what FDLE had gotten from Frank Powell, as well as evidence from the crime scenes.
        Forgetting their uninspiring conclusions and Lucas's remarks to the contrary, these cases looked real. Including Haack and Karbin, Lucas and Toole were spree killers like they'd said. As for the rest of their maddening confessions, who knows?
     
  • Tallahassee Democrat, "Traveling killers are indicted in four Panhandle slayings", 1989/05/05 (pages 1A, 9A)
  • Associated Press, "Reputed Serial Killer Henry Lee Lucas Extradited to Florida", 1990/12/07
  • Tampa Bay Times, "Florida can't afford murder trial", 1991/09/24: "Henry Lee Lucas, 55, will be returned to Texas rather than face trial in the four Florida slayings for which co-defendant Ottis Elwood Toole was convicted. [...] In Florida, the drifters Lucas and Toole were charged with the slayings of three women and the father of Jackson County Sheriff Johnny McDaniel in 1980 and 1981. Former Malone Mayor John P. McDaniel Sr. was found shot to death Dec. 15, 1980, by his son. The younger McDaniel was sheriff-elect when he answered a robbery call at a gasoline station where his father worked as an attendant near Campbellton in Jackson County. The other victims were Mary Ruby McCary of Washington County and Jerilyn Murphy Peoples and Brenda Jo Burton, both of Holmes County. As the result of a plea bargain, Cole sentenced Toole to four consecutive life terms for his guilty pleas to first-degree murder. The first chance for parole would be after 100 years. [...] The charges against Lucas have not been dropped. If he is not executed in Texas, Appleman said, he will be brought back to Florida for trial."
  • John P. McDaniel Jr. murder - in 1980 in Marianna FL; was a gas station attendant, former mayor of Malone FL, and the father of Jackson County Sheriff John McDaniel
    • From p.269 of The Unsolved Murder of Adam Walsh: Book Two: Finding the Victim by Arthur Jay Harris (2016), the McDaniel murder could have been a broader cult effort: "I searched the FDLE reports to see if Lucas and Toole ever had others along during their murders, besides Frank and Becky. In fact, yes, Lucas said. He hadn't wanted to give up the name, but Toole's brother-in-law Rodney Syphurs had traveled with them in a separate car during some crimes that resulted in murders including the killing of the service station attendant John McDaniel. Lucas said Syphurs shot McDaniel and added that Syphurs was a member of the Hand of Death cult. Syphurs died in 2005."
    • MYPANHANDLE, "The High Sheriff: Former Jackson County Sheriff Tells of His Time in Office", 2017/11/14 - mentions Sheriff John McDaniel starting his sheriff career in December 1980 with the investigation of his father's murder, which took 5 years and was found to be a serial killing by Henry Lee Lucas and Ottis Toole; also discusses his wife Mellie McDaniel being followed home and murdered on 2007/01/30, a crime attributed to Lionel Sands and Daniel Brown
    • Break for News post suggests a connection between the Hand of Death and the Dixie Mafia, saying that Lucas matches the profile of southern hit men
    • Note that Marianna FL, the county seat of Jackson County FL, was the location of the abusive Arthur G. Dozier School for Boys
      • Panama City News Herald, "Youth found dead in cell", 1981/07/14: "A 15-year-old reform school escapee accused of severely beating three members of a Marianna family hanged himself in his Bay County Jail cell early Monday morning, Sheriff Lavelle Pitts said. John J. Bruschayt of Deland used strips of cloth torn from a bedsheet to hang himself from a coat hook only 4 feet from the floor of his cell, Pitts said. [...] Meanwhile, Lenox Williams, superintendent of the Arthur G. Dozier School for Boys in Marianna, said $100,000 appropriated several years ago to build a security fence around the school from which Bruschayt had escaped wasn’t spent for that purpose because the amount was insufficient. “There was $100,000 appropriated but it was not sufficient to build a secure fence,” Williams said. [...] The adopted son of Fred and Joyce Bruschayt of Deland escaped from the reform school only a few weeks after he was sent there on drug possession and paraphernalia charges from Deland, said Roy McKay, program administrator at the school. Jackson County Sheriff John McDaniel charged that the day after the escape, the youth beat Curtis Jackson, 64, his wife Jewel, 56, and son Richard, 18, with a shotgun after they discovered him allegedly trying to burglarize their home eight miles from the school. Bruschayt stole a vehicle belonging to one of the family members and wrecked it near Homerville, Ga., where he was detained by authorities and returned to Jackson County, McDaniel said. Bruschayt was charged on three counts — assault with intent to commit murder, theft and burglary — by Jackson County authorities, McDaniel said. A judge later ruled that the youth be transferred to the Bay County Jail because of its juvenile wing."
      • Murder of Rush Cowherd
        • WJHG, "Jackson County Homicide Update", 2005/12/07: "Monday morning Jackson County authorities were called out to a boat landing north of Marianna. There they discovered the body of a 62-year-old man floating in the Chipola River. Wednesday morning investigators released new information surrounding the case. Jackson County sheriff's investigators have now made it official. John P. McDaniel, Jackson County Sheriff, says, “His body went to the medical examiner's office and yesterday afternoon late the medical examiner's office told us that Rush Cowherd's death was as a result of a gunshot wound.” The man, known to his friends as "Rush," was shot in his upper torso according to investigators. [...] Benjamin Rush Cowherd lived in the Grand Ridge area of Jackson County and was a retired counselor with the Florida State Hospital. He also worked as a drug counselor at Dozier School for Boys in Marianna. [...] Investigators don't believe the motive was robbery. They say Cowherd was found with cash on him. Cowherd’s truck was also retrieved from the river along with his fishing gear and a lawn chair."
        • Jackson County Sheriff's Office, "Who Killed Benjamin "Rush" Cowherd?"
      • Dale Cox, "Greenwood and the Alcatraz Escape: Anglin brothers sighted in Florida?", 2014/10/12: "In June 1962 three inmates slipped out of the United States Penitentiary, Alcatraz Island, in San Francisco Bay and carried out what many believe was the first successful escape from the federal prison that is still called "The Rock." [...] No one knows whether Clarence Anglin, John William Anglin and Frank Lee Morris are alive today. [...] While many people have at least heard of the 1962 Alcatraz escape, most do not know that Jackson County was the scene of a major local and federal search for the escapees in 1989-1991. [...] To the surprise of U.S. Marshals, a woman they would only identify as "Cathy" called the show's tip line to report that she not only recognized a photo of Clarence Anglin, but knew him to be living on a farm near Marianna under an assumed name. [...] According to "Cathy," the escape had been carried out with outside help. Her story, in brief, was that individuals with the Ku Klux Klan (KKK) in Alabama made contact with a former Florida sheriff to solicit his help. The former officer agreed and went to San Francisco. [...] Almost immediately after news of the search hit the national news wires, I was contacted by a California writer who claimed to have information on the location of the escapees. [...] I agreed to see him, but also notified then Jackson County Sheriff John P. McDaniel and Chief Deputy John Dennis of his claim. [...] The meeting with the writer went downhill quickly after he told Sheriff McDaniel that he thought all Southern law enforcement officers were members of the KKK. [...] Documentary research revealed that Clarence Anglin and Frank Lee Morris had previous history in Jackson County. Both had spent time as juvenile offenders at what later became the Dozier School for Boys."
  • Jerilyn Peoples murder - in 1981 in Holmes County FL
    • From p.297 of The Confessions of Henry Lee Lucas:
      
          [...] When Mitchell left the prison, he had a signed confession to Peoples's murder. In his statement Toole recalled that Peoples had been carrying a bag of groceries and that he shot her with a rifle. Lucas, Becky, and Frank Powell were present at the time, he said.
          On June 30, 1988, Mitchell, having won Frank Powell's confidence, took a statement from the young man in which he "advised that he was present during the burglary of the Peoples home. Powell further stated that Lucas and Toole are responsible for Peoples's death inasmuch as Peoples surprised Lucas and Toole during the burglary."
          Finally, Mitchell and another agent came to Texas and talked with Lucas in prison. He, too, confessed to his role in the Peoples case.
       
• Dorothy Collins murder - in 1981 in Waco TX
  • Waco Citizen, "CRIME OF WEEK: August 11: $1,000 Reward", 1981/08/11: "On January 25, 1981, the body of Dorothy Collins was found lying in a ditch on Tours Road murdered. She had been stabbed twice, once in the back and once in the throat. The activities of the victim on the night before she was murdered are sketchy, but it was learned that she had been at a predominately black night club located in the 600 block of So. 11th at 11:30 p.m. and was last seen alive in her apartment at about midnight. It is believed that Miss Collins killer dumped her body here on the side of the road between 7:10 and 7:30 the next morning."
  • Waco Tribune-Herald, "Police question Lucas about Waco killings", 1984/12/01: "Lt. Elijah Dickerson of the McLennan County Sheriff's Department said "we went back through the property (on Monday) and found new evidence" in the Jan. 25, 1981, murder of 25-year-old Dorothy G. Collins. Dickerson said that after discovering the new evidence, he and Deputy Bill Rich contacted the Texas Rangers who were transporting Lucas from Georgetown to Dallas this week and requested they stop in Waco for questioning. Dickerson said that after he used a "key word," Lucas began remembering the murder of Ms. Collins. Dickerson declined to say what "key word" he used. He said Lucas then took investigators to where Ms. Collins' body was found and showed the investigators where he had dumped her body."
  • Tyler Courier-Times, "Self-Proclaimed Serial Killer Testifies Before Grand Jury", 1985/04/17 (pages 1, 6): "The investigation was prompted by Lucas' confession to the 1981 murder of Dorothy Collins at a time when officers believed another suspect was on the verge of confessing, authorities said."
  • Austin American-Statesman, "Lucas 'circus' assailed", 1985/04/30 (pages B1, B4): "A month after Feazell said he started looking into the Bellmead case, the McLennan County sheriffs office announced that Lucas had confessed to the killing of 25-year-old Dorothy G. Collins Jan. 25, 1981. Collins' body was found off Interstate 35 north of Ross Road Jan. 26, 1981. Her throat had been slashed, and she was clutching a paper bag containing an alarm clock. She held some loose change in her other hand. Nov. 30, 1984, sheriffs Lt. Elijah Dickerson said Lucas had led officers to within 5 feet of the place Collins' body had been found. Dickerson said Lucas told investigators that he had met Collins at a Waco bar, later killed her inside a car, and then dumped her body not far from a truck stop. "No one else could have known the things (Lucas) knew," Dickerson said at the time. Feazell said the second confession "really got us interested.""
  • Note that an entry for "H.L. Lucas" was found in Collins' "trick book". This led McLennan County officers to believe it referred to Lucas, and Lucas gave a confession at the time which affirmed that. In 1985, Bob Lemons claimed to have information that H.L. Lucas actually referred to an X-ray technician at Walter Reed. The notes of Texas AG investigator Mike Feary identify this technician as a black man named Harvey Lucas. It is currently unknown whether this Harvey Lucas identificaton is valid; and if it is valid, it is unclear why a military medical technician in Washington DC would be in the address book of a sex worker in Waco. (TODO: upload documentation)
  • Alternate suspect Joe Leaming
    • Los Angeles Times, "Killer’s Case a True Trial for Texas D.A.", 1991/12/29: "They had a stake in this one, because a suspect--Joe Lehming--was already in jail. Simons had been working on Lehming and thought he had been only a hair away from convincing the man to confess to the killings. But when Lucas confessed, Lehming shut his mouth tight, “vapor locked” as Simons put it, hoping that Lucas would take the rap."
    • Irvin Brown murder - in 1965 in Philadelphia PA
      • Philadelphia Daily News, "Dancing Cop Collars Fleeing Slay Suspect", 1965/03/18: "The prisoner was caught by Weinstein and two other cops about three blocks from the station. He is Joseph R. Leaming, 22, of Camden, who a few minutes earlier had been held without bail for court on a homicide charge. LEAMING, an ex-convct, is charged with the fatal beating of Irvin Brown, 56, of Holme Circle Apartments, 2742 Axe Factory rd., former Pennsauken, N. J., taproom owner. Police said Leaming admitted being one of two men who posed as policemen and took Brown from a Philadelphia home. The pair allegedly beat Brown to death and took $40 from him. His flashing of a roll of cash allegedly led to the attack. Leaming's alleged accomplice, Edward Whalen, 41, of Susquehanna ave. near Thompson st., is in Federal custody in Miami in connection with a West Palm Beach, Fla., robbery."
    • Joshlyn Annette Calvin murder - in 1984 in Waco TX
      • Waco Tribune-Herald, "Witness says man stabbed prostitute", 1985/07/23: "A witness testified Monday that she saw Joe Leaming assault Joshlyn Annette Calvin in August 1964, the night before her nude body wss found floating in a stock tank near a gravel pit in the vicinity of South University-Parks Drive and Loop 340. Leaming is on trial in 54th State District Court for the stabbing death of Ms. Calvin, 28, who had an arrest record for prostitution. Charlene Morris said she was sitting in the back seat of Leaming's two-door car near Carver Sixth Grade Center on Dripping Springs Road. Ms. Calvin was sitting in the front seat with Leaming, Morris said. "You took some money from me and I didn't get what I wanted," Ms. Morris quoted Leaming as telling Ms. Calvin. She said she then "heard a blade pop" and saw a knife in Leaming's hand. "I had heard it on the street that a woman had taken some money from him on his birthday and he was after her," Ms. Morris said. "She (Ms. Calvin) looked over at him and started hollering, and he cut her across the neck," Ms. Morris testified. "She hollered and all of a sudden she went quiet. I panicked. Joe said, 'Have you ever rode around with a dead woman before? (Then) he licked the knife and said it was just like taking candy from a baby." Ms. Calvin's body was found on Aug. 4 by Doug Monty, who at the time was a security guard with Whatley's Alpha Omega Security. Monty, who also testified Monday, said he spotted the body floating in the tank as he and several other guards were leaving the gravel pit after shooting some targets. [...] After the stabbing, Leaming drove awhile and stopped near the General Tire plant, Ms. Morris said. Under questioning by Assistant District Attorney Pat Murphy, Ms. Morris recalled a conversation with Leaming. "He said he wanted to know how it would feel to (have sex with) a dead woman." After blindfolding Ms. Morris, Leaming drove awhile longer before stopping again, she said. "He asked me if I had ever visited a gravel pit, and I said no." Ms. Morris said she heard Ms. Calvin breathing, but that when Leaming got out of the car, "I didnt hear her breathing no more." Earlier in the evening, Leaming had asked Ms. Morris to arrange a "date" with Ms. Calvin, which she said referred to "prostitution." Ms. Morris had already had 12 dates that night, she said. "When I go on dates, I only spend 10 minutes with a trick." Ms. Calvin got into the car with Leaming and then talked Ms. Morris into a "double date" with Leaming, and all three drove away in Leaming's car. Leaming stabbed Ms. Calvin a short time later, Ms. Morris said."
      • Waco Tribune-Herald, "Trial testimony stuns prosecutors", 1985/07/24 (pages 1C, 2C): "A state witness stunned prosecutors Tuesday when she said she saw Joshlyn Annette Calvin alive on Elm Street the day after she said she saw her stabbed. [...] During questioning by defense attorney Ken Ables, Ms. Morris said she and her husband, Bennie Miles, were driving on Elm when they saw Ms. Calvin crossing the street. She said they honked the horn and waved at her. "I know I seen her the next day," she said. Assistant District Attorney Pat Murphy expressed "surprise" at the testimony and said to Ms. Morris, "I've got a small problem here." As Murphy questioned Ms. Morris about her comment, Ables objected, saying Ms. Morris already had answered the question. Judge George Allen called both attorneys into his chambers for a short discussion. When they returned to the courtroom, Murphy told Ms. Morris that it was important to get the timing correct. Was she sure she saw Ms. Calvin after the stabbing was supposed to have happened? Yes, she said. On the day after the stabbing, she and her husband saw a woman walking across Elm wearing "the same dothes that (Ms. Calvin) had on the night before." Was she sure it was Ms. Calvin? "It could have been someone who was wearing clothes that looked like Joshlyn's. I said, 'That looks like Joshlyn,' and Bennie (her husband) said, 'Yeah, it sure do,' and we blew (the horn) and went on by. That's all I know." Ables then questioned her again about the same thing. Ms. Morris was visibly irritated by the repeated questioning. "We just blew (the horn) and kept on going. Whoever it was waved. I thought it was Joshlyn, but I don't know. All I seen was a girl wearing some clothes that looked like Joshlyn walking down Elm." Prosecutors called six witnesses, including two inmates of the Texas Department of Corrections, who said they knew both Leaming and Ms. Calvin. All testified of conversations they had with Leaming. Ray Charles Stone, who is on probation for robbery, said Leaming pointed to Ms. Calvin on the evening of Aug. 3. "He said tonight would be her last night," and that there was "gonna be some blood flowing tonight," Stone testified. On Aug. 6, Stone said, Leaming told him, "I kept my promise." "I said, 'What are you talking about?' and he said, 'Well, you don't see (that woman) on the street no more." Mark Anthony Johnson, a Texas prison inmate, said he was on Elm in early August and heard an argument between Leaming and Ms. Calvin. He recalled Leaming saying, "You're going to give me my $40 back, you're going to (complete the act of prostitution) or you're going to come up missing.""
      • Waco Tribune-Herald, "FBI agent: hair from car matches victim's", 1985/07/25 (pages 1B, 3B): "An FBI agent from Washington, D.C., testified Wednesday for the prosecution that hair removed during an autopsy from the body of Joshlyn Annette Calvin matched hair samples removed from the car of Joe Learning, 42, of Waco. [...] Michael Malone, a special agent assigned to the Washington crime laboratory of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, gave the jury of five women and seven men a short course in hair analysis, [...] Hair comparisons are not as accurate as fingerprints, he said, but the hair sample in Leaming's car would have to be from a black woman who had been in his car, and she would have to have hair with the same microscopic characteristics as Calvin's. [...] After Malone's testimony, the prosecution rested its case. Attorney Ken Ables called four witnesses when the defense began its case Wednesday afternoon, including Margaret McGowan, who currently is serving an eight-year term in prison for forgery and theft. Ms. McGowan said she and Ms. Calvin were prostitutes, and that she had seen Ms. Calvin at the 7-Eleven store at Elm and Garrison sometime before daybreak on Aug. 4. "It was after midnight on the fourth," she said. "I saw her getting in a car (with) a black dude." She said she had never seen the man before. Ms. McGowan said she asked Ms. Calvin if she wanted to go to a truckstop and "make some more money." "She said, 'No, I'm going in. I'm tired.'" Ms. McGowan recalled. During questioning by Ables, she said she knew Ms. Calvin had been in a fight with another prostitute on Elm about two weeks before her death, and that she had been cut in the fight. In an effort to discredit a state's witness, Ables called Robert G. Watts, the clerk in the 10th Court of Appeals, who said he had hired Leaming to paint his house in May 1984. Leaming had a black man helping him paint, but the black man worked only the first week, he said, adding that he did not know who the black man was. The painting took two weeks to complete, he said, and Leaming had a white man helping him the second week. Ray Charles Stone, a black man, testified Tuesday that he had been hired by Leaming to paint Watts' house, and that he had not been fired but had worked the entire two weeks. [...] Also testifying Wednesday was Bill Miller, who owns a car lot at 515 East Waco Drive, and Boyce Carroll, who is a paint salesman for Sherwin Williams. [...] Both testified of a serious wound to Leaming's foot. Miller said he first saw the wound on the morning of Aug. 3. "It was so bad that he (Leaming) had to have crutches," Miller said. Carroll said Leaming called him to take him to the hospital one night beteen 10:30 and 11:30, but that he wasn't sure what night it was. He said it was either Aug. 1, 3, 4 or 5. He said he did not take Leaming to the hospital, but packed his foot in ice."
      • Waco Tribune-Herald, "Jury gives Joe Leaming guilty verdict", 1985/07/26 (pages 1B, 2B): "Joe Leaming, 43, of Waco was found guilty Thursday of the murder of an East Waco woman last August. The 54th State District Court jury of five women and seven men deliberated 3½ hours. [...] Judge George Allen said the sentencing phase might be slowed down a little because a juror, 24-year-old Johnny E. Gilman of West, suffered cuts and bruises about 5 p.m. Thursday in a two-vehicle accident and remained hospitalized at West Community Hospital late Thursday night. [...] According to court records, Leaming currently is in McLennan County Jail after his probation for burglary of a motor vehicle was revoked in October 1984. He also was convicted in 1981 for criminal mischief over $200 and spent time in prison. Defense attorney Ken Ables called one witness Thursday morning, Ann Brown of Waco, who testified she was with Leaming from about 6 p.m. on Aug. 3 until 9:30 a.m. Aug. 4. Numerous state witnesses testified they saw the woman, Joshlyn Annette Calvin, 28, of Waco, alive on the night of Aug. 3, and that she was with Leaming. During questioning by prosecutor Pat Murphy, Ms. Brown said she loved Leaming and they were discussing marriage. Ms. Calvin's body was found about 7:15 p.m. Aug. 4, 1984, floating in a pond at a gravel pit in the vicinity of South University-Parks Drive and Loop 340. However, Dr. M.G.F. Gilliland of the Southwest Institute of Forensic Sciences where an autopsy was performed on Ms. Calvin's body, placed the time of death on the night of Aug. 2 or early on Aug. 3 because of the advanced decomposition. Testimony by several witnesses indicated Leaming's foot was injured prior to the morning of Aug. 3. Dr. Gilliland said the autopsy indicated Ms. Calvin had a broken cheekbone that could have been caused by a kick from a foot. During closing summations, assistant District Attorney Crawford Long said Leaming "leads a double life." [...] Ables questioned the credibility of most of the state's witnesses, several of whom said they were prostitutes and several of whom are serving time in prison or are on parole or probation for assorted felonies. [...] Ables asked the jury, "Where's the blood in this car that this is supposed to have happened in?" He said the crime lab could find small strands of hair, but did not find any blood."
      • Waco Tribune-Herald, "Leaming gets life prison term", 1985/07/30 (pages 1B, 13B): "According to records introduced as evidence, Leaming has been convicted of at least four felonies in three states, including second-degree murder in 1971 in Pennsylvania; grand larceny in 1976 in Dade County, Fla.; and criminal mischief over $200 in 1981 and burglary of a motor vehicle in 1984, both in McLennan County. Leaming's probation on the most recent charge was revoked in October 1984, and he has remained in jail since. On the stand Monday, Learning admitted to all four convictions. But when Assistant District Attorney Pat Murphy questioned him about a conviction in 1961 in Pennsylvania for aggravated robbery, Leaming said, "There's been no evidence about that." When Murphy pressed him for an answer, saying, "I'm asking you," Leaming said, "I can't remember." [...] Regarding his court-appointed defense attorney, Leaming said, "I was not fully represented by Mr. Ables. I'd like to fire my attorney." Leaming contended that Ables knew of several witnesses who could place his whereabouts on the night of Aug. 2, 1984, two days before Ms. Calvin's body was found. [...] Ables said, "It's been an interesting case to try. I presented the best defense I could. Twelve people listened to everything and made their own decision, and I'm not going to argue with it. I've done as good a job as I know how. If I had to try this case again, I'd do it exactly the same way. No one was railroaded.""
      • Waco Citizen, "Joe Leaming Sentenced To 99 Years", 1985/07/30: "Leaming is a painter by trade and has done a lot the custom painting inside the courthouse while awaiting trial."
      • KWTX, "New evidence surfaces in decades old Central Texas murder case", 2018/10/04: "Then McLennan County DA Vic Feazell was an early skeptic. He took issue with Lucas's confessions because the one-eyed drifter had taken credit for a McLennan County murder that Feazell knew he didn't commit, because Feazell was about to try the man who did. Feazell and his prosecutors convicted Joe Leaming, 42, of the murder of Joshlyn Annette Calvin, 28, a prostitute already well known to police, and when investigators raised the issue, Feazell proved Lucas couldn't have done the murder because he'd been working in Florida at the time Calvin was killed. Calvin's body was found at about 7:15 p.m. on Aug, 4, 1984, floating in a pond at a gravel pit just south of Loop 340 and University Parks, near Downsville. The state proved Leaming and Calvin had been seen together the night of the slaying and the five-woman, seven-man panel returned the 99-year verdict in the Leaming case in just 15 minutes."
      • KWTX, "Waco: Local attorney is subject of pending Netflix special", 2019/11/19: "[...] Feazell was McLennan County District Attorney at the time Lucas was to stand trial for a McLennan County killing. Lucas had confessed to the murder of Joshlyn Annette Calvin, 28, whose body was found at around 7:15 p.m. on Aug. 4, 1984, floating in a pond at a gravel pit just south of Loop 340 and University Parks, near Downsville and was set to go to trial. But Feazell, his first assistant Ned Butler and a couple of investigators at the DA’s office back then took issue with Lucas's confessions because the one-eyed drifter had taken credit for a murder they already knew he hadn’t committed, but they knew who did. Feazell and his prosecutors convicted Joe Leaming, 42, of Calvin’s killing and when police investigators raised the issue, Feazell proved Lucas couldn't have done the murder because he'd been working in Florida at the time Calvin died. The state proved Leaming and Calvin had been seen together the night of the slaying and the five-woman, seven-man panel returned a 99-year verdict in the Leaming case in just 15 minutes. Feazell, Butler and others began wondering if Lucas had taken credit for one murder he hadn’t actually done, were there others?"
• Linda Karbin and Hazel Haack murder - in late May 1981 in Sunny Isles FL
  • The murders of 17-year-old Linda Karbin and 19-year-old Hazel Haack in Sunny Isles, part of Dade County, were attributed to Henry Lee Lucas. Haack was a runaway who had gotten involved in prostitution (one friend called it "hanging out down on Biscayne Boulevard, at night") and selling drugs. Initially, police traced her drug connections, and when Lucas was implicated, they reclassified it as a random serial killing. But by Lucas's account, the Hand of Death performed contract hits that would simply appear to be random serial killings, so organized crime may well have been involved in the Karbin and Haack murders.
  • TODO: add quotes from Arthur Jay Harris book about the victims and Lucas's confession
• Ruth Kaiser murder - in late May 1981 in Marrero LA
  • Leesville Daily Leader, "Family of murdered woman is positive Lucas is her killer", 1985/04/19: "Ruth Kaiser’s survivors believe Henry Lee Lucas is the one who murdered her in 1981. [...] “It was too sincere a confession to have been orchestrated,” Joe Kaiser said. “The detectives never led him on.” Joe Kaiser is Ruth Kaiser’s oldest son. Mrs. Kaiser, a widowed mother of nine, was two weeks shy of her 80th birthday when she was bludgeoned and stabbed more than 50 times in her Marrero home. More than three years later, when Lucas was brought to New Orleans by law enforcement officials, they said Mrs Kaiser’s was among the 35 slayings admitted committing in the area. Mrs. Kaiser’s slaying was labeled a classic Lucas killing. The Jefferson Parish sheriff’s office closed the case. “We heard his confession on tape,” Joe Kaiser said Tuesday night. “There were too many facts and figures that only the killer could know.” In January, he and six other family members went to the sheriff’s office to listen to Lucas’ rambling admission on tape. They remain convinced that Lucas was telling the truth. On a January morning, Lucas, accompanied by Jefferson Parish Sheriff Harry Lee and others in a car, drove along a street in Marrero where Lucas said he spent time during his dozens of visits to the New Orleans area. They stopped in front of Ruth Kaiser’s home, and Lucas began his confession."
• Grimes County Jane Doe murder - in 1981 in Iola TX
  • Houston Chronicle, "Texas police search for information on notorious serial killer's mystery victim", 2018/02/22
• Betty Thornton murder - in 1981 in Little Rock AR
  • See p.153-154 of Hand of Death for a largely inaccurate account of the crime by Max Call (unclear how much of the error comes from Lucas and how much of it comes from Call)
  • National Registry of Exonerations page for Scotty Scott
  • KATV, ""How to Get Away with Murder" reality vs. fiction", 2014/11/20: "Well known to central Arkansas, is Criminal Defense Attorney John Wesley Hall, he's worked on many high-profile cases including the Scotty Scott trial dating back to more than 25 years ago. [...] it wasn't until his third trial and nearly a decade later before Scotty Scott was found not guilty. "Something I had realized about a month before the trial, that the witness was talking to him eye to eye, and he kept saying it had to be Scotty Scott," said Wesley. "I showed him a photograph of the entrance and the building was built up, it was a nine inch step, and the person was standing on that step, inside the door looking at him eye to eye," added Wesley. [...] "You could see it on his face in front of the jury that he suddenly realized that for the previous seven years, he had been picking out the wrong guy, because Scott was actually too tall to be that guy, by nine inches," said Wesley."
  • KUAF, "Scotty Scott- An Arkansas crime story" by Kyle Kellams and Randy Dixon, 2023/09/18 (audio MP3)
  • Law enforcement documents
    • Little Rock Police Department, case 81-071193
  • Court documents
    • Arkansas Supreme Court, no. CR-84-198
  • Contemporaneous news articles
    • Arkansas Democrat, "Cashier tries to thwart thieves", 1980/03/09, p.16A: "Betty Thornton, 43, who works at the Majik Market store at 10206 Chicot Road, told deputies two men came into the store about 4:15 a.m. Friday and put a carton of soft drinks on the sales counter. One of the men then ordered Ms. Thornton to give them money from the cash register, the [Pulaski County Sheriff's Department] spokesman said. One of the men pulled a pistol and pointed it at Ms. Thornton, but she told deputies she could see that there were no bullets in the cylinders of the revolver, so she grabbed for the gun. The man struck her in the head with the gun, knocking Ms. Thornton to the floor, the spokesman said. She sustained a small cut to the back of her head. The men then fled out of the store and ran into a trailer park a few blocks away from the convenience store, a witness told deputies."
    • Arkansas Democrat, "Police cadets assist in liquor operation", 1980/08/20, p.13A - includes "Betty W. Thornton, 44, of 10116 Chicot Road" as one of 10 people arrested in a Little Rock Police Department sting against people selling alcohol to minors
    • Arkansas Democrat, "Convenience store manager shot to death during midday robbery" by Steve Taylor, 1981/11/07 (pages 1A, 8A): "Betty W. Thornton, 45, the manager of the Majik Market at Scott Hamilton Drive and Interstate 30, was shot to death during a robbery at the store about 4:40 p.m. Friday. Mrs. Thornton, who lived at 7900 Dogwood Cove in the Otter Creek subdivision, had been working a day shift at the convenience store and service station for about two months, according to a former employee of the business. He said she previously had managed Majik Market at 17th and Broadway streets in downtown Little Rock. Law enforcement officers were searching for a 6-foot-tall white man with brown hair and brown eyes in connection with the shooting. A witness said the man weighed about 175 pounds and fled in a blue or silver Chevrolet Camaro Z-28 or Pontiac TransAm. The man had not been apprehended by late Friday night. [...] Monica Lohr, 20, of Little Rock, arrived a few minutes after the shooting and said she had been scheduled to take Mrs. Thornton's place behind the service counter at 5 p.m. Ms. Lohr said she regularly was scheduled to begin working at 2 p.m., but Mrs. Thornton had been working extra hours so she could attend school. "It would've been me," Ms. Lohr said, sadly looking through the plate glass windows while detectives and uniformed officers combed the store for evidence. John Rose of Little Rock, an acquaintance of Mrs. Thornton who arrived with Ms. Lohr, said: "I'm sure she wouldn't put up an argument. She would've just given him the money." The cash register drawer was open and had been emptied. The cluttered service counter did not appear to have been disturbed, and there were no obvious signs of a struggle. A woman who drove up to the store seconds after the shooting saw the suspect run to the sports car, but did not see the license plate on it. The witness went in the store, saw Mrs. Thornton on the floor by the cash register, then ran to the Waffle House restaurant on the next lot to get help, Rose said. A cook called the police, according to Rose. An off-duty Malvern police officer driving on I-30 in Saline County about 5:15 p.m. saw a blue or silver Camaro or TransAm traveling south at high speed, passing other cars on the shoulders of the highway. By the time law enforcement officers were notified, the speeding car could not be found, according to a Little Rock police spokesman. Detectives checked into the sighting, but had not been able to confirm that it was the suspect vehicle by late Friday. [...] The convenience store-service station is on the northwest corner of the intersection of Scott Hamilton Drive and I-30, just north of the Metropolitan Vocational-Technical Education Center. Another clerk at the store quit about two weeks ago after a man sprayed him in the face with a caustic chemical and emptied the cash register, according to the former employee."
    • Arkansas Gazette, "Manager Slain During Robbery", 1981/11/07 (pages 1A, 4A): "John Rose, 28, of Little Rock said he was eating in the Waffle House next door to the store and service station when a woman came in and told employees that Thornton was on the floor and wasn't moving. The woman said she had just driven into the station to get some gasoline and that the man the police are seeking was just leaving. Rose said he found Thornton lying face down behind the counter and the cash drawer open and empty. He said he traded at the station and knew her."
    • Arkansas Gazette, "Calls of Disbelief About Charges Lead to Slaying Probe by Bentley" by C.S. Heinbockel, 1981/12/03, p.2A: "[Prosecuting Attorney Wilbur C. (Dub)] Bentley said the probe was prompted in large part by telephone calls and comments of disbelief from half a dozen acquaintances of the man who is charged with capital murder and aggravated robbery in the case — Scotty Scott, 22, of Hensley. One of those interested enough in the case to call Bentley was former United States Representative Jim Guy Tucker, a candidate for the Democratic nomination for governor. The disbelief has been echoed in letters to newspaper editors and a petition of 400 names vouching for Scott, an electrician and son of retired State Police Lt. John Scott. The elder Scott asked Tucker as a friend to call Bentley and check on the case, Tucker said, adding that he doesn't know the son. [...] Scott's defense attorneys, Jack Holt Jr. and Harold King, said the validity of the charge against Scott is hard to believe because he was earning good money as an electrician, "abhors firearms" and had no other motive for such a crime. [...] [After the male motorist who identified Scott as the man who met him at the door and took $5 from him] The next customer, a woman, discovered the body. That customer said she saw a man walking to a car like Scott's and Scott said he saw that woman at the station, Bentley said. [...] Bentley said he didn't know when his own investigation would end, but he said it would be helped if he could find a white woman with dark hair who was driving a brown or maroon station wagon that stopped at the pumps around 4:15 p.m. She was there before the motorist who identified Scott, Bentley said, and she's the "last person other than the robber to see the victim alive.""
    • Arkansas Democrat, "Third trial of Scott under way" by Noel Oman, 1989/05/09 (pages 2B, 5B): "[Ivan] Jones, a veteran homicide detective who retired last year, testified under cross-examination that Scott was the only suspect seriously considered by police, even though the sheriff's office provided the name of another suspect. He said police could find no record after Aug. 1, 1981 that Scott purchased ammunition or a weapon, although the suspect provided by the sheriff's office had purchased a weapon shortly before the shooting."
    • Arkansas Gazette, "Investigator: Scott case unsolved" by Cary Bradburn, 1989/05/10 (pages 1B, 2B): "Three other men aside from Scotty Scott were suspects in the 1981 murder of Betty Thornton, an Arkansas State Police investigator said Tuesday. "I don't know who killed Betty Thornton," Sgt. Jerry Reinold testified during the second day of testimony in Scott's murder trial in Pulaski Circuit Court. [...] One of the other suspects, Danny Gault, 30, of Little Rock testified Tuesday that he didn't kill Thornton. Gault admitted being in the vicinity around the time of the murder when he was arrested a month later on an unrelated charge. Authorities don't know where to find John Rose, another suspect, attorneys for the state and the defense said Tuesday. The third suspect, Henry Lee Lucas, a Texas drifter who has admitted killing numerous people in several states, is scheduled to testify today. [...] Scott has maintained his innocence in previous court appearances. His father, John Scott of Hensley, a retired state police officer, told the jury Tuesday that his son didn't like guns or hunting. He said his son looked him in the eye after he had been arrested a day after Thornton's murder and swore: "Dad, I never lied to you in my life. I'm not lying now. I didn't go into that store. God knows it." [...] Scott has conceded he was on the lot to use the telephone but has said he never set foot in the store. However, Odis Grundy, the state's key witness, Tuesday stuck to his identification of Scott as the young man who came from around a counter inside the store and accepted $5 from him for gasoline. [...] Verneda Chaney of North Little Rock said she saw Scott pull up to an exit on the lot and then get out of his car to remove its T-tops. She said he hadn't appeared to be in a hurry and that she hadn't noticed the SCOTT license plate. Chaney found Thornton's body behind the store counter a few minutes later."
    • Arkansas Democrat, "Witness says Scott man who took $5 for gas" by Noel Oman, 1989/05/10, p.2B
    • Arkansas Democrat, "2 treated as defendants in Scott trial" by Noel Oman, 1989/05/11, p.2B: "Much of Thursday's testimony in Scott's trial in the slaying of Betty Thornton centered on possible involvement of James Danny Gault, 30, of Little Rock, or Henry Lee Lucas, the self-proclaimed serial killer presently on death row in Texas. Gault sat stonily in the audience as a state Department of Correction inmate recounted from the stand a conversation between him and Gault in which Gault supposedly boasted of getting away with the Nov. 6, 1981, murder of Thornton, 45. "He's lying through his teeth," Gault said of the inmate, Richard Sampley, 26. Gault had testified Wednesday that although he was in the area at the time of the killing, he had no part in it. An acquaintance with him that day, Laura Raible McNutt, supported his statements Thursday. Lucas, under the watchful eye of 10 law enforcement officers and one police dog, told the Pulaski County Circuit Court jury of his 1983 confession to the slaying. He said he confessed to that killing and others in exchange for staying off death row and other favors. Later, however, Lucas recanted most of the confessions. Lucas said law enforcement officers provided him with photographs and a synopsis of the crimes he was supposed to have committed. "I was supposed to memorize all of it," he testified. "All of my cases are that way." [...] The jury of seven men and five women then viewed about two hours of a 1984 videotaped interview Lucas gave investigators with the Little Rock police and Arkansas State Police. [...] They also heard again from the lead state police investigator, Sgt. Jerry Reinold, who started a separate investigation eight months after the killing and shortly after Scott's first trial ended in a hung jury."
    • Arkansas Gazette, "Scott trial focuses on other suspects", by Cary Bradburn, 1989/05/11 (pages 1B, 4B): "A state prison inmate testified Wednesday in the third day of Scotty Scott's murder trial that Danny Gault bragged two years ago about killing Betty Thornton and getting away with it. Gault, 30, of Little Rock, who was not charged in the case, told a Pulaski County Circuit Court jury Tuesday that he didn't kill Thornton and that he had never claimed he did. The inmate, Richard Sampley, 26, who is serving a 12-year sentence for aggravated robbery, said he didn't take Gault seriously at first but that Gault's brother told him to believe it. [...] Laura Raible McNutt, who was called by the state, provided an alibi for Gault, saying that he drove her from Monticello that day and that they arrived in Little Rock about 5:30 p.m., an hour after the slaying. [...] Friends have described Scott as an even-tempered person who disliked guns and they have insisted that he couldn't have committed the murder. His father, John Scott, is a retired State Police lieutenant and the family is well-respected in the Hensley community. Sgt. Jerry Reinold of the state police told the jury Tuesday that he investigated the murder and that he didn't know who killed Thornton. He said he considered Gault, Lucas, Scott, and John Rose as suspects. Rose's attorney, Don Bassett, said Wednesday that the prosecuting attorney's office had cleared Rose of any suspicion. [...] Another state witness, E. F. Jones, who knew Thornton, said she was alive when he left the store about 4:20 p.m. and noticed Scott's blue and silver Z-28 Camaro parked at a gas pump. Scott said he hadn't parked at the pump but near the phone. Thornton's body was found about 4:30 pm.m shortly after Scott left the lot."
    • Arkansas Democrat, "Third trial sets Scott free" by Noel Oman, 1989/05/12 (pages 1A, 15A): "Scott's original conviction was May 12, 1983. He spent six weeks in the county jail following his Nov. 7, 1981, arrest but has not been incarcerated since. The jury of seven women and five men took 80 minutes to find Scott innocent of first-degree murder and aggravated robbery following the four-day trial. Harold Craig, a Little Rock lawyer, was the jury foreman. "No one feels uneasy about the verdict," Craig said. "We talked about everything, all the witnesses and all the evidence, and we thought it left a reasonable doubt." One of Scott's attorneys, John W. Hall Jr. of Little Rock, said Scott never should have been brought to trial on the evidence presented in the first place. [...] He said investigators should have taken a closer look at other suspects, two of whom testified at Scott's trial: James Danny Glover of Little Rock and Lucas. [...] Prosecuting Attorney Chris Piazza said Glover and Lucas, Hall's assertions to the contrary, had been ruled out as suspects and unless new evidence surfaces, the case will be considered closed. "The evidence we've seen all points to one suspect," Piazza said. Piazza, who tried Scott's first two trials, said he did not try the latest because he was a potential witness to counter Lucas' testimony if Lucas said he committed the crime. "I'm real proud of Kevin Alexander and Kent Holt," he said of the two deputy prosecuting attorneys who did try the case. "But they were handicapped because the case is eight years old.""
    • Arkansas Gazette, "Scott acquitted of murder" by Cary Bradburn, 1989/05/12 (pages 1A, 9A): ""Too many questions were left unanswered," Harold Craig, the jury foreman and a criminal defense lawyer, said. The possibility of other suspects influenced the jury, Craig said. "I didn't feel that it was even a matter of strong suspicion" about Scott, he added, saying that the other jurors felt "good" about the decision. [...] John Scott said he became frustrated because the Little Rock police, who arrested Scott, had refused to follow up leads he gave them. He said he asked for assistance from then-Pulaski County Sheriff Tommy Robinson, and Robinson asked for the state police investigation."
  • Background of Betty Thornton and her family
    • Find A Grave memorial for Royce "Jean" Kyzer Hayes - is the daughter of Betty Thornton; born 1955/09/14; died 2009/03/21; obituary says "Royce Jean Kyzer Hayes, daughter of the late Sherman Fletcher Kyzer and Betty Lou Watts Kyzer, was born in Rosedale, Miss. She died in Oxford, AR at the age of 53. She was united in marriage to Dale Hayes in Greenville, Miss. in June 1972.
      
      She was active in the Brockwell Head Start Program. She was a member of the Salvation Army. Jean is survived by three sons; Danny, Thomas and Christopher Hayes; one daughter, Elisabeth Hayes; one brother Bruce Thornton; three sisters Beatrice Boalt, Pat Long and Bertha Thornton; three grandchildren and a host of friends and family. She was preceded in death by her husband and parents. Graveside services were held March 23, 2009 at the Oxford Cemetery with Major Richard Watts officiating. Pallbearers were Logan Crider, Nathan Johnson, Josh Strauser, Pete Simmons, Thomas Hayes and Chris Hayes. Honorary pallbearer was Jacob Denny."
  • Background of Scotty Scott and his family
    • Arkansas Democrat-Gazette, obituary for John T. Scott, 1997/03/06: "JOHN T. SCOTT, 73, of Hensley, passed away Wednesday, March 5, 1997. He was a retired Lieutenant with the Arkansas State Police and Commissioner of the East End Water District. He was a member of East Union Missionary Baptist Church, Iron Springs Masonic Lodge #342, and East Saline County Hunting Club.
      
      Survivors include his wife, Rosa (Haynes) Scott of the home; one daughter and son-in-law, Kim and Dwight Cupples, and two grandchildren, Heath and Hayley Cupples, all of East End Community. Mr. Scott was preceded in death by a son, Scotty Scott. Also surviving are two brothers, Allen Scott of Lawrenceburg, Tenn., and Floyd Scott of Pulaski, Tenn.; and a host of other relatives and friends."
    • Memorial Gardens Funeral Home obituary for Rose Scott (March 29, 1929 - August 15, 2015) (guestbook)
  • Background of alternate suspect James Danny Gault
    • Arkansas Democrat, "Pair believed linked to several robberies", 1981/12/09, p.8B: "Pulaski County deputies arrested 2 southwest Little Rock men on aggravated robbery charges Tuesday in an investigation that may solve several recent robberies. Joel Lynn Page, 21, was charged with 1 count of aggravated robbery in connection with the Sunday night robbery of the Bonanza Sirloin Pit at 8701 Geyer Springs Road. Page and James Danny Gault, 22, who lives with Page at 5701 Larch Place, were also chargd by Jacksonville police Sgt. Larry Hibbs in connection with the Oct. 23 robbery of a Burger King restaurant. [...] About 9:40 p.m. Sunday, a man with a sack over his face forced a Bonanza employee who was leaving the closed business to go back inside. The gunman forced the employee into an office, then fled with a large sum of money. About $600 that was stolen the robbery was recovered Tuesday after Page gave officers permission to search his home, according to Lt. Larry Dill of the sheriff's office. [...] The detectives were conducting interviews Tuesday night, and their investigation had turned up a long-barreled, .22-caliber revolver and a .38-caliber revolver they said the suspects had used in recent robberies. Dill said more charges will be filed against Page and Gault, and that they may have been involved in the robbery of 2 people in Memphis several months ago, a shooting incident involving a truck driver on Interstate 30 west of Memphis and at least 1 shooting in Little Rock."
    • Find A Grave memorial for James Danny Gault - born 1959/02/16; died 2006/02/27; buried at Ebenezer Cemetery in Kirby AR; son of John H Gault (1933–2005)
    • Other family members
      • Arkansas Democrat, marriage of MISS ABEIGAIL PLEDGER, 1955/04/17, p.5B: "MISS ABEIGAIL PLEDGER, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Julian Verl Pledger of Danville, is betrothed to John H. Gault, son of Mr. and Mrs. Leo Gault of Little Rock. Miss Pledger and Mr. Gault are both graduates of Danville High School, and both attended Arkansas Polytechnic College in Russellville. He served with the U. S. Air Corps. The wedding will take place in May in the Methodist Church in Danville."
      • Arkansas Democrat, "Birth Certificates", 1968/08/24, p.9: "Mr. and Mrs. John H. Gault, 5701 Larch Place, girl."
      • Benton Funeral Home obituary for John H. Gault: "John H. Gault, 71 of Hot Springs died Tuesday, September 20, 2005 at his home. He was born November 26, 1933 in Carthage, Arkansas the son of the late Jessie and Lois Archer Gault. He was a member of East End Baptist Church. He is survived by three sons, Danny, Michael and Eric Gault all of East End; two daughters, Pamela Gault of East End and Christa Gault of Sheridan; one sister, Sonja Fort of Hot Springs; two grandchildren, Bliss Ann Gault and Ronnie Coleman. Visitation will be Thursday 5:00 pm until 7:00 pm at Benton Funeral Home in Fordyce. Funeral services are 10:00 am Friday at East End Baptist Church in East End. Graveside service will be 1:00 pm Friday at Crestview Cemetery in Hot Springs."
    • Background of Gault's alibi witness Laura Raible McNutt
      • Facebook profile for Laura Lynne Raible (work and education) - graduated high school in 1980; from 1979/08/24 to 1981/06 was Former Office Executive at U of A at Fayetteville ("Graduate Institute of Technology Little Rock Arkansas. Worked side by side with the ORIGINAL 8 PROFESSIONAL MEN, 1 WOMAN, & PRIOR TO MERGER WITH UALR."); starting in 1980/05 was Autopsy Assistant at Arkansas State Crime lab; from 1981/08/20 to 1981/12/31 studied at University of Arkansas at Monticello; later was a transfer to University of Arkansas at Little Rock studying nursing and electrical engineering; from 1984/08/24 to 1988 was Former Direct care person at Easter Seal Society ("CHILDREN (newborn through 18years) Residential LOCAL facility. IN-SERVICE, hands on care, CONWAY human development facility mini course trainings... Assist Mr. Paul McLeod design wheelchair board.")
    • Background of Richard Sampley - note that Sampley was part of the criminal underworld in Saline County AR, directly participated in the Dan Harmon drug network, and served as an informant to Jean Duffey's drug task force and Bob Govar's federal investigation
      • Part 6A of Arkansas State Police, case 67-587-88
        • page 3: "On June 28, 1988, Sergeant BARNEY PHILLIPS, Special Prosecuting Attorney DAN HARMON and this investigator met with Mr. CARROLL DUNN who's the head of security for Arkansas Power & Light. At this meeting with Mr. DUNN we were able to obtain copies of the robbery reports of AP & L sub-stations on Baseline Road in which JAMES CALLAWAY, KEN COOK and RICHARD SAMPLEY possibly could be involved."
        • page 9: "RICHARD GLENN SAMPLEY
          W/M, DOB: 5-5-63
          5'9", 180 pounds
          Blond hair, blue eyes
          Tattoo of a "Devil" on the right forearm,
          "Cross" on the left and right arm and a
          scar under his left eye.
          Rt. 4, #23 Willow Street
          Alexander, Arkansas
          847-3241"
      • Benton Courier, "Sampley receives 12-year sentence", 1988/08/03: "Richard Glenn Sampley, 25, of Willow Street, Alexander, has received a 12-year prison sentence for the June 28, 1987, robbery of a convenience store in Little Rock. Sampley, who is also charged with aggravated robbery in connection with a Saline County incident, was sentenced Tuesday by Pulaski Circuit Judge John Langston. He was convicted of the charge July 11, but sentencing had been delayed. Sampley drove a stolen car to the 7-Eleven store at Rodney Parham Road and Green Mountain Drive, beat a clerk over the head, took money, drove to Saline County and burned the car, according to the report of the incident. After testifying before the Saline County Grand Jury investigating the deaths of two Bryant teen-agers, Sampley was charged with the Oct. 17, 1987, robbery of Juanita Reeves at her home at Route 4, Benton. He and James Callaway, 35, of Bryant are accused of robbing Reeves after following her home from a Baseline Road liquor store where she is employed."
      • 1990/02/13 memo from Bob Govar to Chuck Banks and Mac Dodson "RE: Saline County Investigation"
        • p.5-6: "[...] James Calloway’s drug dealings were also documented in a written statement by Richard Sampley (15) on January 30, 1990. Richard Sampley (15) is currently incarcerated at the Varner Unit of the Arkansas Department of Correction. In his statement Richard Sampley (15) stated that he has know James Calloway for approximately six years and that he has lived at Calloway’s house off and on several times. Richard Samply (15) stated that while he lived with Calloway he used to test cocaine for him and would tell Calloway whether the cocaine was good or bad by the rush that he got from the drug. Richard Sampley (15) stated that he would perform these tests on the cocaine at the kitchen table in James Calloway’s house. Richard Sampley (15) stated that during 1987 he sold at least ten ounces of cocaine for James Calloway. During the 1987 Oaklawn race season Richard Sampley (15), James Calloway, Dan Harmon and Richard Garrett all went to the horse races in Hot Springs. The trip was made in James Calloway’s black Marquis automobile. On the way to the races James Calloway pulled out a half-gram of cocaine and handed it to Richard Garrett. Richard Garrett snorted some of the cocaine and then handed the paper to Dan Harmon who did some of it. Harmon then handed the paper of cocaine to Richard Sampley (15) and Richard Sampley (15) finished it. Richard Sampley (15) stated that he told them to get all they wanted because he was going to finish it when it got to him. Richard Sampley (15) stated that on several occasions while he lived with James Calloway he saw Dan Harmon and Richard Garrett come to James Calloway’s house. They would always go to James’ bedroom and close the door and talk. Richard Sampley (15) did not know what they talked about but he did know that that is where James Calloway kept his cocaine. Richard Sampley (15) also stated that he knew that James Calloway did most of his cocaine dealing from the bedroom in his house. Richard Sampley (15) stated that there was a closet in the bedroom in which James Calloway kept his cocaine and that there was cocaine in this closet on every occasion when Dan Harmon and Richard Garrett were there. Richard Sampley (15) stated that he watched James Calloway give people cocaine to sell on several occasions. Richard Sampley (15) stated that he saw Calloway give Suspect (3) drugs on a number of occasions and one time he watched Suspect (3) carry about a kilo of cocaine out of James Calloway’s house. During the time that Richard Sampley (15) was associated with James Calloway, Richard Sampley(15) alleges that he watched Calloway move about 20 kilos of cocaine. Richard Sampley (15) stated that he was giving James Calloway about $750 to $800 an ounce depending on the dope. Richard Sampley (15) also stated that a Mexican which he knows by the name of Carlo would get out of Garrett’s car and carry and attache or brief case into the car lot office. Richard Sampley (15) stated that he saw this Mexican stay a very few minutes and then return to the car that Garrett was in and they would drive off. Richard Sampley (15) stated that he was sure that Garrett was driving the car on these occasions."
        • p.14-15: "[...] [Arkansas State Trooper Jeff] Ramsey stated he was on duty one evening and received a telephone call from Richard Sampley (15). Richard Sampley (15) stated that a large scale gambling operation was going on at a house at Lake Norrell in Saline County, Arkansas, and agreed to come down and give the investigator information concerning the gambling operation. Trooper Ramsey stated that he went back to the location of the gambling operation with Richard Sampley (15) and observed the house with the lights on as described to him previously by Richard Sampley (15). Trooper Ramsey then stated that he and Richard Sampley (15) returned to the sheriff’s office and made preparations to raid the house. One of the other officers suggested that Sheriff Steed be contacted before the raid occurred so that he could participate. They called the sheriff and he told them that he was on the way and not to do anything before he got to the office. Trooper Ramsey stated that while Sheriff Steed lived only four or five blocks from the sheriff’s office, it took him over 40 minutes to get there. When Sheriff Steed did get there he told one of the investigators to go home and told Trooper Ramsey that he would go with him and look at this so-called gambling operation. According to Trooper Ramsey, Sheriff Steed made statements which indicated to him that the sheriff did not think the gambling operation was any big deal. Trooper Ramsey stated that when he and the sheriff drove back to the location of the gambling operation previously shown him by Richard Sampley (15) that the house was shut down, locked up and the lights were out. Trooper Ramsey firmly believes that Sheriff Steed warned Suspect (9), the operator of the gambling house, before they arrived. According to Richard Sampley (15), Suspect (9) provided payments of $2,000 to State Prosecutor Joe Hardin, Circuit Judge John Cole, Sheriff James Steed and Municipal Judge Pete Lancaster each Monday."
        • p.15: "[...] One witness, Richard Sampley (15), has indicated that James Calloway has distributed approximately 20 kilos of cocaine during the period of time that he was associated with Calloway. [...]"
      • 1990/03/29 memo from Bob Govar to Chuck Banks and Mac Dodson "RE: Saline County Investigation"
        • p.3: "Finnis Leroy Criswell has been interviewed in connection with the Saline County investigation during the latter part of February and the early part of March, 1990. [...] Finnis Criswell told investigators that he has worked for James Callawy for a number of years, up until recently when Callaway fired him. Criswell stated that he is aware that Callaway planned a number of robberies of trailers where the trailers were taken to Callaway’s house, repainted and sold to private individuals or at auctions. Criswell stated that he personally participated in at least seven such episodes where trailers were stolen and turned over to Callaway. Criswell also stated that he has heard Callaway talk about cocaine and kilos of cocaine on a number of occasions with various people including Richard Sampley, Richard Garrett and Dan Harmon. [...]"
        • p.4: "[...] During the course of relating this information James Callaway told Investigator Easom that he had a problem. Callaway told Investigator Easom that he, Callaway, had been robbed at a gambling game in Lonoke County, Arkansas. Callaway asked Easom how much he would charge to break the legs of the individuals who had robbed Callaway. Investigator Easom told me that he decided to play along with Callaway and so he told Callaway that he could probably break the legs of the first individual and possibly the second individual but probably would have to kill the third one. In fact, according to Investigator Easom he told Callaway that he would probably have to kill all three individuals before it was over with. Callaway told Investigator Easom that he did not care if all three had to be killed. According to Investigator Easom Callaway offered to pay Investigator Easom the sum of $1,500 a piece to kill the three individuals who had robbed him. Callaway identified these three individuals as Richard Samply, Danny Gault and Michael Gault. [...]"
  • Background of alternate suspect John Rose - full name is John Bruce Rose (born in September 1953) of Bryant AR
    • Arkansas Democrat Gazette, "Charters filed", 1993/03/08, p.2D: "Bryant
      Action Maintenance Service Inc., 22660 I-30, #55, profit, John B. Rose, agent."
  • Arkansas public officials involved in the case
    • Johnny Maack - one of the lead detectives for the Little Rock PD, who secured the identification of Scott by Odis Grundy
      • Dignity Memorial obituary for John Henry Maack: "John Henry Maack, 69, of Bryant, passed away Saturday, March 31, 2018. He was born July 20, 1948 in Little Rock, Arkansas.
        
        Preceded in death by his parents William Hansen Maack and Dorothy Clement Maack and his brother William Hansen Maack Jr.
        
        Johnny is survived by his wife Lori Newstrom Maack, sons John (Kara), Robert (Autumn) Maack, Jonathan (Tiffany) Benton. Sisters Bonnie (Donis) Hamilton, and Jo Ellen Maack. Grandchildren Ashlynne , Abby and Carter Maack, Blayne and Brayden Benton. Nieces and Nephews Audra (Eric Zemma) Hamilton, B.J.(Kathryn) Maack and Laura Garretson. Father-in-law John Newstrom and sister-in-law Michelle Newstrom and a host of cousins, great nieces and nephews.
        
        Following in their father’s footsteps Johnny and Billy were proud members of the Little Rock Police Department. Johnny retired in 2014 after serving 44 years. His sons, John and Robert are Little Rock Policeman."
      • Bad City of Little Rock, "LRPD Liars List - special preview", 2019/08/25 - details internal affairs findings against his sons John Maack and Robert Maack, who also became Little Rock police officers
    • Jack W. Holt Jr. - one of Scott's original two defense attorneys; subsequently became chief justice of the Arkansas Supreme Court
      • Encyclopedia of Arkansas entry for Jack Wilson Holt Jr. (1929–2023)
        • "Holt joined a Little Rock law firm in 1963 and developed a reputation as one of the top criminal defense lawyers in the state. He successfully defended people accused of murder in two highly publicized cases—Susan McMillian, who was accused of poisoning her doctor husband, and William McArthur, a prominent Little Rock defense lawyer who was arrested by Sheriff Tommy Robinson in 1983 for the murder of McArthur’s wife. A grand jury declined to indict McArthur, and three others, including Mary Lee Orsini, eventually were convicted of first-degree murder in his wife’s death. The case was the subject of national attention."
        • "In 1966, while helping run his uncle’s campaign for governor, Holt befriended young William Jefferson Clinton, who was a driver for the candidate. At the end of the campaign, Clinton wanted a job in Washington DC while he was attending college, and Holt arranged for U.S. Senator J. William Fulbright to hire him as an intern, which began the political career that culminated in Clinton’s election as president in 1992."
    • Larry Dill - head of criminal investigations for the Pulaski County Sheriff's Office, who spoke briefly on the phone with Lucas in November 1983; previously accused (by Arkansas Democrat reporter Steve Taylor) of beating Lavonia Gray, alleged hitman for nightclub owner Bob Troutt in an attack on rival businessman Bob Robbins; supervised sheriff's deputies Kirk Lane and Jay Campbell, both of whom worked narcotics cases (some with assistant US Attorney Bob Govar) but were also implicated alongside Dan Harmon in trafficking drugs and murdering Don Henry / Kevin Ives; during Harmon's grand jury investigation of the Henry / Ives murder, Dill publicly called the investigation a "dog and pony show"; a confidential informant to Jean Duffey's drug task force (1988/09/21 affidavit) implicated Dill in drug distribution alongside Jay Campbell
      • Arkansas Democrat, "Deputy denies story burglaries 'set up'" by Sheila Yount, 1989/05/09 (pages 2B, 5B): "Maj. Larry Dill of the Pulaski County sheriff's office on Monday denied allegations that an informant was paid to set up burglars so sheriff's deputies could catch them. Dill also denied an allegation that he planted evidence on Lester Allen Clay Jr. after Clay's arrest Sept. 28, 1983, for the burglary of Base Line Pharmacy at 3600 Base Line Road. "I'm not going to say he wasn't paid for information," Dill said. "But he wasn't paid to set anybody up." During testimony in a circuit court trial last week, Bobby W. Toombs said he acted as an informant and was paid by the sheriff's office to set up burglaries and robberies. Following his testimony, sworn statements regarding Clay's arrest surfaced from a former deputy. The deputy, Brad Bennett, now an investigator with the Arkansas State Police, said in a copy of a 1984 sworn statement obtained by the Arkansas Democrat that Dill planted evidence on Clay. Clay said in a sworn statement that then-Sheriff Tommy Robinson intended to plant a pistol on him, and Dill was preparing to shoot him but the arrival of the store owner saved him. [...] Bennett said in the statement that after Clay was arrested, he saw Dill walk over to a cash register at the pharmacy, gather a pile of change and shove it in Clay's pocket. [...] Sheriff's deputies, Dill and Robinson had staked out the pharmacy based on a tip from Toombs that Clay planned to burglarize it, Dill said. Dill said Toombs told him in a taped statement that Clay wanted Toombs to be his driver for that burglary and an armed robbery he allegedly planned for a couple of days later at a service station."
      • Arkansas Democrat, "Robinson denies alleged plot to plant gun on burglar" by Sheila Yount, 1989/05/10, p.2B: ""We probably prevented him from being killed because had he committed a robbery, with our 'Blow-Em Away' program, he would be history today," Robinson said. "He'd be dead and not making these allegations." Robinson started an anti-robbery program in 1982, when he posted armed deputies in the back rooms of stores."
    • Fred Hensley - one of the main Little Rock PD detectives who investigated and dismissed Lucas's confession
      • Hope Star, "Grand jury finds 'breakdown, abuses' in LR police force", 1977/12/13: "The Pulaski County Grand Jury reported Monday that it believes "there was a breakdown of civilian authority over the police department" in 1972, when Gale Weeks was police chief. The jury report was based on an investigation of activities of a police intelligence unit in connection with the deaths of two men. [...] "The police intelligence unit was not properly accountable to any authority," the report said. The members of the unit were Forrest Parkman, James D. Vandiver Jr., Fred Hensley, Loyd Maughn, and Timothy P. Daley. The report said the five-man unit engaged in "abuses related to the use of informants, the apparent disregard of personal civil rights and a disregard for the safety of citizens within the community." The jury said the value of the intelligence unit, which was formed to gather information about organized crime, should be seriously reviewed before similar units are formed."
      • Arkansas Times, "Framed at the border" by Roger Glasgow, 2016/02/25
        • "When we met, Jones told me that the party occurred two or three days after my arrest and was attended by many of the people who were involved in setting me up. Jones said [Forrest] Parkman [head of the LRPD intelligence unit] had once laughingly told him that he and [Fred] Hensley [an LRPD detective] had been in Matamoros, Mexico, the same night the marijuana had been planted in my car.
          
          Hunter and some unidentified “federal agents” were also there, and several of them took advantage of the locale to consort with local prostitutes, no doubt while the dirty drugs deed was being done.
          
          Jones told me how Parkman extravagantly related the setting at “boys town” on the south side of Matamoros where the prostitutes were. It was a kind of Old West replica, he said, with saloons lining both sides of a dirt street. The one they were in had a long bar along a back wall where the customers could order drinks, and a dance floor, complete with Mexican musicians. An array of couches surrounded the dance floor where the girls lounged, displayed their wares, and hustled. They all got roaring drunk and had a great time making their selections, dancing and lounging with the girls, groping and squeezing them.
          
          Jones further identified the individuals in attendance at the late-night party at Buice Drugstore. In addition to the host Wimberly, the attendees included Munson, [Kenneth] Pearson [head of the LRPD vice squad], Parkman, and Hensley. Jones did not know if Hunter was there, but he said he heard they all drank a lot of whiskey and vociferously celebrated a job well done."
    • Harold Craig - a defense lawyer who was the jury foreman in Scott's third trial; previously appears to have represented Scott family friend Pat Kindy in her 1983 jury tampering charge (unless the newspaper mixed it up with Scott's own defense attorney at the time Harold King)
      • Arkansas Democrat, "Query continues into allegations against detective", 1986/08/19, p.1B: "Little Rock police are still investigating allegations that one of its detectives attempted to get a convicted felon to sell stolen property to Municipal Judge Allan Dishongh, Lt. R.L. "Bert" Jenkins said Monday. Shirley Ott, 31, who is serving a six-year sentence in a Florida prison, contended that Mark Stafford, a Little Rock detective, tried to get her to sell Dishongh stolen property in exchange for a lighter sentence. In an Aug. 8 deposition taken by North Little Rock lawyer Harold Craig and Maj. Larry Dill and Kerry Thomas of the Pulaski County sheriff's office, Ms. Ott claimed Stafford "wanted Judge Dishongh." A copy of the deposition was turned over to Acting Police Chief James Vandiver, who ordered an internal investigation."
      • Arkansas Democrat, "Stifle prosecutors or dismiss charges, defense demands" by Doug Thompson, 1988/12/06, p.5B: "Saline County deputy prosecuting attorneys investigating the 1987 murder of two teen-agers are impeding an important federal drug investigation in Central Arkansas, according to a motion filed Monday in Saline County Circuit Court. The motion asks that either manslaughter and drug possession charges against David Zimmerman of Little Rock be droppd or deputy prosecutors Dan Harmon and Richard Garrett be prevented from making any further comments about the defendant. It was filed by Harold Craig of Little Rock, Zimmerman's attorney. The motion was filed after U.S. Assistant District Attorney Bob Govar made similar charges in an interview with the Arkansas Democrat last week. Deputy Prosecuting Attorney Richard Garrett filed the charges against Zimmerman, who is an FBI informant in what Govar called an important investigation arising from the Troy Lee Warner case. Warner was convicted Nov. 22 of drug trafficking involving about 350 pounds of marijuana. Govar said the investigation is growing. The motion revealed that Garrett issued warrants for Zimmerman on Sept. 19. Zimmerman was not arrested until Nov. 28. Zimmerman's charges arise from a Dec. 31, 1987, auto accident in which another man was killed and methamphetamine was found in Zimmerman's car. Saline County Prosecuting Attorney Joe Kelly Hardin of Benton decided not to file charges immediately after the incident, a position his office subsequently changed."
• Barbara Begley murder - in 1982 in Hobbs NM
  • Lea County Sheriff's Office, case 82-1-1, 1982/04/20
    • From the supplemental report of 1984/05/17: "Lucas advised this officer that he did stay in Hobbs, New Mexico during the Month of April, 1982 and he futher advised that he did pick up a girl near a dirt lot and did take her to the country and kill her. Subject LUCAS advised that he was staying with subject William "Bill" Gray who lived at 306 East Castle in Hobbs. LUCAS advised that while there at the Gray Residence he was doing Marijuana, LSD and drinking alot. LUCAS advised he went to the downtown area and spotted the Victim and went over to her started a conversation and then pulled a pistol on her and had her get into his Vehicle which he described as a 1978 Ford Four door. He advised that after she had gotten into the vehicle she started to fight with him and he told her that he would kill her if she tried anything. LUCAS advised that he took her over to the Castle Street address and they stayed there for a while. He then advised that they went out into the Country and he had Sex with the Victim. He advised that they drove around more and then Lucas advised that he turned off the Highway went over a cattle guard and down a dirt road where they were doing some work on an oil well. He advised he forced the Victim to have Sex with him again and then he advised that he started to take her back to town but decided to kill her."
  • Lucas task force case synopses report no. 18: "On 5-24-84, Lea Co. officers interviewed Lucas and Lucas picked victim's photo from a six victim photo spread. He described that he along with Ottis Toole, Becky Powell, Bill Smith and Carl Jenkins were staying at the William Gray residence in Hobbs, New Mexico, for approximately a week prior to and during the time offense occurred. Lucas also stated he was driving a beige 1968 Ford four door (same as later recovered in San Antonio, Texas).
    
    Lucas claims to have been by himself while offense occurred stating that he abducted victim at gun point at vacant lot, then carried her to rural area on dirt road where he raped victim numerous times in vagina and rectum, allowed her to redress and then stabbed her to death."
  • Carlsbad Current-Argus, "Lucas Confesses To Hobbs Murder", 1984/05/25: "Wrinkle also said Lucas told them he was smoking marijuana, taking amphetamines and drinking beer during his 1982 visit. The officers said Lucas startled them by revealing that he had visited, Hobbs several times, always using the friend's house as a stopover point on his trips across the country. Lucas said he was accompanied by his longtime drifter companion, Ottis Toole, who has been implicated in some of the Lucas killings, but did not participate in the slaying of the Begley girl."
  • Staunton Daily News-Leader, "Man faces additional charges", 1984/05/30
  • Fort Worth Star-Telegram, "Lucas tale is gory whodunit on grand scale", 1985/08/25 (pages 1, 15): "CONTRAST THAT WITH cases such as the one in Hobbs, N.M. Barbara Begley was 17 and sometimes a little wild. She disappeared April 17, 1982 from a parking lot that Hobbs high school kids used as a hangout Her body was found on an oilfield road southwest of town. She had been stabbed many times. "We talked to a lot of people and turned up nothing," said Sgt. Paul Mallory of the Lee County Sheriff's Department. Barbara's mother Carol Doran says that a few weeks after her daughter's death, "someone said they had seen her in a car with a man with a funny eye." Then in early 1984, two local residents saw Lucas' picture in the Lubbock Avalanche-Journal and told police that they had seen him in town about the time of Begley's killing. They said that they had seen him at the small concrete-block house of an oilfield worker — who is now dead — and at the downtown parking lot from which Barbara Begley had disappeared. Shortly after that, Fred Dodd, then an investigator with the Chambers County Sheriff's Department in South Texas, was interviewing Lucas; he knew there was an unsolved slaying in Hobbs but did not know details. Dodd asked Lucas if he had ever been in Hobbs. Lucas said he had, that he had killed a girl and left her in an oilfield, in an area where he had seen lights, like airport searchlights, crossing the sky. Dodd related that information to Mallory, who then called the Rangers and set up an appointment to interview Lucas. "I didn't give any information about the case" to the Rangers on the phone, he said. In May 1984, Mallory and then-Sheriff Ralph Wrinkle of Lee County came to Texas to interview Lucas. [...] On tape, Mallory and Wrinkle show Lucas a photo lineup of six blond young women. "The fifth one looks like her," Lucas says. The fifth one was Begley. The rest of the tape is an interweaving of correct information provided without prompting by Lucas; incorrect information given by Lucas; and information that Lucas more or less confirms after it is provided by the New Mexico officers."
  • Note that this contradicts Jack Smart's claim of Lucas always being with him in Hemet CA for multiple months at the start of 1982, and thus strongly implies Smart was faking alibis for Lucas, which would confirm Lucas's claim that Smart was a fellow cultist
• Becky Powell murder - in 1982 in Dentox TX
• Kate Rich murder - in 1982 in Ringgold TX
  • UPI, "A man charged in the death of an 80-year-old...", 1983/06/21: "Lucas was arrested June 11 on a charge of illegal possession of a weapon by a felon. He was charged with murder after authorities found Mrs. Rich's remains in a culvert near Ringgold on June 16 and found bone fragments in a stove at Lucas' residence in Stoneburg. Mrs. Rich and a 15-year-old girl, identified only as Becky, who may have been Lucas' common law wife, have been missing for more than nine months."
  • Wichita Falls Times, "Memorial services set for Kate Rich", 1983/06/23: "Memorial services for Mrs. Kate Rich, 80-year-old Ringgold woman who disappeared Sept. 16, 1982, are scheduled at 2 p.m. Saturday in Ringgold United Methodist Church. Officiating will be the Rev. Woody Singleton, pastor of the Ringgold Baptist Church. Arrangements are under direction of Jerry Woods’ Daugherty-McGaughy Funeral Home. A native of Minden, La., Mrs. Rich was born Aug. 11, 1902. She had resided in Ringgold for more than 40 years. Her husband, Hiram, died Feb. 2, 1948. Survivors include eight daughters, O'Bera Smart of Hemet, Calif., Ellen Toarmino of New Orleans, Maxine Rogers and Louise May, both of Wichita Falls, Elva Reda Shoemaker of Terral, Okla., Jean Stallcup of Bellevue, Texas, May Kinney of Monroe, La., and Kay Worley of Fort Worth; a son, J.A. “Bo” of Odessa; a sister, Mrs. Sara Adkins of Bowie, Texas; 31 grandchildren and 27 great-grandchildren. Law enforcement officials unearthed what they believed to be Mrs Rich’s remains near Ringgold last Thursday. They also found bone fragments in a stove at a residence occupied by Henry Lee Lucas, 46, who has been charged with her murder."
  • FamilySearch page for Hiram R Rich: "When Hiram R Rich was born in 1884, in Texas, United States, his father, John A. B. Rich Sr, was 29 and his mother, Mary J Rich, was 31. He had at least 1 son and 5 daughters with Katy Katie Pearl Thompson. He lived in Montague, Texas, United States in 1920 and Grady, Jefferson, Oklahoma, United States in 1940. He died on 2 February 1948, in Texas, United States, at the age of 64, and was buried in Ringgold, Montague, Texas, United States."
  • Austin American-Statesman, "Pastor, sheriff unravel drifter's gruesome tale", 1983/06/26 (pages 1, 14)
  • Fort Worth Star-Telegram, "Lucas lived on the road, left a trail of crime", 1983/07/17 (pages 1, 8): "Lucas sometimes took odd jobs on the road: He worked for Jack and O'Bera Smart, Kate Rich's daughter and son-in-law, in California for several months before coming to Texas. [...] Toole said Lucas returned to Jacksonville in late 1981. In January 1982 Lucas left Jacksonville with Freida. Shortly afterward they met Jack and O'Bera Smart in California, and lived and worked with them for several months. The Smarts sent them to O'Bera Smart's mother, Kate Rich, in Ringgold in May 1982, but Rich's other daughters soon kicked the two out of Rich's house. They then moved to Rueben Moore's church camp and ranch a few miles away at Ringgold. Freida, known to Moore as "Becky," disappeared that August, after the couple had left Stoneburg saying they were going to hitchhike back to Jacksonville. Lucas returned the next day, saying she had run off with a truck driver. Moore says he believes that Lucas left Stoneburg on a couple occasions between June 1982 and the date of "Becky's" disappearance. A month later, on Sept. 16, 1982, Kate Rich disappeared; for a month or more, so did Lucas. His car was found abandoned in Needles, Calif., with a knife and dried blood inside. Moore says Lucas called him from the Midwest on a couple occasions, asking Moore to send him money. When he returned, it was in the company of a couple who said their name was Smith and who had picked Lucas up "out West" and traveled with him. After that, Moore says, he doesn't remember Lucas being gone for any length of time until this June. But he said law enforcement officials told him recently that Lucas "was leaving at night" on many occasions. On June 4, Lucas left Stoneburg, telling Moore he was going to find Freida Powell and Kate. Moore got a call from him three days later, from Deming, N.M., asking for gas money, which he sent. Lucas told him that he had found Freida and Kate in Florida and that they were with him. The next day, he called again from a truck stop at San Jon, N.M., and told him the engine of his car had blown up. Moore drove to San Jon, near Tucumcari, to pick them up, but when he arrived Lucas told him that Jack Smart had kidnapped both women. Juanita Foster manages the Red X Truck Stop in San Jon. She and the other workers remember Lucas: They say he was extremely upset and that Lucas had actually called the police to tell them "his women had been stolen." When they returned to Texas, Lucas gave Moore a loaded pistol to keep, telling him, "I can't get caught with this." Moore called Sheriff W.F. Conway, and Lucas was arrested on June 11. [...] • Lucas has told police he killed Freida Powell, his traveling companion for more than a year, on Aug. 24, 1982, and last month led them to where her bones and the remains of her body were scattered over a field in Denton. • He has been indicted in the slaying of Kate Rich, who disappeared Sept. 16, 1982, the same day Lucas disappeared from Montague County, staying gone for a month or more. About the same time Lucas returned, Rich's house burned down. [...] Moore says Lucas was a "good man" who worked hard and did whatever he could to help out around the church. But at some time after Kate Rich and Freida Powell disappeared, he began to get strange and scary, Moore says. Lucas became nervous and more enamored of knives than ever, and started blaming things on Jack Smart."
  • Odessa American, "Lucas ruled competent to be tried", 1983/08/11: "A drifter who claims to have killed 100 women in 16 states, including an Odessa woman, was ruled mentally competent and will stand trial Sept. 13 on charges he killed an 80-year-old woman. Henry Lee Lucas, charged with killing Kate Rich of nearby Ringgold, nodded in agreement when asked by District Judge Frank Douthitt if he agreed with the mental competency ruling. Rich was the mother of Odessan Bo Rich, 2524 W. Murphy St. Douthitt said Wednesday his ruling on Lucas' competency was based on reports from three psychiatrists that the 46-year-old former mental patient was competent to aid in his defense. [...] Among the motions pending is one by defense attorney Don Maxfield calling for the trial to be moved because of strong sentiment in Montague County against Lucas, who has been charged with five Texas killings. Lucas was charged June 25 in the March 1981 strangling death of 46-year-old Odessan Beverly Joyce Luttrull, who was found in her 2525 W. Third St. mobile home with a telephone cord wrapped around her neck, police reports said. [...] He also has been charged in the death of his 15-year-old traveling companion, Frieda Powell, a runaway from Jacksonville, Fla., whose remains were found in Denton County. Lucas subsequently was charged in the slayings of an unidentified woman whose headless body was found near Plainview in February 1982. Last month he was indicted in the strangulation of an unidentified woman whose body was found near Georgetown. Abilene police have made three trips to Montague to question Lucas about the disappearance of one woman and the slaying of another."
  • Odessa Amerian, obituary for Julian Rich, 1983/08/12: "Services for Julian Wayne Rich, 56, of Odessa are pending at Easterling-Wilson Funeral Home. Mr. Rich died Thursday at Medical Center Hospital after a lengthy illness."
  • Times Record News (Wichita Falls TX), "Rich, Odessa", 1983/08/13: "Julian Wayne "Bo" Rich 56 of Odessa, Texas died Thursday in a hospital there. Services will be at 3 p.m. Sunday in Jerry Woods Funeral Home in Nocona with R. Lee Lucas officiating. Burial will be in Ringgold, Texas. He was born Feb. 16, 1927, in Jefferson County, Okla. He was son of the late Hiram and Katie Pearl Thompson Rich. He was the retired owner of Elliott Hotel and Restaurant. He was a member of the Methodist Church and a Navy veteran. Survivors include his son, John of Odessa; a daughter, Scarlett Bradley of Colorado City, Texas; eight sisters, O‘Bera Smart of Hemet, Calif., Ellen Toramino of New Orleans, La., Maxine Rogers and Louise May, both of Wichita Falls, Rita Shoemaker of Terral, Okla., Jean Stallcup of Bellevue, Texas, May Kenney of Monroe, La., and Kay Worley of Fort Worth; and five grandchildren."
  • Los Angeles Times, "Killer Lays Claim to Trail of Grisly Deaths", 1983/10/30 (pages 1 21, 22): "Kate Pearl Rich reared eight girls and one boy in this shriveled former railroad and cotton center near the Oklahoma border. She took in laundry, cleaned houses and baby-sat neighbor children. Every day, she traded at the grocery of Vernon and Stella Ezzell. Every night, she gossiped on the phone with Roxie Boyd. She was part of the meticulous routine of a small town. [...] Lucas moved to Ringgold in May, 1982, along with his common-law wife Frieda Powell, 15, a mentally retarded girl he called "Becky." Becky was the niece of his friend Ottis Toole. Lucas met her when he stayed in a boarding house run by the Toole family in Jacksonville. Sometime in January, 1982, they were hitchhiking near the Riverside County town of Beaumont when they were picked up by Jack and O'Bera Smart of Hemet, Tex. O'Bera Smart was a daughter of Kate Rich. Lucas and Becky Powell lived with the Smarts for five months, helping out with odd jobs around the house. In May, 1982, Smart gave them bus tickets to travel to Ringgold to help around the home of Kate Rich. For a short time, they worked for Rich. But relatives in the area were afraid they were taking advantage of the old woman and made them leave. Still, Rich liked Henry Lucas. She liked nearly everybody. "She'd take to you just like you'd knowed her forever," said her grandson Derrold Fortune, 27, who lives and works in Ringgold. So when Lucas and Becky found a place to stay a few miles away at the House of Prayer for All People campground, a former chicken farm operated as a Pentecostal retreat by Reuben and Faye Moore, they stayed in touch with Kate Rich. Lucas would sometimes swing by in his car and take her for a ride and a soda pop "She would go riding with anyone just to get out of the house," Fortune said. "Henry, when you gonna come by and take me fishing?" she would joke. Lucas called her "Granny." For a few months, Lucas and Becky Powell found a home here. He would work around the campground."
  • Fort Worth Star-Telegram, "Tragedy isn't over yet", 1984/01/11 (pages 21, 25): "Rich's family held a memorial service for her in June. Her remains were kept as evidence in the Montague County case until Lucas was convicted and a motion for new trial was denied. The order releasing the remains was signed Friday. She was buried beside her husband Hiram, who died in 1948, and near her son Julian "Bo" Rich. He suffered a heart attack a few weeks after Lucas made his confessions, and died on Aug. 11, his mother's birthday. [...] Lucas and Powell, arriving from California, had stayed at Rich's house for a few days around the end of May 1982, before her daughters arrived and told the couple to move on. But Rich remained on good terms with the grubby drifter and the girl he said was his wife, however. Her family said that in years past, she and her husband had often taken in hobos and given them a place to sleep." - worth asking if Rich's harboring of "hobos" was a cover for giving drifter cultists like Lucas a place to stay
  • Washington Post, "The Dark Journey of Henry Lucas", 1984/10/10
  • From p.127-128 of They Call Me Sister Clemmie:
    
        “Well, later the Montague Sheriff came and questioned me about Becky and Miss Rich cuz they were both missing. You know, Sister Clemmie, the Sheriff and I were friends. I used to drive into Mexico and pick up drugs for him. Then I took ‘em to Miss Rich’s house. The Sheriff came there and I loaded up his car with the drugs and he took them to a warehouse not too far from the jail. This drug ring went clear from California to Florida, and Miss Rich’s house was a ‘drop house.’”
        “Henry,” I interrupted, “why would an old woman be involved in a drug ring?”
        “Cuz some of her kids were,” he answered. Continuing, he said, “I told all this to Bob Prince.”
        “What did he say about it?” I asked.
        “Don’t you remember, you came into the office when we were talking about it?”
        “Oh, do you mean about that man who had the pond on his land where all the cult members met?” I asked.
        “Yeah, he was Miss Rich’s son, Bo. They were all part of the same ring.” He lit up another cigarette as I sat thinking.
     
  • Times Record News (Wichita Falls TX), obituary for Maxine Anita Bennett, 1993/03/16: "Maxine Anita Bennett, 67, died Saturday in a Wichita Falls hospital. Services will be at 10 a.m. Thursday at Owens & Brumley Funeral Home with Keith Parker officiating. Burial will be in Ringgold, Texas, Cemetery. Mrs. Bennett was born June 11, 1925 n Spanish Fort, Texas. She had lived in Wichita Falls since 1946. She was a retired licensed vocational nurse. Survivors include three sons, Harold of Copperas Cove, Texas, and Carl and Hiram, both of Wichita Falls; seven sisters, Obera Smart of Hemet, Calif., Ellen Tarmina of New Orleans, Louise May of Wichita Falls, Alva Reda Robbins of Terrell, Okla., Jean Stallcup of Bellevue, Texas, May Kinney of Anza, Calif., and Kay Rios of Fort Worth; three grandchildren; and a great-grandchild."
  • Times Record News (Wichita Falls TX), obituary for Louise May, 1997/09/09: "Louise May, 68, of Wichita Falls died Monday, Sept. 8, 1997, in Wichita Falls. Graveside services will be at 2 p.m. Wednesday in Elmwood Cemetery with Dick Nichols, elder of Kingdom Hall of Jehovah’s Witnesses in Bowie, officiating. Arrangements are under the direction of Burgess-Fry-Owens-Brumley Funeral Home. Mrs. May was born May 20, 1929, in Grady, Okla. She and Kissel May were married in 1950 in Wichita Falls. She was a homemaker. She had been a resident of Wichita Falls for 19 years. Survivors include her husband; three sons, Michael, Jody and Ronald May, all of Wichita Falls; a daughter, Susan Griffith of Drumwright, Okla.; and six sisters, Ellen Toarmina of New Orleans, La., Obera Smart of Hemet, Calif., Jean Stallup of Bellevue, Texas, May Kinney of Anza, Calif., Kay Rios of Fort Worth, Texas, and Reda Robbins of Terral, Okla."
• Patricia Hicks murder - in the early 80s in Yosemite Park
  • SFGate, "A woman was found dead in Yosemite. Now she's been linked to a cult and a serial killer", 2022/11/12
    • "Hicks was born in the early 1950s in Washington. According to a 1971 article in the Spokane Daily Chronicle reviewed by SFGATE, her father was a cabinet maker and her mother a manager at Valu-Mart. When Hicks was a junior in high school, her brother, Edwin Hicks Jr., 23, took his own life while working aboard a Coast Guard vessel. Friends interviewed for “Wild Crime” say the event was deeply traumatic for Patricia, who adored her older brother."
    • "After graduating, Hicks married a classmate, but the marriage didn’t last. In the 1980s, Hicks moved alone to Merced to join up with Donald Eugene Gibson.
      
      Gibson is one of the stranger figures in Merced County criminal history. He seems to have emerged from nowhere, suddenly gathering a small coterie of followers by the late 1970s. He worked as a bookkeeper and sometimes as a yoga teacher for the Merced parks and recreation department, and he preyed on vulnerable people. "When I was around him, I was in Donald's reality,” one former follower would later testify against him.
      
      In 1981, Gibson stood trial for sexually assaulting several teenage boys. Prosecutors alleged he dosed his victims with LSD before the assaults. Prosecutors told the Merced Sun-Star that the sexual acts "between the minors and the defendant meant they would become a part of the deity and it would relieve their sins.”
      
      Gibson was found guilty of four counts of sexually molesting minors but, inexplicably, was allowed to go free on bond while awaiting sentencing. He failed to appear for his next three court appearances, and his attorney admitted to the judge that he hadn’t been able to contact Gibson. A deputy district attorney told local media that they’d received tips that Gibson fled to Mexico. To this day, it appears Gibson has never resurfaced; requests for comment from the Merced County Sheriff’s Office were not returned."
    • "National Park Service investigators believe Hicks was an acolyte of Gibson’s and, after his conviction and disappearance, decided to pack up and head to Yosemite. According to a friend interviewed by “Wild Crime,” Hicks hopped on the bus from Merced to Yosemite around 1982 and was never seen again. She was just 27 years old."
    • "While Lucas was in the midst of his confession spree, Yosemite investigators interviewed him several times. Although he couldn’t remember the name of Yosemite National Park, he told them he had picked up a young female hitchhiker somewhere between Fresno and the park. He claimed they drank beer, ate fried chicken he’d packed in aluminum foil and then engaged in consensual sex. He said he killed her afterward.
      
      When investigators went back to the Summit Meadow area, they were able to locate a possible campsite that matched Lucas’ description, down to the chicken bones and crushed beer cans. In 2020, the NPS Investigative Services Branch said this evidence pointed to Lucas, who had "information about this murder that had not been made public and could only be known by the person who committed the crime.""
  • TODO: verify the claim (possibly in the 2022/10/26 Wild Crime episode) that the Stayner family knew Donald Gibson and Cary Stayner had attended Gibson's trial
• Rashell Ward murder - in 1983 in Red Bluff CA
  • See the page on the case, detailing the likely involvement of the sheriff
• Librada Apodaca murder - in 1983 in El Paso TX
  • El Paso Times, "Lawyer says Lucas has alibi", 1985/08/20 (pages 1, 3): "The lawyer and the investigator for self-proclaimed serial killer Henry Lee Lucas contend that Lucas' fellowship with a religious group in Stoneburg, Texas, gives him a strong alibi against charges he axed to death a Lower Valley woman May 17, 1983. "That alibi has been known for a long time," Tulsa lawyer Gary Richardson said Monday. "Henry pointed out that he was living there on the church grounds and working with the pastor at the time of the (El Paso woman's) murder. This isn't Henry's word; it's the word of the people." Ruben Moore, pastor of the religious group, could not be reached Monday. [...] El Paso prosecutors are "prepared to meet that defense," First Assistant District Attorney Bill Moody countered. Moody, District Attorney Steve Simmons and an investigator recently spent two weeks traveling through Texas, Arkansas and Louisiana in an effort to bolster their case against Lucas. Part of the trip was spent in the Stoneburg area "to ascertain whether (Lucas) had a valid alibi or not," Moody said. The prosecutor indicated the alibi can be shaken but declined to elaborate. [...] Lucas is "really laughing, bursting at the seams," El Paso private investigator Jay Armes said about Lucas' phony confessions. Armes, who is investigator the case for Richardson, said he can prove that Lucas was living with the religious group when Apodaca was killed "and those people will substantiate where he was." [...] Armes is convinced that Lucas was hundreds of miles from El Paso when Apodoca was killed, which means, he said, that El Paso law enforcement officials are wasting taxpayers' money trying to prosecute Lucas."
  • El Paso Times, "Henry Lee Lucas waits for courts to catch up", 1987/12/28 (pages 1, 2): "After losing Lucas' confession and dropping charges, District Attorney Steve Simmons said: "The facts confirm that Henry Lucas, and no other person, murdered Librada Apodaca beyond a reasonable doubt." Part of Simmons' contention is based on eyewitnesses who Simmons said saw Lucas in El Paso on the day of Apodaca's killing. However, other witnesses testified that Lucas was in Stoneburg, Texas 600 miles from El Paso — working on a boat the day Apodaca died. Other Stoneburg witnesses testified that Lucas did not leave the area until early June, 1983 — a week after Apodaca's slaying."
• Controversy over guilt
  • On p.163-164 of The Encyclopedia of Serial Killers by Michael Newton (copied here), Lucas' recantations and Aynesworth's debunking are both challenged:
    
        Lucas was barely home from that trip when the storm broke, on April 15. Writing for the Dallas Times-Herald, journalist Hugh Aynesworth prepared a series of headline articles, blasting the "massive hoax" that Lucas had perpetrated, misleading homicide investigators and the public, sometimes with connivance from the officers themselves. According to Aynesworth, over-zealous detectives had prompted Lucas with vital bits of information, coaching him through his confessions, deliberately ignoring evidence that placed him miles away from various murder scenes at the crucial moment. From jail, Lucas joined in by recanting his statements across the board. Aside from his mother, he claimed to have slain only two victims -Powell and Rich - in his life. By April 23, he was denying those crimes, despite the fact that he led police to Becky's grave, while Rich's bones had been recovered from his stove, at Stoneburg.
        From the beginning, officers had been aware of Henry's penchant for exaggeration. One of his first alleged victims, a Virginia schoolteacher, was found alive and well by police. Some of his statements were clearly absurd, including confessions to murders in Spain and Japan, plus delivery of poison to the People's Temple cultists in Guyana. On the other hand, there were also problems with Henry's retraction. Soon after the Aynesworth story broke, Lucas smuggled a letter to authors Jerry Potter and Joel Norris, claiming that he had been drugged and forced to recant. A local minister, close to Lucas since his 1983 "conversion," produced a tape recording of Henry's voice, warning listeners not to believe the new stories emerging from prison.
        The most curious part about Henry's new tale was the role of Hugh Aynesworth, himself. In his newspaper series, Aynesworth claimed to have known of the "hoax" - hearing the scheme from Henry's own lips since October 1983. A month later, on November 9, Aynesworth signed a contract to write Henry's biography. In September 1984, he appeared on the CBS-TV Nightwatch program, offering no objections as videotapes of the Lucas confessions were aired. As late as February 1985, Aynesworth published a Lucas interview in Penthouse magazine, prompting Henry with leading remarks about Lucas "killing furiously" and claiming victims "all over the country" in the 1970s. Through it all, the Times-Herald maintained stony silence, allowing the "hoax" to proceed, while dozens (or hundreds) of killers remained free on the basis of Henry's "false" confessions.
        In retrospect, the Aynesworth series smells strongly of sour grapes. A clue to the author's motive is found in his first article, with a passing reference to the fact that Lucas had signed an exclusive publishing contract with a Waco used-car dealer -- shortly after his June 1983 arrest. The prior existence of that contract scuttled Aynesworth's deal, concocted five months later, and prevented him from winning fame as Lucas's biographer. The next best thing, perhaps, would be to foul the waters and prevent competitors from publishing a book about the case. (It is worth noting that Aynesworth omits all mention of his own contract with Lucas, while listing various authors who tried to "cash in" on the "hoax.")
        Aynesworth produced an elaborate time-line to support his "fraud" story, comparing Henry's "known movements" with various crimes to discredit police, but the final product is riddled with flaws. Aynesworth rules out numerous murders by placing the Lucas-Toole meeting in 1979, while both killers and numerous independent witnesses describe an earlier meeting, in late 1976. (In fact, Lucas was living with Toole's family in 1978, a year before Aynesworth's acknowledged "first meeting.") The reporter cites pay records from Southeast Color Coat to prove that the killers seldom left Jacksonville, but office manager Eileen Knight recalls that they would often "come and go." (At the same time, Aynesworth places Lucas in West Virginia while he was working in Florida, the same error of which he accuses police.) According to Aynesworth, Lucas spent "all the time" between January and March 1978 with girlfriend Rhonda Knuckles, never leaving her side, but his version ignores the testimony of a surviving witness, tailed by Lucas across 200 miles of Colorado and New Mexico in February of that year. The woman remembers Henry's face - and she recorded his license number for police -- but her story is lost in Aynesworth's account. At one point, Aynesworth is so anxious to clear Henry's name that he lists one victim twice on the time-line, murdered on two occasions, four days apart, in July 1981.
     
  • Hugh Aynesworth involvement and background
    • Calgary Herald (from Dallas Times Herald), "Documents back Lucas in crying ‘hoax’" by Hugh Aynesworth and Jim Henderson, 1985/04/16
      • "[...] Lucas originally told investigators that he and Toole first met in February 1979 in Jacksonville and Jacksonville police, checking the backgrounds of both men, determined that that was when they met. The Times Herald also turned up no evidence that Lucas and Toole knew each other before 1979. [...]"
      • "From July 22 to Oct. 10, Lucas was in jail in Pikesville on an old stolen auto charge. Still, a Sept. 12 murder in Houston was cleared by his confession."
    • Calgary Herald, "‘Serial killer’ a confessor" by Peter Worthington, 1985/04/16: "Aynesworth has been on the Lucas case for 15 months. The Dallas Times-Herald is running his "expose." I have known Aynesworth since Jack Ruby shot Lee Harvey Oswald in 1963. I've heard tapes of his talks with Lucas and I've seen transcripts. They reek with authenticity."
    • FBI and CIA disinformation work on the JFK assassination
      • Jim DiEugenio, "Hugh Aynesworth: Refusing a Conspiracy is his Life's Work", 2006/12/03
      • Part 5 of Jim DiEugenio's critical review of Vince Bugliosi's Reclaiming History
    • Catalogue of questionable statements by Aynesworth
      • Claiming to have found no evidence that Lucas and Toole met prior to 1979, despite being having a statement from Lucas's nephew Leonard Kiser indicating that he saw Lucas with Toole in 1977
      • Stating that Houston police attributed a September 12, 1981 murder to Lucas despite Lucas being in jail at the time, when the murder was actually only attributed to Toole (per p.200 of the Mattox report, listing the murder of Dominico Munoz as "Toole only")
    • Background of friend Peter Worthington
      • UPI, "Report: Sun editor was informer for FBI", 1989/09/28: "The editor of the Ottawa Sun provided lists of more than 200 opponents of the Vietnam war, including Americans, Canadians and Latin Americans, to the U.S. Justice Department in 1968, when he was a reporter for another newspaper, the Southam News agency reported Thursday. The report, featured prominently in most major Canadian daily newspapers, said that journalist Peter Worthington gave 282 names, including 80 Canadians, 33 Americans, and 167 Latin Americans, to U.S. authorities. All individuals on the lists were organizers, sponsors or supporters of an anti-war conference in Montreal in October 1968, the news report said. [...] Known for his right-wing views, Worthington was put in charge of the Ottawa Sun's editorial pages when the paper was launched by the Toronto Sun Publishing Corp. last year. In 1968, he was a reporter for the now-defunct Toronto Telegram. He later was a founding partner and editor-in-chief of the Toronto Sun. [...] According to Southam, the lists compiled by Worthington were sent to the U.S. Justice Department and immediately turned over to the FBI. One document from FBI files lists the word 'informant' below Worthington's name. Southam said the lists of names were among several thousand pages of official documents released to Southam News by the U.S. government."
      • Toronto Sun, "Peter Worthington in his own words" by Peter Worthington, 2013/05/14: "When President John Kennedy was assassinated, I was one of a team of Tely reporters dispatched to Washington. I went on to Dallas for the arraignment of Lee Harvey Oswald, accused assassin of JFK.
        
        An hour after arriving in Dallas on the redeye flight from Washington, I checked out the Dallas police station and inadvertently stumbled into the underground garage where the cops (who mistook me for an FBI agent) were ready to transport Lee Harvey Oswald to the jail. I was there when Jack Ruby emerged from the crowd and shot Oswald. I appear briefly on TV shots of the killing, but it doesn’t stand out in my memory as a watershed moment."
      • Peace Magazine, "Snooping in the Cold War" by Paul Weinberg, 2014/01/01
        • "Southam’s possession of a genuine US government memorandum was never disputed by Worthington or the Ontario Press Council, who accepted his complaint that he had not been given the opportunity to refute the charge of being an “FBI informant.” But the Canadian media did not follow up this story. Worthington maintained, “I had some contacts—mostly retired FBI or CIA in connection with Soviet espionage, defectors, double-agents, but no contacts re[garding] domestic matters.”"
        • "In an unpublished 1979 statement found in the RCMP files at Library and Archives, Worthington reported having told the Metro Toronto Police nine years before, “I am sure I then called the city police but I cannot swear to it. Metro [Police] had only just started an intelligence squad and I feel that I called them. They had come to me after I had a long series on the peace movement when Lukin Robinson was kicked out of the UN. [He was] also kicked out of the Civil Service, Ottawa. He was thought to be a Red Agent.”"
  • From The Encyclopedia of Serial Killers by Michael Newton:
    
        Authorities reacted in various ways to Henry’s turnaround. Arkansas filed new murder charges against him on April 23, eight days after his change of heart, and other jurisdictions remain unimpressed by his belated claim of innocence. In Marrero, Louisiana, relatives of victim Ruth Kaiser point out that Lucas confessed to stealing a stereo after he killed the 79-year-old woman, a theft that was never reported and therefore could not have been “leaked” by police. As they recalled, “He described things that we had forgotten about, details that never appeared in the paper and that we never put in the police report.”
        Investigator Jim Lawson, of the Scotts Bluff County sheriff’s office in Nebraska, questioned Lucas in September 1984 regarding the February 1978 murder of schoolteacher Stella McLean. “I purposely tried to trick him several times during the interview,” Lawson said, “but to no avail. We even tried to ‘feed’ him another homicide from our area to see if he was confessing to anything and everything in an effort to build a name for himself, but he denied any participation in the crime.”
        Commander J. T. Duff, intelligence chief for the Georgia Bureau of Investigation, describes Henry’s April 1985 tour thus: “Lucas was not provided with any information or directions to any of the crime scenes but gave the information to law enforcement. When a crime scene was encountered, Lucas voluntarily and freely gave details that only the perpetrator would have known.”
     
  • Fort Worth Star-Telegram, "Lucas tale is gory whodunit on grand scale", 1985/08/25 (pages 1, 15)
  • Fort Worth Star-Telegram, "Lucas weaves web of confessions, alibis", 1985/08/26 (pages 1, 6)
  • Fort Worth Star-Telegram, "Lucas' confessions convincing", 1985/08/27 (pages 1, 10)
  • Fort Worth Star-Telegram, "Police deny Lucas was led to confess killings", 1985/08/28 (pages 1, 2)
  • Fort Worth Star-Telegram, "Bottom line on Lucas: Whom do you trust?", 1985/08/29 (pages 1, 2): "A Hobbs, N.M., case in which 17-year-old Barbara Begley was found stabbed to death is one of the handful where police say witnesses can place Lucas in the vicinity of a slaying. But several women have contacted police after having seen Lucas' picture in newspapers or on television, to say they believe he is the man who tried to get in their car or who followed them in a car, or who attacked them. Most of them are afraid to talk to reporters about their experiences. But Victoria Solano was willing to do so because she has become concerned in the last few months that people would begin believing that Lucas is harmless. Solano says Lucas followed her in a car on a deserted stretch of highway in New Mexico and Colorado in early February 1978. That would have been during the time Lucas was living with Rhonda Knuckles, who said he was home every night. Solano has no proof that what she says is true, but she is sure the man was Lucas. The scrap of paper on which she wrote down his license number was not saved."
  • Lucas family members allegedly placing him in Maryland and West Virginia from 1975 through 1978
    • Austin American-Statesman, "Deadly rampage part of loner's seamy past", 1983/07/03 (pages 1A, 18A, 19A)
    • Fort Worth Star-Telegram, "Lucas weaves web of confessions, alibis", 1985/08/26 (pages 1, 6): "Lucas' relatives had talked to the Star-Telegram in 1983, when his confessions were first making news. At that time, they painted a much fuzzier picture, of Lucas drifting in and out of their houses between 1975 and 1979, and said they didn't always know where he was."
    • Fort Worth Star-Telegram, "Lucas' confessions convincing", 1985/08/27 (pages 1, 10): "Long after Lucas had confessed to the Huntington murder, Bevins heard from Texas that Lucas was now saying he had been in Maryland at the time of the murder and that his relatives there could vouch for him. Bevins went and interviewed the relatives. "They can't tell you where Henry was" on Aug. 3, 1976, Bevins said. "They know he was around that area (Maryland) around that date." It is about a 10-hour drive from Huntington to Port Deposit, Md., where Lucas was then living with his wife Betty Crawford."
    • Bob Prince response on 1986/03/14 to the Texas Attorney General's office's criticism of the Lucas task force: "Members of Lucas' family appear to have superhuman memories according to the Attorney General's report, being able to tell exact dates in which Lucas was at specific locations on numerous occasions without any type documentation.
      
      This memory appears to have drastically improved during Bob Lemons, Hugh Aynesworth, and Mike Feary's interviews. When the relatives were interviewed shortly after Lucas' arrest in 1983 by Gayle Reeves, writer, Fort Worth Star Telegram, they did not seem to recall dates, etc. See Attachment #1.
      
      George Pierpont, Lt., Provo, Utah Police Department also interviewed relatives and could not learn where Lucas was during the time frame around his offense. See Attachment #2.
      
      Tom Bevins, Detective, Huntington, West Virginia Police Department, also could not determine exactly where Lucas was during the time frame around his offense during interviews with Lucas' relatives."
    • Catalogue of questionable statements by Lucas family members (suggesting they were covering for him and/or had their memories "enhanced")
      • Claiming to Bob Lemons when he interviewed them (per the testimony of Lemons to the McLennan County grand jury) that Lucas had not even stabbed his mother, which is flagrantly untrue
  • First meeting of Lucas and Toole - officially in 1979 per the Aynesworth, Feazell, and Mattox investigations, though several accounts place it earlier
    • Fort Worth Star-Telegram, "Lucas tied to 5 more slayings", 1983/06/28 (pages 9, 10): "[Becky Powell] was 15 when she died. "From what we understand, he started (having a relationship) with her when she was 10 or 11," [Jacksonville detective Buddy] Terry said. "You have to look at her background: They weren't real stable people." Powell evidently met Lucas at the Jacksonville boarding house run by her grandmother, who reared her. Lucas' relatives have said he brought a Florida girl with him when he visited kinfolk in West Virginia in 1975 or 1976. It is unknown whether the girl was Powell."
    • Austin American-Statesman, "Deadly rampage part of loner's seamy past", 1983/07/03 (pages 1A, 18A, 19A): "Goodyear said the homosexual handyman claims to have met Lucas seven years ago at a nearby mission, but that she had never seen Lucas until late in 1981."
    • Fort Worth Star-Telegram, "Lucas lived on the road, left a trail of crime", 1983/07/17 (pages 1, 8): "Lucas made one trip with a Jacksonville woman between 1976 and 1981, according to Toole, from which she returned in a few weeks and Lucas in a few months. That may have been the 1979 trip on which Lucas went to West Virginia, to another nephew's house, accompanied by a girl or woman from Florida, and got into a fight with the nephew."
      • Note that if this refers to the March 1979 fight with Joe Crawford that put Lucas in the Bluefield WV hospital, there is a conflict with it being Becky Powell. Jacksonville school records show she was in school that day, so either the visit was some other time, the school records are incorrect, or it was somebody other than Becky. According to the 1985 grand jury testimony of Bob and Joyce Lemons, a Florida girl did accompany Lucas to this family meeting but it was somebody else named Barbara Hendricks (TODO: find more information on her).
    • Kilgore News Herald, "Drifter had often talked of killing", 1983/10/24: "Neighbors noticed a change in Toole after he met Lucas in 1976 while waiting for a meal at a local mission for the homeless. Lucas, now jailed in Denton, Texas, has confessed to killing as many as 200 women, including his mother. The two became inseparable and traveled the country in an old car, and were homosexual lovers, police said. "After that, Otis didn't do any work for me. They went out of town, always disappearing," Mrs. [Betty] Goodyear said."
    • Fort Worth Star-Telegram, "2 of a kind: partners in the macabre", 1984/02/15 (pages 1, 9): "When he lived with his mother, which he did most of the time, "he was always dragging some bum off the street and bringing him home," said his sister-in-law, Georgia Toole. IN 1976 TOOLE MET Lucas at a Jacksonville rescue mission and brought him to his mother's house, Georgia Toole said. Neither she nor Goodyear knew of Toole having a steady male lover except for Lucas."
    • Austin American-Statesman, "Lucas claims he killed wealthy Bastrop couple", 1984/04/20 (pages 1, 10): "A study of Lucas' travels during the time he claimed involvement in at least 360 murders shows he met Toole for the first time in December 1975 in Jacksonville, Fla."
    • Fort Worth Star-Telegram, "Lucas' confessions convincing", 1985/08/27 (pages 1, 10): "Those who disbelieve Lucas' murder confessions point out that Lucas says he didn't even meet Toole until 1979, when Lucas moved to Florida. But in 1983, in the first months after Lucas was arrested, Lucas and Toole said they had known each other since 1976. In one interview video, an officer reminds Toole that he now says he met Lucas at the mushroom farm in Pennsylvania where Lucas had his first job after getting out of prison in 1975. A Maryland detective has said in a statment that one of Lucas' relatives remembers Toole visiting Lucas in Maryland in July or August 1977, shortly after Toole and his wife returned from a two-week trip to Texas."
    • Bob Prince response on 1986/03/14 to the Texas Attorney General's office's criticism of the Lucas task force: "The Attorney General's report states that Lucas and Toole met in February, 1979. They allude to information gathered by Aynesworth and Lemons during their interviews with Lucas' relatives, but they omit that relative Leonard Kiser states Lucas brought Toole to his place of business and introduced him in 1977. This was stated on a taped interview in which Aynesworth and Lemons were interviewing Kiser which both the AG's Staff and DPS have possession of.
      
      Also attached is a report from Richard Mobley of the Cecil County, Maryland Sheriff's Department of an interview in which Mobley interviews Leonard Kiser and the same information is given to Mobley by Kiser. See Attachment #3."
    • From p.92 of The Confessions of Henry Lee Lucas: "Now [in February 1979 in Jacksonville] he was at the mission near skid row, watching the people go by and waiting for the soup line to open. A big man with a jack-o'-lantern smile sauntered up the stairs toward him. He recognized Ottis Toole. They'd met in a tavern in Pennsylvania when he was working at the mushroom farm. They'd had a few beers together before Ottis went back to Florida."
    • TODO: add excerpt from Rhonda Knuckles' book indicating that Lucas knew Toole at least as far back as 1978
  • Roofing company (Southeast Color Coat) fabricating alibis for Lucas and Toole
    • From p.230-231 of Henry Lee Lucas:
      
          Work records and payroll checks would later become subject to controversy because of conflicting stories regarding who cashed them, who they were actually issued to, and who had actually performed the work credited to Toole. As task force members were coming to find out, in a serial killer investigation the killer often leads police to the right clues indirectly. What might turn out to be an alibi for one jurisdiction actually turns out to be evidence in another jurisdiction. This was a process of trial and error, and as task force members became aware of conflicts in evidence, especially in work records and cashed checks, they found reasons to discount them.
          Lucas and Toole, it later turned out, had claimed they had a "deal" with the employer in Florida who, for a cut of their salaries, faked the records as needed for the two men. One employee of the company later served jail time for fraud and for forging payroll records. The Rangers and Boutwell did not consider the records completely reliable, but felt they were duty bound to report them on the logs. Thus, because of their own integrity and honesty with respect to the procedures they had established, Boutwell and the Rangers found themselves challenged when a claim by Lucas or Toole was later found to conflict with a work record. But because the procedure of logging Lucas and Toole events proved so valuable for the coordination of agency information flooding Georgetown, the task force saw no reason to change the rules when the rules bumped into a local county investigation of a Lucas homicide claim.
       
    • Longview News-Journal, "Witnesses: Lucas not at murder site", 1984/04/06: "Two supervisors at a Florida roofing and sheetmetal company testified Thursday that Henry Lee Lucas was at work on the day he is accused of killing a woman in Texas five years ago. They said they kept records that indicated that Lucas was on the job at Southeast Color Coat of Jacksonville, Fla., from Oct. 25 through Nov. 1, 1979, and a Jacksonville grocery owner testified that Lucas cashed a payroll check either Nov. 1 or 2. Their testimony was similar to that of Eileen Knight, a secretary and bookkeeper for the firm, who said earlier Thursday that Lucas was working on the day he is accused of killing an unidentified woman hitchhiker and dumping her body in a culvert. In questioning outside the presence of the jury, prosecutors attacked the supervisors' credibility. Mack Caulder agreed he had been convicted on charges of attemped burglary and forgery in California during the mid-1960s and of federal and state forgery charges in Alabama in the late 1960s. The other supervisor, Fred Ellis, first denied, then admitted convictions for issuing worthless checks in 1975 and 1979. But Caulder denied prosecution suggestions that he had accepted kickbacks to give employees credit for days worked when they had not been there."
    • Texas Court of Criminal Appeals, no. 69325: Lucas v. State, appeal decision, 1989/03/22
      • "Sheriff Boutwell testified he took yet another statement from appellant on November 10, 1983, as he drove appellant from the county jail facility in Denton to the Williamson County lockup. In this audio recording appellant said he had been in the habit of paying a foreman on a Florida roofing job to mark him present on the job site when he was, in fact, absent.
        
        The last statement taken from appellant and played in severely edited form before the jury was a videotaped interview conducted on February 16, 1984, in Williamson County Jail. The particular statements allowed before the jury related to appellant's Florida work records which showed he had been working at a naval station roofing job at or near the time set by Dr. Bayardo as the time of the victim's death. Again, the import of the statement was that appellant had paid all or part of his paycheck on several occasions to a foreman in return for being marked as present on the job."
      • "The testimony of Sheriff Boutwell ended the State's case-in-chief. The defense opened with Eilene Knight, secretary and bookkeeper for Southeast Color Coat, Inc., of Jacksonville, Florida. Knight, who knew appellant by sight, testified as the custodian of records for the business. She stated that foremen on the different jobs would fill out a "daily sheet" listing each worker's name and showing the number of hours worked on the day in question. She said the general superintendent on the Jacksonville Naval Air Station job was Mack Caulder, with the foreman being one Fred Ellis. Although Knight had no actual knowledge of any supervisor accepting kickbacks, she agreed that it was possible that absent workers could have been marked present in return for part of the employee's check.
        
        Fred Ellis took the stand after Knight. He testified it was his practice to check each worker's name off the master list on the daily sheet as he saw the person on site. Ellis said that he had never received money for checking off the names of absent workers. After a hearing outside the presence of the jury, the State was allowed to question Ellis regarding his prior criminal record. He admitted a 1973 conviction for unauthorized use of electricity, a 1975 conviction for worthless check writing, and a second conviction for bad checks in 1979. Ellis also admitted he had denied the 1975 conviction a few moments earlier at the hearing outside the jury's presence.
        
        Mack Caulder followed Ellis to the stand. Caulder testified he would take roll on the job site in the morning and afternoon. His time sheets for October 26th, 29th, 31st, and the first of November showed appellant marked as present at the naval air station jobsite. Caulder denied ever taking any bribes or being offered any kickbacks for falsifying work records. Later, after a hearing outside the jury's presence and over defense objection, the State was allowed to recall Caulder and question him about his criminal past. It was brought to the jury's attention that Caulder had been convicted of forgery in state district court in 1969, and a year later was again convicted of forgery in federal court. A prison sentence was assessed in both cases.
        
        Following Ellis and Caulder to the stand during the defense case-in-chief was a Jacksonville grocery store owner named Monir Yazgi. Yazgi testified appellant would usually cash his paychecks at the store each week. Yazgi stated that a November 1, 1979, check was cashed in his presence, but on cross-examination admitted he was not sure if the signature on the back of the check was that of appellant."
      • "At the rebuttal stage of trial, the State called five witnesses. Kenneth Emery, a roofer and carpenter for Labor, Inc., testified that Mack Caulder did not call roll every day, and, in addition, testified that appellant did not work every day but would be gone for two or three days at a time. The witness did not remember which particular days appellant was absent from work."
      • "As earlier noted, before closing, the State recalled Mack Caulder to the stand and questioned him regarding his prior convictions. The witness remained adamant that he had marked appellant present on October 31, 1979, solely because appellant was on the job site. In an effort to rehabilitate their witness, the defense team then recalled Kenneth Emery, who testified he had known Caulder for five years. According to Emery, he had never seen Caulder accept money for falsifying work records, but he knew the practice existed, as he had seen at least one foreman accepting money at the time paychecks were cashed. With that, the defense also closed, the charge was prepared and read, final arguments were made, and the jury was retired to deliberate."
      • "Caulder was born in 1930. At the time he was convicted of the prior offenses he was approximately 39 years of age. Between the time he was released and the start of appellant's trial, there is no evidence he suffered a final felony conviction or a misdemeanor conviction involving moral turpitude. Caulder did admit to being arrested in South Carolina for drunken driving and leaving the state before going to trial. From the record, it is clear Caulder knew he would be required to make an appearance in the case but instead left the state before prosecution could begin. By itself, the above evidence relating to a charge of drunken driving would not appear to be an adequate reflection of an individual's lack of reformation, since the State cannot point to a proper final conviction to connect Caulder's previous criminal conduct with subsequent conduct demonstrating similar propensities. However, the rule embraces more than evidence of proper conviction; also to be considered as evidence of Caulder's failure to conform to legal mores is his conduct in the intervening years as it may reflect upon his lack of reformation. See Crisp, supra; Gill, supra. Here, the State cited as examples of the witness's conduct his flight from South Carolina and his participation in the alleged "kick-back" scheme in Florida.
        
        Caulder left the state of South Carolina in 1973 or 1974 in order to avoid prosecution for the offense of D.W.I. While the offense itself may not be one for which a conviction may be used to show lack of reformation, we certainly think an individual's conduct in illegally avoiding the justice system demonstrates that person's lack of commitment to conform to the legal dictates of society and its representatives. However, the evidence reflecting Caulder's flight from authority, occurring ten years before the instant trial, is itself somewhat remote in terms of the witness's present character. The only other evidence reflecting lack of reformation is the contested fact issue of Caulder's alleged participation in a "kick-back" scheme, introduced by the State to rebut the defensive theory of alibi. Our opinion in Crisp, supra, spoke in general terms of determining remoteness "in the light of the particular facts of each case . . .", one method being " evidence showing a lack of reformation . . ." (emphasis supplied) Fundamental concerns of fairness require us to construe the alternative method to exclude controverted issues of fact which are unadjudicated at the time of trial."
      • "[...] Before Caulder was improperly impeached, the state had introduced into evidence other statements, notably those of July 31st, August 2nd and November 10th, in which appellant directly implicated himself in the crime and refuted the defensive theory. In his February 16, 1984, interview, appellant further related how the "kick-back" system worked. That evidence was supported by Kenneth Emery's testimony to the effect that the "kick-back" practice was a normal part of the job Caulder was entrusted to supervise. Finally, the work records introduced by the defense facially reflected appellant to have been present on the Florida job site on dates surrounding the murder but not specifically on the date the crime was calculated to have occurred. Add to this evidence testimony that appellant would disappear from work for days at a time and that roll was not regularly called on the job site, and the improper impeachment of the witness loses importance. [...]"
    • Florida corporate records for SOUTHEAST COLOR COAT, INC. - designated as a Florida Profit Corporation; FEI/EIN number is 59-1299605; filed 07/30/1968 and INACTIVE following MERGER on 11/04/1985; principal and mailing address is 10477 NEW KINGS RD JACKSONVILLE, FL 32219; registered agent is REAVES, JOHN J. JR. JONES CEMETARY ROAD CALLAHAN, FL 32011; president and director is REAVES, JOHN J. JR. JONES CEMETARY ROAD CALLAHAN, FL; secretary and director is REAVES,WINIFRED L JONES CEMETARY ROAD CALLAHAN, FL
    • Florida Times-Union, obituary for Johnny James Reaves Jr., 2006/11/29-30: "Johnny James Reaves, Jr., 64, of Jacksonville passed away on Monday, November 27, 2006. He was born in Jacksonville and was a graduate of Ribault High School. He was Quarterback of the football team, captain of the basketball team and played baseball as well. After many years of working with his father, he went on to become founder of Southeast Roofing and Sheetmetal in 1968, along with many other business ventures. His latest accomplishment was creating Adams Street Station in downtown Jacksonville. He took great pride in everything he accomplished. John was also founder of the Callahan Pop Warner Association and coached Callahan Little League, where he was a leader and mentor to many. John was an active member of Callahan Masonic Lodge #32 as well as the Morocco Temple and a member of the Jestors of Florida. He had many hobbies, which included hunting, fishing, and spur of the moment road trips. He leaves to cherish his memories, his devoted wife, Eileen Pearson Reaves, hisloving parents, John J. Reaves, Sr. (Joyce) and Helen M. Reaves, one daughter, Melinda G. Bennett (Jud), two sons, John J. Reaves, III (Doreen) and Shawn C. Reaves (Kim) and the mother of his children, Winnie Reaves, two step-children, Don Knight and Pam Schwartz, grandchildren, Lorin Jukes, Bryan Bennett, Justin Reaves, Cody Parham, Kyle Parham, Chance Reaves, Autumn Reaves, Brad Knight and Ciara Schwartz, three brothers, Steve Reaves, Alan Reaves and Randy Reaves, three sisters, Marilyn Davis, Lori Renfroe and Robyn Reaves, his aunt Mildred Marchman and a host of nieces, nephews, cousins and many sorrowing friends. He was the light of every event with his great sense of humor, his unconditional love and his generosity to others. He will also be greatly missed by his beloved sheltie “Shellie.”"
    • Dignity Memorial obituary for Johnny James Reaves Sr.: "Johnny James Reaves, Sr., 92 years old, was called to be with his Lord and Savior on February 11, 2017 where he resided in Jacksonville, Florida. John was born on May 10, 1924 in Rhine, Georgia, the son of Nettie Alma Hampton and William Ander Reaves. John was one of the youngest engineers at age 17 with Seaboard Airline Railroad in Georgia. He served in the Army as a Marksman, then moved to Jacksonville in the early 40’s to work with his brother and father in roofing, which led him to become a licensed Roofer and General Contractor. He was an accomplished business owner being President of R.B. Gay Construction, Inc. and Reaves Roofing, Inc. John was a godly man, served his church as a deacon in leadership for over sixty years, and was a pillar of strength for his family of five generations. He was a member of Southside Baptist Church. Over the years he was involved in many organizations, such as President of North East Florida Roofing and Sheet Metal Contractors Association, The Association of General Contractors, NE Florida Builders Association, Northside Businessmen’s Association, Associated Builders and Contractors, Better Business Bureau, Chamber of Commerce, Morocco Temple of Shriners, Royal Arch Masons #48, Riverview Lodge #306, Civitan Club of South Jacksonville, former Trustee of The Baptist Home for Children, and Chairman of the Board of Lake Forest Baptist Christian School."
    • Reaves family connection to the Tooles
      • From p.26 of the Mattox report: "[As of 1979] Ottis had worked for the Reeves for seven or eight years. The house where he lived was owned by the Reeves."
  • Check cashing times in Jacksonville
    • Monir Yazgi background - ran the Jacksonville convenience store where many of Lucas's checks from Southeast Color Coat were cashed
      • Florida corporation info on FIRST COAST INVESTMENTS, INC. - formed on 1992/11/30; active as of 2024/08/10; principal address and mailing address (since 2000/01/29) is 7633 HOLIDAY RD SO JACKSONVILLE, FL 32216; registered agent is YAZGI, MONIR of 7633 HOLIDAY RD S JACKSONVILLE, FL 32216; directors are YAZGI, TOM (also president) of 6920 LA LOMA DR JACKSONVILLE, FL 32217, FARHAT, SAID (also vice president) of 1309 JOURNEYS END LN JACKSONVILLE, FL 32223, JOSEPH, JOE L of 1823 LANDWOOD ST JACKSONVILLE, FL 32211, YAZGI, MONIR (also secretary) as detailed prior, JOSEPH, LOUIS JR. of 3982 CHESTWOOD AVE JACKSONVILLE, FL 32211, and YAZGI, ABDO (also treasurer) of 1277 BEACH AVE ATLANTIC BEACH, FL 32233
        • 1995 annual report
      • Florida Department of Business and Professional Regulation license TOB2609017 - held by Monir Yazgi and Admoun Sabra; DBA name is A & M IMPORTS; address is 6271 ST AUGUSTINE ROAD SUITE 28 JACKSONVILLE Florida 32217; licensure date is 2009/02/04; expiration date is 2010/01/15
        • Public complaints for the above license - complaint 2009052178 was opened 2009/09/15 and closed 2010/06/25 with a civil penalty; complaint 2010001677 was opened 2010/01/06 and closed the same day with no action taken
      • Florida Times-Union, "Syrian refugees enjoy century-old roots in Jacksonville", 2015/11/24: "But Jacksonville's Syrians are mostly Catholic, Presbyterian and Episcopalian, not Muslim. Some speak Arabic conversationally, but few are fluent. Elias Yazji, who came here in 1988, said the community is accepting, but it might be harder for Muslim refugees. They might not feel as comfortable at Salaam Club, where, according to his cousin, club president Sylvia Yazgi, none of the current members is Muslim. [...] On Sunday, most Thanksgiving feast attendees said the U.S. must take in Syrians after screening them. Elias Yazji said he thinks it's too risky to take in Syrian Muslims. "Sylvia, out of a hundred Christians, what are the chances one of them is a terrorist?" he asked those at his table. "You want me to say zero?" his cousin said. "Maybe one?" "Out of 100 Muslims from Syria," Yazji continued, "what's the chance to have a terrorist?" "Higher," she admitted. "You can't discriminate," her husband, Monir Yazgi, said."
      • Brice Foundation personnel page - vice president is Admoun Sabra, whose bio says "I’m Admoun Sabra and I’m pleased to be here. I am originally from Syria, but I’m currently living in the United States. I honestly find Brice Foundation an open door to Haitian children, youths and adults who wanted support and assistance from people who seem to be concerned about their needs and their future. For years I’ve been a businessman and I made a lot of experiences with people from different nationalities, however, my experience with the Haitian Community is very exceptional because of their courage, politeness and their great sense of humor. As a friend of the Haitian community and a staff member of Brice Foundation I’m pleased to help this Foundation in its journey in helping reduce poverty in Haiti through education."
  • Scrap metal sales (Commercial Metals) records being falsified - TODO: add documentation from the Rangers
    • ...
    • Commercial Metals background - TODO: document; based out of Dallas TX
  • Work by Lucas and Toole for California boat builder Hank McCune - confirmed by McCune, yet hard to fit into the official timeline
    • TODO: cite section from the California DOJ report
    • From p.45 of the Mattox report: "When asked about his wreck in Texas, Toole stated that he and Novella were en route to California. Toole claimed he had previously worked in California cleaning sailboats."
    • Hank McCune background - TODO: document; was a pioneer in fiberglass boat building, perhaps associating him with the likes of Don Aronow and Roger Moore
  • Texas Monthly, "The Twilight of the Texas Rangers", 1994/02: "The Lucas hoax drew international attention and brought shame to the Rangers of a magnitude not since the A.Y. Allee years. Today a number of retired Rangers, including Joaquin Jackson and Glenn Elliott, say they had interviewed Henry Lee Lucas about certain cases in their jurisdictions and could see for themselves that the task force was dealing with a habitual liar. “I remember him trying to cop to one he didn’t do,” says Elliott, “but there was another murder case where I’ll kiss your butt if he didn’t lead us right to the deer stand where the murder took place. Ain’t no way he could’ve guessed that, and I damn sure didn’t tell him. I think he did that one.” Yet the hoax aura of Lucas’ many confessions has left the resolution of this case in doubt."
  • Robert Nieman and Dennis Read interview of retired Texas Ranger Max Womack on 1995/10/26: "MAX WOMACK: Had Henry Lee on one case up there, he ah...he ah...I kind of believe he probably did it because he pointed out the place. But he said that it was a...ah...ah..a ah...a black man that he killed and it was a white man that ran the store. And I don't know whether he just....but he described the...he...he knew what kind of weapon it was and ah...and he pointed the place out. But he said it was whi...a black man that he killed and it was...it was a white fella."
  • From p.217-218 of The Unsolved Murder of Adam Walsh: Book Two: Finding the Victim by Arthur Jay Harris (2016):
    
        Phil Ryan, who as a Texas Ranger spent a great deal of time with Lucas and coordinated his meetings with detectives from other jurisdictions, quickly realized, he told me, that every detective needed to know what the previous detective who'd discussed the same case had already told Lucas.
        [...]
        Questions never adequately answered included, Were some of Lucas and Toole's confessions real but not others? Were they competing with each other in numbers of confessions? Were they serial killers, serial confessors, or both?
        Often Lucas's information was very specific, and he drew surprisingly talented pencil drawings of who he said were his victims. Some of the women were nudes. But other times he and Toole were vague in terms of time, place, and circumstance. Ryan, who early in the investigation was dubious that Lucas had killed more than once, told me he now thinks Lucas actually committed about fifty murders—not the six hundred he claimed, but still enough to make him one of the worst criminals in modern history.
     
  • Jim Boutwell involvement and background
    • From p.221 of Henry Lee Lucas: "Boutwell is a celebrated Texas lawman who is not only a study in contrasts to Hound Dog Conway, but is also a person who came out of commercial enterprise and international service for the United States government. Boutwell is a licensed pilot, has flown as a test pilot, has sold airplanes, and had even developed and built an airport. He was a Texas Ranger and worked as a United States government agent in 1959 just after the Communist takeover of Cuba. He was instrumental in assisting several prominent Cubans to defect to the United States, in a dangerous cloak-and-dagger game, while representing an aircraft manufacturer."
    • Taylor Daily Press, "Jim Boutwell Is Candidate", 1978/01/27 (pages 1, 10): "Jim Boutwell has announced his candidacy for Williamson County Sheriff. [...] His law enforcement experience began in 1947 when he joined the Texas Department of Public Safety. He was the second employee to be appointed to the DPS Intelligence Division, and was commissioned as a Texas Ranger. He moved to Georgetown in 1956, starting an aircraft sales agency. However, former Sheriff Henry Matysek appointed him as Deputy Sheriff, a position he has held continuously on a part-time basis, except for a three-year leave to go to Wisconsin as sales manager and vice president of Champion Aircraft Corporation. During that time, he also worked with an Intelligence Agency of the federal government, as his job frequently took him to Cuba and Latin America. He is able to communicate in Spanish. After returning from Wisconsin in 1960, Boutwell organized a successful flying school in Austin and a radio communications business in Georgetown, managed the Georgetown airport, and worked on special assignments as a deputy sheriff."
    • Michael Morton wrongful conviction
      • Texas Tribune, "Morton's Conviction Comes to Define Former Williamson County DA", 2013/02/03: "In 1985, at age 33, [Ken] Anderson followed in the tough-on-crime footsteps of his predecessor and boss Ed Walsh to become the Williamson County district attorney. [...] Morton’s lawyers allege that Anderson withheld key evidence that not only pointed to the young father’s innocence but that allowed a murderer to remain free. [...] Even some defense lawyers who sparred with Anderson in the courtroom say allegations that he behaved underhandedly are hard to fathom. “I never thought of him as acting unethically or in violation of the rules,” said veteran defense lawyer Roy Minton. “I did think of him as being very strong and hard on crime, but that was the history of that county.” [...] Williamson County’s legendary Sheriff Jim Boutwell, a tall, thin cowboy of a lawman who was rarely without his white Stetson, cowboy boots and handcuff tie clip, helped forge the county’s tough-on-crime history. [...] In 2001 — eight years after Boutwell died of cancer — then-Gov. George W. Bush commuted Lucas’ death sentence to life in prison. Parker McCollough, a friend of Anderson’s who would later become a state legislator, represented Lucas during that high-profile trial. It was one of many cases in which he sat across the courtroom from Anderson, who was then an assistant prosecutor. “He was a very thorough prosecutor who took his job seriously,” McCollough said. [...] Minton said Boutwell set the tone for criminal justice in Williamson County. “He had more control over the courthouse attitude than any DA did back then,” Minton said. [...] Boutwell’s influence spread from the courthouse to politics, too. Politicians ranging from candidates for local office to the governor sought his approval. During Ann Richards’ 1990 gubernatorial campaign, Boutwell grilled the candidate about her personal history and political views before giving his blessing. Then, he escorted Richards on visits to sheriffs across the state, urging them to support her. [...] In Crime In Texas, Anderson described how he and Boutwell meticulously pieced together “circumstantial murder cases,” plotted undercover operations and made plans to help crime victims on coffee-stained napkins at the L&M Café in Georgetown. "Perhaps no sheriff and district attorney had a closer working relationship than Jim and I had," he wrote. The Morton murder was among the cases the two men worked on together. [...] Those who know Anderson say his personal life was exemplary, too. He and his wife teach Sunday school at Palm Valley Lutheran Church in Round Rock. Recent photos on Facebook show him on a church mission trip in El Salvador."
  • Jim Adams involvement and background
    • FBI career
      • Emma North-Best, "FBI leadership claimed Bureau was “almost powerless” against KKK, despite making up one-fifth of its membership", 2017/12/08: "In testimony before the Church Committee, the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Deputy Director acknowledged that the Bureau at one point made up as much as one-fifth of the Klu Klux Klan’s total membership - but were still powerless to curtail the KKK’s violence. His testimony also acknowledged police participation in said violence, and that the Bureau had three times as many “ghetto informants” as they did those targeting white supremacist domestic terrorists. In response to a FOIA request filed several months ago for the SENSTUDY 75 file, pertaining to the Church Committee, the FBI recently released a preprocessed file (apparently unable to provide even preprocessed documents within the time period required by the law) that includes excerpts of testimony from Deputy Associate Director James Adams addressing the Bureau’s involvement with, and failure to curtail, the KKK. Before finishing his first sentence in the excerpted testimony, Adams had offered somewhat misleading information in stating that the COINTELPRO efforts had been discontinued in 1971. In actuality, all that was discontinued in 1971 was the centralized program. [...] The testimony excerpted in the file ends with Adams’ denying that the Bureau became involved in anyone’s sex life and that such a thing would not be “of any value whatsoever.”"
  • Clemmie Schroeder involvement and background
    • Sister Clemmie Schroeder interview on 1985/04/16 about her visit with Lucas in McLennan County
    • 1985/04/17 testimony to the McLennan County grand jury - on p.3, says that she has had a ministry at the Williamson County Jail for nearly 5 years, and met Lucas on Christmas Eve of 1983; on p.10-12, discusses how Lucas would know precise details of cases but then disclaim responsibility; on p.14-20, discusses some Conroe TX murders on which Lucas flip-flopped, and Boutwell was trying to get Lucas to re-claim responsibility for; on p.22-24, describes Lucas being taken by the Rangers on a Georgia trip a few weeks prior, with Lucas emphasizing how he led them around with no information or guidance given to him at all; on p.25-26, describes the apparent acquiescence that Lucas constantly had towards Boutwell; on p.30, says that Rita Salazar was a cheerleader with her oldest daughter Kathy and she (Clemmie) had sometimes driven Rita home after football games; on p.32-36, claims that Austin American-Statesman reporter Mike Cox misquoted her about Lucas being pressured in Waco to say he only killed 3 people; on p.40-41, details how Lucas claimed that someone other than Kate Rich was burned in the stove, and her family had taken her to an "old folks home" in California because she was getting senile and talking too much about her involvement in the drug trade; on p.43, claims that Lucas told her he first met Toole in 1979; on p.43, they take a break in the testimony, and then it opens with Feazell prompting Clemmie to say something, suggesting that some testimony had been developed during the break (ed. note: did Feazell threaten her with being cut off from Lucas in Waco, and give her a story to relate?); on p.44-46, proceeds to describe how she never gave Lucas an opportunity to tell her how he'd never killed anyone, and expresses belief that Boutwell and the Rangers were taken in by him, though she doesn't consider them dishonest; on p.46, unpromptedly asks Feazell "And you want me to tell the bad stuff I did?" (referring to the taped interview she did for Boutwell about Lucas being coerced in Waco to recant); on p.47-48, gives her account of what she said in the taped 1985/04/16 statement to Boutwell (ed. note: it is inconsistent with what she actually said); on p.48-50, describes a meeting the previous night between the task force and federal officials, in which they acted prepared to fight against the McLennan County proceedings, but did not appear scared or interested in covering anything up; on p.55, notes that Lucas was now denying membership in the Hands of Death, and asked by Mattox if he had made that up, replied with uncertainty because "he could just go in so much detail about the ceremony"; on p.56, recounts how Lucas said Maryland investigators confronted him about mushroom factory work dates before stating they believed he hadn't killed anyone, and then said he believed Aynesworth was coming out with a book to that effect; on p.58, describes getting into an argument with Aynesworth in which he threatened to ruin her and her ministry; on p.58-59, mentions how Lucas believed Aynesworth got a book contract from him under false pretenses at the Montague County jail by pretending to be an attorney; on p.59-60, says that Aynesworth lied about coming to see Lucas at the jail on weekends; on p.64-68, describes how Lucas claimed he didn't kill Orange Socks and it was actually Toole, who made a confession to doing so, yet none of this evidence was heeded or aired at the trial; on p.68-69, mentions how DA Ed Walsh, Judge Carter, and defense attorney Higginbocker in the Orange Socks trial all went out to lunch together; on p.78, recounts Lucas confessing to a California crime in which he spray-painted "Becky" onto a nearby boulder, and investigators claiming they couldn't find the rock even though there was a picture of the rock with "Becky" on it; on p.82-83, describes how Lucas would brag about telling investigators case information which they didn't know but subsequently verified in their records; on p.85-86, starts detailing her experience the previous year with Johnie Dodd (misspelled Johnny Dodd in the transcript), a Waco writer who got Lucas to sign a book contract; on p.86, indicates that Dodd told Lucas he knew the death row warden; on p.87-88, describes realizing that Dodd's contract was a fraud and telling Bob Prince, who was a friend of Dodd; on p.88-91, talks about Dodd making various promises to find writers and Hollywood producers that never materialized; on p.93, says that Aynesworth claimed to have sent a percentage of his Lucas book interest to her ministry and it just got lost in the mail; on p.93-95, discusses Mike Cox, a friend of Boutwell, having an interest in writing a Lucas book but facing resistance from Lucas; on p.95-97, describes trying to write a book of her own, and getting referred to Dallas author Max Call, who wrote books for Chaplain Ray Hoekstra, but getting incredibly disappointed with how explicit he made his Lucas book; on p.115-116, affirms that Lucas did talk about abusing alcohol and drugs before his arrest, and in response, Mattox expresses skepticism that Lucas could have used LSD with the high frequency he claimed the previous day (ed. note: this would support the idea of Lucas getting LSD from a covert source instead of the regular street trade); on p.116, relates how Lucas claimed to traffic drugs from California to Florida for money
    • Henry Lee Lucas letter on 1985/04/28 to Sister Clemmie Schroeder (smuggled out of the McLennan County jail)
    • 1985/07/02 testimony to the McLennan County grand jury - on p.9-11, discusses Lucas's letter to her in late April 1985, claiming he only wrote it to heal her confusion over the Boutwell vs. Feazell struggle by providing evidence that would "prove" his mistreatment in Waco and get him back to Georgetown; on p.13-18, claims that the officials at the April 16 meeting (Boutwell in particular) were speaking very aggressively about how they would destroy Vic Feazell, Jim Mattox, and Hugh Aynesworth (ed. note: seems at odds with the description in her first grand jury appearance, which just paints everyone as sincerely concerned about Lucas's well-being and not scared / covering anything up)
    • Catalogue of questionable statements by Schroeder (especially in her post-April 1985 testimony and her book)
      • Denying that Lucas told her about being coerced in Waco to recant, despite unambiguously saying so in her taped 1985/04/16 statement to Boutwell; in her first grand jury appearance, she claims to have only told Boutwell how Lucas was confused, looked bad, and might have been drugged or hypnotized, yet in her statement she has many specifics about how Lucas was being threatened that he had to say he never killed anyone, that the Rangers task force would be ended, and that he might be suicided in jail; and as journalist Nan Cuba relates in The Confession Killer (around 14:40 in Episode 3), Sister Clemmie told her about Feazell quoting scripture at Lucas for hours to make him recant, corroborating that Lucas claimed coercive treatment in Waco; meanwhile, in Sister Clemmie's book, she doesn't even put the April 16 statement in the narrative, only bringing up later when she describes tearfully admitting it to Feazell sometime after her testimony (obviously untrue, given that it's brought up during her testimony in response to questions asked by Feazell); another glaring omission is how Lucas claimed the people in Waco wouldn't give him a lawyer, which goes unmentioned in her grand jury appearance and is explicitly denied in her 1987/05/11 testimony at a pretrial hearing in Feazell's bribery case (where she claims Lucas not having a lawyer was her concern, not something he expressed to her); the real kicker is that despite Sister Clemmie's downplaying and denial, Lucas himself acknowledged (in a 1985/04/19 taped statement with Waco investigators and a 1985/04/25 taped statement with his lawyer Guy Cox) telling her that he was held against his will and denied access to an attorney
      • Claiming that Lucas's letter in late April 1985 (affirming how he was being forced to recant) was just a self-sacrificing ploy to help her after she had a mental breakdown in confusion; this would logically imply Lucas no longer stood by that letter after her discharge from the hospital, yet she went to the Waco jail soon afterwards with Bob Larson (see the 1985/05/02 article for the timing, which describes it as Monday, April 29) where Lucas recorded a corroborating statement; additionally, if Lucas was just using the letter as a ploy to give Boutwell evidence justifying his removal from Waco, it's strange that he attributed his captivity to the Hands of Death when Boutwell didn't believe in the cult
      • Claiming in her book that Hugh Aynesworth was one of the only journalists who Lucas trusted, despite testifying in her first grand jury appearance that Lucas felt Aynesworth had conned him into a book contract, and not mentioning her testimony in that same grand jury appearance about how Aynesworth had threatened to destroy her jail ministry
  • Max Call involvement and background
    • Fort Worth Star-Telegram, "Grand jury in Waco resumes inquiry into Lucas statements", 1985/05/04: "Boutwell denied Cox's claim that the sheriff was receiving a 2 percent royalty from the sale of Dallas author Max Call's book, The Hands of Death — The Story of Henry Lee Lucas."
    • El Paso Times, "Jail house baptism", 1985/12/02 (pages 5A, 6A): "In one of the books already written about Lucas, author Max Call describes Lucas's participation in devil worship and sacramental rituals. Lucas, however, said he "never joined them, never got Involved." Lucas, 49, explained that various Satanic rituals were described to him by people he met in Florida and California. He described those rituals to Call and the author "added to them." Lucas went along with Call's embellishing tale "sort of as a warning ... it's what could happen. I thought it would be worth writing.""
    • Political and corporate background
      • From p.186 of Hand of Death: "As an advertising executive, I molded public opinion and influenced the purchases of millions of unsuspecting people. I created and used television commercials to promote gambling in the State of California and created public images for organized labor and the working trades industry. In all these activities, I was expendable, but the work I did lives on."
      • From the back inside cover of Hand of Death: "Prior to his writing career, he was an advertising executive for Swift & Company, Jos. Schlitz Brewing Company and Compton Advertising, Inc. Call headed his own advertising and public relations firm in San Francisco for eight years."
      • The Guardsman Vol. XXXIII (City College of San Francisco), "Alumni Ranks Now Open for Membership", 1951/09/28: "Prospective graduates who join the Alumni Association within 30 days will have their names appear in the latest list of Association members to be printed and distributed with the bylaws booklet which goes to press soon, Trev Burrow, pres. of the association, announced recently. The Board of Directors of the association now consists of 13 members; Trev Burrow, president; Gloria Dunn, secretary; Edwin A. Frediani, attorney; Joseph A. Amori, Don J. Burger, Max R. Call, Ralph Hillsman, Elmer Hubacher, Don Jensen, Dr. Richard Kelley, Jon. Charles W. Meyers, Don Mix and George G. Mullany. The new by-laws provide for four regular meetings of the executive board per year. The by-laws also call for an Alumni meeting."
      • The Times Standard (Eureka CA), "Young GOP Organize -- Map Campaign Plans", 1952/03/14: "YOUNG REPUBLICANS were guests of the Humboldt County Republican Central committee at a meeting last night for the purpose of forming a Young Republican Club of Humboldt County. Pictured here are, first row, Max R. Call, Barbara Lewis, Betty Simmons; second row, Russell Harms, George Galinger, Thomas E. Baker; third row, John T. Leddy, Henry G. Heathman, Dave Way, Carney Campion; fourth row, Arthur M. Chase, Robert W. Matthews, Robin P. Ackley; fifth row, Damon Porter; sixth row, Winton E. Gordon, Ernest C. Yates, Carroll R. Gordon."
      • The Times Standard (Eureka CA), "Call Resigns As Secretary Of Planning Board", 1952/03/21: "In submitting his resignation as secretary of the Humboldt Planning Commission, Max R. Call, last night reported that is entering private business in Eureka. In his letter of resignation Call expressed the warmest of personal feelings and admiration for the members of committee. Call came to Eureka from San Francisco in July of 1948 and accepted the position of assistant manager in the Eureka Chamber of Commerce and in March of 1950 he was appointed secretary of the county planning commission. In addition to these duties he also served as secretary of the 1949 Valley of the Giants Jubilee and was the first secretary of the North Coast Conservation Council and one of the charter signers for that organization. Just recently he served the county as secretary of the local Trinity River Diversion Investigating Committee and at present is Division Secretary for Kiwanis International. Call stated that he is now owner and promotion manager of a new Eureka firm named Associated Artists, which will manufacture promotion material by the silk screen process. In addition to this function the firm will engage in limited interior decoration of business and residential buildings. Call's working partner in the firm is Gene Schilber who will serve as production manager. Schilber has had excellent experience in the silk screen industry and interior decoration. Ranking among some of his past are the Pacific Island Naval Officers' Clubs which he color-toned and painted the murals denoting the activities of the naval units during the war. He also did silk screen work in Honolulu."
      • The Times Standard (Eureka CA), "Call Appointed Warren Chairman", 1952/05/02: "Max R Call of Eureka has been named chairman of the Humboldt county group of the Warren-for-President campaign, according to a statement of Harvey Hancock, manager of the campaign's northern California committee, San Francisco Headquarters for the county group are to be opened soon in Eureka."
      • San Francisco Examiner, "WARREN AIDES SEE VICTORY", 1952/05/09: "The Republican ticket pledged to Governor Earl Warren will be overwhelmingly elected in the June 3 presidential primary, Warren campaign chairmen from the Redwood Empire counties predicted at a meeting in Ukiah yesterday. Warren-for-President leaders from Del Norte, Humboldt, Mendocino, Lake and Sonoma counties attended the all-day session. They reported to Northern California Manager Harvey Hancock that official GOP groups in the North Coast counties are solidly backing the Warren slate. Among these taking part in the conference were Max R. Call, Eureka; Lloyd Bittenbender, Mendocino; Leroy J. Lounibos, Petaluma; Charles J. Selig, Crescent City; and Alexander Mackie, Lakeport."
      • The Times Standard (Eureka CA), "Promotions For Local Guardsmen", 1952/11/13: "One officer and seven enlisted men have received promotions in the local unit of the National Guard Reserve, according to Major Corrado J. Pinochi, commanding officer. Benjamin L. Dolf of Eureka has been appointed a second lieutenant in the Guard Reserve by Governor Earl Warren and has been assigned as a platoon leader. Dolf was formally discharged from his former rank of master sergeant prior to his appointment. Second Lieutenant Max R. Call has been assigned as company executive officer. Call had been the company training officer. The following enlisted personnel have been promoted to grade of sergeant first-class: Cleo Still of Arcata, John Marcus of Eureka, James MacArthur of Samoa and Henry Tatka of Eureka. The men promoted to staff sergeant are William Mooney and Jack Pavel of Eureka. Lloyd Herndon was promoted to corporal."
      • San Francisco Examiner, "Advertising News", 1964/08/06: "Max R. Call has Joined Compton Advertising, Inc. as an account executive, according to John H. Butler, vice president and manager here. Call has been assigned to the Guild Wine Co. account. Prior to joining Compton, he was area advertising manager of the 13 western states for the Jos. Schlitz Brewing Company."
        • Broadcasting, "PROGRAMMING", 1963/06/17: "John H. Butler, creative director of Compton Adv.'s San Francisco office, elected president of San Francisco chapter of Academy of Television Arts and Sciences. Other officers elected: Harold P. See, KRON -TV San Francisco, first VP; Ernest Rook, California Academy of Sciences, second VP; Kelly Quinn, actress, secretary; and Ken Langley, Tuberculosis and Health Association of California, treasurer."
    • Writing background - from pornographic stories to books for the International Prison Ministry
      • From p.181-182 of Hand of Death:
        
            My involvement in Henry's life was stimulated by the faith of Sister Clemmie and her sister. They prayed for an author to write the story Henry wanted written. Her sister and I are members of the same Episcopal parish. As they prayed, my name came to her as the writer they were seeking. I'd just finished my fourth Christian book and it was scheduled for release with the movie in September of 1984.
            I was a member of the International Prison Ministry's board of directors and the author of Al Capone's Devil Driver and Phoebe. Her sister explained to Clemmie that Phoebe was an historical novel dealing with the spiritual equality of women, and as such, I would be open to her ministry with Henry and other prisoners. The fact that Honey, Your Mama's In Prison, my fourth book, dealt with women incarcerated for crimes ranging from murder to sexual assault seemed to indicate that I would be sympathetic to Henry's relationship to women. It was decided that her sister should call me.
            "Max," she asked, "would you be interested in writing a book about Henry Lee Lucas?"
            Like so many other Christians, I had my doubts about Henry's claimed conversion. I suppose my experience with so many jailhouse Christians colored my assessment of Henry, but I agreed to talk to Clemmie.
            "I'll have her call you," she said. "Will you be at your phone for the next 15 minutes?"
            "Yes," I answered. "I'll wait to hear from her."
            It wasn't a long wait. I barely had time to briefly discuss the possible assignment with my wife, Murney. She felt I should hear Clemmie out and encouraged me to be receptive to the proposition.
         
      • From p.186 of Hand of Death: "I learned my profession by writing pornography. My short stories have been published in Oui, Club, Club International, Variations, Turn-Ons, Vibrations and many others."
      • From the back inside cover of Hand of Death: "Call's other books are: Al Capone's Devil Driver, I.P.M. Books, 1979; Deadline in Rome, Chosen Books, 1980; Prodigal Husband, Gift Books, 1980; and Honey which was released wth the movie by I.P.M. in September 1984. His articles and short stories have appeared in HARPER'S WEEKLY, VOICE, CLUB, and many others. He's been a full time writer for 14 years."
      • Chaplain Ray Hoekstra background
        • ...
    • Wife background
      • El Paso Times, "Mary Cunningham dies after surgery", 1980/02/29: "Mary Cunningham, who with her husband, former El Paso Western author Gene Cunningham, was hostess to such literary figures as Zane Grey and Earl Stanley Gardner, died Sunday in Dallas after surgery. Mrs. Cunningham, 81, was the first Yeoman-ette to join the United States Navy from El Paso during World War I. Mrs. Cunningham and her husband returned to El Paso in 1925. While living in their Austin Terrace horne, Mr. Cunningham wrote most of his Western novels and his historical classic "Triggernometry," still regarded as one of the most accurate reports of Western gunfighters. He also served as literary editor of The El Paso Times. During World War II, Mrs. Cunningham served as section director of a national defense section in San Francisco. After her husband's death in California, Mrs. Cunningham accumulated 28,000 hours as a Red Cross Volunteer at Fort Miley in San Francisco. She returned to Texas in 1970. Mrs. Cunningham is survived by three children; Murney Call of Garland, Texas, Jean Weakley of Dallas and Col. Cleve Cunningham of Rough and Ready, Calif.; seven grandchildren and five great-grandchildren."
      • Texas State Historical Association bio for Cunningham, Eugene (1896–1957): "Eugene Cunningham [Leigh Carder], novelist, was born in Helena, Arkansas, on November 29, 1896, the son of Ira Eugene and Istalena Adkins (Stradley) Cunningham. The family apparently moved from Arkansas to St. Augustine, Florida, and then to Texas in 1898. Cunningham attended public schools in Dallas and Fort Worth from 1903 to 1911. From 1914 to 1919 he served in the navy in the Asiatic, Pacific, and Atlantic fleets; in the Mexican campaign; and in the Cruiser Escort Squadron in the war zone (1917). After World War I he was a soldier of fortune in Central America. He served in the naval reserve until 1923, and during World War II he reenlisted and worked in naval intelligence. Cunningham began writing for military publications in 1914 and after his discharge in 1919 spent two years as the Central American correspondent for the London Wide World Magazine.
        
        After several years in San Francisco in the early 1920s, he moved to El Paso, where he held several jobs while establishing himself as a writer. He served as book-review editor for the El Paso Times from the mid-1920s to 1936 and for the New Mexico Magazine from 1936 to 1942. In 1922 Cunningham published Gypsying through Central America and in 1924 The Trail to Apacaz, his first western novel. During the 1930s he hit his stride as an author. He came to rank among the best Western writers who aimed at a middle ground between sophisticated stories and pulp novels. His tales involved an "intricately plotted contest between good and evil" and displayed a sure understanding of the psychology of gunmen. Among the best known of his violent books were Riders of the Night (1932), which involved the deaths of some seventy men, and Buckaroo (1933), in which three Texas Rangers kill about 300 villains. His other works of fiction included Diamond River Man (1934), Texas Sheriff (1934), Trail of the Macaw: Soldiers of Fortune in Banana Land (1935), Redshirts of Destiny (1935), Quick Triggers (1935), Pistol Passport (1936), Whistling Lead (1936), The Ranger Way (1937), Texas Triggers (1938), Gun Bulldoggers (1939), The Red Ranger (1939), The Spiderweb Trail (1940), The Buscadero Trail (1951), Gunsight Chance (1951), and Riding Gun (1956). Under the pen name Leigh Carder he wrote Outlaw Justice (1935), Border Guns (1935), and The Bravo Trail (1938).
        
        His most successful book was probably Triggernometry (1934), a nonfiction study of famous gunfighters, which went through several editions and was reissued in 1941 as Gunfighters All. In 1986 Triggernometry was named one of the thirty-six best nonfiction Western books of all time by the Western Writers of America. Cunningham's other writings included screenplays for television and numerous short stories. The television program "Wagon Train" adopted a number of his plots. He edited the nonfiction Buckboard Days, by Sophie A. Poe (1936), and with W. H. Hutchinson prepared the works of Eugene Manlove Rhodes for publication after Rhodes's death. He also edited Thomas Cruse's Apache Days and After (1941). From time to time Cunningham also worked as a political speechwriter.
        
        He married Mary Caroline Emilstein in 1921. The family moved from El Paso to the San Francisco area in 1942. Cunningham served as vice president of the American Fiction Guild and was an avid collector of cowboy songs, both in English and in Spanish. He died in San Francisco on October 18, 1957. He was survived by his wife, one son, and two daughters."
  • Vic Feazell involvement and background
    • Lucas biography on the henryleelucas.com website (which is set up by Feazell or his associates): "When Lucas confessed to three murders in McLennan County (Waco) TX District Attorney Vic Feazell was assigned to review the the claims. Already having potential suspects on the murders before Lucas's confessions, Feazell and his office began investigating the validity of Lucas's claims. Feazell was introduced to Journalist Hugh Aynesworth thru mutual friend and author Carlton Stowers. The two compared their notes and research on Lucas and concluded they had stumbled upon a law enforcement hoax orchestrated by the Texas Rangers. Feazell called a Grand Jury to investigate Lucas and his claims while Aynesworth wrote a front page piece for The Dallas Times Herald."
    • Lucas investigation documents on Feazell's website
    • Tyler Morning Telegraph, "Lucas Scheduled To Testify Wednesday At Waco", 1985/04/15: "Feazell said McLennan County investigators requested Lucas' transfer, taking him outside the custody of the task force for the first time since its formation in 1983. because "we wanted to be able to speak to Mr. Lucas without him being under any outside pressure. "Right now, the main focus (of the investigation) appears to be the actions of the task force," he added. "They will be invited to testify." Lucas has confessed to two murders in McLennan County, but Feazell said his investigation indicates it is "highly unlikely" that Lucas committed the crimes. [...] "In looking at those two and hearing from our investigator and investigators for the attorney general's office, we began to have serious doubts about Lucas' involvement in quite a few cases," Feazell said. An assistant to Texas Attorney General Jim Mattox is assisting in the case before the Waco grand jury, which met for eight hours last Wednesday and will reconvene Wednesday to hear testimony from Lucas and other witnesses. [...] Feazell would not speculate if members of the task force, headed by the Texas Rangers, was guilty of misconduct in the Lucas case. "That's what the grand jury is looking into," he said. [...] Feazell said McLennan County prosecutors in October 1984 began probing Lucas' confessions in the 1981 death of Dorothy Collins of Waco and the 1977 killing of Glen Parks of Bellmead. "After a cursory investigation, we concluded it was highly unlikely that Mr. Lucas had committed the crimes he confessed to," the district attorney said. "In the first two days (of the investigation), we also found 10 other cases he had confessed to across the state that it was unlikely he had committed," Feazell said. "Needless to say, that got our curiosity." Feazell said he met in January with Texas Attorney General Jim Mattox, who he said was "already aware" of possible holes in Lucas' story. The agencies have cooperated on the investigation since January, he added."
    • Sister Clemmie Schroeder interview on 1985/04/16 about her visit with Lucas in McLennan County
    • Tyler Courier-Times, "Self-Proclaimed Serial Killer Testifies Before Grand Jury", 1985/04/17 (pages 1, 6): "The investigation was prompted by Lucas' confession to the 1981 murder of Dorothy Collins at a time when officers believed another suspect was on the verge of confessing, authorities said. The McLennan County grand jury, which is being assisted by Attorney General Jim Mattox, also is looking into Lucas' confession to the 1977 killing of Glen Parks. [...] Mattox said the grand jury was not investigating a special task force that has been coordinating investigations into slayings Lucas has claimed responsibility for. "Our purpose here is not to investigate the task force," he said."
    • Henry Lee Lucas letter on 1985/04/28 to Sister Clemmie Schroeder (smuggled out of the McLennan County jail)
    • Austin American-Statesman, "Lucas 'circus' assailed", 1985/04/30 (pages B1, B4): "Jan. 7, Feazell and one of his prosecutors, Ned Butler, drove to Austin to meet with Mattox. "We talked with him about what we had found and discovered he was also looking into some of Lucas' Investigations," Feazell said. "Shortly after that, we decided to merge the investigations. Mattox said last week that he also met with Hugh Aynesworth, who was doing research for a book on Lucas. Aynesworth later went to work for the Dallas Times-Herald, which April 14 published a story by Aynesworth and another writer that maintained Lucas' murder confessions were a hoax. [...] The attorney general said that after the meeting with Aynesworth and Feazell, he called Col. Jim Adams, director of the Department of Public Safety, Jan. 8 to tell him "strong questions had been raised" concerning Lucas' confessions. A McLennan County grand Jury April 11 heard six witnesses, including Aynesworth and several McLennan County law officers. The next day, Lucas was transferred from Georgetown to Waco on a bench warrant requested by Feazell and Mattox. April 16, Feazell and Mattox questioned Lucas, and the next day, Lucas appeared before the grand jury. He testified again April 18. During that week, questions arose about possible violations of Lucas' civil rights while in McLennan County. Three FBI agents tried to interview him April 17, and on April 19, a deputy U.S. marshal tried to take custody of Lucas on a writ issued by U.S. District Judge Edward Prado of San Antonio. After an attempt to block the writ went all the way to a U.S. Supreme Court justice, Lucas appeared before a federal grand jury Wednesday in San Antonio. He was returned to Waco that night though the federal investigation is continuing. Mattox accused U.S. Attorney Helen Eversberg of interfering with a state investigation and wrote a complaint to U.S. Attorney General Ed Meese."
    • Austin American-Statesman, "Lucas claims pressure to retract slayings on radio show", 1985/05/02: "Henry Lee Lucas said in a taped interview broadcast nationally Wednesday by radio evangelist Bob Larsen that he was compelled by McLennan County authorities to say he had never killed anyone but his mother. [...] Larsen told his audience he taped Lucas' remarks Monday while visiting Lucas in his McLennan County jail cell, where he is being held during a grand jury investigation of two confessions Lucas made to slayings in the county. The radio minister said he was accompanied by his wife and by Clemmie Schroeder, a Catholic lay worker who is Lucas' confidante and Bible teacher from Goergetown. [...] Lucas' statement said: "I have killed the people I said I killed. They may have somewhere along the line found other dates, but they were supposed to have went back and checked on each case to make sure there was no conflict. They also know these work records are phony work records. They know that the people that I've taken back to the crime (scenes) did not help me to get back to those crimes. "Every time I say I didn't kill the people, it only helps these people (in McLennan County). In order for me to stay here, I have to do what I'm told, but I told the people in Georgetown the truth, and they know it's the truth. "It's only what they want to hear, and that's all. It's not what the actual truth is. The truth is I killed around 360 people." McLennan County District Attorney Vic Feazell issued a written statement after the broadcast saying that Lucas had told him that most of the statements aired were spliced from an earlier interview in Georgetown. [...] [Clemmie] Schroeder, who was hospitalized briefly last weekend for treatment of nervous exhaustion, was discharged from the hospital Sunday, Boutwell said."
    • Fort Worth Star-Telegram, "Grand jury in Waco resumes inquiry into Lucas statements", 1985/05/04: "Most recently, Williamson County Sheriff Jim Boutwell produced a letter in which Lucas said he lied to McLennan County authorities and wants to return to the Georgetown jail, where he was kept until he was moved to Waco on April 12. Lucas has denied the existence of the letter quoted by Boutwell. [...] "I cannot stop these people" in McLennan County, Boutwell quoted Lucas' April 28 letter as saying. "I have to do like they want me to do. I want back in Georgetown to clear up my cases. Look at the facts. They know (law enforcement) they didn't show me the (crime scenes). I took them there." But Lucas' attorney, Guy Cox of Waco, said he has never heard of the letter. McLennan County District Attorney Vic Feazell said Thursday that "Lucas has been asked about the alleged letter and he says it does not exist.""
    • The Town Talk (Alexandria LA), "Food Stamps Cast Doubt on Lucas Killings", 1985/06/10: "A McLennan County grand jury that has been investigating Lucas since April will resume its deliberations at 9 a.m. Monday, District Attorney Vic Feazell said Sunday afternoon. Feazell said "the end is in sight" for the panel's probe, but he would not indicate when testimony would be concluded."
    • Fort Worth Star-Telegram, "Lucas task force not under investigation", 1985/06/21: "District Attorney Vic Feazell of McLennan County says members of a task force investigating killings to which Henry Lee Lucas has confessed have never been the target of a grand jury inquiry. "From the beginning, we've never been investigating the (Texas Department of Public Safety) or the task force," Feazell said Wednesday. "I do not anticipate any allegations of illegality or wrongdoing on the part of the task force." Feazell's comments came Wednesday after the three law officers leading the task force spent the day testifying before the grand jury. The grand jury decided Wednesday to recess until July 2, but Feazell said he is unsure if the grand jury will wrap up its investigation at that time. "When we first started this, I thought it would last about three weeks. There's been a lot more questions presented than we originally anticipated," Feazell said. Feazell said the grand jury, which is investigating the possibility that Lucas confessed to crimes he did not commit, has been working to compile a complete record of Lucas' travels between 1975 and 1983."
    • El Paso Times, "Intrigue over Lucas might peak in El Paso", 1985/09/29 (pages 1, 12): "A good part of the Henry Lee Lucas life story will be told if and when Lucas goes on trial on charges he murdered an elderly Lower Valley woman 2½ years ago. At one time, Lucas confessed to killing Librada Apodaca in her El Paso home. But he also confessed to hundreds of other murders cases law enforcement agencies quickly closed. But District Attorney Vic Feazell of Waco, Texas, and Dallas author Hugh Aynesworth uncovered many public and private records proving Lucas was in jail or working thousands of miles away when several of the slayings to which he confessed were committed. The validity of Lucas' confessions began to unravel last November after he confessed to two more killings in the Waco area. "Lucas' confessions just didn't make sense," Feazell said. "We had two good suspects in each case." So Feazell assigned one of his investigators to determine Lucas' whereabouts at the time of the Waco slayings. That ques tion went unanswered. But the investigator, Truman Simon, showed the district attorney a long list of murder cases cleared by the Texas Department of Public Safety - more than 200. "And it was not possible that Henry Lucas could have committed quite a few of those murders," Feazell said. "In a couple dozen cases, Lucas, according to public records, was in jail at the time of those murders." [...] In December, the Waco district attorney and two assistants met with Department of Public Safety intelligence officer Ron Boyter to tell him about Lucas' phony confessions and to ask whether they should report to Mattox or Department of Public Safety officials. "Boyter advised us very strongly not to go to DPS but to go to the attorney general because DPS would cover it up," Feazell said. Now, however, Boyter disavows that statement, Feazell said. [...] Before releasing Lucas to McLennan County (Waco) Sheriff Jack Harwell, Texas Ranger Bob Prince told Lucas in Harwell's presence, "Be quiet, don't say anything, don't change anything and we'll get you back as soon as we can," Feazell said. The sheriff confirmed that Prince told Lucas "to stick with his story, or something to that effect. ... If Vic Feazell told you, quote it as he told you," Harwell said. But Prince, who directed the Department of Public Safety task force, vigorously denies having coached Lucas. [...] At daybreak on the morning that Lucas was scheduled to meet with the grand jury in Waco, two FBI agents showed up at the Waco jail demanding to see Lucas. "They claimed they were there investigating allegations that we were violating Henry's civil rights, which is kind of ironic because as long as Henry was on (drug-added) malts and cooperating and confessing, nobody was concerned that his rights were being violated," Feazell said. Neither Feazell nor Mattox, who arrived later, allowed the FBI agents to see Lucas."
    • Grand jury foreman J.R. Closs
      • Waco Tribune-Herald, obituary for J. Closs, 2009/01/30: "J.Ross Closs, 82, of Waco, passed away peacefully at home, Wednesday, Jan. 28, 2009. Services will be 11 a.m. Saturday, Jan. 31, at Austin Avenue United Methodist Church with the Rev. Chris Mesa and Dr. Milton Cunningham officiating. Burial will follow at Oakwood Cemetery. J.R. was born March 9, 1926, in Edge, Texas, to William and Lillian Closs. Following graduation from Bryan High School where he was a star athlete, J.R. served his country in the U.S. Marine Corps. in the Fleet Marine Force on board the aircraft carrier Yorktown, CV10, during World War II. During the war he received 5 battle stars participating in naval actionin the Philippine islands, Formosa, French Indo China, the Ryukyo Islands, Japan and participated in the occupation of Japan. He received a football scholarship to Baylor University where he earned his BBA in 1950, and was a three year letterman on Baylor's 1947-1949 football team. In 1949 he was named an All Southwest Conference defensive end by the Dallas Morning News. He remained a loyal alumni serving the Baylor Letterman's Association. J.R. and Dorothy Austin married in 1950 at Austin Avenue Methodist Church where he was a faithful member serving on numerous boards during their 58 years of marriage. He was the co-founder and owner of Austin Closs, Co. since 1952. He served on the Board of Directors of Westview National Bank and First Federal Savings and Loan. J.R. leaves a legacy of dedicated service to Waco and its residents. He served on the Waco City Council and as Mayor during the 1970's. He was a member of the City Plan Commission, President of the Better Business Bureau, President of Heart of Texas Council of Governments and President of the Waco Chamber of Commerce, a long time member of the Downtown Waco Rotary Club, and a Scottish Rite Mason."
    • Guy Cox involvement and background - was initially Lucas's court-appointed attorney; appeared at 38:05 in Episode 3 The Confession Killer to claim that the federal government was intimidating Waco lawyers such as himself into testifying against Feazell
      • Scheme to dismiss DWIs of two Baylor University bigwigs
        • Waco Tribune-Herald, "Prosecutor dispute uncovers alleged deal to bury 2 DWI cases", 2014/09/28: "Not much has been routine about the way the DWI cases against Jennifer Renee Jarvis, executive secretary to Baylor President Ken Starr, and her husband, Louis Houston Jarvis Jr., have been handled. Louis Jarvis is a project manager at Baylor’s physical plant. Waco attorney Guy Cox, who represents the couple, has gone to the unusual extreme of seeking to disqualify attorney Brittany Lannen from serving as special prosecutor in the cases. In response, Lannen has fired back accusing Cox of threats, intimidation and orchestrating a plan to make sure the Jarvises weren’t prosecuted. Lannen, a former prosecutor in McLennan County District Attorney Abel Reyna’s office and in Collin County, was appointed by County Court-at-Law Judge Mike Freeman to handle the DWI cases after Reyna filed a motion earlier this year to recuse his office. Reyna’s motion says he represented Louis Jarvis in a case before Reyna became DA in 2011. But Reyna’s former executive assistant in his private practice and later in the district attorney’s office told the Tribune-Herald that Reyna has never represented Jarvis. Further, the former assistant says she believes Reyna recused his office after Cox told the DA that he and Waco attorney Jason P. Darling had an agreement to dismiss the cases if Reyna would recuse himself and make sure Darling was appointed special prosecutor. “Guy said they had an agreement to get rid of these cases because (the defendants) are big Baylor people, and they don’t want Baylor to know,” Julissa West said. “It was going to be a huge deal that they had been arrested, and (Cox) said they had an agreement to give the cases to Jason Darling.” [...] West said she is prepared to testify at Friday’s hearing that after Lannen was appointed, Cox called to speak to Reyna, who was not in the office. She told the Tribune-Herald she will testify that Cox told her that because Lannen and not Darling had been appointed, Reyna needed to reverse his recusal, take back the Jarvis files and then refuse to prosecute them. [...] Lannen filed a motion last week asking that the hearing to disqualify her be held in an open, public courtroom. In the motion, she said Cox approached her before she made the decision to file the cases against the Jarvises. Cox said the couple should not be prosecuted because they are “good people” and that he had already worked out a deal with Darling to dismiss the cases. [...] Lannen wrote she later learned that Cox confronted another member of Reyna’s support staff and told the woman that she was supposed to see that Darling was appointed special prosecutor in the cases."
        • Waco Tribune-Herald, "Judge denies request to disqualify special prosecutor", 2014/10/03
        • Waco Tribune-Herald, "Appeals court reinstates DWI charges against Baylor employee, husband", 2016/04/08
        • Jason Darling background
          • Facebook friends list for Jason Darling - includes Susan Kelly (54th District Judge), Michael Jarrett (former McLennan County First Assistant District Attorney, involved in the prosecution of Benny Tijerina), Josh Tetens (defense lawyer for Marcus Beaudin, and the McLennan County DA elected in 2022), Felipe Reyna, Rod Goble (attorney for Gilbert Melendez), Sherre Whitney aka Sherre Johnston, Parnell McNamara, Abel Reyna, Tommy Witherspoon, and Seth Andrew Sutton
          • KWTX, "Waco man pleads guilty to sexually assaulting teen runaway; prosecutors recommend deferred probation", 2022/05/17: "A Waco man who sexually assaulted a 13-year-old runaway from East Texas in 2018 pleaded guilty to a first-degree felony charge on Tuesday. Prosecutors from the McLennan County District Attorney’s Office recommended that Nicholas Kane Jaramillo, 23, be placed on deferred probation for 10 years in exchange for his guilty plea to an aggravated sexual assault of a child charge. Judge Thomas West of Waco’s 19th State District Court expressed a bit of surprise at the state’s plea offer, telling defense attorney Jason P. Darling, “I’m not sure how you got his offer, Mr. Darling. But we’ll see.”"
          • Work at Moody, Crow & Darling i.e. Moody, Crow and Darling - most likely involves Ron Moody and Ken Crow, two of the lawyers who testified against Feazell in his federal bribery trial
            • Roster for some unspecified meeting of the Texas Criminal Defense Lawyers Association (TCDLA) - lists Ronald H. Moody and Jason P. Darling, both of Waco and both identified with the firm Moody, Crow & Darling
            • Aderhold Funeral Home obituary for Marcia Walker Riggs: "Marcia (Walker) Riggs, age 59, of West, passed away late Thursday morning, September 6, 2012 at her residence. Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated 2:00 p.m. Sunday at St. Martin's Catholic Church in Tours, with Msgr. Isidore Rozycki as celebrant. Burial will follow at St. Martin's Cemetery. The family will receive visitors from 4:00 to 6:00 p.m. Saturday at Aderhold Funeral Home in West. Marcia was born April 16, 1953 in Waxahachie, the daughter of Jesse H. and Anna Beth (Keenom) Walker. She attended school in Bellmead and graduated from La Vega High School in 1971. She worked as a legal secretary for Moody, Crow and Darling in Waco since 1983, prior to that she worked for Central Texas Iron Works. On September 14, 1984, she was united in marriage to Randall Lee Riggs in China Spring. Marcia enjoyed traveling and going to the casinos in Sheveport. She was always there for her daughter's activities including softball, Sokol, cheerleading, dancing and all their athletic events. She especially loved spending time with her grandchildren and participating in the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer programs. Marcia is preceded in death by her parents and father-in-law, Archie Riggs. Survivors include her beloved husband of 28 years, Randall Riggs of West; her mother-in-law, Robbie Riggs; two daughters, Jessica Machac of Penelope and Amanda Neill and husband Justin of West; grandchildren, Tyler John and Paityn Machac; her beloved dog, Sadie and grand dog, Dusty; and many nieces, nephews, other relatives and friends. Active pallbearers are Mark Keenom, Jimmy Keenom, Terry Chapman, Terry Dietrich, Jason Crow and Cory Turnmire. Honorary pallbearers are Kenneth Crow, Ronald Moody, John Donahue and Jason Darling."
    • Gary Richardson involvement and background - is directly connected to Oklahoma governor Frank Keating; alongside Feazell, worked with the CAUSE Foundation to liaise with David Koresh during the Waco siege; represented Waco survivor David Thibodeau; later represented Hussain al-Hussaini in a libel case against Jayna Davis for accusing him of involvement in the Oklahoma City bombing
      • Waco Citizen, "Lucas Hires Own Attorney", 1985/06/11 (pages 1, 2): "At a press conference in McLennan County Commissioners Court Monday afternoon, Gary L. Richardson, an attorney with offices in Tulsa and Dallas, announced he had been hired by alleged mass murderer Henry Lee Lucas to handle any civil law suits and to handle the strategy of hs over-all legal problems. Richardson, who prosecuted two civil cases with McLennan County District Attorney Vic Feazell in the late 70’s and early 80’s against the former Citizens National Bank of Waco, were successful in winning judgements for their clients. [...] The Oklahoma attorney said he had viewed some of the video tapes of Henry's confession and "they made me sick," he told the media. [...] The Oklahoma attorney also charged that Lucas has been given large doses of the depressant thorizine while incarcerated. He said the drug would make one susceptible to anyones suggestions and/or directions. [...] Richarson said he was taking the case, “because the issue, at this point, isn't wether or not Lucas has killed three people, but whether or not Henry has killed the 600 or so he has supposedly confessed to—and if not—why should he take the "rap" for those cases and let 600 murderers go free and around this country.”"
      • Austin American-Statesman, "Lawyer claims lie test links Lucas to 3 slayings at most", 1985/06/11: "Henry Lee Lucas' lawyer said Monday that his client has taken a polygraph examination indicating he was Involved In no more than three slayings. The attorney, Gary L. Richardson, who has offices In Tulsa, Okla., and Dallas, also said Lucas may have been given Thorazine and other depressants when he told the Texas Rangers Homicide Task Force that be committed hundreds of murders. The drugs, Richardson said, "would make one susceptible to following anyone's suggestions and directions." [...] Boutwell said that Lucas was given the drug Thorazine when he arrived in the Williamson County Jail in 1983. He said the drug had been prescribed for Lucas when he became suicidal while in custody in the Montague County Jail. [...] "Off the top of my head, I would say he was probatly given Thorazine for less than a month," Boutwell said. [...] The only other time he was given Thorazine was while he was in San Angelo in February 1984, when he was being tried for a murder in Georgetown, Boutwell said. [...] Waco attorney Guy Cox was appointed to represent Lucas April 17, four days after Lucas was brought to Waco. "I felt that we need an attorney of Gary's stature to come in and help us with this," Cox said Monday. He said that McLennan County District Attorney Vic Feazell suggested Richardson. [...] Richarson said Monday he did not know how he will be paid for his services in representing Lucas. "I've been told there are some people who would like to raise a Henry Lee Lucas defense fund. I, of course, would not object to that," Richardson said."
      • Austin American-Statesman, "Prosecutor on defensive", 1985/08/18 (pages C1, C8): "One of his selling points during the campaign was that he had won a then-record Jury award in a civil trial against a Waco bank. The suit was over the bank having foreclosed on the man's property, a perfect case for a populist candidate. Feazell in fact was second-chair during the trial, which was led by Gary Richardson, an Oklahoma lawyer who initially had the case and brought in Feazell to assist as local counsel. Richardson later developed his own reputation as hard-hitting and fearless when he was a U.S. attorney and obtained convictions on a number of public officials in Oklahoma. Richardson, who has offices in Oklahoma and Dallas, now represents Henry Lee Lucas. He was brought in by a court-appointed Waco lawyer who obtained his name from Feazell. A former motivation instructor and salesman, Richardson said he had a contract with Lucas that allowed him to pick the cases in which he will get involved. Asked if he had a book or movie deal with Lucas, he said he did not discuss his contracts with clients."
      • El Paso Times, "Lawyer says Lucas has alibi", 1985/08/20 (pages 1, 3): "Richardson declined to respond to reports that he took up Lucas' defense with an agreement that he would benefit from future book and movie royalties awaiting the notorious killer. Richardson said he never discusses contracts with his clients."
      • Fort Worth Star-Telegram, "Drifter touches government, show business", 1985/08/25: "The US Justice Department already was working on a national computer system to provide information on unsolved slayings around the country. Lucas' claims of a killing spree brought home to police the need for such a system to share information about traveling killers. The Violent Crime Apprehension Project is expected to be operational soon. [...] The Texas Legislature had noticed Henry. In its 1985 regular session, a change in statutes was approved that made serial murder, or mass murder, a capital crime. [...] Over Richardson's objections, Lucas went back to Georgetown, where task force members predicted that once again Henry might change his story and go back to confessing. But he didn't, and Richardson refused to permit his famous client to be interviewed unless he was there. If Henry wasn't going to help clear up cases, he was useless to the task force. So on July 19 he was shipped down to Huntsville to claim his reservation on death row. But Lucas says he expects to be a free man soon, through the help of his "powerful friends.""
      • El Paso Herald-Post, "Lucas seeks attorney's help for his defense", 1986/01/29: "McLennan County District Attorney Vic Feazell said in a telephone interview Tuesday that he had talked to Lucas “two or three days ago” about the matter. “I told Henry that I would mention it to a few people that he didn't have a lawyer,” Feazell said. “There have been several people that have told me they were interested.” Lucas, 49, is accused of the May 1983 ax murder and rape of Librada Apodaca, 72, in her Lower Valley home. Last week during a pretrial hearing, Lucas fired Tulsa's Gary Richardson after State 120th District Court Judge Brunson Moore refused to let Richardson resign from the case because Lucas could not pay him. Lucas, who originally hired Richardson in exchange for book and movie rights, fired the attorney after Moore would not agree to appoint him counsel so the state could pick up the tab. On Monday, Lucas sent a handwritten letter to the judge explaining that he had “been notified” that he would have an attorney within two weeks. “If you have any other questions about this,” Lucas said in the letter, “you can contact Vic Feazell and he can give you any additional information.” Feazell, who presented information to the McLennan County grand jury in 1985 showing that Lucas was far from the scene of several of the murders he claims to have committed, said he is not giving Lucas legal advice."
      • El Paso Herald-Post, "Lucas case termed 'circus-like'", 1986/02/01: "Lucas is currently in the El Paso County Detention Facility without legal representation. Also, flamboyant private investigator Jay J. Armes walked off the job after taking offense when Moore would not let him sit at the defense table during the Jan. 21-22 hearing and would not grant him access to the district attorney’s files pertaining to the case in the DA’s office, even with Richardson present. Moore, who has indicated the trial will probably be delayed beyond the previously scheduled March 3 starting date, said Friday he had two or three local attorneys in mind to appoint to the Lucas case, and Monday or Tuesday would hold a hearing — in the jail if necessary — to find out what Lucas intends to do about an attorney. [...] Richardson, the former US Attorney for the eastern district of Oklahoma, is under investigation by the Oklahoma Bar Association, following charges by Oklahoma House Speaker Dan Draper that Richardson “knowingly used perjured testimony” in prosecuting Draper and the former House majority leader in a federal conspiracy and mail fraud case in 1983. Richardson once had to abandon a proposed contract with Lucas for the book rights to Lucas’ life in exchange for defending Lucas because it proved to be illegal in Texas. He tried to get Moore to appoint a local attorney to do the research in the case but Moore declined, saying it looked as though Richardson wanted someone else to do the work so he could come in and try the case. After Moore refused to let Richardson quit because Lucas could not pay him, Lucas fired Richardson, leaving the judge no alternative but to let him withdraw. Richardson said he will continue to handle the “overall strategy” of defending Lucas."
      • Black Robe Fever by Gary L. Richardson (2016) - see this upload on Yumpu by vicfeazell.com of Ch.4 ("OFFICIAL VENDETTA: When the Good Guys Wear Black Hats") encompassing p.51-72
        • p.60: "Vic called and pleaded for me to come down to represent Lucas and to help in the investigation. Without a moment’s hesitation, I agreed. I did so without any intention of being paid for my services. It was a classic pro-bono opportunity, besides, Vic was my friend and it sounded on the phone like he was in real need of help."
      • Private investigator Jay Armes background
        • Texas Monthly, "Is Jay J. Armes For Real?", 1976/01: "Law officers in El Paso believe that Armes did bring Marlon Brando’s kid out of Mexico, though they believe the circumstances were considerably less dramatic than the tale Armes spins. I saw a photograph of Armes and Brando, both exercising large smiles, but I also saw a photograph of Armes and Miss Universe. I couldn’t reach Brando for his version. The UN Plaza jewelry caper, which came after Armes’ recent spate of publicity, appears genuine, but there is no way to check the other claims—the Interpol connection, the third-degree black belt in karate, the glider caper into Castro Cuba, or the friendship with Howard Hughes; for that matter, Armes could have easily said he was a CIA agent or a UFO carrot farmer."
      • Tulsa World, "Gary Richardson did it!", 2010/11/19 (updated 2019/02/19)
      • Family and early life
        • Muskogee Daily Phoenix and Times-Democrat, "Engagement Of Shirley Payton Told", 1960/11/06: "Mr. and Mrs. Frank L. Payton of Fort Gibson are announcing the engagement and approaching marriage of their daughter, Miss Shirley Ann Payton, to Gary Loy Richardson, son of Mr. and Mrs. William R. Richardson of San Benita, Texas. The bride-elect is a graduate of Fort Gibson High School and attended Bethany Nazarene College, Bethany. She is presently employed with the First National Bank of Oklahoma City. Richardson is a graduate of Rio Hondo, Texas, High School and is now a student at Bethany Nazarene College. The wedding date has been set for January 21, 1961, in the First Church of the Nazarene in Muskogee."
        • Muskogee Daily Phoenix and Times-Democrat, "Shirley Payton Is Feted At Showers", 1960/11/23: "Mrs. C. C. Beebe of Fort Gibson entertained in her home Friday evening with a miscellaneous bridal shower honoring Miss Shirley Ann Payton, bride-elect of Gary Loy Richardson. Miss Susan Sheffield, Mrs. Howard Self and Mrs. Walter Stubbs were co-hostesses. Saturday evening Mrs. Ray Kifer, Mrs. C. A. Rodgers and Mrs. J. M. Davenport entertained in the home of Mrs. Davenport, 1180 Maple, with a shower honoring Miss Payton. Approximately 90 guests attended the two showers."
        • Porter Loring Mortuaries obituary for Helen M. Richardson (March 8, 1913 - July 28, 2004)
        • San Antonio Express-News, obituary for Madeline Richardson, 2004/07/30: "Mrs. Bill (Madeline) Richardson, age 91, passed away on Wednesday, July 28, 2004 in San Antonio, TX. She was born in Caddo, OK on March 8, 1913. Madeline is preceded in death by her husband, William R. Richardson. She is survived by twins, daughter, Rheda Joy Miley and husband, Darrel; and son, Gary Loy Richardson; six grandchildren; and 10 great grandchildren."
      • Work as US Attorney for the Eastern District of Oklahoma
        • Dan Draper prosecution
          • The Oklahoman, "For Such a Quiet Man, Dan Draper's Career Has Been Controversial", 1983/06/19
          • The Oklahoman, "Draper Defense Claims Assailed", 1984/02/10: "Labeling defense allegations against him "a last ditch attempt by unrepentant former public officials to escape justice," U.S. Attorney Gary Richardson withdrew Thursday from further activity in the vote-fraud case of Dan Draper Jr. and Joe Fitzgibbon. Richardson announced his withdrawal as he read from a prepared statement. He refused to answer questions. Richardson said the allegations of wrongdoing against himself, assistant Donn Baker and postal inspector Larry Rominger "are totally, completely and entirely false. [...] Richardson, Baker and Rominger were accused a week ago by a key prosecution witness of instructing her to lie during the trial of former Senate leaders Draper and Fitzgibbon. "Certain parts of my testimony in the Draper-Fitzgibbon were not true," Ruth Ann Hembree stated in an affidavit. "The government knew the parts were untrue because either attorneys for the U.S. Attorney's office or the postal inspector asked me to testify the way I did." [...] In early August, defense attorneys sought to have the 21-count indictment dismissed on grounds that Richardson had compared the vote fraud case to the county commissioner kickback scandal while addressing the grand jury in June. The lawyers also said Richardson lied to the secret panel when he said witness Hembree would plead guilty to a misdemeanor. She wasn't charged with a misdemeanor by Richardson's office, but her probation on an unrelated charge was revoked and she was sentenced to a three-year term. [...] The following week, midway through the trial, defense attorneys asked the judge to dismiss the case because of statements Richardson had made to reporters regarding upcoming testimony. [...] Shortly before the trial ended, defense lawyers again requested a dismissal on grounds that Richardson had misled the grand jury by misstating the testimony of co-conspirator Faye Newton. [...] A week after Draper and Fitzgibbon were convicted, their attorneys asked for dismissal or a new trial because Richardson inserted personal opinions during his closing arguments to the jury. [...] In mid-October, the day before Draper and Fitzgibbon were to be sentenced, the defendants asked for a delay and a new trial on grounds that prospective jurors allegedly discussed Draper's arrest in Oklahoma City on a drunken driving charge."
          • The Oklahoman, "U.S. Attorney Richardson Cleared of Wrongdoing, Justice Officials Say", 1984/05/18: "U.S. Attorney Gary Richardson, whose office has been accused of legal and professional improprieties in its prosecution of former House leaders Dan Draper Jr. and Joe Fitzgibbon, has been cleared of any wrongdoing, a spokesman for the U.S. Department of Justice told The Oklahoman Thursday. [...] The Oklahoman also learned earlier reports were wrong that said Federal Magistrate Frank H. Seay, who presided over the controversial trials, was being investigated by the FBI in connection with the case based on complaints from Richardson's office. [...] Ruth Ann Hembree, a key prosecution witness, testified Draper was in the back room of a general store where the ballots were being prepared. She now claims she lied. Mrs. Hembree and some other prosecution witnesses claim they testified falsely at the trial on the advice of prosecutors. Richardson and assistants Baker and Rex Earl Starr and Postal Inspector Larry Rominger earlier denied any illegal or unethical acts. Mrs. Hembree claims the attorneys and postal inspector told her what to say at the trial, and that government attorneys provided her with a list of questions and answers."
          • The Oklahoman, "Federal Judge Orders New Trial for Draper, Fitzgibbon", 1984/05/23: "Saying "It would be unconscionable to send any man to prison based upon perjured testimony," a federal judge Tuesday ordered a new trial for former legislative leaders Dan Draper Jr. and Joe Fitzgibbon. [...] "The existence of 11 recantations of trial testimony is a substantive and material fact which probably would produce an acquittal as to both defendants," Seay ruled. [...] Richardson, who announced last week that the U.S. Justice Department had cleared his office of any wrongdoing, said he will seek perjury indictments against those witnesses who have recanted their testimony. The U.S. attorney said he believes the witnesses "were talked into" changing their testimony. "I assume they were made a tremendous offer," said Richardson, who added that the FBI is investigating allegations of payoffs. [...] Concerning the allegations against prosecutors, Judge Seay wrote, "The court finds, under the evidence presented, that the United States Attorney's Office did not engage in prosecutorial misconduct through subornation of perjury." However, Seay stated, "The court finds the prosecuting attorneys did act improperly on more than one occasion by failing to bring to the court's attention the fact that they and their agents were aware that government witnesses were testifying to matters which were not the truth.""
          • The Oklahoman, "Disbarment Targets Play Down Allegations", 1985/08/15: "Two former federal prosecutors say former Oklahoma House Speaker Dan Draper's effort to have them disbarred is an attempt to get revenge because they prosecuted him on vote-fraud charges. But Draper said Wednesday Gary Richardson and Donn Baker must be made to account for what he maintains was their misconduct during his 1983 trial. "The complaint is based upon what I consider to be very serious violations of the code of ethics," Draper said. "The complaint ... is lengthy and well-documented. I am confident the (state) bar association will take appropriate action." In addition to Richardson and Baker's disbarment, Draper's 33-page complaint seeks disciplinary action against former Assistant U.S. Attorney Rex Earl Starr and Muskogee attorney Lloyd Payton, Richardson's brother-in-law and former law partner."
          • The Oklahoman, "Noted lawmaker Dan Draper dies Former House speaker was 64", 2004/11/19
          • Tulsa World, "Lionized former Oklahoma House Speaker Daniel Draper dies at 64", 2004/11/19
        • Assistant US Attorney Donn Baker
          • Tahlequah Daily Press, obituary for Donn Frank Baker, 2020/11/13: "Donn F. Baker, age 71, died Thursday, November 12, 2020. Donn was born on October 3, 1949, in Tahlequah, Oklahoma, and was the middle son of Drs. Tim and Isabel Baker, who are both deceased. Donn lived most of his life in Tahlequah except for a few years when his parents taught school in Shidler and Sapulpa, Oklahoma. Donn attended Sequoyah Elementary, Tahlequah Junior High, and graduated from Tahlequah High School in 1968. After graduating from high school, Donn attended and graduated from Northeastern State University. While intern teaching at Tahlequah High School, he met the love of his life and best friend, Sharon Greenhaw. Donn and Sharon were married December 19, 1971, and are the proud parents of Sherri K Cometti and Jeff Baker. Upon graduation from NSU, Donn coached and taught school at Hulbert High School before entering law school. Donn was admitted to the bar to practice law in 1980 after graduating from Oklahoma City School of Law. Donn started his career as an Assistant District Attorney for the District Attorney, John Russell, in Tahlequah. Donn was recruited by Gary Richardson in 1982 to join his staff as an Assistant United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Oklahoma. Donn's ability as an outstanding trial lawyer surfaced early in his career. He tried many Federal jury trials and was appointed by President Ronald Reagan as the United States Attorney. He served in the U.S. Attorney's Criminal Division from 1982 - 1985 before electing to go into private practice in Tahlequah, where he has practiced law for over 35 years. In addition to his private practice, Donn taught law classes at Northeastern State University, and he served as the City of Tahlequah Judge for 35 years. Donn was a highly successful Criminal Trial Attorney and received many awards. [...] Donn and Sharon are long time members of the Church of Christ in Tahlequah. [...] Pallbearers are Jimmy Greenhaw, Joe Dale Greenhaw, David Craig, Jay Baker, Keith Baker, and B. J. Baker. Honorary pallbearers are G.V. Gulager, Kenny Greer, Charlie Neal, Mark Dobbins, Rex Earl Starr, John Garrett and Jeff Payton."
        • Assistant US Attorney Rex Earl Starr
          • Cherokee Nation Judicial Branch bio for Justice Rex Earl Starr: "Starr received his bachelor’s and master’s degrees from the Oklahoma State University in 1965 and 1966, respectively, and in 1973 earned his juris doctorate from the University of Tulsa. Starr’s professional career began in private practice, which has continued for nearly 50 years. From 1975 to 1983, he served Adair County as assistant district attorney before shifting to serve as assistant United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Oklahoma for a year.
            
            In December 2020, Starr was nominated by Principal Chief Chuck Hoskin for his seat on the Supreme Court. He was confirmed by Cherokee Nation Tribal Council in January of 2021."
          • TODO: document Starr's representation of Jessie McFadden, a Henryetta OK sex offender found shot to death alongside six of his family members and their friends (just before he was set to stand trial on 2023/05/01)
        • Tulsa World, "Ex-Official Richardson Named in FBI Memo", 1985/03/16: "The memo from the special agent in charge of Oklahoma to the director of the FBI reports that Justice Department Public Integrity Section attorney Joseph Gangloff had requested that Richardson be interviewed “regarding the Gary Dennis Frix matter.” [...] The FBI memo states that an attempt was made to contact Richardson August 13 to inform him that a limited investigation was being conducted and it would be necessary for him to be interviewed. However, Richardson was out of the office for two weeks on annual leave. Several portions of the memo are blacked out, and the next legible statement says Richardson will be interviewed as soon as he returns to his office. The next notation concludes the memo stating: “On September 17, 1984, United States Attorney Gary Loy Richardson announced his resignation at a press conference, effective September 28, 1984. Mr. Richardson cited personal reasons.” Justice Department spokesman John Russell refused to discuss any details of the Richardson investigation but said it was not the reason for his resignation. “He was exonerated and resigned completely on his own,” Russell said. [...] [Richardson] said he checked into Frix’s sentencing at the request of relatives who believed Seay’s sentence did not conform to federal correctional policy and would result in Frix serving additional time. “I looked into it,” Richardson said “Someone alleged I had become involved for personal gain. I was cleared of that. It was a routine matter, and I had completely forgotten it until I got their (Justice Department) letter.” He said he received a letter from the Justice Department about two weeks ago, exonerating him of any wrongdoing."
      • Representation of Vic Feazell in his criminal and civil cases
        • From p.66-67 of Black Robe Fever: "What neither Vic nor I knew until much later was that the grand jury which indicted Feazell was not the same grand jury which had spent a year listening to testimony that Assistant United States Attorney Patterson, had brought them. As a matter of fact, this Grand Jury had met only three times, and no witnesses had appeared before them in person. The indictment stood shakily on reports presented to them by Assistant US Attorney Patterson, and the uncorroborated testimony of two of Feazells former law partners who had desperately tried to convince Patterson of Feazells innocence but due to their on tax problems and due to threats of their being prosecuted themselves, they finally changed their story, going along with Patterson and entered into a plea bargain with Patterson and the United States Attorneys Office."
        • From p.67 of Black Robe Fever: "To cause the most damage to Feazell, and for maximum notoriety, Jan Patterson waited until the opportune moment to release the affidavit four days before the election."
        • From p.77 of Black Robe Fever: "The complete sequence was (1) Duncan started his investigation, (2) WFAA aired his 10-part series, (3) the authorities began their investigation, and (4) the indictment was handed down in Austin."
        • From p.79 of Black Robe Fever: "When the FBI initiates an investigation, it opens a file. Ron Boyter clearly remembered that in Vic's case, the first discussion with the FBI was on April 26, 1985. Not 1984. And Boyter denied in a deposition that he told Duncan anything about any investigation in April, because one had not been started at that time."
        • Bernadette Feazell, "CALL ME SENTIMENTAL", 2023/08/05: "Feazells had a brilliant lawyer, ex Federal Prosecutor, total Narcissist, terrible to work with and for, BUT, brave, brilliant, a strategist, and a winner. He also was “the boss”, of all of us. Trump’s lawyers are not the boss of him and that’s a bad mindset for a client."
      • Branch Davidians / David Koresh / Waco siege connection
        • Washington Post, "WACO CULT LAWYERS PREPARE THEMSELVES FOR LONG LEGAL SIEGE", 1993/03/26: "The case has attracted some of the region's top criminal lawyers, as well as conservative legal groups with a bone to pick with the ATF. "I'd love to see their sails trimmed," said Kirk Lyons, head of the fledgling Cause Foundation, a conservative civil libertarian group that coordinated an offer by several lawyers to help mediate with Koresh. The group included Vic Feazell, a former McLennan County district attorney, and Gary Richardson, a former U.S. attorney from Oklahoma. Heading the list of legal talent so far is Dick DeGuerin, a prominent Houston lawyer retained by Koresh's mother to represent him when the siege finally ends."
        • Waco Tribune-Herald, "Cultists in custody wonder why 1 allowed to walk free", 1993/05/30: "David Thibodeau, since fleeing a burning Mount Carmel has appeared on “A Current Affair,” sued the National Enquirer and stayed with family members in Maine. [...] Rumors had circulated that Thibodeau was released after operating with authorities. But his attorney Gary Richardson of Tulsa, denied that Thibodeau had made any deals."
      • Hussain al-Hussaini libel suit for being labeled an Oklahoma City bombing suspect
        • The Oklahoman, "Lawsuit Says TV Station Falsely Labeled City Man", 1995/08/25: "Al-Hussaini Hussain said he lost his job, was beaten, spat upon and feared for his life. All because, he says, KFOR-TV in Oklahoma City fingered him as the elusive "John Doe 2" who was responsible for the April 19 bombing of the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building. Hussain, a refugee from Iraq who lives in Oklahoma City, filed a lawsuit Thursday in Oklahoma County District Court against KFOR-TV Channel 4; its owner, Palmer Communications; reporters Jayna Davis and Brad Edwards; and News Director Melissa Klinzing. [...] At a news conference Thursday, Hussain's lawyers, Tulsa attorneys Gary Richardson and William Donovan, accused the television station of "tabloid journalism at its best. " "Here is a man that came to America seeking freedom and was put in imprisonment by a local TV station," Richardson said."
      • John Cathey lawsuit against Larry Meyer - whose father was Waco businessman Paul J. Meyer, founder of the Success Motivation Institute (SMI) and Leadership Management Institute (LMI)
        • Texas Supreme Court, no. 03-0938: Larry MEYER, Petitioner, v. John CATHEY, Respondent, decision, 2005/06/24 - note that one of the lawyers for Cathey (alongside Richardson) is John H. McElhaney, formerly the attorney for Belo in the Feazell libel suit with Richardson as his opponent
        • From p.164 of Black Robe Fever: "When John Cathey, an old client from Waco, Texas called, I heard it in his voice. He was stressed and without hope. He told his story. John had been in commercial real estate development for a few years with Larry Meyer. I, of course, knew Larry Meyer, the son of a well-known Waco family. His father was Paul Meyer, a motivational guru and founder of Success Motivation. I had once owned a Success Motivation franchise, had known Paul for years, and had even met and played golf with Larry. More than an old client, John was a friend as well. I had to help him."
      • The Journal Record (Oklahoma City OK), "Attorney hopes to become first independent governor", 2001/07/05: "Tulsa attorney Gary Richardson, 60, said Tuesday that he hopes to build a bridge in Oklahoma politics by becoming the state’s first independent governor. “I’m sick and tired of the gridlock that’s keeping this state from moving forward,” said Richardson, who switched his party affiliation from Republican to independent about three months ago. [...] Leaders of the state Democratic and Republican parties called Richardson a good man whose campaign could splinter the 2002 vote. [...] Richardson twice previously ran for Congress as a Republican. He lost a close race in 1980 to incumbent Democrat Mike Synar in the 2nd District. Richardson, who was the U.S. attorney in Muskogee from 1982 to 1984, heads the Tulsa law firm that Republican Gov. Frank Keating worked for after leaving the federal government and prior to running for governor. He said his experience in serving as the state’s assistant insurance commissioner in the 1970s, as well as running his law firm and other businesses, help qualify him for the job."
      • 2014 political contributions by Tulsa OK residents: "Mr. GARY LOY RICHARDSON (RICHARDSON LAW FIRM/ATTORNEY), (Zip code: 74137) $500 to FAMILIES FOR JAMES LANKFORD (LANKFORD, JAMES PAUL) on 04/02/2014"
      • Jonathan Widran, "CHUCK RICHARDSON CARRIES ON HIS FATHER’S LEGACY", 2022/04/22: "While attending Tulsa University School of Law part time, Chuck worked full-time for the Tulsa County District Attorney’s office as a Legal Intern and later received his Juris Doctorate from T.U. in 1989. After receiving his license, he was appointed Assistant District Attorney and served until 1991. During that time, Richardson lost only one case and assisted in forming task forces to assist the Tulsa Police Department in prosecuting burglaries and armed robberies. Mr. Richardson decided to take Governor Frank Keating’s appointment as District Attorney in the late 90s, in part, to establish a strong identity of his own, and show his diverse talents beyond the long shadow of his renowned father. It was a familiar place to apply his vast legal expertise. He attended Baylor University and the University of Oklahoma where in 1986 he received his Bachelor degree in Business Administration. [...] In 1999, however, he decided to return as Senior Partner to the firm now known as Richardson Richardson Boudreaux to help carry on the legacy of his father, Gary, who founded the firm in 1985 after a stint as U.S. Attorney in Eastern Oklahoma, appointed by President Reagan. Serving now as the Managing Partner, Richardson is the ultimate legal multi-tasker, currently working 125 cases. [...] The firm’s team of nine attorneys, led by Chuck Richardson and his partners, includes lawyers who have been voted Oklahoma Super Lawyers, members of the Oklahoma Lawyers Million Dollar Club, members of the Oklahoma Lawyers Multi-Million Dollar Club, and others included on the Who’s Who Among Lawyers. They have collectively won over a dozen eight-figure verdicts and settlements, and hundreds of six and seven-figure awards. One $58 million dollar verdict [for Feazell against the Belo Corporation] was, at the time, the largest-ever award in the history of the United States for defamation. The RRB firm is currently the largest plaintiffs’ law firm in Oklahoma. [...] Chuck’s father, Gary, still works for the firm handling the same kinds of cases as his son, but also taking the role of an overseer."
      • The Frontier (Tulsa OK), "For Tulsans, different motivations for trips to Trump’s inauguration weekend", 2017/01/19: "It’s safe to say local attorney Gary Richardson is one of Trump’s more enthusiastic fans. “The first time I saw Trump on TV, I told my wife, ‘That’s my candidate,’” Richardson said. “My wife is so excited she can hardly sit still. “I think we made quite a choice for president.” [...] Richardson said although he doesn’t agree with everything Trump says, he does think the president-elect believes what he says. “To me, his whole campaign was do you want a republic or do you want socialism,” Richardson said. “I’m very excited about where this country is headed compared to where I believe it’s been headed for some time.”"
      • The Frontier (Tulsa OK), "Before scandal rocked consulting firm, gubernatorial candidate bought polling data from Cambridge Analytica", 2018/05/07: "Gary Richardson, a Tulsa-based lawyer running for governor as a Republican, reported in his latest campaign filing that he paid Cambridge Analytica $52,600 on Feb. 2. [...] About six weeks after Richardson’s campaign paid Cambridge Analytica, news broke that the agency covertly collected personally identifiable information about more than 80 million Facebook users, information that was deep enough to allow the company to create profiles of each person whose data had been collected. Richardson, responding to questions via email, told The Frontier on Friday that his campaign didn’t use any information the company turned over and had ended its relationship with Cambridge Analytica about a week before the scandal broke. Richardson said Cambridge Analytica “failed to deliver the product we had purchased in a timely fashion.” [...] Richardson said Cambridge Analytica reached out to his campaign in early 2018, and, given the company’s success with the campaigns of both Trump and Sen. Ted Cruz, “we were initially looking forward to working together.” [...] Richardson said they had requested “some pretty basic polling and research” from Cambridge Analytica. [...] Cambridge Analytica had close ties to President Donald Trump, having taken over data operations for Trump’s campaign in 2016. Richardson, a Trump supporter, has even co-opted some of Trump’s phrasing on the campaign trail."
      • Facebook social media presence
        • Facebook friends list for Gary Richardson - includes Dan Fisher (Oklahoma pastor and Tea Party politician; see bio), Terry Simonson (Tulsa political administrator; see article), Ted Kennedy (Vice President, State Government Affairs at American International Group; see bio), Jay Rittker (founder and president of Omega Foundation; see bio), Paul McTighe Jr. (Tulsa lawyer; see disciplinary decision), Charles William Shipley (Tulsa lawyer with a background at the Army Corps of Engineers and Department of Justice; see bio), Eric Holtzclaw (Enid police lieutenant and father of Oklahoma City police officer / convicted rapist Daniel Holtzclaw; see article), Jerri Lynn Ward (Texas lawyer and guest on a podcast hosted by the Chalcedon Foundation; see podcast episode), Jon M McGrath (president of Tulsa railroad construction company McGrath LLC; see bio), Scott Vaughn (president and CEO of GlobalHealth Holdings LLC, as well as board member of Warburton Capital Management; see bio), Paul Rinkel (former police chief of Clinton OK), Jim King (founder of international Christian charity organization Awaking Hope; see bio), Steve Byas (Randall University history professor and contributor to The New American; see bio), Michael F Ford (former chairman of the Republican Party of Tulsa County), Larry G. DeLay (senior pastor of Crossroads Fellowship Church; see bio), John Tidwell (director of the Oklahoma branch of Americans for Prosperity; see bio), Sean Burrage (former legislative director for Senator David Boren, more recently Vice President for Executive Affairs at the University of Oklahoma), Jim Halsey (manager for various musical artists including the Righteous Brothers, whose company was later sold to the William Morris Agency in 1990), Greg Douglass (founder, president, and CEO of Citadel Intelligence Corporation; see bio), Jenny Holtzclaw (sister of Oklahoma City police officer / convicted rapist Daniel Holtzclaw; see article)
        • 2019/12/15 post about The Confession Killer: "They did a great job even though they unfortunately didn’t add the story about Vic Feazell, the Dist Atty in Waco getting falsely indicted by trumped up charges by the law enforcement guys involved in all of this and looking at 84 years in the Federal Penitentiary. I defended him in a 6 week jury trial in Austin and he walked out a free man. Nothing was done to the 8 law enforcement guys Vic was going to indict. We then sued Belo TV for false TV spots claiming a Vic to be taking kickbacks from 3 Waco lawyers that did what the Government told them to do, testify they paid Vic kickbacks on criminal cases not to file them when we proved in the criminal trial not to be true and got a $58M verdict. The largest defamation verdict for a single plaintiff in our Country’s history. It’s in the Guinness book of records. Justice was done except for the 8 law enforcement guys that committed fraud by using Henry Lucas to confess to murder cases all over the Country that he didn’t do."
      • Catalogue of questionable statements by Richardson
        • Claiming in Black Robe Fever that his representation of Henry Lee Lucas was pro bono despite it being contingent on a book contract (and indeed, he tried to quit representing Lucas once the contract turned out to be illegal in Texas)
        • Claiming in Black Robe Fever that the corruption investigation of Feazell, or at least the FBI's investigation (Richardson is inconsistent on this point), did not start until after the Charles Duncan series began airing in June 1985; yet DPS memos establish that DPS agent Ron Boyter was involved no later than January 1985 and that the FBI became involved no later than April 1985
    • Early background
      • Vic Feazell biography on his website
      • David Funeral Homes of Lafayette obtuary for Fred Feazell, Jr. (May 9, 1926 - April 17, 2023): "Fred Feazell Jr. of Monroe, La., passed away on April 17, 2023, at William R Courtney Texas State Veterans Home in Temple, Texas.
        
        Fred was born on May 9, 1927, to Fred Feazell, Sr. and Ethel Jane Day. He grew up in Monroe, La., where he attended Washington High School. After high school, Fred joined the U.S. Navy during World War II and was in Tokyo Bay when the Japanese signed the surrender papers. He served on the DD 698USS Ault destroyer. Fred is a Master York Rite Mason and a Knights Templar Shriner. He completed his studies in 1955 from Acadia Baptist Academy in Eunice La., becoming an ordained minister. Bro. Fred was an active member of the Southern Baptist Convention for over 40 years.
        
        He was preceded in death by his wife, Dollie Sue Hudnall, on October 17, 2001. Fred and Sue were married for 52 years. They shared three children, five grandchildren, six great-grandchildren, and one great-great-grandchild."
      • Mental Health-Mental Retardation (MH-MR) Center work
        • Waco Tribune-Herald, "Waco Man Makes Outstanding List", 1974/10/17: "Vic Feazell was among 6,000 young men named Outstanding Young Men in America. Feazell is an outpatient therapist and community care coordinator for the Changes drug abuse program with the Heart of Texas Region, Mental Health and Mental Retardation Center. He earned his bachelor's degree at Mary Hardin-Baylor College and is a law student at Baylor. He is an ordained Southern Baptist minister. He was listed in Who's Who in American Colleges and Universities in 1972. He and his wife, Carann, lived at 302 Keesler Lane."
        • Waco Tribune-Herald, "Agencies Give 33 Boys Jobs, Counseling", 1975/08/31: "An on-the-spot counseling and employment program for 33 boys in their teens has been sponsored by three agencies this summer. The program will be continued during the school year on a less intense basis, said Vic Feazell, acting director of the drug abuse project at the Heart of Texas Mental Health and Mental Retardation Center. MH-MR sponsors the program along with the City of Waco and the Alliance of Mexican Americans. The goal has been to help the boys improve their self images, Feazell said, by learning communciation, social skills, life structure through and conformity to rules, Feazell said."
        • Waco Tribune-Herald, "Methadone Needs Review, New Drug Director Says", 1975/09/25: "Methadone treatment for heroin addicts may or may not be the best answer for Waco, according to Vic Feazell, new director for the drug abuse treatment program at the Heart of Texas Region Mental Health-Mental Retardation Center. Feazell was named program director in a late afternoon meeting Tuesday with Dean Maberry, MH-MR executive director. Feazell said he was sold on methadone as a treatment for heroin addiction, but he's "looking at methadone again." "Maybe methadone is right for Corpus Christi, but maybe it's not the best for Waco," Feazell said. The new director was in charge of outreach and aftercare treatment for drug abusers during the methadone program which claimed the lives of two clients last Christmas Day. [...] For now, detoxification of drug addicts will take a more conventional modality — "cold turkey" with medical assistance. Eventually drug detoxification will be in the new crisis intervention center. Clients wanting withdrawal are referred to Family Practice Clinic for medication to relieve the pain of drug withdrawal, Feazell said. [...] Dr. Bernard Spector, MH-MR medicai director to arrive Nov. 1, will be the part-time medical director. Staff in the drug abuse program includes Feazell as director, Wence Rodriguez, Carl Giles, Pete Arvizu, Joyce Scruggs and Denise Briggs. Rodriguez was the first director for the old residential program at Changes. Giles was program director for methadone treatment. Miss Briggs was a worker in the Changes residential program and later a worker in another MH-MR program. Arvizu was in charge of outpatient treatment at Changes. Miss Scruggs joined MH-MR Aug. 1. The program has one vacancy. Feazell hopes to start another residential program. It would be summer before it could begin, he said. Feazell has a bachelor's degree from Mary Hardin-Baylor. He has worked as a juvenile probation officer and police cadet. While working with juvenile delinquents, Feazell specialized in working with drug abusers, he said. He is the son of a Baptist minister and has preached at two churches. He is a member of the Waco Ministerial Alliance and Texas Corrections Association. Feazell's wife, Carann, is a supervisor with the Department of Public Welfare. They live on the TSTI campus."
        • Waco Citizen, "Drug Abuse Director Says Marijuana May Be Legalized In Near Future", 1976/06/11 (pages 1, 3) - interspersing verbatim quotes from a speech by Feazell to the Downtown Waco Kiwanis Club: "In the beginning the drug abuse treatment was a strange animal no one knew what to do or how to do it, consequently there were a lot of problems in our area and nation. Results of that program locally was the tragic methadone program in which two people died about one and one half years ago. They died from overdose and as a result seven people of the staff of MHMR were criminally indicted. The indictments were dropped after it was determined they were errors in judgment and not criminally intentional. Feazell told the Kiwanians he was on the sidelines then, but was formulating a program in his mind for the drug abuse treatment center. By July, 1975 the drug abuse treatment center for all practical purposes was closed. I was then appointed acting director of the drug abuse program, he said. I decided the program must be geared to the community and it would have to be tailored to meet the needs of Waco. The program used to be one of advocacy but I believed we needed a program for the drug users to model themselves after. We quit wearing jeans and hippie type clothing. We wanted the patient to see us as a working producer of the community and we want them to become one. This was our first therapeutic technique. We also began reality therapy - you are responsible for your own behavior. Now the patient must take ninety percent of the responsibility for his changes. We also moved to the MHMR Center. We wanted to get out of the hippie concept and away from the program once entitled "Changes." Most of the people at the center said it would never work but the results are, we have more patients than ever and they are working for their own recovery."
        • Waco Tribune-Herald, "Region MH-MR Head Claims Improved Drug Abuse Project", 1976/12/26: "Drug abuse treatment in Waco has come a long way since two clients died ago of methadone overdoses two years ago Christmas Day, according Vic Feazell, program director for the Heart of Texas Region Mental Health-Mental Retardation Center. The drug abuse program at MH-MR is a "total break with the 'old Changes' philosophy. One thing I learned from Changes was the need for accountability and creditability with the community," Feazell said. When MH-MR's drug abuse treatment program, called Changes, started a methadone treatment program for heroin addicts two years ago, the philosophy of the overall program was one of being a "rescuer," Feazell said. "The program is more reality oriented now." Dec. 20, 1974, a long-awaited methadone withdrawal program for heroin addicts opened its doors. Five days later two of the methadone program clients died. Cause of death was overdose from methadone, autopsy reports showed. The methadone program was closed. The drug abuse program went underground. Drug abuse treatment workers were absorbed into the adult mental health division of MH-MR. Six months later, after the methadone deaths, indictments of seven MH-MR employes and dropping of indictments, MH-MR threw its hat back into the ring and started another drug abuse treatment program with 17 clients and - new leadership. Feazell was named director. He had been a worker in the "old Changes" program. "I never was associated with the methadone or residential treatment programs," he said. During the six months of low profile for drug abuse treatment, Feazell became a team leader for after care and outreach. He worked mostly with persons returning to the Waco area after treatment in the state mental hospital. The drug abuse treatment program now has an average of 95 clients. About half of the clients are on probation or parole. A quarter are walk-ins. The other quarter are referred by other agencies."
        • Background of the Heart of Texas Regional MHMR Center
          • Waco Tribune-Herald, "MH-MR Reduces Budget; Loss of Revenue Blamed", 1973/11/09 - mentions new MH-MR facilities "at 1401 North Eighteenth" with a clinic "adjacent to the Waco-McLennan County Family Practice Clinic in Providence Hospital"
          • Waco Tribune-Herald, "City-County Health Budget OK'd", 1975/06/04 - mentions Dr. David Dow as a member of the Waco-McLennan County Board of Health
          • Waco Citizen, "MHMR Director's Resignation Accepted", 1975/06/05 - resignation of MHMR executive director Ronald Moen
          • Waco Citizen, "Health Board To Meet Monday", 1976/04/23: "The Waco-McLennan County Health Coordinating board will meet Monday. April 26 at 7 p.m. at the Health Center 225 W. Waco Drive. On the agenda for the meeting to be held in the conference room is a study of the budgets of Family Practice Center; Mental Health-Mental Retardation Center, and Health Department."
          • 1974 methadone program deaths
            • Waco Tribune-Herald, "The Methadone Deaths: What Happened When", 1975/01/02 - indicates that assistant DA Felipe Reyna (ed. note: who later became the DA) was in charge of investigating the deaths
            • Waco Tribune-Herald, "Methadone Indictments Set Precedent Here", 1975/03/07
            • Waco Tribune-Herald, "EOAC Discusses Methadone Deaths", 1975/03/18
            • Waco Tribune-Herald, "DA May Drop Methadone Indictments", 1975/04/21 (pages 1A, 2A)
            • Waco Tribune-Herald, "Methadone Indictments Dismissed Against Seven", 1975/04/23
            • Waco Tribune-Herald, "5 Asked To Give Testimony", 1975/07/29 (pages 1, 7): "Bill Sedgwick of Dallas, compliance officer with the FDA, said the informal hearings will be held in Dallas on Aug. 7. He said the hearings will be held behind closed doors. He wouldn’t disclose the names of the persons asked to appear, but sources say Dr. Thomas V. Frank, Ronald S. Moen, Carl Van Giles, Susan Reese and Larry Renegar are the five receiving the “invitations.” Dr. Frank has cut his ties with the MH-MR. He is the chief of mental hygiene at the Veterans Administration Hospital. Moen, who still draws a paycheck from the MH-MR until Aug. 31, is doing consultant work for a national mental health society. Renegar is running a gas station in Enid, Okla., and Reese and Giles still are full-time employes at the MH-MR Center. Ann Hinkamp and Shirley Thompson, the other two MH-MR employes indicted, were not asked to appear before the FDA panel, sources said."
            • Waco Tribune-Herald, "Methadone Testimony Given by 5", 1975/08/07
            • Waco Tribune-Herald, "Files Closed on Methadone Deaths", 1976/01/16: "FDA sent brief letters saying the facts of the case as they had investigated it didn't warrant any further action, said Susan Reese, one of the letter recipients. Mrs. Reese was director of adult mental health services at MH-MR. Letters also were sent to Ron Moen, former executive director now working with the National Institute of Mental Health; Larry Renegar, former drug abuse program director now helping his father-in-law run a filling station; Dr. T. V. Frank, former medical director for the methadone treatment program who still works part-time at MH-MR as a psychiatrist; and Carl Van Giles, former methadone project director who still works in the drug abuse program at MH-MR. [...] Mrs. Reese was director of mental health services for adults at the center when the methadone incident occured. Thursday she officially left that position to become the professional social work person for the new crisis unit of MH-MR to operate at Providence Hospital. She will have supervisory and clinical responsibilities, said Dr. Bernard Spector, MH-MR medical director."
            • Wilkirson-Hatch-Bailey obituary for Dr. Thomas Vincent Frank: "Dr. Thomas Vincent Frank, 84, passed away Wednesday, March 1, 2006. [...] Dr. Frank was born September 8, 1921 in Altoona, PA to Vincent and Catherine Frank. Starting college on a music scholarship, he graduated from Georgetown University Medical School in 1945. In 1943, he and Pauline Nolan were married on Christmas day in Burlington, TX. In 1948, the Franks moved to Waco and Dr. Frank joined the VA Hospital as a resident physician. During the following years he became staff physician and later Chief of Staff. Serving in the US Army Medical Corp from 1943 to 1948 and then in the US Army Reserve, retiring in 1981 at the rank of Colonel. He was a founding member of the board of trustees of Heart of Texas Region MHMR Center. Following his 1974 retirement from the VA, he became staff psychiatrist at MHMR. During his 27 year career at MHMR, he singularly served as the psychiatric resource for Bosque, Falls, Freestone, Hill and Limestone counties, as well as serving McLennan County. He helped with the founding of: Reicher Catholic High School, St. Louis Catholic Church, The Serra Club of Waco and the VA Hospital Credit Union Members Choice Federal Credit Union of Central Texas. Dr. Frank belonged to the American Medical Association, Association of Military Surgeons, Waco Chapter of the American Heart Association, Advisory Board of Freeman House, Rotary Iternational, Knights of Columbus, McLennan County Medical Society, McLennan County Health Association and was a Distinguished Life Fellow in the American Psychiatric Association." - interesting that this obituary claims he left the Waco VA Hospital in 1974 to spend the next 27 years at MHMR, while news articles from 1975 after the methadone deaths indicated that he was stepping back from MHMR to be chief of mental hygiene at the VA Hospital
          • Background of the Family Practice program (a separate but somewhat connected program)
            • Waco Tribune-Herald, "EOAC Vote Lauds City, Rips County", 1974/10/22 - mentions Jarrell McCracken as a EOAC board member
            • Waco Tribune-Herald, "EOAC Discusses Methadone Deaths", 1975/03/18: "A special health committee from the EOAC board met with Dr. Christian Ramsey of the Family Practice Clinic concerning complaints of long waiting periods and rudeness by staff personnel. Dr. Ramsey told the group a new number system would be initiated to shorten waiting time. The clinic has a policy of firing persons who are rude to patients, Dr. Ramsey told the committee, according to Sougstad."
            • Dr. Christian Ramsey background
              • Waco Tribune-Herald, obituary for Christian Norman Ramsey Jr. M.D., 2008/06/24: "Christian Norman Ramsey Jr., M.D., 67, of Lexington, Ky., formerly of Waco, died Saturday, June 21, 2008, from complications of Parkinson's disease. [...] He was born May 30, 1941, in Atlanta, Ga., and graduated from Indian Springs School in Helena, Ala., in 1958, received his M.A. from the University of North Texas in 1966, and graduated from Emory University School of Medicine in Atlanta, Ga., 1970. That same year he was appointed to a White House Commission on Population Growth and the American Future by President Richard Nixon and served as its vice chairman with Chairman John D. Rockefeller III, for two years in Washington, D.C. In 1973, he began his family medicine residency training in Waco - completing it in 1976. He became the Director of Medical Education and the Director of the Family Practice Residency Program in Waco and continued in that capacity until 1982, when he was named Chairman of the Department of Family Medicine at the University of Oklahoma School of Medicine. He held that post until 1994 when he was named the Associate Dean for Clinical Affairs at the University of Kentucky School of Medicine. He retired from UK in 2000. During his medical career, he wrote and edited several textbooks, published numerous articles, and served in many leadership positions associated with family medicine. One of his greatest accomplishments was an endowed chair in family medicine named in his honor at the University of Oklahoma for his exemplary accomplishments in this field. He was a member of Christ Church Cathedral and a former member of The Lexington Club and Idle Hour Country Club."
      • Hypnosis corporations that Feazell incorporated within a month of getting his law license - led by a former MHMR colleague named Robert Sullivan, who would later examine David Spence for the DA's office; appear to have been a branch of Silva Mind Control, which was founded out of Laredo TX and whose Olympia WA branch shows up in connection with the Ted Bundy case
        • HYPNOSIS TRAINING CENTER CORPORATION - charter number 481235-0; filed 1979/06/20; registered office is Suite 505 Texas Center 900 Washington Ave. in Waco; registered agent is Vic Feazell; directors are Robert J. Sullivan (of 6501 Sanger Suite 2 in Waco), David Clement (of 2301 Columbia in Waco), and Milton Fleming (of 4740 Lakeshore Dr. #5 in Waco); notary public for the incorporation document is S.E. Chastain
        • AMERICAN HYPNOTHERAPY ASSOCIATION - charter number 481740-1; filed 1979/06/20; registered office is 6501 Sanger Suite 2 in Waco; registered agent is Vic Feazell; directors are Robert J. Sullivan Ph.D (of 6501 Sanger Suite 2 in Waco), David Clement MA. (of 2301 Columbia in Waco), and Debbie Chastain (of 1515 Garden Dr. in Waco); notary public for the incorporation document is S.E. Chastain
        • Waco Tribune-Herald, advertisement for DR. ROBERT J. SULLIVAN and the HYPNOSIS TRAINING CENTER, 1979/09/14: "DR. ROBERT J. SULLIVAN has moved to his new larger office space at 6614 Sanger Ave., Suite 12. New smoking & weight control programs are beginning, as well as the Tuesday evening class on hypnosis technology. Contact HYPNOSIS TRAINING CENTER at 772-1734 or 662-0878."
        • Austin American-Statesman, advertisement for a Dr. Robert J. Sullivan hypnosis seminar, 1980/02/02: "Dr. Robert J. Sullivan, director of the Hypnosis Training Center of Waco, will speak on and demonstrate hypnosis and self-hypnosis and its many therapeutic uses at 7 p.m. Sunday at the First Unitarian Church's weekly Sunflower program, 4700 Grover Ave. $1 donation."
        • Waco Tribune-Herald, advertisement for a Silva Mind Control lecture, 1980/08/05 - taking place at 6614 Sanger Ave. Suite 12 in Waco; has Debbie Chastain as the contact person
        • Austin American-Statesman, advertisement for the HYPNOSIS TRAINING CENTER in Austin, 1980/09/05 - class topics include hypnotechnician certification, self hypnosis, weight loss, smoking, and sexual functioning; the two listed personnel are DR. ROBERT J. SULLIVAN and DR. JIM BENTLEY; located at 3913 Medical Parkway
        • Waco Tribune-Herald, "Hypnotic Therapy: Technique Can Ease Stress, Accomplish Goals", 1980/11/13: "Hypnosis can help a person tap the unconscious mind to accomplish goals, according to the founder and director of the Hypnosis Training Center in Waco. "We're emphasizing that (subjects) are actually in control" when under hypnosis, said Dr. Robert Sullivan. Hypnosis can be used effectively to help people lose weight, control smoking, deal with stress, alleviate pain and tension and control phobias, Sullivan said. HYPNOSIS ALSO CAN help deal with sexuality, study skills, positive thinking, learning ability, concentration and motivation. Sullivan and the co-owner of the Austin Hypnosis Training Center, Dr. James Bentley, will conduct a workshop on hypnosis at Old Main Lodge Friday and Saturday. It is sponsored by the American Hypnotherapy Association. [...] "Hypnosis cannot make anyone do anything he or she does not want to do," he said. The person must be willing to make a "choice." And post-hypnotic suggestions are not permanent, Sullivan said. The course will examine the ethics of hypnosis. Sullivan said total control of a person by a hypnotist is illegal. "Any form of mind control s a misdemeanor," he said. [...] SELF-HYPNOSIS CAN be learned in 10 to 12 weeks, Sullivan said. [...] REACTION FROM THE religious scene has been critical of hypnosis. "It is a sin to let someone use your mind," is one misconception about hypnosis, said Sullivan. "Hypnosis is not mind control." Hypnosis can help a person prepare for prayer, he said. Under hypnosis, a person can "contact God better.""
        • Austin American-Statesman, advertisement for the AUSTIN HYPNOSIS TRAINING CENTER, 1981/01/25 - the two listed personnel are ROBERT SULLIVAN, Ph. D. (director) and JIM BENTLEY, Ph. D. (consultant); describes the course (in hypnotic communication) encompassing the purposes of sales, teaching, negotiating, supervising, counseling, certification training, self-hypnosis, and habit control; located at 3913 Medical Parkway Suite 201
        • Austin American-Statesman, advertisement for the AUSTIN HYPNOSIS TRAINING CENTER, 1981/05/10 - offering hypnosis certification training, with the certification coming from the American Hypnosis Association; the two listed personnel are Robert J. Sullivan, Ph.D. (director) and Jim Bentley, Ph.D. (consultant); located at 3913 Medical Parkway #201
        • Austin American-Statesman, advertisement for the Austin Hypnosis Training Center, 1981/08/02 - purports to help people "LOSE Weight, STOP Smoking, IMPROVE Concentration and, INCREASE Performance Levels"; the three listed personnel are Robert J. Sullivan, Ph.D. (psychotherapist), Jim Bently, Ph.D. (psychologist), and Katie Laine, B.S. (hypno-technician); located at 3913 Medical Pkwy. #201
        • Austin American-Statesman, advertisement for the Austin Hypnosis Training Center, 1981/10/25 - located at 3913 Medical Parkway, #201; instructors are Jim Bentley, Ph.D. and Robert L. Sullivan, Ph.D.
        • Waco Tribune-Herald, "Hypnotist to present lecture", 1982/01/28: "Dr. Robert Sullivan, founder and director of the Hypnosis Training Center in Waco, will present a demonstration and lecture Friday in the McLennan Community College Lecture Hall. The lecture and demonstration, which is free to the public, is from 5:30 to 8 p.m. It is sponsored by the Psi Beta Chapter at MCC."
        • Austin American-Statesman, "Classes to range from taxes to teen-agers", 1982/04/22: "Bryker Woods Community School (459-0681) will offer one-time classes in Self and Mutual Hypnosis from 7 to 9 p.m. on Monday, April 26, co-sponsored by Austin Hypnosis Training Center ($5) and "Tax Shelters: Not Just for the Rich" on Wednesday, April 28, from 6:30 to 9:30 p.m."
        • Robert Sullivan background
          • Waco Tribune-Herald, "Jaycees to Hear MH-MR Speech", 1976/07/14: "Ken Sielaff, program coordinator for MH-MR, and Robert Sullivan, director of vocational programs for MH-MR, will present the program at Waco Jaycees' regular weekly luncheon Thursday. The luncheon will be at noon at Knights Inn. The presentation will concern programs for mentally retarded adults. All Jaycees and their guests are invited."
          • Waco Tribune-Herald, "Booze, Pot: What's the Difference?", 1977/06/17: "Robert Sullivan, clinical director of the MH-MR drug abuse department, described marijuana as having "slight hallucinogenic effects with slight distortion in time and sensation." "Alcohol lowers the physiological process," he continued. "It is more of a state of lethargy. Grass is more of a smooth floating feeling." [...] "It is not good to combine any kinds of drugs," said Vic Feazell, MH-MR drug abuse program director. "The effects kind of pull on each other.""
          • Waco Tribune-Herald, "Wacoans Attend Drug Abuse Meet", 1978/09/28: "Three Waco drug abuse specialists recently participated in the first Texas State Conference for Drug Abuse Program Directors and Planners, sponsored by the Texas Department of Community Affairs' Drug Abuse Prevention Division. Attending were Robert Sullivan and Carrol Camden of the Heart of Texas MH-MR Drug Abuse Treatment Program, and K. Paul Hold, regional drug abuse coordinator of the Heart of Texas Council of Governments."
          • Wichita Falls Times Record News, "Marijuana researcher to speak", 1979/04/24: "Dr. Keith Schuchard, an Atlanta, Ga., author who became interested in marijuana research because of her role as a mother, will be the keynote speaker at the Regional Chemical Abuse Institute May 1 at Midwestern State University. In addition to Mrs. Schuchard, 17 other authorities on drug abuse prevention will conduct seminars for professional and para-professional persons working in fields which may relate to drug abuse. [...] The drug abuse prevention seminar is sponsored by Nortex, Texas Commission on Alcoholism, Texas Department of Community Affairs' Drug Abuse Prevention division, MSU Department of Continuing Education and Texas Department of Mental Health and Mental Retardation. [...] Wichita Falls drug and alcoholism abuse prevention directors scheduled to conduct a session are Joi Anne Garrett and Mary Jo Gruca of First Step Inc.; Moises Garcia Jr., Wichita Falls Community MH-MR Center; John Heath, Standards Compliance officer of Vernon Center; Lt. Col. Joseph Koncelik of Sheppard Air Force Base Mental Health Sciences; and Dr. Richard E. Milisci, internal medicine. Other seminar leaders will include Darrol Groth, John Welborn, and Dr. Frankie Williams of Vernon Center; Dr. Robert Sullivan, Hypnosis Training Center in Waco, Texas; Dr. Philip Zyblot and Manuel Fernandez of Texas Commission on Alcoholism in Austin; Roy E. Byers, Texas Department of MH-MR; Dr. Daniel J. Anderson, Hazeldon Foundation in Minnesota; Dr. Carl Andersen and Dr. William Landers of Texas Tech University in Lubbock; and Helene Botsonis, registered nurse and director of health services in Texas Panhandle Community Action Agency in Amarillo."
          • Wichita Falls Times, "Hypnotherapist to promote hypnosis in city workshops", 1980/09/14: ""I'm nothing but a guide," said Dr. Robert J. Sullivan, a licensed hypnotherapist and psychotherapist who will conduct a three-day workshop on the benefits and uses of hypnosis Sept. 26-28 in Wichita Falls Activities Center. [...] Wichita Falls Chapter of the American Hypnotherapy Association is sponsoring the workshop billed as "a unique learning experience." [...] Sullivan conducts a private practice in Waco and Austin, having received certifications in biofeedback, Gestalt therapy, transactional analysis, Rogerian and neo-Reichian body work therapy. His credentials include 10 years of practical and applied experience and research in hypnosis. He serves as chairman of the AHA's board of examiners and is qualified to instruct hypno-technicians, assistants who must function uner the supervision of a licensed therapist."
          • Waco Tribune-Herald, "Speaker Entrances Lions Club With Hypnosis Demonstration", 1980/09/23: "Members of the Heart of Texas Lions Club were thoroughly entranced with their speaker Monday. For real. The speaker, Dr. Robert J. Sullivan, used hypnosis to put the members in a hypnotic state. Sullivan, past president of the American Hypnotherapy Association, discussed what hypnosis is, what it can and cannot do and its uses in therapy. [...] Hypnosis is widely misrepresented in movies, Sullivan said. "Hypnosis is not mind control," he said. "That cannot happen." During demonstrations of the process, some hypnotists make subjects act like a chicken. However, Sullivan said the subject was willing to put on an act."
          • Waco Tribune-Herald, "Hypnotic Therapy: Technique Can Ease Stress, Accomplish Goals", 1980/11/13: ""I have never worked with anyone I couldn't hypnotize," said Sullivan who, as a psychotherapist, has counseled drug addicts at Waco's Mental Health and Mental Retardation Center."
          • Waco Tribune-Herald, "Mind-Boggling Feats Just Human", 1980/11/18: "The mind is an extremely powerful instrument, said Dr. Robert Sullivan, director of the Hypnosis Training Center in Waco. Proper control and nurture of inherent telepathic powers can mold a person's psychokinetic ability. "Psychokinesis is not a trick," said Sullivan, who said he has witnessed it in action. He said he saw a person concentrate on an iron nail until it bent. The Russians are conducting psychokinesis experiments, said Sullivan. Researchers claim a Russian woman with psychokinetic powers can control the physiology of animals. [...] Sullivan wonders if the Russians are seeking a new weapon. Can you imagine a battle of the minds? he asked. As the enemy approaches, Russian generals, in a planned psychokinesis strategy, sit back and induce heart attacks among the infantrymen. They could win victories without firing a single shot, he said. Psychokinetic powers are not as "far out as we think," said Sullivan."
        • S.E. Chastain background - was the notary for incorporating the firm, while his daughter Debbie was a director; later caught in a cocaine smuggling bust and found to be carrying Feazell campaign signs + recall petitions against Feazell's local political enemies
          • Waco Tribune-Herald, obituary for S.E. Chastain Jr., 1995/06/23: "S.E. (Sam) Chastain Jr. of Lorena, a retired businessman, died Thursday at his home. He was 72. [...] Mr. Chastain was born Sept. 24, 1922, in Valley Mills. He had owned both G&S Exterminating and Manor Road Lumber Co. in Austin before moving to Waco in 1970. He retired in 1988 as owner of Anco Lumber and Salvage in Waco. He was a member of the American Legion Post No. 133 in Temple and Veterans of Foreign Wars Post No. 6008 in Hewitt. He had been a sergeant in the U.S. Marines and attended Meadowbrook Baptist Church in Robinson. A son, Larry Lee Chastain, died in August 1984. Survivors include his wife, Dovie Chastain of Lorena; two daughters, Debbie Scoggins of Lorena and Marcee Thomas of Ross; and six grandchildren."
          • Find A Grave memorial for Starling Edd “Sam” Chastain Jr.
          • Find A Grave memorial for Dovie Belle Christian Chastain
        • Jim Bentley background
          • Austin American-Statesman, "Lovesick lyrics mask melancholy malady", 1985/05/03 (pages G1, G7): ""Anything you do because you're supposed to, not because you want to, that's an addiction," said Jim Bentley, a private-practice psychologist with the Austin Hypnosis Training Center. A musician, Bentley prefers Dixieland jazz and classical music."
          • Austin American-Statesman, advertisement for a Jim Bentley Ph.D. hypnosis seminar, 1995/05/20 - topic of the seminar is "Strategic Weight Loss through Hypnosis"
      • Don Hall background
        • Waco Tribune-Herald, obituary for Hall, Donald O., 2014/07/18: "Donald O. "Don" Hall of Waco passed away Tuesday, July 15, 2014. Graveside services will be at 10:00 a.m., Saturday, July 19, at Waco Memorial Park with Rev. David Cozart officiating. Visitation will be 5 to 7 p.m., Friday, July 18, at Wilkirson-Hatch-Bailey.
          
          Donald was born November 11, 1926, in Waco, to Earnest and Thelma Hall. He quit Waco High School and volunteered in the United States Navy in 1944. Don married the love of his life, Mary Ann Morgan on September 1, 1951, and they had two children: daughter, Lisa Don Hall, B.S. degree from Texas A&M "Magna Cum Laude", high school teacher of Equine Science at McGregor, Texas, and professional rodeo and horse show barrel racer, and son, Brett Clayton Hall, B.A. degree from Baylor University, Vice President of The American National Bank of Texas. Brett and his wife, Kelly, reside in Longview, Texas.
          
          In the winter of 1945, he was sent overseas and had combat duty in the Pacific Theater until V-J Day on two fighting ships, where he was blown overboard at Okinawa. He was honorable discharged in the fall of 1946 and entered Baylor University the day after he was discharged. Don graduated from Baylor in 1951 with academic and law degrees. He was awarded Honorary Juris Doctorate degree in 1969 from Baylor. Don loved to be a lawyer. He practiced law with Charles F. Koehne, John Fulbright and Billy Carl Jones for three years. He was elected Judge of the Justice Court for Waco, serving in 1954-1955. He was Assistant District Attorney and First Assistant District Attorney from 1956-1962. Don participated as a prosecutor in first televised trial known in legal history in 1956. He served as District Attorney, McLennan County from 1963 through 1966. After 1966, he practiced general law in Waco as senior partner in his law firms and owned the downtown office building. In 1991, he sold his office building and ranch, still maintaining his current law license for many years.
          
          He was president of Young Lawyers Association; member of American Bar Association, Texas Bar Association and McLennan County Bar Association since 1951; chairman or member of all McLennan County Bar Association committees during his career; president, McLennan County Council on Alcoholism, 1971-1972. He was a Master Mason, Waco Lodge #92, AF&AM, York Rite, Scottish Rite and Shriner since 1955; member, American Legion and Veterans of Foreign Wars since 1946; American Quarter Horse Association since 1953; and a member of Columbus Avenue Baptist Church since 1938. Don was a charter member of Delta Theta Phil Law fraternity, Baylor chapter. He was a licensed pilot since 1958. He was admitted to and practiced before the U.S. Supreme Court ,Washington, D.C., U.S. Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals, New Orleans, U.S. District Courts, U.S. Magistrate Courts, U.S. Bankruptcy Courts, in the Federal Judiciary and the full range of Courts of the State of Texas."
      • Dick Kettler background
        • ...
      • Connection to Torbitt document author David Copeland
        • Bernadette Feazell, "Branch Davidians": "She [Bernie Feazell, given the pseudonym Rusty Norman] had always avoided him like the plague, keeping herself away from as many identified alcoholics as she could. “Tar Babies,” all of them, but Portman, “The Third,” had finally managed to wrangle his way into her heart at the funeral of a mutual friend, David Copeland, an old and treasured friend who had represented Portman for his numerous DWI’s."
        • Waco Citizen, "Active Lawyers Placed On Committees By Chase", 1964/07/30 - note that Copeland and Don Hall served together on the Administration of Criminal Justice committee within the McLennan County Bar Association
      • Bill Stallings background
        • State Bar of Texas member entry for Mr. William Earl Stallings - bar card number is 19021000; received his license on 1971/12/13 after getting a law degree from Golden Gate University; primary practice location was Waco, Texas; received a probated suspension on 1996/08/22 and was disbarred on 1998/12/15
        • Texas Supreme Court documents on the 1998 disciplinary proceedings against Stallings
      • Waco Citizen, "Jury Gets Kelly Case", 1981/06/05 - indicates that Bill Stallings and Vic Feazell were the defense attorneys for Carl Kelly in the 1980/09/02 murder of Steven Wade Pryor
      • Waco Citizen, "Vic Feazell Announces For DA Post", 1982/01/22 (pages 1, 2): "Vic Feazell, 30, a practicing attorney in Waco, announced his intention to seek the seat of District Attorney for McLennan County, Wednesday morning. Feazell, a graduate of Baylor Law School, has practiced law in Waco for the past 8 years. He is associated with Dick Kettler and Don Hall in the practice of law. He and his wife Bernadette are expecting their first child in September. Feazell was program director of the Heart of Texas Regional Mental Health-Mental Retardation Center in 1976 when it received a 100 percent validity rating from the state. It was the the only program in the state to win this rating and the rating came exactly one year after the center was closed following two deaths, when a methadone treatment program was begun for heroin addicts. Feazell took over the program and opened the doors six months after its closure and in that time brought it to the top in the state. [...] He has tried many civil and criminal cases. He along with co-counsel Gary Richardson of Muskogee received one of the largest jury verdicts ever rendered in McLennan County, $695,000, when they represented Gene Steele, of Abbott in his lawsuit against the Citizens National Bank of Waco. [...] Asked how much he planned to spend on the campaign. Feazell said, “I expect to spend about 50c for every $1 he [Felipe Reyna] spends. I will be working from a broad base of support from law enforcement officers, businessmen and citizens.” Feazell ran for the Waco City Council in 1980 and was defeated by incumbent Dr. David Dow."
      • Waco Citizen, "Vic Feazell Names Part Of DA Staff", 1982/12/21: "Vic Feazell, District Attorney Elect for McLennan County, has named 38-year-old Dennis Green of Houston as first assistant district attorney. [...] Feazell said he met Green about three years ago when they were on the the opposite side of a lawsuit which acutally never came to trial in Limestone County. [...] “I have asked Allen Lewis to remain as an investigator and Frank Fitzpatrick, Lyann Kendrick, Pat Murphy, Ken Bennett, Virginia Doughtry, Brad Cates and Crawford Long will remain as assitant DA's,” Feazell said. “Donise Baldwin, my former secretary at MH-MR will handle the confidential typing for me and Dennis,” Feazell said. “Bill Johnson will be appointed Chief of the Worthless Check Division.” “These are the only committments made at this time,” Feazell said. [...] Don Hall will swear Feazell in on December 30 at 10 a.m. He and Feazell have been partners for about three years and Hall is a former McLennan County District Attorney."
      • Dennis Green background
        • Waco Citizen, "Vic Feazell Names Part Of DA Staff", 1982/12/21: "[Green], a trial lawyer with Shell Oil Co. in Houston worked six years with district attorneys office in Harris County, and one year with the U. S. Attorney’s office. In the trial division with the Harris County DA. Green was chief of the economic crime division and worked prior to that with consumer fraud cases. “I have worked with all types of criminal cases,” Green said. Visiting with Vic Feazell in his law office late Monday afternoon, Green said he was a graduate of South Texas Taw School and received his business administration degree from Central State in Oklahoma. He attended high school in Holland, Hague, Netherlands. “My father was stationed there when he worked for the Shell Oil Pipeline Division.” [...] He and his wife are both natives of Oklahoma. “We are delighted to moving to McLennan County,” Green said. “We actually lived in Katy and I was commuting three hours each day and unable to spend much time with my children.” “That will change here,” he added."
        • Waco Citizen, "Dennis Green Selected U.S. Magistrate Waco", 1984/12/11: "The district judges of the Western District of Texas, meeting in Waco on Friday, December 7, selected Dennis G. Green of Waco as the next U.S. Magistrate for the Waco Division. Green has been designated to serve as part-time Magistrate until October, 1985, and thereafter for an eight-year term as full-time Magistrate. [...] “Green's varied experience in state and federal courts and particularily as an assistant U.S. Attorney in the southern district of Texas were most helpful in his obtaining this appointment”, said Judge Walter Smith of Waco. [...] The attorney came to Waco in 1983 as first assistant under District Attorney Vic Feazell. He served in that capacity for one year before resigning to enter private law practice, with Murray Watson in the firm of Watson & Green. He is adjunct Faculty Member at McLennan Community College. Green is a graduate of Central State College in Edmond Oka. He attended high school in the Netherlands, Syracuse University, American College in Paris, France and received his law degree from the South Texas College of Law. From Oct. 1967 to June, 1969, he was an administrative and intelligence specialist with the United States Army in Osan Korea. He received an honorable discharge in 1973. He joined the Harris County District Attorney's Office in Houston in February 1972 and remained there until January, 1976 when he left to join the United States Attorney General’s office, Southern District of Texas. He worked under Attorney General Ed McDonough, in the special Crimes Division. In February 1977 he returned to the Harris County District Attorney's Office as Assistant District Attorney, Chief, Economic Crime Division. From August 1979 to January, 1983 he joined Shell Oil Company in Houton as trial counsel in the litigation department."
      • Ned Butler background
        • Aspen Times, obituary for Ned Coy Butler (April 1, 1942 — Jan. 2, 2018), 2018/02/11: "Ned Coy Butler, 75, passed away peacefully at home, surrounded by his family in Austin, Texas, on January 2, 2018, after an illness of several months.
          
          Ned is survived by his wife of over 45 years, Carla Miles Butler; his daughter, Meredith Miles Maycotte and husband, H.O., of Austin, Texas; his two sons, Ned C. Butler III, “Trey” and wife, C.J., of Midland, Texas and Bradley Huddleston Butler of Austin, Texas; and three loving granddaughters, Marin Mersenne Maycotte (11), Maslow Marcelle Maycotte (8), and Blakely Elise Butler (6 months). He is also survived by his siblings, Terry Butler of Aspen, Colorado; Karen Foster of Milwaukee, Wisconsin; and Gary Butler of Oklahoma City, Oklahoma and beloved black lab, Macie.
          
          Ned lived in Aspen with his family for three years in the early 80’s while he was ranch manager of the Marvin Ranch in ​​ Little Woody Creek. The ranch was later sold to Don Johnston by Ned’s sister Terry Butler, who still resides in Aspen and owns/lives in the Residence Hotel.
          
          He will be laid to rest in his birthplace of Hobbs, New Mexico, with his parents who preceded him in death, Jewel Huddleston Butler (2016) and Ned C. Butler (1963) along with many other family members who are laid to rest in Prairie Haven Cemetery at 2101 E. Stanolind Road. A reception in Midland, Texas, will follow."
        • Background of parents
          • Find A Grave memorial for Ned C. Butler: "Ned C. Butler is of Anglo-Norman-Irish descent, and has Type III Irish (Dalcassian) DNA, R1b1c1 haplogroup. He is ancestrally descended from the Irish O'Brien – Butler line from Carrigogunnell Castle, and the Earls of Ormonde Line from Kilkenny Castle, Ireland. He is also a descendant of King Edward I of England, and is distantly related through the Butler line to Ann Boleyn, the beheaded wife of Henry VIII and mother of Queen Elizabeth I. He is also related to Pierce Butler, signatory to the U.S Declaration of Independence and the American Constitution, both U.S. Presidents Bush, and HM Queen Elizabeth II of England.
            
            His direct American descent is through his 2nd great grandfather Thomas Butler, who served as a drummer in the Virginia Militia Line during the entire Revolutionary War. Thomas Butler was present during the spiking of US cannons by the British in New York and at the surrender of British General Lord Cornwallis to General George Washington at Yorktown marking the end of the Revolutionary War.
            
            Through his mother, Osie Pollard Butler, Ned is a descendent of Captain Benjamin G. Pollard, captain of the gunship "Row Galley" of the Virginia Navy during the American Revolution. Ned's grandfather, Wiley B. Pollard served in the Confederate Army, 41st Alabama Company B and was severely wounded at the Battle of Stone's River. Another ancestor, James M. Brake, was killed at the Battle of Perryville, Ky."
          • Find A Grave memorial for Jewel Jeanette Huddleston Butler: "Jewel Huddleston Butler passed away peacefully on Friday, August 5, 2016 at her home. She was born in Drumright, Oklahoma on November 13, 1915.
            
            Funeral services will take place on Monday, August 8, 2016 at 11:00 AM at Grace Presbyterian Church in Temple. Burial will take place on Tuesday, August 9, 2016 at 3 :00 PM at Prairie Haven Memorial Park in Hobbs, New Mexico.
            
            She graduated from Hobbs, New Mexico High School in 1932. She attended Southwestern Oklahoma University (Teacher's College) graduating Cum Laude in 1936. While she was there, she was elected Homecoming Queen and Miss Southwestern. She was a teacher of Senior High School English in Oklahoma, New Mexico, and later Texas
            
            She married and had four children with Ned C. Butler. While raising her family, she was also a competitive duplicate bridge player and an active member of The Presbyterian Church. Upon her late husband's death in 1963, she became CEO of Butler Construction Company, an oilfield maintenance company, that had been based in Hobbs, New Mexico, Snyder, Texas and ultimately in Abilene, Texas in 1954.
            
            She moved to Dallas, Texas in 1975, where she became a member of The Highland Park Presbyterian Church. It is there, where she later met Colonel Edward Heilbron, and they married in 1987. Always an avid duplicate bridge player, she became a bronze life master in 1988. They moved from Dallas to Temple, in 1999, where they built their house at the age of 82. Jewel became a member of The Grace Presbyterian Church and later became director of bridge at The Sunflower Country Club.
            
            Jewel is survived by her four children; Ned Butler of Brenham, Texas, Terry Butler of Aspen, Colorado, Karen Butler Foster of Wisconsin, and Gary Butler of Temple, Texas. She is also survived by five grandchildren and five great-grandchildren living in Texas, Colorado, Mexico, and California."
          • Fort Worth Star-Telegram, "Cook Sand Wildcat Due In Callahan", 1961/10/15: "CALLAHAN — Champlin Oil & Refining Company, Fort Worth, and Ned C. Butler, Abilene, will drill No. 1 Amanda Miller 1,650 feet from north and 2,310 feet from east lines of section 33, BBB&C survey one mile west of the Eula Hope sand pool and two miles northwest of Eula in Callahan County. Contract depth 1,999 feet to test the lower Cook sand."
            • Encyclopedia of Oklahoma History and Culture entry for Champlin Refining Company: "The Champlin Refining Company, which for many years held the distinction of being the nation's largest fully integrated oil company under private ownership, was based at Enid, Oklahoma. In 1916 Enid banker and entrepreneur Herbert Hiram Champlin (1868–1944) bought a lapsed oil lease on the Beggs farm in the fledgling Garber Field about fifteen miles east of Enid. Champlin was reluctant to enter the new and highly speculative oil business, but at his wife's urging he agreed to invest twenty-five thousand dollars in the venture.
              
              Champlin's first well came in on Christmas Day 1916 as a 250-barrel producer. The banker-turned-oilman drilled more wells on his 160-acre lease and in July 1917 purchased a small refinery on the outskirts of Enid, enlarged it to provide a market for the oil from his wells, and established the Champlin Refining Company. In order to provide a secure market for the refinery's growing output, He purchased a series of small oil companies that operated service stations. By the mid-1920s Champlin Refining Company was marketing petroleum products in a six-state area centered on Oklahoma. As the organization grew, it drilled more wells, built a large pipeline network, opened additional refineries, and greatly expanded the retail operation, all under the auspices of Champlin's private ownership.
              
              When Herbert H. Champlin died on April 30, 1944, his company employed more than eight hundred people in Enid, operated service stations and wholesale outlets in twenty midwestern states, had a strong drilling and production presence in Oklahoma, Texas, Colorado, and New Mexico, and continued a major refining operation supported by one of the largest pipeline complexes in Oklahoma. The company continued under family ownership until its stock went public in 1953. In 1954 the Champlin Refining Company was bought by the Chicago Corporation of Chicago, Illinois. This $55 million deal allowed the company to operate as a subsidiary until the Chicago Corporation changed its name to the Champlin Refining Company in 1956. In 1964 the Celanese Corporation bought the company, and at the beginning of 1970 Celanese sold Champlin to the Union Pacific Resources Company, a division of the Union Pacific Corporation. They operated the Champlin Refining Company in much the same manner as before. In 1984 they sold the entire retail operation to American Petrofina, closed the Enid refinery, and ended the Champlin Refining Company's lengthy and significant presence in Oklahoma."
          • Abilene Reporter-News, "Oil Operator Ned Butler Dies at 49", 1963/01/14: "Ned C. Butler, 49, of 4034 Benbrook, former mayor of Hobbs, N. M., and independent oil operator here, died at 3 a.m. Monday at his home after an illness of several months. Funeral will be held Wednesday at 10 a.m. in Central Presbyterian Church with the Rev. Joe David Ruffin, pastor, officiating. Masonic graveside rites will be held at 5 p.m. (4 p.m. N. M. time) at Prairie Haven Cemetery in Hobbs, N. M., under direction of Kiker-Warren Funeral Home. Born Jan. 7, 1914, in Booneville, Miss., Mr. Butler lived in Hobbs, N. M., from 1937 to 1951, and served as the city's mayor in 1950-51. He moved to Snyder in 52, where he operated and owned the Butler Oil Field Construction Co. In 1953 he formed a drilling company in Abilene in partnership with Frank L. Peebles. He married Jewel Huddleston on Jan. 27, 1940, in Hobbs, N. M. He was a member of the Central Presbyterian Church, where he served as an elder, and also held membership in Masonic Lodge of Hobbs, N.M., and the Shrine of Santa Fe. Surviving are his wife; two sons, Ned Coy, and Gary Don, both of the home; two daughters, Terry Lee and Karen, both of the home; his mother, Mrs. R. B. Butler of Hobbs, N. M.; five brothers, Dexter and J. W. of Hobbs, Nolan of Irving, Harold of Austin, Raymond of Morganton, N. C.; two sisters, Mrs. E. L. Groh and Mrs. Pete Dunaway, both of Hobbs, N. M."
        • Abilene Reporter-News, "5 AFROTC Frosh At UT From Here", 1960/10/17: "Five freshmen students from Abilene are enrolled in the Air Force Reserve Officer Training Command at the University of Texas, the university has reported. They are: Freeman Waynewood, son of Mrs. Louise Waynewood of 773 Nelson St., a pre-medical student; Robert D. Bassetti, son of Mr. and Mrs. Robert Bassetti of 1950 University Blvd., a government major; Barrett H. Barker, son of Mr. and Mrs. B. H. Barker of 2202 Amarillo St., a pre-law student; William H. Ammons of 758 Mesquite St., studying law, and Ned C. Butler, son of Mr. and Mrs. Ned C. Butler of 4034 Benbroook St., a pre-law student."
        • Abilene Reporter-News, "Butler passes bar, to work in Houston", 1975/05/14: "Ned C. Butler, son of Mrs. Jewel H. Butler and the late Ned C. Butler of Abilene, has passed his state bar examination and will work in the district attorney’s office in Houston. Butler is a 1960 graduate of Abilene High School, and received his BA degree from the University of Texas at El Paso. He received his law degree from the South Texas College of Law in Houston."
        • Tyler Morning Telegraph, "DA Named In Upshur", 1978/06/30: "Upshur County Assistant District Attorney Ned Butler has been appointed district attorney following Harry Heard's resignation Monday, a spokesman in the Governor's Office said Thursday. The appointment becomes effective July 1, said Don Adams, chief legal counsel for the Governor's Office. Heard said his resignation would enable him to return to full time private practice of law beginning Friday. Heard's resignation came during a grand jury investigation of missing funds from the district attorney's office. Heard claims he had earlier called for the investigation. Heard was appointed to the office of district attorney in November 1976, replacing J. Michael Smith of Gilmer, who resigned. Butler, 36, an Abilene native, graduated from the South Texas College of Law. He worked two years with the Harris County District Attorney's Office. He came to Gilmer in November 1976. He is married to the former Carla Miles of Abilene. They have two sons and a daughter."
        • Tyler Courier-Times, "Assistant DA In Upshur County Quits", 1979/07/01: "The Upshur County assistant district attorney has resigned and District Attorney Dwight Brannon said Saturday he will not name a successor. Ned Butler, former interim district attorney and assistant for 2 ½ years, said he will begin a retail business in Aspen, Colo. The resignation is effective immediately. Brannon said the position will not be filled."
        • Background of sister Terry Butler
          • KOTV, "DON JOHNSON'S COMPANY FILES FOR BANKRUPTCY", 2004/04/26: "A company owned by actor Don Johnson has filed for bankruptcy to protect his Pitkin County ranch from being sold at auction, according to a published report. Timber Doodle Glade Equity Venture LLC, a company controlled by the former "Miami Vice" star, filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy April 14 in Denver Bankruptcy Court, the Rocky Mountain News reported in weekend editions. Johnson's bankruptcy lawyer, Lee Kutner, said Friday that Doodle Glade is one of two entities that hold title to the Woody Creek property that Johnson purchased from Aspen socialite Terry Butler in 1987. The bankruptcy filing follows a Pitkin County lawsuit brought by City National Bank of Los Angeles in March, asking the court to allow the ranch to be auctioned to collect $930,000 Johnson owes the bank. A judge in Los Angeles County ruled in September that Johnson owed the bank $921,891, and owes $21,891 in lawyer fees. Johnson's publicist, Elliot Mintz, said the actor is refinancing the ranch and the bankruptcy filing will stave off creditors until Johnson can get the financing he needs."
          • Aspen Times, "People of the Times", 2005/09/07: "Terry Butler is an Aspen businesswoman and a mixture of glamorous socialite and jock. This beautiful blonde is also one smart lady.She has been a success in everything she does, including competing in Olympic Trials in track during high school, winning every beauty contest in college, hosting television shows, modeling, mountain climbing and trekking, owning and operating a heavy-metal gym, dealing in antiques, owning and managing an Arabian horse breeding ranch, and in her latest endeavor, creating The Residence, a small boutique hotel in an old Victorian business block in Aspen.
            
            Many of these successes were in Mexico City, where she went to college and became the highest paid model and television host in South America during the 1960s. Skiing brought her to Aspen in 1968, and she moved here permanently in 1977. It was in Aspen that she had her ranch and gym and now her hotel. But every year she takes time off for an adventure with The Explorer’s Club … this year’s trek is in Mongolia."
          • Aspen Times, "Longtime Aspen resident Sharkey dies at 75", 2013/07/27: "Thomas Sharkey was a man who wore many hats in Aspen. Whether it was as an interior designer, skier, hiker, minister or friend to almost anyone who met him, one always could count on a smile and kind word from the longtime Aspen resident. [...] Thomas Sharkey came to Aspen from Texas in the early 1960s and was an avid outdoorsman. This year marked the 50th anniversary of when he moved to Aspen. He loved to ski, snowshoe and hike but not nearly as much as he enjoyed the people and personalities of Aspen. [...] He immersed himself into the Aspen culture and became a fixture with the Aspen Art Museum, the Music Associates of Aspen and the Aspen Historical Society. He was also a ski ambassador who could always be found smiling and helping on the slopes, even while wearing an oxygen tank on his back. “Tom was so energetic,” said longtime friend Terry Butler, of Aspen. “He was everywhere, always having fun. Tom loved to know about people and life. He was a beautiful soul and never had one bad thing to say about anybody. He was kind through and through. He really loved Aspen and its people.”"
          • Legends of Aspen board of directors - founding board member is the now-deceased Ron Krajian (note that he was a friend of W.T. Ray, who was in turn a close friend of Fleet White Sr.); board members as of 2022/12/30 are Terry Butler,​ Michael Carter, William A. Gooch (Founder), Rick Head, Greg Lewis, Nancy Snell, Robin Weeks, Joe Wise, and Sara Woodward
        • Ed Shaw - assistant district attorney in Harris County (known to Ned Butler) allegedly involved in a network of corrupt Texas law enforcement officers
          • From the Mike Feary memo of 1985/07/15 in Texas AG case no. 849428: "[Billy Monroe] Lambright further stated that a former Harris County Asst. District Attorney, Ed Shaw had figured in the operations in which he had been involved and that Shaw had died. Lambright states that Shaw was an electronics buff but was heavily involved in patronizing prostitutes and enjoyed watching people die. Because McLennan County Asst. District Attorney Ned Butler is a former Harris County Asst. D.A., he was then contacted and confirmed that Ed Shaw was in fact a Harris County Asst. D.A. and that he had died, cause of death was not known by Butler."
          • Baytown Sun, "17-Year-Term Given In Cummings Trial", 1961/08/16: "A jury in Criminal District Judge Langston G. King's court in Houston Tuesday gave Bob Jones, 19-year-old Sulphur, La., youth, 17 years in prison for the stabbing and robbery of a Baytown woman, Mrs. Eloise Watson Cummings last Jan. 28. [...] Prosecutor Edward N. Shaw asked the jury to give Jones a life sentence "because Mrs. Cummings was beaten so brutally during the holdup." Shaw said after the trial he was disappointed with the 17-year sentence because it is possible Jones can be released in five years."
          • Find A Grave memorial for Edward Nesbit Shaw Jr. - born 1928/12/21 in Houston TX; died 1979/02/11 in Houston TX; said to be a Korean War veteran; son of Edward Nesbit Shaw (1896–1975) and Blanche Violet McLean Shaw (1901–1983); brother of Joan Violet Shaw (1932–1952)
          • State Bar of Texas member entry for Mr. Edward Nesbit Shaw Jr. - bar card number is 18160000; received his license on 1958/11/28 after getting a law degree from University of Houston; primary practice location was Houston, Texas
          • Family history
            • Find A Grave memorial for Dr Edward Nesbit Shaw Jr. - born 1896/10/23 in Cameron TX; died 1975/01/15 in Houston TX; son of Edward Nesbit Shaw (1860–1909) and Kate Gaston Shaw (1863–1948)
            • Find A Grave memorial for Dr Edward Nesbit Shaw Sr. - born 1860/12/09 in South Carolina; died 1909/08/31 in Cameron TX; son of Theodore Munson Shaw (1837–1899) and Margaret Gardner Saye Shaw (1838–1895)
            • Curtis Chubb, Ph.D., "THE HISTORY OF THE HOSPITALS IN CAMERON, TEXAS, AND HOW THE HOSPITAL COMPLEX BECAME THE NEW MILAM COUNTY GOVERNMENT CENTER", 2022/01: "The history of Milam County hospitals starts in 1896 when Dr. Edward Nesbit Shaw, Sr., opened the ‘Milam Hospital’ on the northeast corner of present-day North Houston and US 77 in Cameron. [...] After Dr. Shaw died in 1909, Dr. John M. F. Gill took over the Milam Hospital and renamed it ‘Cameron Sanitarium.’"
      • George Allen background - judge of the 54th District Court throughout Feazell's DA tenure; alleged by David Spence's attorneys (in a letter sent to the US Attorney's office) to be afraid of Feazell's political machine and therefore have a pro-prosecution bent; ruled favorably for Feazell during the lake murder trials, but later had some unspecified feud with Feazell (TODO research)
        • Waco Tribune-Herald, "Hanging up his gavel - George Allen retiring after 43 1/2 years", 2006/12/29: "Allen, a Waco native, graduated from Waco High School in 1955 and from Texas A&M University with a degree in agriculture economics in 1960. His father, Clint A. Allen, served as a McLennan County justice of the peace from 1932 to 1936 and practiced law in Waco for 50 years. [...] He met his future wife, Barbara, while attending Baylor Law School. She was an undergraduate studying psychology and later got a job in Dallas. After Allen graduated from law school, he set up some job interviews in Dallas because that was where Barbara was. "I was set to go to an interview and my dad called," Allen said. "He said, '(Former McLennan County District Attorney) Don Hall called and said I had a job with the DA's office and if I wanted it to be there on Monday.' Well, I was there on Monday." He and Barbara married in 1963 and had two children, David and Stacey. David is an attorney in Dallas, and Stacey is a prosecutor in the Harris County district attorney's office. Allen was a prosecutor until January 1969, when he was appointed McLennan County Court-at-Law judge. He was judge of that court until he defeated Walter S. Smith Jr. and become 54th State District judge in January 1983. [...] Prominent Waco defense attorney Ron Moody said he started his career working with Allen in the DA's office in 1967. "George taught me how to be a lawyer," Moody said. "He has served McLennan County well for many years. That is probably the toughest job in the courthouse, and he will be greatly missed. He has been fair and evenhanded all these years, and he has done a very tough job. We love him and we are going to miss him.""
        • Resume of George H. Allen circa 2008 or later
      • Waco Citizen, "Veteran's Day Parade", 1983/11/11: "Silver taps will be played by two members of the Fort Hood band to begin the parade. A Marine color guard followed by the Fort Hood Band and the parade Marshall will lead the parade. [...] All participants in the parade are invited to a chili lunch at Post 121, 3rd and Indiana immediately following the parade. Vic Feazell, McLennan County District Attorney, will speak at the luncheon."
    • Lake Waco murders in 1982
      • Careless Whispers by Carlton Stowers (1986, 1987, 2001)
      • Texas Monthly, "The Murders at the Lake" by Michael Hall, 2014/04
      • Lake Waco investigation and court documents on Feazell's website
      • David Spence appeal documents
      • Clemency petition for Anthony Melendez (TDCJ 378525) - details apparent collusion between Feazell and Tony Melendez's defense lawyers Chuck Youts and Jim Barlow (both of whom were accused of bribing Feazell to fix other cases on behalf of their clients: Alfred Ray Smith for Youts and Daniel Lopez for Barlow)
      • Justice Denied Vol. 1 Issue 8, "The Undisputed Champion of Capital Punishment" by John McLemore, 1999
      • Janet Jay, "Dreams Deferred: Capital Punishment and Injustice in Texas", 2007/05
      • Texas Court of Appeals, no. 10-02-00212-CV: Brian PARDO and John McLemore, Appellants, v. Truman SIMONS, Ned Butler, Vic Feazell, and Homer Campbell, Appellees, opinion, 2004/07/27
      • Waco Tribune-Herald, "Last Lake Waco triple murder defendant dies in prison", 2017/01/14: "After all these years, perhaps the final chapter of the controversial saga was closed Friday with the death of Anthony Melendez, the last of four men implicated in the grisly slayings of Jill Montgomery, Raylene Rice and Kenneth Franks, whose bodies were found in July 1982. [...] Melendez, who was serving two life prison terms, died as some, including the ex-wife of former McLennan County District Attorney Vic Feazell, worked to exonerate him, although those efforts stalled in the past few years. Melendez, who pleaded guilty to two counts of murder in the case and testified against David Wayne Spence at his trial in Bryan, also petitioned the governor for a reprieve, commutation or pardon after he recanted his confession. [...] Spence, who was tried in Waco and Bryan, was executed in 1997. Melendez’s brother, Gilbert, who also pleaded guilty and was sentenced to two life prison terms, died in prison in 1998 of HIV complications. The fourth defendant, Muneer Deeb, also was sentenced to death after a trial in Cleburne. But his conviction was set aside, and Deeb was acquitted at a 1993 retrial in Fort Worth. [...] Feazell, who prosecuted the Lake Waco cases and now has law offices in Waco and Austin, called questions about the defendant’s guilt “BS” when asked about the efforts three years ago. “Anyone who’s read the trial transcripts . . . would know better and wouldn’t give this story the time of day,” Feazell said."
      • Reddit comment by dazeymayhem in 2017 about their investigation into the Lake Waco murders: "I live in Waco. It seems we are notorious for trouble. If you enjoy the Kari Baker case, check out the Lake Waco Murders. It's one hell of a rabbit hole to fall into. I've been obsessed with it for decades. There's a book by Carlton Stowers called Careless Whispers (if you can find it) that details a very biased version of the case. I started digging into it in earnest a few years ago and was told by the former attorney, Vic Feazell, that tried the case to leave it alone, in no uncertain terms. It's a trip."
      • Courthouse News Service, "Sons Say Texas Executed Their Innocent Father", 2017/04/25 (lawsuit document)
      • True Crime Stories, "The 1982 Lake Waco Murders", 2017/12/03: "Many have said that the four men not only would have not been convicted or even charged if Simons had not been on the case, but they also argue that had the preceding prosecutor not lost the election that year the charges would not have been filed. In late 1982 Victor Feazell was election the county prosecutor. Allegedly he and Simons were already friends and it was in part his decision to allow Simons to continue investigating the case and in the end it was Feazell who would be in charge of charging the four men."
      • Collection of documents on the case for Bernadette Feazell - includes the list of exhibits for Spence's APPLICATION FOR POSTCONVICTION WRIT OF HABEAS CORPUS
      • Crimewatchers.net thread on the Lake Waco murders - the OP says "I knew Vic Feazell casually- he was having trysts w/ my room mate. My impression of him was/is *smarmy*- not just because he was married & screwing around, but because he literally came across that way- just exuded ego, anything for attention, nasty personality in general."
      • Appeal proceedings
        • Direct appeal from 54th District (Jill Montgomery)
          • 1988/10/12 - OPINION
          • 1990/06/13 - OPINION
        • Direct appeal from 85th District (Kenneth Franks) - TODO
        • 1991 state habeas writ
          • 1991/10/16 - Petition for Post-Conviction Writ of Habeas Corpus
          • 1991/11/27 - Supplement to Petition for Post-Conviction Writ of Habeas Corpus, or, in the Alternative only, First Amended Petition for Post-Conviction Writ of Habeas Corpus
        • 1991 federal habeas writ - TODO
        • 1994 Fifth Circuit appeal
          • 94-20212 (Kenneth Franks)
            • 1994/06/27 - MEMORANDUM IN SUPPORT OF PETITIONER'S APPLICATION FOR CERTIFICATE OF PROBABLE CAUSE TO APPEAL
          • 94-20213 (Jill Montgomery) - TODO
          • United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit, nos. 94-20212, 94-20213: David Wayne SPENCE, Petitioner-Appellant, v. Gary L. JOHNSON, Director, Texas Department of Criminal Justice, Institutional Division, Respondent-Appellee, appeal decision, 1996/03/29
        • 1997 state habeas writ - TODO
      • Terry Lee Harper a.k.a. Tab Harper as a suspect
        • Salon, "The hanging governor: Did execution-happy George W. Bush sign off on the lethal injection of an innocent man?" by Alan Berlow, 2000/05/11: "In fact, police records showed that although not one of the 20-odd Waco citizens who were at the lake on the night of the murders had mentioned seeing Spence or his co-defendants, they had identified several other potential suspects, among them one Terry Lee Harper, who the same police files showed had actually boasted about having committed the murders.
          
          Seven witnesses reported that Harper had told them of his involvement in the murders and no less than three said they had heard Harper make the statement before the murders were publicly reported on the radio. Harper also had a rap sheet listing 25 assaults, including several against teenagers at Lake Waco. When police tried to interview Harper, he refused to cooperate. When Spence's lawyers did question him, Harper denied any involvement, and signed an affidavit saying he was home watching "Dynasty" at the time of the murders. But "Dynasty" wasn't shown that night. When police finally went to arrest Harper in 1994 in connection with another crime, the fatal stabbing of an elderly man, he killed himself with a shotgun."
        • Death in 1994 - note that a large group of Waco police officers, including Truman Simons, confroted Harper when he committed suicide
          • TODO add articles
        • Background of the Harper family
          • Waco Times-Herald, "MARRIAGE LICENSES", 1955/04/26: "Ollie Joe Puryear and Miss Sonya Yvonne Harper."
          • Waco Tribune-Herald, obituary for Terry Lee (Tab) Harper, 1994/10/13: "Survivors include his mother, Nora Harper of Waco; three brothers, David Harper, Paul Harper and Steve Harper, all of Waco; and seven sisters, Sue Dolega of Chicago, Jean Warner of Iowa, Blanche Streeby and Jane Melville, both of California, Pamela Gatlin, Gwen Motley and Sunya Puryear, all of Waco."
      • Derwin Wilkins a.k.a. Bubba Wilkins as a suspect
        • Find A Grave page for Derwin Wilkins: "Derwin Lee Wilkins, 62, died Aug 17, 2001 in Waco TX. Services at Pecan Grove chapel. Burial in Rosemound Cemetery. Mr. Wilkins was born in Waco TX Nov 10, 1938 to Grady Earl Wilkins and Alpha Lee Hall Wilkins. In 1976 he married Rosiland Thompson, and they were married 25 years. He retired as a truck driver, and served in the National Guard. He was a member of Harvest House of Prayer. He was preceded in death by son, Ricky Wilkins and his parents. Survivors include: his wife, Rosiland Wilkins of Waco TX; daughter, Rhonda Donnell (Mark) of China Spring TX; sons, Bubba Wilkins of Waco, Michael Wilkins (Carey) of Robinson TX, Clayton Wilkins, Jason Wilkins, Joe Courtney, Steve Courtney (Debbie) all of Waco; brothers, Donald Wilkins (Linda), Sammy Wilkins (Oneita), Jerry Wilkins (Mary), Gregory Wilkins all of Waco TX; sister, Pam Turner (Carl), sister-in-law, Barbara Van Cleave of Arlington TX; 11 grandchildren, one great-grandson, many nieces and nephews."
        • 2022/09/13 Facebook post by Bernadette Feazell - on which Rosiland Wilkins commented "FUNNY 👏"
        • Friendship with Johnie Dodd - the same man who got a Lucas book contract
          • Lake Shore Funeral Home & Crematory page for Johnie “Bubba” Dodd: "Johnie Dodd, 81, a native of Waco, lovingly known to most as “Bubba”, passed away peacefully surrounded by his loving family, Friday, September 8, 2017. [...] Johnie was born, July 10, 1936 to the late Johnie Louis and Mary Ella Lansford Dodd. Bubba spent his entire life in the Waco area, enriching the lives of everyone he encountered. His giving spirit and generous heart could be seen and felt by everyone, whether it he was buying carnival tickets for a group of children or giving of his own prize possessions to a guest of his home. Bubba’s family owned and operated a local wrecking yard, “Johnie’s Auto Parts” from the early 1930’s, until choosing to sell the business in 1984. As well the Dodd family ran a local dairy farm. On more than one occasion, Bubba would take the children of the farm workers and purchase them all new shoes. He was always caring for others. In the early 1970’s, Bubba began serving papers for the McLennan County Constables office. He went on to work as a Chief Deputy Constable for McLennan County for over 19 years. Bubba was truly a “jack of all trades”, but buying and selling was one of his favorites. Bubba met the love of his life, Velma Lee Wade, when she was only 15 and he was 19. He fell in love with her penmanship in love letters, and when she became best friends with his sister, he knew he needed to make her is wife. Velma Lee and Bubba were married August 27, 1955. Together they worked the farm and the wrecking yard and raised their family. Bubba took care of her every need, even building her a house just a year after they were married. He was a part in securing the note which allowed the construction of, “Harvest House of Prayer” here in Waco. [...] Bubba was preceded in death by his parents, Johnie Louis and Mary Ella Dodd; siblings, Louis Alton Dodd and Barbara Jean Holland; grandson, Jon Cody McMahan; and brother-in-law, Dan Holland."
          • 2017/09/10 comment by Rosiland Wilkins on the above obituary: "Dear Velma & family,I have been out of town & just heard about our sweet Bubba.I know that you all know where he is but I also know how much you will “miss him”!!He & his dear friend Derwin are neighbors again as he told Der they would be when he was sick????God bless you all & cherish your memories !Love to you all"
          • Facebook friends list for Johnie Dodd - includes Rosiland Wilkins, Vic Feazell, and Bernadette Feazell
          • Note that Spence defense lawyer Russ Hunt asked Dodd to arrange a meeting with Lucas in mid-April 1985 so that he could ask Lucas about the Lake Waco murders; Dodd gave the impression that he had set it up, but Bob Prince testified there was no record of such, and Lucas was ultimately bench-warranted to Waco in this exact timeframe that Hunt had requested, whereupon Lucas began recanting his murder confessions
        • Family background
          • Waco Times-Herald, "Dean Wilkins' Last Rites Set", 1965/11/16 - funeral set to be officiated by Rev. Mark Deering; sons include "Grady E. Wilkins of 1008 North Fourteenth Street" and "Lewis A. Wilkins of Mt. Calm"
          • Waco Times-Herald, obituary for DEAN D. WILKINS, 1965/11/16
          • Waco Tribune-Herald, funeral notice for Grady Earl Wilkins, 1979/02/14 - sons include "Derwin Wilkins of 2600 S. 24th"; one brother is mentioned as "Lewis Wilkins, of Richmond, Tex." (ed. note: is this city an error?); pallbearers are the Brotherhood of the First Pentecostal Church of Robinson
          • Waco Tribune-Herald, "Family mourns loss of man who ‘never said no’", 1995/05/11 (pages 1A, 12A): "Family and friends remembered a 35-year-old Bellmead man shot to death Tuesday night as a country boy who couldn't turn down anyone in need. "He's just one of them people that'd give you the shirt off his back," said Robert Chapman of Chapman's Trucking, where Ricky Wilkins worked for years. And Tuesday night, he was taking his wife's sister to look for her husband, Jimmy Glenn Fisher, who is suspected of killing Wilkins, officials said. Wilkins' wife, Debra, said her sister was staying at their Bellmead home after a weekend spat with her husband. After dinner Tuesday, Debra Wilkins' sister wanted to get money from Fisher and asked Wilkins to take her to Smokers Billiards, a bar at 4021 Bellmead Drive where Fisher sometimes went. Wilkins would have rather stayed on the couch, as he usually did after dinner, Debra Wilkins said. "But if she had wanted him to take her to the moon, he would've taken her," she said. Bellmead Police Department Chief Robert Harold said Wilkins never entered the bar. Wilkins' father, Derwin Wilkins Sr., said Wilkins' sister-in-law went into the bar to find Fisher and they came out into the parking lot arguing. Wilkins then got out of the car, said Derwin Wilkins Sr. He said Fisher pulled the gun to fire at Ricky Wilkins, who threw a beer bottle at him. Harold said witnesses told police Wilkins did throw a beer bottle at Fisher, and Fisher, in return, fired two shots with a .380-caliber handgun, hitting Wilkins in the chest and killing him. [...] Wilkins' family members said Wilkins was always willing to help out around the house or fix things. He built a sandbox and slide in the yard, and although the family didn't have much money, the home looked more like a toy store, said Wilkins' father. "He worked hard and struggled to do good, always wanted to have nice things for his kids," said Wilkins' stepmother, Rosiland Wilkins. [...] A jack of all trades, Wilkins graduated from Crawford High School, where he played No. 5 for the Pirates' football team. He had hauled gravel and sand for Chapman's Trucking for about a decade, his father said. Chapman can't remember exactly how many years he had worked with Wilkins. "To tell you the truth, it seemed like all his life," Chapman said."
            • Waco Tribune-Herald, obituary for Robert Chapman, 2009/02/23-24 - note that he was the brother of Paul Chapman, a friend of Donny Joel Harvey who lived with Harvey at Mount Carmel prior to David Koresh taking over: "Robert Chapman, 60, of Bellmead, passed away Sunday, Feb. 22, 2009, at a local hospital. [...] Robert was born Nov. 20, 1948, in Waco, to Charles Robert and Emma (Braun) Chapman. He owned and operated Chapman Trucking in Bellmead for 27 years. He was preceded in death by his father; brothers, Paul Eugene Chapman and Charles Wayne Chapman; son, Robert David Chapman; and nephew, Charles Marzel Chapman. Survivors include his wife, Linda Chapman of Bellmead; mother, Emma Louise Chapman of Bellmead; daughter, Rachel Helms of Waco; sons, Christopher Robert Chapman and James Paul Chapman, both of Bellmead, and Brian O.T. Chapman of Mississippi; brother, John Ed Chapman of New Mexico; three grandchildren; two great grandchildren; and several nieces and nephews."
            • Waco Citizen, "“Operation Alice” nets nine arrests", 1988/08/09: "“Operation Alice” targeted Mister B's, 6512 Woodway Drive; C.K.'s Lounge at 921-D Lake Air Drive; and Deja Vu, 1001 Lake Air Drive. [...] Arrested Sunday were: • Charles Wayne Chapman, 23, 2116 Old Dallas Road, No. 1313, charged with two counts of delivery of methamphetamine/amphetamine. Hodges set bonds totaling $15,000. [...]"
      • John David Wilkins as a suspect - was a cousin of Derwin Wilkins
        • 1984 murder of John Hart Pundt
          • Waco Citizen, "Murder Trial Begins", 1985/05/07: "Testimony began about 4 p.m. Monday afternoon, in the murder trial of John David Wilkins in 54th State District Court. Wilkins, 29, of Mt. Calm, was charged last year with the Nov. 14 stabbing death of John Hart Pundt in a parking lot across the street from the former Okey Dokey Nite Club, 1005 Wooded Acres. Also charged with murder in Pundt's death is Larry Dean Kinder, 28, of 2208 Jane. 54th Court Judge George Allen has set his trial date for June 3. Kinder and Wilkins have both been free from jail on $25,000 bonds while awaiting trial. Pundt, 19, of Lacy-Lakeview suffered mutiple stab wounds in following what witnesses called a fight on the vacant lot across the street from the night club. Pat Murphy is presenting the case for the state and Joe Layman and C.W. McDonald are representing Wilkins."
          • Waco Citizen, "Wilkins Seeks New Trial", 1985/07/09: "John David Wilkins, who was sentenced in May to life in prison for the killing of john Hart Pundt, will seek a new trial hearing on Friday in 54th District Court. District Judge George Allen will hear the plea at 11 a.m. for a new trial from Wilkins attorney Charles McDonald. Wilkins was found guilty of killing Pundt dunng a fight that occurred on the parking lot across the street from the former Okey Dokey Nightclub, 1005 Wooded Acres, on November 14, 1984. In June, Larry Dean Kinder was sentenced to 60 years in prison for the same murder."
          • Houston Chronicle, "Kingwood family fights possible release of son’s killer", 2010/05/29: "Only months after graduating from Kingwood High School in 1984, John David Wilkins, 29 years old at the time, stabbed the 19-year-old college student to death. “Hart and two of his good friends went to the Texas State Technical Institute in Waco, starting in September of 1984; on November 16 of that year, they were at a club and John David Wilkins, for absolutely no reason, stabbed one of Hart’s friends in the back outside the club, then slashed his other friend who collapsed on the ground,” said John Pundt. “Hart went over to help him and Wilkins stabbed him in the chest. The stab wound was fatal.” Wilkins, who had a prior criminal history of burglary and aggravated assault, had been drinking heavily on the night of the stabbing. “The evidence showed there was absolutely no provocation,” said John Pundt. “The guy was drunk, and he was going to kill somebody. It was a completely ruthless, wanton killing for no reason.” A McLennan County jury convicted Wilkins of Hart’s murder and sentenced him to life in prison in May 1985."
        • Family background
          • Waco Times-Herald, "Dean Wilkins' Last Rites Set", 1965/11/16 - funeral set to be officiated by Rev. Mark Deering; sons include "Grady E. Wilkins of 1008 North Fourteenth Street" and "Lewis A. Wilkins of Mt. Calm"
          • Waco Times-Herald, obituary for DEAN D. WILKINS, 1965/11/16
          • Waco Tribune-Herald, obituary for Nelda Gerene Wilkins, 1997/08/06 - husband is "Mr. Lewis A. Wilkins Sr. of Mount Calm"; sons include "John David Wilkins of Huntsville" (note that Huntsville TX is the location of a state prison)
      • Larry Dean Kinder as a suspect
        • 1984 murder of John Hart Pundt
          • Waco Citizen, "Murder Trial Begins", 1985/05/07: "Also charged with murder in Pundt's death is Larry Dean Kinder, 28, of 2208 Jane."
          • Waco Citizen, "Wilkins Seeks New Trial", 1985/07/09: "Wilkins was found guilty of killing Pundt dunng a fight that occurred on the parking lot across the street from the former Okey Dokey Nightclub, 1005 Wooded Acres, on November 14, 1984. In June, Larry Dean Kinder was sentenced to 60 years in prison for the same murder."
        • U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit, no. 946 F.2d 362: United States of America, Plaintiff-appellee, v. Larry Kinder, Defendant-appellant. United States of America, Plaintiff-appellee, v. David Kinder, Defendant-appellant, appeal decision, 1991/10/21
          • "In February 1990, the Texas Department of Public Safety (TDPS), the Waco Police Department, and the Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) investigated the distribution of methamphetamine around Waco, Texas. They believed that Larry Kinder (Larry) and Sandra Kay Shook were major methamphetamine dealers in the area. A confidential informant had told Officer Floyd Goodwin of the TDPS that Larry was looking for a methamphetamine supplier. The informant also told officer Goodwin that Shook sold methamphetamine and collected the proceeds for Larry but that Larry controlled the operation. According to the informant, Larry sold between eight ounces and one pound of methamphetamine per week in the Waco area.
            
            Working undercover, Officer Goodwin commenced negotiations on February 8, 1990 to sell methamphetamine to Larry. After a few phone calls between Larry, Shook, and Goodwin, Shook went to Goodwin's hotel room. Shook told Officer Goodwin that she took care of most of Larry's "dope business" for him and discussed the possibility of purchasing a quarter-pound of methamphetamine from Goodwin. Goodwin told Shook that the $2,600 offered was not worth his time and declined to sell. Shook told Officer Goodwin that they did not need more because they still had eight ounces of unsold methamphetamine, but that they would be back later in the evening with more money.
            
            A short time later Larry phoned Goodwin to say that he was trying to raise the money to buy a half-pound of methamphetamine. An hour later, however, Shook called Goodwin and told him that they had only $3,400. Goodwin told Shook that he would not break open his one-pound package for that. Shook told Goodwin that Larry would want at least a half-pound of methamphetamine by the next week.
            
            On February 14, 1990 Officer Goodwin was informed that Larry was "ready to do business" by buying a half-pound. That evening, Larry and his brother David Kinder (David) went to Goodwin's hotel room. Larry told Goodwin that he had not wanted to buy a large amount of methamphetamine the week before "because he had 17 ounces of methamphetamine on the street and had not collected all of the money from the sale of [it]." Larry told Goodwin that he wanted to buy a half-pound now and would possibly want more later. Larry then instructed David to give Goodwin some bundles of money, and informed Goodwin that there was $5,800 in the bundles."
          • "Finally, Larry Kinder contests his two-point enhancement under U.S.S.G. § 3B1.1(c) for being an "organizer, leader, manager, or supervisor" of a criminal activity. Larry contends that his role was no different from the other two participants. He argues that any dominance he had over the others stemmed from his relationship to them (boyfriend to Shook; older brother to David) rather than his role in the activity."
        • Waco Tribune-Herald, obituary for Rosemary Kinder, 2022/11/09: "Rosemary (Stough) Kinder was born November 10th, 1933 in Grand Saline, Texas to Roy Evins Stough and Cora Mae (Copenhaver) Stough. Rosemary passed away Tuesday, November 1st, 2022, nine days away from celebrating her 89th birthday. [...] Rosemary graduated from Grand Saline High School in 1951 and then attended business school. She moved to Waco to receive treatment for polio. While there, she met Merritt (Mert) Kinder, who was visiting his friend Roland Maxwell. After numerous dates at the Melrose Theater, Rosemary and Mert got married at the South Waco Church of Christ on June 28th, 1952. They spent 52 years together until his passing in 2004. Rosemary lived life to the fullest, as her many great friends can attest. She was known as a constant friend to the underdog, always helping those in need. She combined this passion with a tireless work ethic. Rosemary worked most of her life for organizations dedicated to helping those in need, including Goodwill and Baylor University. As her career developed, she was the night manager at a series of hotels, including Old Main Lodge, International Inn, and New Road Inn. Rosemary retired in the mid-2000s. Rosemary is preceded in death by her husband, Mert Kinder, her father Roy Evins Stough, mother Cora Mae Copenhaver Stough Kilburn, step-father Homer Kilburn, sisters Mae Nell Hollingsworth and Roy Evelyn Stough Schoenfeld, and grandsons J.T. Torres and Lawrence Torres, along with her close friends Glenda and Domingo. She is survived by her children and their spouses; Christy and Larry Day, Larry Dean Kinder and Tracy Honeycutt, David Kinder, Trisha Kinder, Paul and Nita Kinder, Terri Sue Rushing and Andrew Kindler. She leaves behind her grandchildren and their spouses; Kevin (Summer) Spiares, Holley (Joshua) Day, Kaden Honeycutt, Rene (Joe) Gonzalez, Jessica Torres, Steven Tindell, Shyanne Kinder, Kerry Dean (Amanda) Harris, Amber Heard (Ricky Salinas), and Michael Heard, along with 25 great-grandchildren. She is further survived by many special friends, including Gloria and Kevin Tynes, Billy Kevil, Fritz Johnson, Heidi Neatherlin, Chris, Kathy, and their beloved Whataburger breakfast group."
        • Facebook social media presence
          • Facebook friends list for Larry Dean Kinder - includes Jeffrey Kinder, Don Kinder, Bernadette Feazell, and Rosiland Wilkins
          • Facebook friends list for Jeffrey Kinder - includes Trish Kinder, Larry Dean Kinder, Keith Boatman, Larry Kinder, and Don Kinder
          • 2019/04/06 Facebook post by Bernadette Feazell - on which a Larry Kinder (the same one who Jeffrey Kinder above is friends with) commented "Great pic" and Keith Boatman commented "Looking awesome Bernadette"
        • Don Kinder background
          • Facebook profile
            • About - Work and education - Master at Bellmead Masonic Lodge No 1329 starting on 1992/05/30; 2020 District Deputy Grand Master District 61B at 𝐆𝐫𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐋𝐨𝐝𝐠𝐞 𝐨𝐟 𝐓𝐞𝐱𝐚𝐬 starting on 2020/01/31; secretary at Bellmead Masonic Lodge No 1329 starting on 2021/07/21
            • Friends list - includes Trish Kinder, Jeffrey Kinder, Waco Lodge (a Facebook profile for Waco Masonic Lodge 92), and Chickasha Masonic Lodge
      • Marion Keith Boatman as a suspect
        • Facebook friends list for Keith Boatman - includes Trish Kinder, Bernadette Feazell, Vic Feazell, Jeffrey Kinder, and multiple accounts for Derwin Wilkins (?)
      • Sammy Afinowicz as a suspect - identified in a 1982/08/03 police report (under the name "Sammy Afinaswish") as the likely candidate for "Mr. Howser", a fellow "devil's cult" member with "Tab" and "Bubba"
        • Find A Grave memorial for Sammy Earl Afinowicz - born 1943/07/21 in Fisher County TX; died 1989/10/02 in Waco TX; son of Bruno Frank Afinowicz (1920–1976) and Irene Marie Sykora Afinowicz (1925–1997)
        • Waco Tribune-Herald, "Shower To Fete Linda Paske", 1975/04/25: "Miss Linda Kay Paske, bride-elect of Steven Charles Ickert, will be honored with a miscellaneous bridal shower from 3 to 5 p.m. Saturday in the home of Mrs. Sammy Afinowicz at 3908 Speight. Hostesses will be Miss Becky Afinowicz and Mrs. Bruno Afinowicz, Parents of the bride are Mr. and Mrs. Bill George Paske of 3225 Morrow. The future bridegroom is the son of Mrs. Mary Ann Miller of West and the late Mr. Arnold Ickert. The couple will marry at 7:30 p.m. May 24 at St. Mary's Church of the Assumption."
      • Ronnie Breiten as a suspect
        • First testimony of Catherine Breiten (p.1579-1608 of Spence first trial)
        • Second testimony of Catherine Breiten (p.1693-1706 of Spence first trial)
        • Murder of Ronnie Breiten - occurred on the night of 1990/05/22 (possibly curious timing given that Bennie Carroll, the real murderer of Juanita White, would allegedly commit suicide the next month); a man named Timothy German was charged and pleaded guilty
          • Waco Tribune-Herald, "MURDER IN WACO: 1990'S VICTIMS", 1991/01/06: "No. 7, May 22: Ronnie Lee Breiten, 37, 2709 N. 28th St., died at 3729 N. 22nd St. after a man shot him several times with a handgun, police said. On May 30, police arrested Timothy Oral German, 32, 1927 Lyle Ave., and charged him with murder. He pleaded guilty to the charge and received a 20-year prison sentence."
        • Find A Grave memorial for William “Willie or Bill” Breiten: "William Breiten Sr. 93, passed away at his home in Waco, Texas on March 23, 2023. [...] William Breiten Sr. was born January 22, 1930, to Joseph and Frances Breiten in Oglesby, Texas. He was the middle child of 5 siblings. William Breiten Sr. served in the United States Navy for 20 years before becoming a retired Veteran. While serving his country he spent much time aboard the USS Coral Sea. He was proud of the years he served and was an honorable Veteran. He is preceded in death by his wife, Catherine of 40 years; his children, Ronnie, Laura (Rosa), and William (Billy) Jr; his parents; his brothers, Joseph Jr., and John; and sister, Annie (Garcia). He is survived by his son, Duane, daughter, Anita; his younger brother, Albert; 14 grandchildren; many great grandchildren; and hundreds of cousins and other family members."
      • James Bishop as a suspect - TODO fill out
      • Richard Franks as a suspect - note that he was the neighbor and "good friend" of US District Judge Walter Smith Jr., and in 1985, he received a letter discussing Smith's "sexual escapades" which he then made available to Smith's wife
        • Hogs Ate My Sister, "30 Years Later — Remembering the Horrific Triple Murder at Lake Waco", 2012/01/19: "It got creepier when I received a late-night call from Kenneth Franks’ dad.
          
          He sounded slightly drunk and emotionally washed out. It was a long, slow, weird, rambling conversation, mainly about him thinking that something really bad had happened to his son and the girls.
          
          The conversation left me with a very uneasy feeling, unlike anything I’d ever felt before. Something cold and unnerving. A feeling that lingered and prompted me to have a long conversation with my editor."
        • Waco Tribune-Herald, obituary for Franks, Richard L., 2015/08/30: "Richard L. Franks, of Waco, passed away Thursday, August 27, 2015. Consistent with Richard's wishes and at his son's request/suggestion, a Celebration of Richard's life will be be scheduled at a later date. Richard was born July 29, 1937 in Shreveport, Louisiana, to Jewell and Mittie Franks. He is survived by son, Curtis Franks and wife, Amber, of Austin; brother, Ron Franks and wife,Tricia, of Fort Worth; sister, Brenda Kucharski of Klamath Falls, Oregon; and Mr. Kenneth King, of Waco; and two grandchildren, Hayden and Chelsea Franks, of Austin."
      • Robert Frueh as a suspect
        • Waco Tribune-Herald, "Bethel Baptist Names Frueh As Pastor", 1973/03/10: "Rev. Robert Frueh will become pastor of Bethel Baptist Church of Waco Sunday. He was pastor of Central Baptist Church of Thornton for two and one-half years. Rev. Frueh is a native of Donnellson, Iowa, He graduated from Southeastern Iowa Community College and Sioux Falls College and has attended Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary. He is also former pastor of First Baptist Church of Aquilla. Rev. Frueh will live at 802 Rambler Drive."
        • Note that Frueh was later stabbed to death by a teenager in 1991
      • Danny Sisemore as a suspect - friend of Kenneth Franks and former roommate of an ex-boyfriend (Danny McSpadden) of Beth Bramlett; alleged to have an uncle connected to the mafia, and was rumored by the young people around China Spring TX and Valley Mills TX to have committed the lake murders; was in Enterprise AL (a Dixie Mafia hotbed) shortly after the lake murders
        • p.2-3 of a 1982/08/16 police report
        • p.3-4 of a 1982/08/20 police report
        • Waco Tribune-Herald, "Courtney-Sisemore", 1982/12/19: "Dana Lynn Sisemore and Charles Ray Courtney exchanged wedding vows Saturday evening at Oaklawn Baptist Church, the Rev. Paul Smith officiating. Parents of the couple are Mr. and Mrs. Dave Sisemore of Axtell and Mr. and Mrs. Jimmy Courtney of Waco. Jacqueline Horn was maid of honor, and Jennifer Courtney and Trish Machen were bridesmaids. Gary Steen was best man, and groomsmen were Randy Blackwell and Alan Yarbrough. Ushers were David Sisemore, Danny Sisemore and Bill Yeager. The bride is a photo typesetter for Charles Wallis Inc., and the groom is a draftsman for Hercules Corp. of McGregor. The couple will live in Waco."
        • Galveston Daily News, "County grand jury returns indictments", 1984/08/07: "A Galveston County grand jury recently filed indictments against several persons. [...] • Danny Ray Sisemore — felony escape."
        • Waco Tribune-Herald, "POLICE REPORT", 1987/02/13: "• Danny Ray Sisemore, 24, of Route 1, Axtell, was in Waco City Jail charged with possession of a controlled substance: methamphetamine. Bond was denied by 170th State District Judge Joe Johnson."
        • Background of Danny's father Dave Sisemore and that side of the family
          • Bakersfield Californian, obtuary for Virgie Housdan, 1965/08/19 - one of the pallbearers was Harold Sisemore; interesting that she was a native of Mena AR
          • Waco Times-Herald, "Wacoan Injured In Auto Crash", 1970/11/17: "Dyton David Sisemore, 30, of 407 Stead was injured slightly at 2:15 a.m. today in a one-car accident on South Loop Drive. Patrolman Truman Simons said Sisemore was traveling north on South Loop Drive when he lost control of his auto and struck and overpass railing. The car veered left, jumped the median, knocked down a vapor light pole, went over an embankment and came to a stop across South Loop Drive. Simons took Sisemore to Hillcrest Hospital where he was treated and released."
          • Bakersfield Californian, obituary for SISEMORE, DYTON, 1974/02/21: "Services will be held Friday at 10 a.m. in Delano Mortuary Chapel of the Congregations for Dyton Sisemore, 61, McFarland, who died Feb. 19 in a Bakersfield hospital. Interment will be in North Kern District Cemetery, Delano. Mr. Sisemore, a native of Oklahoma, had lived in McFarland many years. He was employed in farm work. Among survivors are the widow, Audean; 5 sons, Billy Ray of Oklahoma; Dyton David of Texas; Jerry of Ojai Valley; Harold of McFarland and Darold of Delano; 2 daughters, Nadine Perry of Texas and Fay Jansson of McFarland, and 20 grandchildren."
          • McIntosh County Democrat, "Rites Held For Billy Sisemore", 1974/03/21: "Funeral services were held at the First Baptist Church on March 8 for Billy Ray Sisemore 39 of Midwest City with Rev. Harvey Albright officiating. Burial was at Greenlawn Cemetery under direction of Kisenhow Funeral Home. Sisemore was born Feburary 12, 1936, at Eufaula and died March 5 at a Midwest City Hospital. Suriviors included his wife Johnnie Ruth, three sons John David, Billy Don and Steve Lynn all of the home, his mother Mrs. Audean Sisimore of McFarland, four brother Dave of Waco, Texas Jerry of Ohio, Valley Calif, Harold of McFarland, Darrel of Delano, Calif, two sisters Mrs. Faye Jannsen of McFarland and Mrs. Nadine Perry of Witchita Falls Texas. His paternal grandfather Walter Sisemore of Eufaula."
          • Bakersfield Californian, photo of Harold Sisemore family members, 1975/05/29
        • Background of Danny's mother Norma Sisemore and that side of the family
          • Waco Tribune-Herald, "R. J. Gabbert Gets Insurance Post at Austin", 1967/08/27: "Revis J. Gabbert, former training consultant at the southwestern division office of American National Insurance Co. in Waco, has been appointed district supervisor of Austin branch office No. 2 of the firm. W. W. Cherry, senior vice president and director of Combination Agencies at the Galveston home office, made the announcement. Gabbert began working for American National in 1960 when he was an agent in the Temple branch office. He was promoted to assistant district manager in 1960 and to training consultant in 1966."
          • Waco Tribune-Herald, "Bob Gentry Named 'Most Professional Teacher'", 1975/06/22: "Norma Sisemore, instructor in print shop operations, was voted most innovative teacher. She came to State Tech in 1970 and worked in the print shop. She began teaching in 1973. She is on professional development leave to complete work on her degree at Tarleton State."
          • Waco Tribune-Herald, "4 Wacoans Get TSU Diplomas", 1976/05/23: "Four Waco area students were among the 215 recent graduates of Tarleton State University. [...] Norma T. Sisemore of Axtell, received a bachelor of applied arts and sciences degree in business administration."
          • Waco Tribune-Herald, "Losak-Gabbert", 1982/01/10: "Donna Louise Gabbert and Freddy Lee Losak recited wedding vows Saturday afternoon at St. Joseph's Catholic Church. The Rev. George Tzanakas performed the ceremony. The groom is the son of Mr. and Mrs. Frank Losak of 1017 Hogan. Parents of the bride are Mr. and Mrs. James Gabbert of Brackettville. Donna Jones was maid of honor, and Bill Losak, the groom's brother, was best man. Yvonne Gabbert, Kathy Gabbert and Sarah Shaw were bridesmaids. Groomsmen were Clifford Early, Larry Unger and Fred Shaw. Johnny Marek and David Sisemore ushered. The couple win live in Hallsburg. Mrs. Losak works at David's Beauty Salon, and the groom is employed by General Tire."
          • Waco Tribune-Herald, obituary for Jesse James Gabbert, 1983/04/26: "Jesse James (Jim) Gabbert, 75, of Mesquite died April 16 at a Mesquite hospital. Services were April 18 at Hewett Funeral Home, the Rev. Albert J. Martin officiating. Burial was at Bellwood Memorial Park. Survivors include his wife, Mary Loretta Gabbert of Mesquite; four sons, James Gabbert of Mart, Revis J. Gabbert of Temple, Duane Gabbert of Ark City, Kan., and Dean Gabbert of Bracketville; four daughters, Mrs. Joye Burns of Geraldine, Ala., Mrs. Norma Sisemore of Axtell, Mrs. Barbara Lento and Mrs. Jean Coronado, both of Mesquite; a brother, Oran Gabbert of Abilene; a sister, Mrs. Ella Ballard of Wasilla, Alaska; 23 grandchildren; and eight great-grandchildren."
          • Find A Grave memorial for Revis Joel Gabbert - born 1937/12/27 in Freestone County TX; died 1985/04/26 in Bell County TX
          • Waco Tribune-Herald, "$10,000 for scholarships", 1991/03/14: "The Texas Graphic Arts Educational Foundation (TGAEF) donated $10,000 to the Graphic Imaging Systems Technology (GIS) program at Texas State Technical Institute-Waco. [...] According to Norma Sisemore, GIS program chair, the goal of the campaign is to bring graphic arts industries, trade associations and educators together to develop better students and employees."
          • Waco Tribune-Herald, "TSTC works to increase number of female students", 1992/10/25 (pages 1A, 12A): "Norma Sisemore, program chair of the Graphic Imaging Systems Technology at the Waco campus, said she has seen an "encouraging" increase in women enrolling in her department, but not as many as the industry calls for. "The barriers are letting down," said Sisemore, the first female president of the Faculty Senate."
          • Waco Tribune-Herald, "ACHIEVERS", 1993/06/28: "Norma Sisemore, department chair for Graphic Imaging Systems Technology at Texas State Technical College, recently was selected for the third year to serve as a judge in Printing Industries of America International Print Awards competition. Sisemore joined three educators and 38 professional artists, publishers, printers and print buyers from across the country who met in mid-June at the Dallas InfoMart to critique hundreds of the worlds best-designed and finest-printed brochures, direct-mail pieces, art prints and posters. The annual event held by the PIA presents some of the most prestigious awards in the graphic arts industry. Sisemore serves on the PIA board of directors, is a member of the National Printing Education certification team and is the TSTC Faculty Senate president."
          • Find A Grave memorial for Charles Ray “Chuck” Hicks Sr.: "Charles "Chuck" Hicks Sr. passed away Wednesday, May 20, 2009. Funeral services will be 10 a.m. Monday, May 25, at Pecan Grove Funeral Home with Norma Sisemore officiating. Burial will follow at Robinson Cemetery. The family will receive visitors 6 to 8 p.m. Sunday, at the funeral home.
            
            Chuck was born in Nortonville, Ky., to Jess and Velma Hicks. He married Glenda Edgar on Sept. 3, 1960. He served in the United States Army from 1960 to 1964, and was honorably discharged as a disabled veteran. He served the police force in many different areas including Chief of Police in Lacy Lakeview, Sheriff's Department in McLennan County, and police officer in Temple. He was also employed for a time as the head of safety and security for Plantation Foods. Charles loved hunting and NASCAR, and was Paw-Paw to everyone."
          • Galloway and Sons Funeral Home obituary for James E. "Jimmy" Gabbert: "James E. “Jimmy” Gabbert, 88, of Beeville, Texas, passed away Wednesday, February 2, 2022. Jimmy was born December 9, 1933, in Troy, Texas to Jesse James Gabbert and Mary Loretta (Hester) Gabbert. He served in the United States Marine Corp. Jimmy married Glenda Palmer in Temple on June 8, 1959, and was a member of the Baptist faith. His greatest joy in life was spending time with his family. He will be greatly missed by all who knew him. He was preceded in death by his parents, Jim and Loretta Gabbert; four brothers, Duane, Revis, Dean and Doyle Gabbert; and his wife of 51 years, Glenda Louise Gabbert. Survivors include three daughters, Donna (Freddy) Losak of Waco, Yvonne Gabbert of Marble Falls and Kathy (Dave) Gabbert Smith of Beeville; a son, Ryan Gabbert of Beeville; four sisters, Joye Burns of Alabama, Norma (Dave) Sisemore of Axtell, Barbara Lento of Ben Wheeler and Jeanie (Toby) Toberney of Ben Wheeler; 10 grandchildren; and five great-grandchildren."
      • Beth Bramlett murder - on the early morning of 1982/08/08 in Axtell TX; some early reports (plus Careless Whispers) named her as Gail Beth Bramlett, and when David Spence heard the murder announced on the radio, he angrily confronted Muneer Deeb because he thought it was referring to Gayle Kelley; one of her ex-boyfriends Danny McSpadden used to be roommates with Danny Sisemore (a friend of Kenneth Franks who was alleged to have an uncle in the mafia), and another ex-boyfriend Charles Sedigas was a witness to Tab Harper making a veiled confession in the lake murders; Truman Simons attempted to implicate Sedigas in the murder of Beth as well as the murder of his own grandmother (who supposedly became suspicious of him for Beth's murder), but both attempts ultimately collapsed
        • Daily Beast, "Officers Solve Murder of Texas Girl After 36 Years", 2018/02/24 (updated 2018/02/26): "With summer winding down, Beth Marie Bramlett—like many students of Axtell High School—crowded into Trading House Lake, a lush blue-water reservoir in Waco, Texas, for an end-of-the-season bash. It was August of 1982 and Bramlett, 17, was preparing to begin her senior year. As the party was in full swing a brawl ensued. Later, in an unrelated incident, a teenager who was playing with a pistol fired a shot into the air. Shortly after, Bramlett decided it was time to go home.
          
          She started walking on Hall Drive when Johnny and Teresa Wood offered her a ride. En route to Bramlett’s home in nearby Axtell, the car ran out of gas. Shortly after 1:00 a.m. the pair dropped her off on the side of Wilbanks and Hall Drive and returned to the party. Once there, Teresa saw her father, Talmadge Wayne Wood. Wood, according to investigators, told Teresa not to hang out with Bramlett. Wood then threatened to “kill” his daughter if she didn’t arrive home before he did.
          
          As Teresa raced home, Bramlett remained stranded. Then she saw Talmadge Wood’s car on the road and she flagged him down, according to Detective Fuller.
          
          Bramlett never made it home."
        • p.3 of a 1982/08/20 police report: "At 9:15A 8-19-82, I did talk to a DANA SISEMORE, who is brother to DANNY SISEMORE, who is presently in Alabama. [...] During the conversation she stated that DANNY wante to know what kind of weapon was used on BETH BRAMLETT when she was killed and then after that she said that there was a subject that he knew that hated both KEN FRANKS & BETH BRAMLETT by the name of DANNY McSPADDEN, who was a personal friend of DANNY SISEMORE. She said that DANNY had said that this McSPADDEN hated BETH because she had broken up with him and that he was very in love with her and hated KEN, because he, SISEMORE, had quit being friends with McSPADDEN and had started going around with KEN FRANKS. [...]"
        • p.4 of a 1982/08/20 police report: "We did ask him [DANNY McSPADDEN] also, in reference to the killing of BETH BRAMLETT, which is being investigated by the Sheriff's Officers of McLennan County and he stated that he was not at the Lake party that night that a fight had broken out and shots had been fired. That he had been with a [alibi witness] and that he had gotten home about 10:45PM and did not go to the lake at all, which was on August 7, 1982. He stated that he had been BETH BRAMLETT's boyfriend before he got out of high school in 81, however they had broken up because BETH did not like him anymore."
        • p.1-2 of a 1982/08/31 police report - has Charles Sedigas give his story regarding "Tabor" and his Mexican friend, and when asked about Beth Bramlett, say that he had previously dated her, saw her a couple days before her murder, and heard she was looking for him at the party on the night she was killed
        • Orange Leader, "Suspect in Shooting Death Faces Questions on Others", 1982/10/29: "Jimmy Dean Roe, 23, was charged with murder Thursday in the August shooting death of Beth Bramlett of Axtell and jailed in lieu of $100,000 bond according io Justice of the Peace Joe Johnson. Another man, Carlos Castro, 20, of Bellmead, also was charged with murder in Miss Bramlett’s death, Johnson said. Castro also was being held in the McLennan County Jail in lieu of $100,000 bond, according to Johnson. Waco police said they were “still talking” to Roe, who is held in the McLennan County Jail, but they did not believe he killed Kenneth Franks, 18, of Waco, and Jill Montgomery and Raylene Rice, both 17, both of Waxahachie. [...] Roe turned himself in to Kerrville police Wednesday night. He told officers there that he killed five people in and around Waco. vHe said he had gone and talked to the Lord, and the Lord had told him to confess to these murders,” said a Kerrville investigator who refused to be identified. “He said he killed these three kids (in the park), but Waco said he didn’t know enough about it to have done it. He had about five murders he wanted to confess to.” Kerrville Police Chief Scott Evans said Roe walked into the police station about 9 or 10 p.m. and said he wanted to confess. He returned to Waco voluntarily Thursday morning with Waco homicide detectives. Roe also will be questioned in the fatal beating of a 44-year-old Burleson County woman on Oct. 24, 1981, according to Burleson County District Attorney Charles Sebesta. A friend of Roe’s, Thomas Francis Solomon, was convicted in the slaying of Rosalee L. Schumaker of Deanville, Sebesta said. “It may be that he (Roe) is going to be a co- defendant,” Sebesta said."
        • Charles Sedigas murder accusations
          • KWTX, "KWTX looks into a 35-year-old unsolved murder", 2017/08/29: "[Truman] Simons didn’t work for the county when Bramlett was murdered, but shortly afterwards he would sign on with the McLennan County Sheriff’s Department and with that began investigating the Bramlett murder. [...] Today, Simons says, there’s absolutely no doubt who the murderer is but no one’s yet been able to prove it. “I know who did it, and if someone would run the DNA from the investigation, they could make an arrest,” Simons says. “We’re going to do just that,” McLennan County Sheriff Parnell McNamara said. [...] The McLennan County chief deputy told News 10 Wednesday McNamara had the Bramlett case file on his desk Tuesday afternoon and had begun studying it. There even was talk about organizing a task force to work on solving the case. “I’ve called together a group of detectives, including myself, and we’re going to solve this brutal murder,” McNamara said. [...] But Bramlett’s murder isn’t the only murder tied to the same suspect, Simons said. “At the time he was living with his grandmother,” Simons said, “and she started getting suspicious. A short time later the suspect’s grandmother was found beaten to death in her Bellmead home. That murder remains unsolved, as well. “When she threatened to throw him out, he killed her so he’d have a place to live,” Simons said. Oddly, sometime later the prime suspect shot himself with the same pistol he’d used to shoot Bramlett, but didn’t die."
          • Waco Tribune-Herald, "Grand jury indicts suspect in 1984 slaying of grandmother", 2019/02/27: "The grandson of a Bellmead woman who was stabbed to death in 1984 has been indicted in her murder, more than two months after investigators named him as a suspect in the cold case. A McLennan County grand jury Wednesday indicted Charles Emory Sedigas, 55, of Hubbard, in the murder of Vera Jean Burleson, who was found beaten and stabbed to death at her Bellmead home. Sedigas was arrested late last year when McLennan County Sheriff’s Office cold case investigators tied him to the slaying. Investigators reported that Burleson, 56, was found with multiple stab wounds to her head and face on the morning of June 25, 1984. Sedigas was never arrested for the crime until a “critical witness” identified Sedigas as the killer. [...] Investigators said the witness saw Sedigas covered in blood after a visit to his grandmother’s house the day before the woman was found dead. “The witness states Chuck Sedigas has a large amount of blood on his clothes,” court documents state. “When asked by the witness what had happened, Chuck Sedigas replied, ‘I killed Grandma. I stabbed her.’ ” Sedigas allegedly threatened to kill the witness if the witness told anyone of the crime, investigators said. Authorities arrested Sedigas in December on a warrant charging murder."
          • Waco Tribune-Herald, "Sheriff's office cold case unit gets donation", 2019/09/17: "Investigators with the McLennan County Sheriff's Office cold case unit received a $2,500 donation to help in their investigations of unsolved cases that have laid dormant for decades. David Willie, owner of local office equipment supplier CTWP, presented Sheriff Parnell McNamara and cold case investigators with a check Tuesday during a commissioners court meeting. [...] Willie said he has been friends with McNamara for years and he strongly believes in the work investigators are doing. [...] George's Restaurant owner Sammy Citrano III also donated $2,500 to the cold case unit in February 2018, shortly after the unit was established. So far, the unit has determined Talmadge Wayne Wood was responsible for killing 17-year-old Beth Bramlett in 1982. Wood died at the age of 74 without being prosecuted for Bramlett's death. In December 2018, the unit's work led to the arrest of Charles Emory Sedigas, 55, on a charge of murder in the 1984 stabbing death of his grandmother at her Bellmead home."
          • KWTX, "District attorney dismisses murder case against Central Texas man charged in grandmother’s stabbing death", 2022/09/30: "The McLennan County District Attorney’s Office dismissed the murder case against Charles Emory Sedigas on Friday, more than a year after prosecutors learned that DNA evidence excluded him in the 1984 stabbing death of his grandmother. [...] Sedigas’ attorney, Alan Bennett, said DNA analysis of biological evidence under Burleson’s fingernails was done at the request of the defense – not investigators or prosecutors. “Chuck Sedigas insisted from day one that he was innocent of this charge,” Bennett said. “I have tremendous respect for the work the Cold Case Unit does, and it is very important. But they dropped the ball here. The team traveled to several states interviewing potential witnesses with second-hand information. But they never tested the biological evidence that had been in their possession from the beginning. The fingernail scrapings taken from the victim Vera Burleson were analyzed by the local DPS lab at our request.” Bennett said the DNA results exclude Sedigas as the murderer, adding that the DA’s office has had those lab results in their possession for more than two years but only agreed to dismiss the charge on Friday."
        • Talmadge Wayne Wood background and involvement
          • Waco Times-Herald, "Couple Who Sold Drugs Here Receive Sentences", 1966/07/15: "Talmadge Wayne Wood, 26, who was formerly stationed at Sheppard Air Force Base, pleaded guilty to having a stolen U.S. Treasurer's check for $178.79 in his possession, forging the payee's endorsement and passing it at a supermarket. Jefferson said that in summer, 1965, there were several complaints at the base about non-receipt of checks. Wood was suspected. In November Wood requested emergency leave, and he failed to return to duty in December, Jefferson went on. He was listed as AWOL that month, and was classified as a deserter in January."
          • Waco Tribune-Herald, "Axtell man arrested in shootings", 1982/12/20: "An Axtell man was charged in the shooting of two Hallsburg residents early Sunday morning. Sheriff's Deputy Kenneth Vanek said Talmadge Wayne Wood, 42, Route 4, was charged with two counts of attempted murder. Bonds totaling $100,000 were set by Justice of the Peace Joe Johnson. Wood remained in McLennan County Jail Sunday night. The deputy said a suspect had called Frances Benedittine, 61, of Route 7 in Hallsburg asking if he could visit with her. Vanek said a suspect entered the house between 12:30 and 1 a.m. Sunday and he told Mrs. [Benedittine] he would kill her. The suspect fired his gun and grazed her head, the deputy said. The woman's son, Noel High, 41, who lives with his mother, ran into the house and was shot in the neck by the gunman, Vanek said. After a struggle, High took away the gun and held it on the suspect until sheriff's deputies arrived, Vanek said. High was listed in stable condition at Providence Hospital Sunday night. Mrs. Benedittine was treated and released."
          • Waco Tribune-Herald, "Man jailed on aggravated robbery charge", 1984/07/19: "A Waco man remained in McLennan County Jail on Wednesday night charged with aggravated robbery. Talmadge Wayne Wood, 44, of 4209 South Third was arrested Tuesday night and placed under $10,000 bond by Justice of the Peace John Cabaniss. Peggy Jo Smith of Rosebud was leaving Richland Mall about 7 p.m. Tuesday and was attempting to enter her car when a man forced her car door open, pointed a pistol at her side and told her to get in the vehicle, police said. The man ran off when she began honking her car horn. Several people who witnessed the incident chased the man in and out of the mall before a mall security guard joined the chase. The man reportedly pointed the gun at the guard and threatened to kill him. Police were notified, caught the man and disarmed him."
          • From the Daily Beast article: "Four months after Bramlett’s murder, Wood broke into a widow’s home a week before Christmas, shooting the woman and her son. The pair survived and Wood, who claimed self defense, was sentenced to 10 years' probation. The next year, he attempted to kidnap an elderly woman at gunpoint at Richland Mall, McNamara said. He was sentenced to 10 years in prison. Released in 1994, Wood continued to have brushes with the law and in 2014 died of natural causes. With Wood dead, investigators say people began to come forward once Bramlett’s case was reopened."
      • Muneer Deeb as a suspect
        • Waco Tribune-Herald, "Outcome of Deeb trial sends shocks", 1993/01/13
        • Dallas Observer, "Defending Darlie", 1998/08/06: "Simons' murder-for-hire theory had several flaws, however. Deeb paid for similar policies on another employee, plus one for himself and his partner. These policies were cheaper than workman's compensation, Muneer recently explained to the Dallas Observer. And the insurance policy did not pay in the case of murder or suicide, according to Deeb's insurance agent. Besides, Deeb did not need the money--his father was a well-compensated executive with IBM in Saudi Arabia."
      • David Spence as a suspect
        • Gene Deal background and involvement as Spence's probation officer - TODO: fill out
        • David Puryear background and testimony against Spence - was the nephew of Tab Harper
          • p.3257 of 1958 births from the Texas Department of Health Bureau of Vital Statistics - lists David Elon Puryear born 1958/05/10 to Sunya Yvonne Harper (ed. note: sister of Tab Harper) and Ollie Joe Puryear
          • Waco Tribune-Herald, "Waco Man Sentenced In Burglary of Cafe", 1981/04/24: "[54th State District Court Judge Walter] Smith revoked the probation of David Elon Puryear, who pleaded guilty to burglary of a building in 1979. Puryear will serve a two-year prison term."
          • Waco Tribune-Herald, "Wacoan draws 25-year sentence in burglary case", 1983/03/10: "David Elon Puryear, 24, of 512 North Twenty-sixth was given three three-year prison sentences after he pleaded guilty to two counts of burglary of a motor vehicle and one count of criminal mischief over $200. The sentences will run concurrently."
          • Background of the Puryear family - interesting that they (both Oscar Puryear and his grandson David Puryear) had a connection to 510 North 26th / 512 North 26th (two street numbers for the same building), because an arson was committed at that property by the David Russell Zell cult (specifically Allan McFarland and an unknown defendant) on 1988/01/09
            • Waco Times-Herald, "C. O. Puryear's Funeral Pending", 1966/01/24: "Clebit O. Puryear, 90, of 1112 Brown Street died at 2:15 a. m. Sunday in his home. [...] Surviving are his wife, Mrs. Viola Puryear of 1112 Brown; seven sons, Oscar L. Puryear of Daughtery Avenue, Harris A. Puryear of 1121 Brown, Robert E. Puryear of 1112 Brown, James E. Puryear of 1224 La Vega in Bellmead, John B. Puryear of Lufkin, Grady L. Puryear of Germany, Gene N. Puryear of Temple; five daughters, Mrs. Jewell Honea of McKinney, Mrs. Mamie L. Conner of Huntington, Mrs. La Venta Worley of Albany, Okla., Mrs. Lita Parker of Waco, Mrs. Gloria Simons of Athens; 36 grandchildren, 28 great-grandchildren, and five great-great-grandchildren."
            • Waco Tribune-Herald, "Wacoan dies after truck slices car roof", 1982/03/31: "A 76-year-old Waco man was killed Tuesday morning when the roof of his 1971 Chevrolet was sheared away by a truck tractor-trailer, Waco police officer Edward McElyea said. Oscar Puryear of 510 North Twenty-sixth died at a Waco hospital from injuries suffered in the 8 a.m. accident, McElyea said. Police issued an arrest warrant for Michael Franklin, 29, of Guyman, Okla., charging negligent homicide. Justice of the Peace Joe Johnson set bond at $3,500. Puryear was northbound on North Nineteenth and Franklin was westbound on Steinbeck Bend Road when the collision occurred, police said. "The top of the car was off, like it was a convertible," McElyea said, adding that the car traveled about 50 feet before coming to a stop. Franklin's vehicle is owned by Schupe Brothers Co. of Greeley, Okla., and Franklin was en route to Crawford to make a delivery Tuesday morning, Police said."
            • Waco Tribune-Herald, obituary for Oscar Puryear, 1982/04/01: "Oscar (Buster) Puryear, 76, of 510 North Twenty-sixth died Tuesday from injuries suffered in an automobile accident. [...] Mr. Puryear was married to Mable Woods in 1926. He moved to Waco in 1950 and was a member of South Waco Church of Christ. Survivors include his wife; his stepmother, Mrs. Viola Puryear of Waco; three daughters, Mrs. Geneva Slagel of 510 North Twenty-sixth, Mrs. Colleen Black of Axtell and Mrs Shirley Pool of Hubbard; five sons, Leon Puryear of Chandler, Ariz., Arlon Puryear of North Augusta, S.C., Dale Puryear of Hearne and Joe Puryear and Gale Puyear, both of Waco; five sisters, Mrs. Jewel Honea of Denton, Mrs. Mamie Lois Connor of Huntington, Mrs. Lita Mae Herrin of Highland and Mrs. Gloria Simmons and Mrs. LaVenta Layton, both of Waco; six brothers, J.B. Puryear of Huntington, Harris Puryear, James Puryear, Grady Puryear and Robert Puryear, all of Waco, and Gene Puryear of Conroe; 17 grandchildren; and 12 great-grandchildren."
            • Pecan Grove Funeral Home obituary for Edna Colleen Black: "Edna Colleen Puryear Black, 85, of Axtell, Texas passed away Monday November 20, 2023. [...] [She] was born in Lamar County, Texas on November 29, 1937, to parents, Oscar Leon (Buster) Puryear and Mabel Woods Puryear. She married the love of her life, Clyde, June 17, 1955, in McLennan County, Texas. Colleen worked at Central Texas Iron Works. She was a longtime member of the Greater Waco Baptist Church. She loved spending time with family and friends. She is preceded in death by her parents Oscar and Mabel Puryear; husband, Clyde Willis Black; son, Doyle Alan Black; sister, Geneva Mae Puryear Slagle; and brothers, Edward Leon Puryear, Arlon Lois (Bumpy) Puryear, Beaulah Dale Puryear, and Beauford Gale Puryear. Colleen is survived by her brother Ollie Joe Puryear of Waco, Texas and sister Shirley Ann Puryear Couch of Hubbard, Texas, many nieces and nephews, several cousins, and extended family."
      • Juanita White murder - in 1986 in Waco TX
        • Waco Citizen, "CRIME OF THE WEEK: Capitol Murder", 1986/04/18: "On Sunday, March 2, 1986, friends of Juanita White became worried about her not being at church. Friends, along with police, checked her residence at 1901 N. 15th and discovered her body in the back room of the house. Police believe sometime during the night, someone kicked in the front door of Mrs. White’s residence. Mrs. White confronted the suspect and a struggle began. She was struck in the head several times which caused her death. The suspect left in the victim’s car, a 1978 Pontiac LeMans with a white top and green bottom. The car was later found by Waco Police in the 1100 block of No. 6th."
        • Waco Citizen, "Murder Trial Witnesses Questioned", 1987/12/04 (pages 1, 2): "Dennis Garvey former assistant DA told the jury of six men and six women and two male alternates, that the Washington case was assigned to him after Pat Murphy left. Garvey said he knew Murphy and District Attorney Vic Feazell had worked on the case and that Truman Simons, Sheriff's Deputy was also working on the case. [...] Don Davis, brother-in-law of Calvin Washington, was the next to take the stand. Davis is serving a 50 year sentence in TDC on the psychiatric ward, for aggravated sexual assault. [...] Davis, married to Washington's sister, Wanda, testified his body was sometimes taken over by his dead father and he would commit crimes. "I see visions and my father makes me do things, that my mind knows are wrong," Davis, 26, testified. On Thursday he testified his father was killed in Dalhart in 1975 by the Klu Klux Clan. He also said he hated his father, and when he does not take his medication, he hears his fathers voice and sees him in visions. He testified the employees of the county jail would not give him his medication while he was incarcerated and would not allow him to call a psychiatrist. [...] [Defense attorney Doug] Henager asked Davis if he could be having visions about talking to Washington. "I'm not aware, it's like I black out," Davis responded. [...] Davis who was booked into the county jail on February 27, 1987 was talking to Washington less than five days after the defendant was booked in March 17, 1986. "Calvin was nervous and crying and Truman Simons said he wanted to talk to me," Davis said. Davis was released from jail on March 25, 1986 after the court dismissed a sexual assault case on a letter from the district attorney's office. Davis said he talked with Washington about four times before they became cellmates. [...] Davis said he knew his release from jail was a mistake, so he turned himself in again the next day. He was in jail on violation of parole for 90 days. [...] Davis continued his testimony saying he had two contact visits with his wife Wanda in Truman Simons' office. [...] [Capt. Dan] Weyenberg testified a "hold" written on Davis's booking card had been whited out. [...] Jan Price, WPD detective, who worked the Juanita White murder, was the next witness called by the defense on Wednesday. [...] "Truman Simons told Don Davis in my presence that he wanted Davis to know he was not an agent of the state and he explained to him, that if he was he would have to give Washington the warnings required," she told the court. [...] Simons testified that Jan Price had met with him and Feazell. Feazell then took the stand and told the court he had followed the case and worked on it. "We had been trying to work with the Waco Police Department and Jan Price came over, I was in the meeting with Jan Price and Simons when Truman told her what Washington had told Davis," Feazell testified. "I had the impression at that time she was excited about the conversation, she was concerned about what her boss Bobby Fortune would say," Feazell said. [...] [After returning to the stand on Thursday afternoon] Davis further testified that he had pleaded guilty to three counts of sexual assault and had a total of 50 years in TDC. Geraldine Douglas, 28, mother of 4 children, was the next witness for the state. She testified she heard Joe Sidney Williams Jr. and Washington talking on the night of March 1 outside the Rocket Club on Cumberland and they were wondering what to do "with the woman." Currently on four years probation for welfare fraud, Mrs. Douglas also said she later saw Williams at the Sands, an after hours nightclub. Mrs. Douglas formerly married to Washington's brother, said she began talking to the DA's office about a month ago, while in jail waiting for her case to be heard. [...] The state recommended probation for Mrs. Douglas on the welfare fraud case one day after she met with Truman Simons in her jail cell. [...] She had previously stated before the jury she had not met with the state until after she received probation, but Crow produced evidence that it was the day prior to her sentencing."
        • Dallas Observer, "Defending Darlie", 1998/08/06: "No proof exists linking White's death to the investigation and conviction of her son, though Pardo claims his "street sources" say there was a direct correlation. The investigation into her death, however, did bear an uncanny similarity to the one that put her son on death row.
          
          White's murder case was assigned to Waco police officer Jan Price, who developed a suspect--a man who committed a similar murder in Juanita White's neighborhood two months later. But before Price could pursue the case further, she was told that Truman Simons had conducted his own investigation. The district attorney's office was going to try two men he had fingered for the crime--Joe Sydney Williams and Calvin Washington, petty thieves who were almost a decade apart in age and barely knew each other.
          
          Again, Simons used jailhouse snitches to make his case. An inmate testified that he walked past a hotel room in the middle of the night and overheard Williams and Washington implicating themselves in the crime. At least 15 Waco police officers testified for the defense at the trials. They claimed that the most important prosecution witnesses should not be believed."
        • Waco Tribune-Herald, "Waco police say Bennie Carroll was an early suspect in the White murder because of similar crimes he committed", 2001/12/16
          • "While J.R. Price and Salinas stayed at the house until almost midnight processing the scene, Jan Price started trying to fit other pieces of the case together. When she was notified that police officers had found White's 1979 Pontiac Le Mans, she headed over to the apartment complex in the 1100 block of North Sixth Street where it had been dumped.
            
            There, Jan Price talked to a resident named Alberta DeGrate, who told her she had seen a black man in his mid-20s drive up in the car about noon that day. DeGrate didn't have many more details about the incident, except to say that the driver probably got into a blue car that was driven into the apartment complex by another black man shortly afterward."
          • "When officers looked for evidence after the second burglary, they found something that might indicate the house was specifically targeted. Discovered on the floor of White's garage was a "fairly new piece of paper which had writing on it describing a house with red and green siding at 15th and Cumberland," according to a police report. It was an apparent reference to White's house."
          • "Meanwhile, other Waco police officers were working a separate, seemingly routine theft case on the day White's body was found. Although they didn't know it at the time, the man they would question in the incident would later be at the center of the White investigation.
            
            A resident of an apartment in the 1100 block of North Sixth Street — the block where White's automobile was abandoned — reported that a stereo had been stolen out of his car.
            
            [...]
            
            The victim told police later that day that neighbors reported they'd seen a 21-year-old black man named Bennie Carroll with his stolen radio. Based on that information, police went to question Carroll at his home at 1403 Indiana Ave."
          • "Carroll, who went by the street name of "Homeboy," initially denied that he had stolen the stereo and said he could account for his whereabouts that night. However, he seemed nervous, according to police reports, and stayed in frequent contact with the police department during the next several days, sometimes calling two or three times within a 24-hour period.
            
            Although Carroll was never arrested in the stolen stereo case, he eventually admitted being involved. The complaint was dropped after he agreed to replace the stereo and to pay the owner for damage to the burglarized car."
          • "The police department was never officially informed that Simons was on the case. In hindsight, J.R. Price said, there was a clue: Within a week of White's death, Vic Feazell, the McLennan County district attorney at the time, ordered the police department to turn over its still-developing files on the case."
          • "When Jan Price went to the county jail to investigate Davis' release, she said in her deposition that jailers told her Simons had "whited out" the hold on Davis' jail booking card. Only the state parole office can legitimately remove a parole hold."
          • "Jan Price said in her deposition that she became even more uneasy when Simons asked her to get a key to White's house a few weeks after her death. Since the police department had already turned the house back over to White's family, Price said she had to ask Steve Spence for a key.
            
            Once she got the key, she said, Simons told her that he and Feazell wanted to look in White's attic. She accompanied the two men to the house and said they both went into the attic, saying they were looking for something that had to do with the Lake Waco murders. She said they did not come back down with anything she could see, adding that they didn't have a search warrant."
          • "Simons also takes issue with Jan Price's account of the visit he and Feazell made to White's house. He said they did want to go to the house to look for evidence from the Lake Waco murders, but Simons said only he, not Feazell, went into the attic.
            
            In a recent telephone interview, Feazell acknowledged that he went to White's house with Simons and Jan Price. However, he said he did not go into the attic and could not remember if Simons had."
          • "The first step the department took was to talk with the prosecutors. J.R. Price and Jan Price, in her deposition, said that they, along with the police department's legal adviser Chuck Karakashian, met with the two assistant district attorneys who were prosecuting the case to let them know they had another suspect, Bennie Carroll, who should be seriously considered.
            
            But the two detectives said the prosecutors had no interest in what they had to say. Assistant District Attorney Scott Peterson told them, they have both said, that prosecutors were going to rely on Simons' case because he had been in law enforcement for a long time. Peterson told them he would classify them as hostile witnesses if necessary, J.R. Price said."
          • "Nonetheless, Jan Price tried one more time before the trials began to save what she said she thought were two innocent men from being prosecuted. She said she and Karakashian paid a visit to another assistant district attorney named El-Hadi Shabazz, according to an affidavit she gave under oath in November 1991.
            
            [...]
            
            "Shabazz replied that he was well aware that the testimony of some of the prosecution's proposed witnesses, including particularly Waymon Dotson, was false," Jan Price said in the affidavit. "He said further that he was not concerned that their testimony would be false, and that the State was preparing to knowingly present this fabricated evidence in any event."
            
            [...]
            
            Shabazz, who now lives in Santa Clara County, Calif., denies that he made those remarks or talked about the White case or any other case with Jan Price, said his lawyer, Michael C. Cohen of Oakland, Calif. Through his attorney, Shabazz also said he did not speak to Karakashian about the matter or have any involvement in the prosecution of Calvin Washington. Shabazz said the statement regarding him that Price made in the 1991 affidavit is "a complete and malicious lie.""
        • Waco Tribune-Herald, "Battles in court and out: Jurors believe inmate tales and send pair away, but the fight for freedom goes on", 2001/12/17
          • "One of the Waco police officers, Mike Nicoletti, even testified in Washington's trial that he had direct knowledge of a deal being offered to a potential witness named Arthur Brandon. Nicoletti, who in a recent interview confirmed his testimony, said on the witness stand that Brandon told him that Truman Simons had made a deal with Brandon to have a pending murder charge against him dropped in exchange for his testifying against Washington.
            
            When Nicoletti asked Brandon if he was going to testify, he said he was not. Instead, he said, his wife was going to testify in his place because her criminal background was not as extensive as his. Although Brandon was not legally married, his common-law wife was Geraldine Douglas, who did testify against Washington."
          • "The 25-year-old had died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound in June of 1990, just three months after he was paroled for the May 1986 assault that police said was chillingly similar to the attack on White. He was found lying on the bathroom floor at his girlfriend's residence in Waco, where a .38-caliber handgun was found in the toilet, a police report said.
            
            Witnesses told police that Carroll carried the gun with him everywhere he went, not even putting it down when he picked up something else. That led investigators to believe that perhaps he had a hair brush and the gun in his hand at the same time and the gun accidentally discharged."
          • "In a recent interview, Feazell said he has never been shown any reason why the witnesses' stories, as they told them in court, should not be believed. However, he said the sworn recantations they gave afterward probably should not be trusted.
            
            "Sworn statements don't mean anything," he said, "especially if they were collected by Jan Price.""
          • "Feazell insisted that the bite-mark evidence against Williams was pretty conclusive and on that basis alone, Williams should have been retried. He pointed out that Williams' conviction was reversed not because the bitemark evidence was judged bad, but because hearsay was improperly admitted at his trial.
            
            "What we've got is pretty solid evidence that Joe Sidney Williams' mouth was on Juanita White's body around the time she was killed," Feazell said. "Apparently forensic odontology is acceptable everywhere else in the U.S. except Waco.""
          • "Because of the new DNA evidence, Feazell said, it's clear that Carroll must have been in on White's murder with Washington and Williams. He said recently that he always thought there was a third suspect, but prosecutors were never able to find out because Washington and Williams would not tell them who was involved. He also said Waco police never mentioned Carroll's name until after the trials were over."
          • ""I hope that Calvin Washington has straightened out his life. If not, the $300,000 the state plans to give him if he is pardoned — as recommended by John Segrest, Larry Lynch and George Allen — will certainly buy a lot of crack," Feazell said before the pardon was granted."
        • Waco Tribune-Herald, "The Witnesses", 2001/12/17
          • "Harold Brown
            
            Criminal History: At the time of the trial, Brown was in prison for possession of a controlled substance. He had previously been convicted at least five times for possession of marijuana and he had several convictions for unlawfully carrying a weapon. He had also been arrested for attempted murder.
            
            Relation: He was the owner of Brown's Fine Foods, which was also known as the Sands.
            
            Testimony: Brown said that on a weekend night around the time of White's murder, he was inside at the Sands when Williams asked him to come outside. When he did, Brown saw Washington inside a car resembling White's.
            
            Possible Deals: Brown had a long history of having charges dismissed by the district attorney's office. Charges dismissed included attempted murder, burglary of a habitation with intent to kidnap, unlawfully carrying a weapon and burglary of a vehicle."
          • "Sammy Crawford
            
            [...]
            
            Other Facts: Crawford said that Simons visited him at his house the night before he testified."
          • "Fate Dotson
            
            [...]
            
            Also, Dotson testified that Simons used to regularly pick up his brother, Waymon Dotson, and take him to run errands. One time Waymon came back with drugs, he said. Dotson said Simons took Waymon on errands in return for Waymon helping Simons in some way.
            
            Recantation: In a statement he gave to police in January 1988, Dotson said all of his testimony was false and that he was not with Washington or Williams on the night White was killed. He said he was coerced by then-District Attorney Vic Feazell; an assistant DA; and his brother, Waymon, to testify. He said that they all told him that if he testified, Waymon would get a lighter charge on a pending case. After the trial, Dotson said, some strangers confronted him, saying they knew he had lied at trial. He became scared and asked Simons for a bus ticket to get out of town. He said Simons bought the ticket for him."
          • "Angela Miles
            
            [...]
            
            Also, Miles said on Dec. 31 that after she bonded out of prison following Williams' trial, a man came to see her. He said that Simons wanted her to come to the DA's office and that he had been instructed to give her drugs to induce her cooperation. When Miles eventually went to the office, she said she was questioned by Simons and assistant district attorneys Scott Peterson and Karen Amos. At that time, Simons told her that Waymon Dotson had said she was with him, Washington and Williams on the night White was murdered.
            
            Miles said she was required to take a polygraph administered by McLennan County Sheriff Jack Harwell. She said she was not asked any questions about what was in her statement but was instead quizzed about whether she had been at the C&E Motel that night or in White's car.
            
            [...] Afterward, Miles said, she was told that she had failed the polygraph. Simons then threatened to charge her with capital murder, she said, basing that on Waymon Dotson's statement that she was in White's car."
        • Waco Tribune-Herald, "Former prosecutors now split on defendants' guilt: Amos believes pair were innocent of crime, but Peterson still has doubts", 2001/12/17
          • "The contrary opinions seem to have started back in 1987 as the two prosecutors were preparing for trial. Amos, who was the lead prosecutor on the cases, said recently that she thought then that the two men were guilty. But she was uncomfortable with the cases from the start, she said, because of the questionable character of many of the state's witnesses and the lack of any evidence that conclusively linked the defendants to the crime scene.
            
            "They were the weakest two cases I've ever brought before a jury before," Amos said.
            
            Peterson, on the other hand, said he felt pretty comfortable with the cases. He said he remembers always wanting more evidence, since the reputations of many of the state's witnesses were so bad. But when then-McLennan County Sheriff's Deputy Truman Simons told him Washington had confessed to him and showed Peterson what he thought was good corroborating evidence, he made up his mind that the two men were guilty. Simons, who has since retired from the department, deferred interview requests by the Tribune-Herald on at least five occasions and finally refused to grant an interview for this series."
          • "Amos and Peterson also disagree in their views of Waco Police Sgt. Jan Price, the investigator who originally developed Bennie Carroll as a suspect. Amos said she wishes now that she had taken the time to sit down with Price and hear her out.
            
            Peterson does not share that regret. He said he met with Price and Waco Police Sgt. Robert Fortune but that Price used the meeting to vent about the district attorney's office rather than present him with evidence that cleared Williams or Washington or indicated Carroll.
            
            "They just yelled at me, so much that spit was coming out of their mouths," Peterson said."
        • Waco Tribune-Herald, "The search for Juanita White's killer in many significant ways paralleled the investigation of the Lake Waco triple murders for which White's son, David Wayne Spence, was executed", 2001/12/18
          • "In the White case, Feazell delegated the prosecution duties to two assistant district attorneys in his office, but he made the decision to accept the case developed by Simons against Washington and Williams. He was in the courtroom for parts of the trials and made a few arguments for the prosecution during sessions in the judge's chambers."
          • "In the White case, three witnesses — Don Davis Jr., Angela Miles and Fate Dotson — completely recanted their testimony and said it was false. A fourth witness, Waymon Dotson, partially recanted."
          • "After Spence's trials, many of the witnesses who testified against him also recanted in sworn statements and other statements included in Spence appeals documents. They included Jesse H. Ivy, Frank Amorella, Robert David Snelson, Randy Joe White and Kevin Ray Mikel. The testimony of a sixth witness, David E. Puryear, was also called into question by his former-brother-in-law, who said Puryear told him his testimony was fabricated.
            
            [...]
            
            Steve Moore, a former brother-in-law of Puryear, said in a November 1991 statement that Puryear had a stapled booklet from Feazell containing what he was supposed to testify to and that Feazell had promised to pay Puryear for his testimony.
            
            Ivy said in a sworn statement in October 1992 that Feazell paid him $700 for a ring he had made in a prison workshop and that Simons allowed him to have alcohol and marijuana in jail. He also said that officials in the district attorney's office treated him "like one of the boys," and even jokingly offered him a "big Styrofoam 'key to the jail' or 'key to the city' as a present."
            
            Randy Joe White said in a statement that he was given a private cell with a shower and was given a radio. Several times a week, he said, Simons would take him out of the jail and drive him to visit his father, first at the nursing home where he stayed and then later at his private apartment. After many of those visits, he said he would smuggle drugs back into the jail because he was never searched."
          • "Spence's lawyers soon learned that Harper had an extensive criminal history. At the time of the lake murders, he had already been arrested on 22 assault charges of varying severity, an armed robbery charge, three aggravated robbery charges and a terroristic threat charge, according to a court document.
            
            When defense attorneys inquired about Harper during Spence's appeals process, they were told he had an alibi that made it impossible for him to have committed the crimes. But the nature of that alibi was not specified, Schonemann said.
            
            [...]
            
            When Spence's attorneys inquired further, they learned that Harper's alibi was that he claimed to have been at home watching the television show "Dynasty" with his sister and her boyfriend the night the three teen-agers were killed.
            
            Not only was that a far cry from an airtight alibi, but television records showed that "Dynasty" did not air that night, Schonemann said. Also, police reports that relate to the questioning of Harper never mention an alibi or that the alibi witnesses were ever interviewed."
          • "In Feazell's mind, there is only one connection that matters when talking about Washington and Williams in the White case and David Spence in the Lake Waco murders case.
            
            "Those boys were guilty, and David Spence was guilty," Feazell said."
        • National Registry of Exonerations page for Joe Sidney Williams - the information about Williams and Washington being arrested the day after White's murder for being "in possession of the White’s car" is false
      • Truman Simons background
        • Bernadette Feazell, "TRUMAN SIMONS STRANGE DEPOSITION", 2015/11/28: "Truman Simons in a deposition in 2003 against Brian Pardo and John McLemore over an article in a “trade magazine” where they question the guilt of David Spence and the others in the famous Lake Waco Triple Murder, blames the break up of his marriage on the article. He forgets about his affair with the wife of Waco Fire Chief, John Johnston, “Sherre” in his first deposition. This is the second. “Sherre”, then becomes a secretary for Vic Feazell for the next 10 years or so, AND is listed on Simons’ Private Detective license. Simons is represented by Dave Deaconson of Waco, read how lawyer Deaconson tries to “clean up” Simons’ ideas of WHEN an affair begins."
        • Waco Tribune-Herald, "Longtime lawman credited with solving 1982 Lake Waco murders dies", 2021/11/01: "After he retired from law enforcement as a captain with the McLennan County Sheriff’s Office, Simons spent the past two decades as a successful private investigator, working with defense attorneys. [...] While Simons avoided the spotlight, his dogged pursuit of the Lake Waco killers became the subject of award-winning writer Carlton Stowers’ 1986 book, “Careless Whispers,” a best-seller that chronicled Simons’ relentless investigation [...] “In my career, I have meet a lot of people in law enforcement and none who I ever admired more than Truman Simons,” Stowers said Monday. [...] Waco attorney David Deaconson, who worked with Simons when Deaconson was a young prosecutor in the mid-1980s, said Texas has lost a “true icon.” “He was a man of integrity who always focused on finding the truth, even when the truth wasn’t the popular answer,” Deaconson said. [...] Some of Simons’ last work was done as an investigator for defense attorney Jessi Freud in a sexual assault of a child case, which ended in a hung jury and mistrial three weeks ago."
        • Waco Tribune-Herald, obituary for Truman Simons, 2021/11/07: "Truman Lee Simons, of Waco, Texas, passed from this life to his eternal life, the night of October 30, 2021.
          
          Truman was born May 16, 1943, in Rosenthal, Texas, to Lonzo Luther Simons and Maud Hickox Simons. He was the second oldest of four children, and was preceded in death by his parents; his older sister, Jenny Joyce May; and "little sister", Linda Wacill Simons. He was raised in the community of Rosenthal and attended Lorena Schools. He also served his country in the Air Force from June 1960 and was honorably discharged in June 1964.
          
          Truman was known to many for his time as a law enforcement agent, both with the Waco PD and the McLennan County Sheriff's department. Truman had risen to the rank of Captain at the Sheriff's department prior to leaving in 2001. He won many awards as a peace officer and was most notably featured in the book Careless Whispers for helping solve the Lake Waco Murders. For many years he would receive thoughtful letters from strangers around the world, who appreciated his tenacity, grit and ability to work the hard cases. Even though he never sought fame or compensation for that case, it made him into a well-known public figure.
          
          After leaving law enforcement, Truman started his own business as a private investigator and continued to work many cases across the state up until his death. He truly cared about all of his clients and made sure they got a fair trial. For any of his open cases today, please know that even as he became sick, he had told his loved ones that he wanted to live long enough to help close his cases and help each of you get the best judgement or set free. We know it broke his heart that he was unable to finish his work.
          
          Truman was also a mechanic in his spare time that liked to rebuild cars and work on small engines. He always had two or three horses on his ranch that he loved. He enjoyed shooting his guns and even built a black-powder rifle when he was younger. He loved and lived by the old cowboy spirit and was very proud to trace his family roots back to Wild Bill Hickok. He was always a family man that mostly kept to himself and enjoyed his privacy. If Truman called you his friend, then you knew you earned it.
          
          He leaves behind his best friend, Sherre Whitney; his daughter, Kelly Simons, her boyfriend, Mark Walter; his son, Jason Simons, his daughter-in-law, Natalie Johnson; his brother, Randy Simons and sister-in-law, Patricia Simons; nieces, Rebecca Simons and Adrianna Simons Suarte; as well many extended family members, cousins, and cherished friends. He was also lovingly known as Paw Paw to his granddaughter, Kellsy Macdonald; grandson, Kris Macdonald; grandson, Nicholas (Niko) Simons, Paige Whitney Johnston, and Ben David Johnston.
          
          Truman requested a small graveside funeral with only his family in attendance. We honored his wishes on Friday, November 5. Bishop Willie E. Tompkins officiated."
        • Facebook social media presence
          • 2021/07/31 post with a pro-Trump meme - is laugh-reacted by and has a comment saying "Love it! 😂" from Trish Kinder
          • 2021/08/15 image repost of Kristi Noem - is loved by and has a comment saying "Class act" from Felipe Reyna
          • 2021/09/26 post - is loved by and has a heart GIF comment from Trish Kinder
          • 2021/10/01 image repost - is liked by Bobby Brem
        • Sherre Johnston background
          • Radio Legendary, "Things We Lost In The Fire", 2017/02/20
            • "[...] Lt. Kevin Fisk wound up in a heap of trouble over how and why Ashley Dawn Rogers and her kids lost their lives on February 16, 2012 when her trailer house exploded in the sudden conflagration he says was ordered and carried out by the Texas Aryan Brotherhood, a prison gang with its roots in California and its fingers in the synthesis and sales of methamphetamine, auto theft and extortion."
            • "One of the items to be herein discussed was at one time part of an Internal Affairs Division investigation derailed by former Fire Chief John Johnston and Fire Marshal Kevin Vranich in what Fisk came to think of as a “quid pro quo” arrangement with what he has described as multiple moving parts. On October 1, 2014, Fisk had an appointment with an Internal Affairs investigator to go over his records and recollections regarding certain procedural irregularities in both departments, primarily where his investigation of the Ashley Dawn Rogers case interfered with the agenda of certain other detectives and command staffers. The meeting was scheduled for a little after the noon hour, but when he arrived for work that morning, he was ordered to a conference room at department headquarters and confronted with an allegation of “critical incident stress,” something Vranich said amounted to an injury that was affecting his objectivity. [...] The officials subsequently removed him from any active follow-up investigations of fires of questionable origin past the initial reports. He eventually wound up on administrative leave pending an psychiatric evaluation."
            • "In this first set of documents, Fisk documents how Vranich represented that a set of 9 Glock pistols – four of which were property of individual officers and 5 owned by the City of Waco were all government property, not to be sold or transferred. Falsification of the documents are prima facie evidence of a federal felony, a violation of a subsection of 18 US Code."
            • "In a second series of documents, two events which occurred long before Fisk’s meeting with Waco Police Internal Affairs are described in police reports, one in Robinson, the other at an apartment complex in Waco – during which Chief Johnston’s wife Sherre Johnston allegedly screamed imprecations at police officers whom she urged to arrest her daughter’s boyfriend for drugs after they found none, waved a 14-inch butcher knife with a serrated edge, and cut the shoulder of her daughter’s boyfriend during a confrontation. Though Chief Johnston claimed in remarks to the union’s president that there was no truth to reports that he kicked in doors at his daughter’s apartment, the documents clearly show that he did so when he thought the young woman was inside preparing to kill herself with a razor blade. Police reports released to the Johnstons’ daughter Taylor recount how she was found in a bathtub, cutting patterns on her naked thighs because it is easier to bear that kind of pain than it is to endure the strife of her mother’s wrath, she explained to Waco police."
              • Per page 13 of those Waco PD documents, Sherre's daughter's boyfriend says she claimed "her and ABEL REYNA are best friends and nothing will happen"
            • "Booking records obtained from the McLennan County Sheriff’s Office show that Mrs. Johnston has been arrested three times recently for DWI, unlawfully carrying a weapon, and failure to identify. A description of her employment at the time of her last arrest showed she worked for Private Investigator Truman Simon, a former Lieutenant of the McLennan County Sheriff’s Office. A notation on the documents shows that her permit had lapsed at the time."
            • "Mrs. Johnston endured a hot 15 minutes of fame when she found a close friend, long-time law man Mike McNamara, suffering a fatal heart attack in the parking lot of a steak house on Franklin Avenue in Waco. She called 9-1-1 operators and became rather hysterical when the woman who answered the emergency call began to ask questions. The tense moments were captured on tape."
            • "Sherre Johnston (r) recently opened “Ricochet,” a boutique located in the Central Texas Marketplace, that specializes in trendy party dresses"
          • KWTX, "Businesswoman charged in burglary on local sheriff’s property", 2017/05/10: "A local businesswoman has been arrested and charged in connection with a break-in Sunday at a storage shed next to the home of McLennan County Sheriff Parnell McNamara off Rock Creek road in Bosqueville. Sherre Johnston, 49, of Lorena was arrested early Monday morning after a search warrant signed at 1:40 a.m. Monday by 54th District Court Judge Matt Johnson was executed at her home on Deer Valley Drive. [...] Johnston was arrested and booked into the McLennan County Jail. She was charged with burglary and criminal mischief and was later released after posting bonds totaling $6,000. McNamara declined to comment on the arrest Wednesday. An affidavit filed in connection with the arrest says that Johnston was seen on McNamara’s property by two credible witnesses at around 7:45 p.m. Sunday. [...] Johnston was warned last month to stay off the property. The affidavit said a law enforcement officer spotted her on McNamara’s property on April 13. She was advised she wasn’t allowed there and signed a document stating she understood she would face a criminal trespass charge if she returned."
          • Radio Legendary, "Burglary charge ends guns and roses affair", 2017/05/10: "According to a public document that officials of the McLennan County Sheriff’s Office refused to release to RadioLegendary, a prominent boutique owner had been given a criminal trespassing warning months ago, a document warning her to stay away from Sheriff Parnell McNamara’s home place. His brother Mike McNamara is buried there and Mrs. Sherre Johnston had visited his grave a number of times, causing complaints by his widow and family. In an exclusive interview at the time, she said she was upset because McNamara was a close friend. “Why shouldn’t I be allowed to visit the grave of a close friend?” she asked. She found him suffering a fatal heart attack in the parking lot of an area restaurant, she said, and called an ambulance. “I was just driving by.” On Sunday, May 5, she reportedly returned to the home place of the McNamara brothers’ father, U.S. Deputy Marshal in Charge of the Waco Division of the Western District of Texas, where the family has lived since antebellum days. [...] Mrs. Johnston is no stranger to legal controversy. For a number of years she served as an assistant in the law office of Vic Feazell, former District Attorney, and had a place on the slate of associates listed on the Private Investigator’s license of Truman Simons, a former Waco police detective and Captain of the McLennan County Sheriff’s Office [...]"
          • Pecan Grove Funeral Home obituary for Bonnie Jean Whitney (Parrott): "Bonnie Jean Whitney of Waco, went to be with her Lord, family and friends, on May 16, 2017. Graveside services will be 1:00 p.m., Friday, May 19, at Oakwood Cemetery, Waco, with Rev. Gary Riley officiating. Mrs. Whitney was born on July 18, 1928, in Waco, Texas. She graduated from the old Waco High School, on Columbus Ave. She attended 4 C Business College, and Baylor University. She was an avid Baylor Bear. She worked at James Connally Air Force Base and for the federal government for 25 years, which she retired from. She was known for her very high IQ, eloquent vocabulary, and vivid memory. Mrs. Whitney loved her family and most of all, her Lord. She would pray for, or witness to anyone she met. She never met a stranger. Mrs. Whitney is proceeded in death by her parents, siblings, nieces and nephews. They are all having a joyous reunion in heaven. She is survived by her daughter, Sherre Whitney Johnston; son-in-law, John David Johnston; three grandchildren, Taylor Lynn Johnston, Paige Whitney Johnston, and Ben David Johnston, all of Lorena; along with numerous great-nieces and nephews."
          • Bernadette Feazell, "SHERRE JOHNSTON EMAIL 2001, “You have known about us from the beginning and I need to know who you have told.”", 2017/08/14 - in reference to the affair between Sherre and Truman Simons
          • Bernadette Feazell, "SHERRE JOHNSTON RATS OUT EMPLOYER VIC FEAZELL IN JUNE 27, 2001 EMAIL", 2017/08/14 - includes a 2002/06/27 email from Sherre to Bernadette
            • "For some reason, Dannen is on a MISSION to get Tru thrown in jail. But what do you want Tru and Vic to do about it? They aren’t doing anything wrong. The Chapman thing wasn’t a big deal like it is being made into. I am telling you, I WAS THERE! ( by the way, I never received that transcription of Chapman)" - in reference to David Chapman, the special prosecutor in the retrial of Muneer Deeb, being asked by Vic Feazell and Truman Simons to get the lake murders physical evidence back from the Tarrant County crime lab
            • "Harper, Bubba, and Larry Kinder all hung out at the lake with all the other thugs back then. I have talked to my husband about all this. He knows the Kinders. Him and his brother used to get in fights with them. Larry Kinder is an overgrown punk. It is very possible their DNA could be on towels because they all used each others towels, cars, women and pot."
          • Bernadette Feazell, "SHERRE JOHNSTON AND PARNELL MOVED MIKE MCNAMARA NOW SHERRE GETS OFF EVERYTHING BLACKMAIL AT YOUR EXPENSE", 2017/08/20 (911 call audio): "How does someone get off 8 or 9 DWI’s? A look back and a listen to the 911 tape might explain that to you. If you listen closely and many do, some say that the “cough” you hear in the background and a little speaking is Parnell himself. Yep, the big man was THERE listening to Sherre do one hell of a job sounding like she had just come upon poor Mike on the ground that day. What bullshit. She was the Sheriff’s brother’s shack job and she is also Parnell’s baby girl, yeah, then there’s poor Truman who just baby sits her and tells the cops, “Well, she’s just mean, that’s all” and keeps on going."
          • Bernadette Feazell, "SHERRE JOHNSTON: In her own words Email June 27, 2002 in defense of Tru", 2017/08/27 - gives a bit more background on Vic Feazell and Truman Simons' efforts to get the Lake Waco evidence back from the lab
          • Bernadette Feazell, "YES MAN #4 This hurts, RAY BLACK", 2017/12/22: "See she doesn’t want to be associated as “Vic’s secretary” because Vic fired her ass through the attorney in his LOVF office on Waco Drive. My son was there that day. Pissed Truman off too. He showed up and announced he was “never sending another case to Vic Feazell, ever”. See, Truman and Vic broke up, after Texas Monthly’s article about Spence, then a year or so later, Vic fired Sherre. FIRED.
            
            Ray believes his clients, most of the time lawyers know better but Ray even drank the Kool-Aid and let Miss Thang strut her stuff into the Courthouse with Truman who was pretending to be her “investigator” with his little notebook etc. Well, when he wasn’t there as her “investigator”, hell, she was pleading GUILTY."
          • KWTX, "Central Texas businesswoman indicted", 2019/05/30: "Sherre Lynn Johnston, 52, of Lorena, has been indicted by a Waco grand jury on one charge of prohibited substance in a correctional facility, a state jail felony, according to county documents. The indictment alleges Johnston took the controlled substance Alprazolam, commonly known as Xanax, into the McLennan County Jail on July 20, 2018. At the time, Johnston was in the middle of serving a 180 jail sentence after she was convicted on two counts of driving while intoxicated. The judge agreed to allow her to serve her time on weekends, which records show she started Jan. 19, 2018. At some point, Johnston stopped her weekend service temporarily, but jail officials said they could not disclose why due to potential HIPAA violations. Records show Johnston resumed her weekend service in June. [...] Johnston has been arrested locally at least six times since 2016 on various charges including burglary in connection with a break-in on the property of McLennan County Sheriff Parnell McNamara in May 2017. That case is still open, KWTX confirmed Thursday."
          • Facebook post by Sherre Whitney on 2021/11/05 about Truman Simons' death - claims that Simons was "A Vietnam vet who was part of their special forces/ ranger team"; is care-reacted by Ray J Black Jr, and is liked by Jason Darling
          • Waco Tribune-Herald, "McLennan County grand jury indictments: April 14, 2022", 2022/04/18 (updated 2022/04/19): "Sherre Whitney Johnston — burglary of a habitation, tampering with physical evidence"
        • Tommy Witherspoon background
          • Bernadette Feazell, "TOMMY WITHERSPOON, DAVIDIAN CONNECTION, BITTER SCAPEGOAT", 2017/08/15: "Somewhere before 2002, Bernadette Feazell was still friends with her ex husband, Vic, and Truman Simons. Simons is a well known friend of one Tommy Witherspoon, reporter from the WACO TRIBUNE HERALD.
            
            Feazell asked his ex, Bernadette, if she thought hiring Tommy Witherspoon to work in his private law office was a good idea or not. Truman had asked Feazell on behalf of his good buddy, Tommy."
          • Bernadette Feazell, "TOMMY WITHERSPOON, TRUMAN SIMONS, SHERRE JOHNSTON RECENT PHOTO TOGETHER AT PARTY", 2017/08/15 - photo link is broken
        • Dave Deaconson background
          • Facebook friends list - includes some Drury family members (TODO: where do I remember that from?), some Copeland family members, Parnell McNamara, Josh Tetens, Vic Feazell, David Fanning (relation to Whitney Fanning?), Tommy Witherspoon, and Truman Simons
        • Jessi Freud background and cases
          • Murder-for-hire by Seth Sutton and Chelsea Tijerina against Marcus Beaudin
            • Waco Tribune-Herald, "Waco attorney named in indecency with a child warrant", 2020/02/14: "Marcus Beaudin, 37, is expected to turn himself in to Woodway police late Sunday night, Beaudin’s attorney, Josh Tetens, said. [...] Tetens said Beaudin is charged with improper sexual contact with an 11-year-old female family member. Beaudin formerly worked at the Waco law firm of Dunnam & Dunnam and with local attorney Whitney Fanning before Beaudin and his wife, Chelsea Beaudin, opened their own practice at 600 Austin Ave. Chelsea Beaudin filed for divorce in December. Beaudin is a 2008 graduate of the Baylor University School of Law and graduated from Texas A&M University in 2005. He was in 19th State District Court on Friday morning for status conference hearings representing clients charged with possession of methamphetamine, possession of cocaine and burglary of a building."
              • Note that Whitney Fanning appeared at 38:18 in Episode 3 of The Confession Killer to claim (alongside Guy Cox) that the federal government was intimidating Waco lawyers such as himself into testifying against Feazell
            • KXXV, "Waco attorneys arrested for solicitation of capital murder", 2020/05/23 (updated 2020/05/26): "Sutton is a prominent lawyer in the area and represented Jeff Battey, one of the bikers who was set to go on trial for the 2015 Twin Peaks shootout."
            • KXXV, "Waco attorney arrested for murder-for-hire dies in motorcycle crash", 2021/05/28: "A Waco attorney who was arrested last year for murder-for-hire has died, her attorney confirmed Friday. Chelsea Tijerina Beaudin was killed on Thursday, May 27 in a motorcycle crash in Hayes County, according to attorney Jessi Freud. Beaudin was arrested in May 2020 for solicitation of capitol murder. She and Seth Andrew Sutton, also a Waco attorney, are accused of plotting to kill Marcus Beaudin."
            • KWTX, "Local attorney, target of murder-for-hire plot, indicted on charge of attempted indecency with a child", 2021/06/24: "A grand jury in McLennan County on Thursday indicted Marcus Daniel Beaudin, a Waco-area attorney once the target of a murder-for-hire plot allegedly orchestrated by his ex-wife, on a charge of attempted indecency with a child by contact. [...] The Waco-Tribune Herald reports Thursday’s indictment is related to an alleged incident involving a teenage girl in May 2016 and not to a case News 10 first reported in February 2020. The newspaper reports Beaudin has not been indicted in connection to the February 2020 case, but that case is still pending. [...] In February 2020, Woodway Police arrested Beaudin after he failed to turn himself in at the county jail on an indecency charge. At the time of the arrest, Beaudin’s attorney Josh Tetens told News 10 that he and the state had arranged for his client to turn himself in. When police thought it was apparent Beaudin wasn’t going to honor the arrangement, Woodway officers went to his home on Fairway Drive, took him into custody and drove him to jail. An affidavit filed to secure the arrest warrant in February 2020 states Beaudin is charged with “having improper sexual contact with a 10-year-old female family member on December 4, 2019.” [...] At the time of the arrest, Tetens told News 10 that Beaudin, a 2008 graduate of the Baylor University School of Law, denied the allegations. [...] Waco attorney Chelsea Tijerina, 34, who at the time was under indictment in an alleged murder-for-hire plot that targeted Beaudin, her ex-husband, died in late May 2021 in a motorcycle wreck in Hays County. Department of Public Safety troopers responded to the crash at around 6:35 p.m. near Ranch Road 12 and Winter Mills Parkway. Tijerina, a 2011 Baylor Law School graduate, was pronounced dead at the scene. [...] [Waco attorney Seth Andrew] Sutton, an arrest warrant affidavit states, met with a person who turned out to be an undercover Waco police officer on May 14, 2020 and solicited the officer to murder Tijerina’s ex-husband Beaudin. [...] Sutton was a onetime Democratic candidate for McLennan County district attorney, but dropped out after the 2016 primary leaving Republican Barry Johnson unopposed. He also defended some of the bikers arrested after the May 2015 shootout at Waco’s Twin Peaks restaurant."
            • Waco Tribune-Herald, "Appointed prosecutor takes on murder-for-hire case against Waco attorney", 2022/11/11: "A Waco attorney under indictment on a charge of solicitation of capital murder hopes a newly appointed prosecutor will drop charges, his attorney said this week. “We’re hopeful that with a fresh set of eyes, the new prosecutor will see the case for what it is and drop the charges,” Dallas attorney Clint Broden, who represents Seth Sutton on the charge, said Thursday. Judge Thomas West of 19th State District Court on Oct. 25 appointed the new prosecutor, Patrick Sloane of the Texas Attorney General’s Office. District Attorney Barry Johnson had filed a motion with West’s court in July to recuse the entire DA’s office because Johnson had briefly hired Sutton’s law partner, Aubrey Robertson, as first assistant district attorney. [...] Broden said the case against Sutton is based on an overzealous undercover Waco police officer attempt to entrap Sutton in a murder-for-hire scheme. He said the officer took advantage of a friendship with Sutton through Sutton’s motorcycle club and volunteered to kill Beaudin. [...] The district attorney’s office recusal in the case remains in effect even though Aubrey Robertson served less than a week this summer before Barry Johnson fired him, on grounds that he could not be a DA candidate and first assistant DA at the same time. Johnson’s term ends Dec. 31, and he will be replaced by Waco criminal defense attorney Josh Tetens. Broden said he does not view Johnson recusing the entire DA’s office from his case as a stunt. “The whole DA’s office would have had to recuse themselves Jan. 1, when Josh Tetens is sworn in anyway,” Broden said. Broden said Tetens represents Beaudin, the alleged target of the murder-for-hire scheme, in the indecency case involving Sutton’s family member, meaning he would have to recuse himself from the Sutton case. However, Tetens said Friday that he has not actually represented Beaudin in about a year. Whether Tetens, or the entire DA’s office, will recuse themselves from any case is not known at present."
      • Dr. James Jolliff background - brought in by Truman Simons to examine David Spence in the Waco jail under false pretenses and later testify in a way that ensured Spence ended up on death row; was also the alcoholism counselor for DWI defendant Dr. Tony Quinn, who later killed himself after possibly trying to pursue paying a bribe to the DA's office through Guy Cox; aka Dr. Jim Jolliff
        • Waco Tribune-Herald, "Psychiatrist Praises MH-MR Program", 1974/09/15: "Community mental health-mental retardation centers enrich independent, private psychiatric practice, Dr. James W. Jolliff writes in the current issue of the American Journal of Psychiatry. Dr. Jolliff, a private psychiatrist in Waco, studied the effect of the Waco-McLennan County Mental Health-Mental Retardation Center on his private practice. He found the presence of the center lessened the burden of nonpaying patients, reduced the “all things to all people” attitude and allowed him to refine treatment techniques. In 1966, Dr. Jolliff came to Waco after two years in the U.S. Navy. He received his medical training and education at Western Reserve Medical School and University Hospital, both in Cleveland, Ohio. He is a native of Wooster, Ohio. He is coordinating psychiatrist for the Family Practice Residency Program and on the staff at Providence Hospital."
        • Affair with Marsha Cottle (a teacher at the Methodist Home)
          • Austin American-Statesman, "Complaints of sexual misconduct increasing", 1994/07/05 (pages 1, 4): "Dr. James Jolliff, a Waco psychiatrist, fostered a 3-year sexual relationship with a woman patient he was treating for emotional problems. During their affair, Jolliff arranged for the woman's unwitting husband to join in her consultations. [...] Jolliff's case was dismissed last year by the examiners board after he killed himself. The board had concluded that Jolliff's sexual relationship with the woman patient caused her "anxiety and depression, and her mental and emotional health (were) damaged." "He admitted the primary allegations," said Sam Stone, an Austin lawyer who represented Jolliff before the board. Merrilee Harmon, a Waco lawyer who also represented Jolliff, said he killed himself because of "merciless" publicity and his anxiety about the effect on his wife and children. "The whole situation was very tragic," she said."
          • Bernadette Feazell, "WACO TRIBUNE HERALD EDITORIAL DRAIN THE DA AND COUNTY SWAMP", 2017/11/15: "Shame on the Waco Tribune Herald, what a piece of work. Years ago they ragged poor Jim Jolliff, a local headshrink who had had sexual adventures with a local attorney’s wife, Marsha Buenger, remember that one? Trib wrote about Jim Jolliff’s embarrassing Hearing in Austin daily. Culminating in Jim Jolliff killing himself with a shotgun on the heliport of Hillcrest Hospital. I liked Jim Jolliff too."
          • Lake Shore Funeral Home & Crematory page for Marsha Pernell Cottle: "Marsha Pernell Cottle of Waco passed away Thursday, September 1, 2022 at the age of 72. [...] Marsha was born March 27,1950 in Cleburne, Texas to Tom and Betty Pernell. She graduated from Stephen F. Austin University in 1972 with a B.A. in Education. She worked as a teacher at the Waco Methodist Children’s Home and later worked in Child Protective Services and as a Parole Officer for the State of Texas until her retirement in 2006. Marsha lost her husband, DPS Trooper Richard Cottle, in 2001 in a line of duty accident. This loss led Marsha to become a big supporter of the Blue Knights TX XI charity events. She helped raise funds for Waco McLennan Peace Officer Memorial, 100 Club of Central Texas, Texas Police Chiefs Foundation and Mclennan County Children’s Advocacy Center. Marsha served on the Board of Directors for the 100 Club Heart of Texas. [...] Marsha is survived by her significant other, Larry Bowers, her brother, Tommy Pernell, son, Chad Buenger, wife Mandi and their two children, Hannah and Holdyn, son Justin Buenger, wife Lauren and their two children, Layne and Landyn, and many cousins and life long friends."
        • 2021/12/08 comment by William Meyer Roddy on Bernadette Feazell, "WACO TRIBUNE HERALD EDITORIAL DRAIN THE DA AND COUNTY SWAMP", 2017/11/15: "Dr. James Jolliff was a wonderful, brilliant, an extremely compassionate man! I believe that he was drawn into a trap. He was so wonderful that others wanted to see him suffer! As the saying goes, people in glass houses should not throw stones. The Public needs to know what a tremendous and truly charitable man Dr. Jolliff was. His death will always be viewed as an absolutely unnecessary travesty!"
          • Prabook article on William Meyer Roddy - was born 1959/10/14 in Waco TX, to William Nathan Roddy and Mona (Bodansky) Roddy; received a Bachelor in Psychology from the University of North Texas in 1984; received a Master of Science in Psychology from the University of North Texas in 1986; received his D.O. from Kirksville College Osteopathic Medical in 1991; did internships and residencies at Riverside Hospital in Wichita (1991-1992), University of Kansas School Medicine in Wichita (1992-1993), and East Carolina University School of Medicine in Greenville NC (1993-1994); was the chief resident in internal medicine/psychiatry at East Carolina University School of Medicine beginning in 1995; was a consultant psychiatrist for the Edgecombe-Nash Mental Health Center in Rocky Mountain NC beginning in 1993; was part of the Scotland Neck NC hospital beginning in 1994; identified as a "Consultant for state hospital and prisons"; married Wendy Sue Walsh on 1987/08/21 and had at least two sons (Eric Meyer and Asher Michael)
          • Obituary for William N. Roddy (December 25, 1920 - June 29, 2021): "William N. Roddy, M.D., died June 29, 2021. [...] “Brother,” as he was affectionately called, had a long and productive life. Born on Christmas day in 1920, he grew up in Waco, Texas. He was a Waco High School graduate and attended the University of Texas. Following graduation, he enrolled at the University of Texas Medical Branch in Galveston, where he obtained his Medical Doctorate. Following medical school, he did a medicine residency in Galveston and a cardiology fellowship in Philadelphia at the University of Pennsylvania. Upon the death of his father, Dr. Louis Roddy, he returned to Waco to assume his father’s practice. He was a medical fixture in Waco for 50 years and left a wonderful legacy. He established the Waco Family Practice program 50 years ago, a program that still flourishes today. He established one of the first coronary care units in Texas and staffed the heart clinic at Providence Hospital, which served as a means for underprivileged children to obtain quality cardiac care. In addition, he was a former chief of staff at both Providence and Hillcrest Hospitals. Following his retirement at age 80, he continued his passion for medicine and kept abreast of the medical literature and attended medical symposia. He also continued his love of photography and automobiles. He was preceded in death by the love of his life, Samona Bodansky Roddy. He is survived by his sister, Mrs. Philip Sanger; his daughter, Ellen Hoffman; his sons, William Meyer Roddy and Louis Roddy; seven grandchildren; and two great-grandchildren."
          • United States District Court for the Northern District of Alabama Northwestern Division, no. CV–11–S–4355–NW: William Meyer RODDY and Wendy Sue Roddy, Plaintiffs, v. CITY OF HUNTSVILLE, ALABAMA, et al., Defendants, MEMORANDUM OPINION AND ORDER, 2013/05/24
            • "Dr. William Meyer Roddy, M.D., and his wife, Wendy Sue Roddy, allege that the City of Huntsville, Alabama, and two of its police officers violated rights protected by the United States Constitution and state laws during a series of events that flowed from a search of a Huntsville hotel room shared by the Roddys and their children. That search resulted in plaintiffs' arrests on drug charges that later were voluntarily dismissed by an Assistant State District Attorney."
            • "Dr. Roddy says that he merely asked Rowdy Meadows to tell him what had occurred at the hotel pool. Meadows, on the other hand, asserts that Dr. Roddy introduced himself as “ Judge William Roddy.” Meadows alleges that he explained to Dr. Roddy what had occurred with the two boys at the hotel pool. When Meadows attempted to leave, Dr. Roddy said, “I am not done with you ... You are not going to leave.” He then bumped into Meadows and flashed a gun from the left front pocket of his pants."
            • "Like Meadows, Hotel Manager Jolene Heckman alleges that Dr. Roddy claimed to be a “Judge.” Further, Ms. Heckman asserts that Dr. Roddy appeared to her to be “under the influence of drugs and/or [have] mental problems because he acted strangely, was fidgeting back and forth as Mr. Meadows was talking, and seemed out of it, not focused, and confused about the situation. He also acted hyped-up and jumpy.”"
            • "In addition to the gun and pills, the officers found crumpled, wadded-up cash in various denominations aggregating the amount of $3,895 in the pockets of Dr. Roddy's pants. The officers assert that the cash was also “dirty,” but plaintiffs dispute that portion of the officers' allegations."
            • "The injectable liquid was later identified as Testosterone, a Schedule III controlled substance."
            • "Sergeant Ramsey told Captain Butler “that Wendy Roddy stated that there was a large amount of cash in a safe from sales, along with a large amount of Medications,” at plaintiffs' residence in Sheffield, Alabama. As a result, Captain Butler decided to seek a search warrant for plaintiffs' residence. [...]"
            • "The patient prescription summary for “William Meyer Roddy” shows prescriptions for Oxycontin, Oxycodone, Testosterone, Methylphenidate, and several other medications that were filled at the Shoals Pharmacy in Tuscumbia, Alabama between January 1, 2009 and March 25, 2010. The prescription summary does not show any prescriptions filled under the name “Mike Roddy.” Even so, the information regarding the Oxycontin and Oxycodone prescriptions on the prescription summary for “William Meyer Roddy” matches the information regarding those prescriptions on the pill bottles for “Dr. Mike Roddy” found in Dr. Roddy's briefcase. [...]"
            • "Madison County Assistant District Attorney James Tolleson filed motions to nolle prosse the criminal charges against plaintiffs on January 19, 2011, and the motions were granted on January 21, 2011. The decision to prosecute or dismiss the charges against plaintiffs rested with Tolleson, not the Huntsville Police Department or its officers."
      • Methodist Home background - possibly an open air mind control laboratory experimenting on the kids there, given the free-flowing drugs, proximity to Muneer Deeb's store, and curious backgrounds of certain staff
        • Norma Podet background - headed staff development at the Home fro 1965 to 1974; was the wife of Rabbi Mordecai Podet, himself a friend of Waco's influential Catholic priest Mark Deering (part of a local interfaith initiative) who had once blessed Vic Feazell alongside Bernard Rapoport
          • Wilkirson-Hatch-Bailey obituary for Norma Yonover Podet (October 21, 1921 - December 12, 2006): "Norma Y. Podet, 85, died December 12, 2006. [...] Born 17 October 1921 to Celia Davis Yonover, M.D. and Nafthali Yonover, D.D.S., Norma Yonover Podet was a native of Chicago, Illinois. She earned the B.A. degree from the University of Chicago in 1942 and the M.S.W. at the University of Utah in 1958. Beginning her Social Work career with the American Red Cross, she continued it in the Chicago Court of Domestic Relations and later in the Veterans Administration Regional Office in Cincinnati, Ohio. In 1949 she married Mordecai Podet. In 1954, the family – it now included a son – settled in Salt Lake City, Utah, where she was engaged first with the Children’s Service Society, then the Department of Psychiatry of the Salt Lake General Hospital, and thereafter at the University of Utah Bureau of Marriage and Family Counseling. She was also Consultant for the Utah State Prison at Draper, Utah and was elected to the Board of Directors of the Salt Lake Community Welfare Council. In 1961, the family – now including a daughter – moved to Florida where she served first as Senior Day Center Social Worker, then as Director of the United HIAS Service and the Cuban Refugee Center, all of Miami. The family came to Waco in 1964. Here she served as Social Work Supervisor and Director of Staff Development and Training at the Methodist Home 1965-74; Adjunct Associate Professor in the Department of Sociology at Baylor University 1966-71; Director of the Waco Family Home Care Agency 1974-1985. Retiring in July, 1985, she continued to serve social and civic agencies as consultant and volunteer. She was among the founders as well as the first chairperson and a frequent program moderator of the Waco Interfaith Forum, organized in 1965 to bring together women of all faiths in dialogue for mutual understanding and the development of projects for community betterment. In 1965, as Health Chairperson of the Waco Parent-Teacher Association, she headed a drive for continuous health supervision of every Waco child, winning for the project the support of the McLennan County Medical Society, the Waco Dental Association, the Waco-McLennan County Health Unit, the City-County Board of Health, and the Children’s Hospital and Rehabilitation Center. She served on the Board of the Economic Opportunities Advancement Corporation 1967 and the Planned Parenthood Board 1975. As host/coordinator for the television program “Panel for Parents” 1976 she brought psychiatrists, psychologists and social workers before the pubic to respond to questions on parenting. She twice won elections for seven year terms of the Board of Trustees of McLennan Community College 1976-1990 and served as Board President 1984-86. In 1988 she was appointed to the Baylor University Committee On Protection of Human Subjects In Research. She appeared in many forums as lecturer, book reviewer, and panelist addressing social and mental health topics as well as representing Judaism. She was the University of Chicago candidate interviewer for this area and a frequent volunteer at the Waco Better Business Bureau. She belonged to Congregation Rodef Sholom. Her interests included the League of Women Voters, Hadassah, the Art Center of Waco, Cameron Park Zoo, Waco Conference of Christians and Jews and the Waco Family “Y”. Her husband, Mordecai Podet, is Rabbi Emeritus of Congregation Rodef Sholom and Jewish Chaplain at the Central Texas Veterans Health Care System. After retiring, the Podets were frequent travelers in the United States and abroad."
          • Wilkirson-Hatch-Bailey obituary for Mordecai Podet (February 2, 1922 - November 30, 2013): "Rabbi Mordecai Podet, aged 91, died November 30, 2013. A funeral service will be held at Temple Rodef Sholom, 1717 North New Road, Waco, Texas, at 11:00 am , Wednesday, December 4, followed by interment at the Rodel Sholom Cemetery, 1529 Garden Drive. Rabbi Podet was born in New York City in 1922 to Reverend Irving M. and Becky Podet. He earned a B.A. degree from Western Reserve University in Cleveland, Ohio, and a Master of Hebrew Letters from the Hebrew Union College in Cincinnati, Ohio in 1951. In 1976 a seminary awarded him an honorary Doctor of Hebrew Letters degree. Rabbi Podet served as a U.S. Navy chaplain on the Sixth Fleet and NATO installations, and retired with the rank of Commander. From 1954 to 1961 he occupied the pulpit of Congregation Bnai Israel, Salt Lake City, Utah. In 1961 he was called to Congregation Judea in Coral Gables, Florida, and in 1964, to Congregation Rodef Sholom in Waco, Texas. He became Rabbi Emeritus in 1988. He served for many years on the Waco Veterans Administration Medical Center Committee on Human Studies, the Providence Hospital Medical Moral Committee, and the Hillcrest Baptist Hospital Biomedical Ethics Committee. In 1990, he was designated to form the Ethics Advisory Committee of Waco's Veterans Hospital and was long its chairman. He was a past president 1971-72 of the Downtown Waco Rotary Club. In 1967, he established its televised youth knowledge competition, which won Rotary International's Significant Achievement Award that year. In 1982, he was named to the Rotary District Roll of Fame. He was on the boards of directors of the Waco Action Planning Council 1967-73, the Economic Opportunities Advancement Corporation 1968-71, the McLennan County Planned Parenthood Association 1969-72 and 1984-85, the McLennan County Association for Mental Health 1969-83, and Vanguard High School 1974. In 1988 the Waco Conference of Christians and Jews named him Humanitarian of the Year. In 1986, he authored Pioneer Jews of Waco. He has been Lecturer in the Department of Religion of Paul Quinn College, and in the J.M. Dawson Institute of Church-State Studies of Baylor University. He was Jewish chaplain for the Central Texas Veterans Health Care System, which in 2012 awarded him a plaque in appreciation of fifty years of faithful service to the United States Government. He was pre-deceased by his wife, the former Norma C. Davis Yonover of Chicago."
        • Marsha Buenger background - was a teacher at the Home; note that she was coerced into a sexual relationship by her counselor Jim Jolliff, a psychiatrist brought in by Truman Simons to "examine" David Spence and later give testimony used to send him to death row; later remarried and became Marsha Cottle
      • Carlton Stowers background
        • Dallas Observer, "Defining Moment" by Carlton Stowers, 2003/10/30: "It was a time when the "local yokels"--young men like Hugh Aynesworth, Darwin Payne, Bert Shipp, Eddie Barker and dozens of others--shined through the longest days they can remember, covering the tragedy and its aftermath in a textbook, if somber, fashion. Because of this, they remain, in a sense, a band of brothers. Now, their recollections of the biggest story they ever covered are being heard. KERA-TV has produced a documentary titled JFK: Breaking the News, and Aynesworth has written a companion book that will bear the same title. [...] Aynesworth, then an aviation writer for The Dallas Morning News, is now viewed by many as the ultimate authority on the case, remembered as the only reporter who was in Dealey Plaza when the shots were fired; at the Texas Theater when accused assassin Lee Harvey Oswald was arrested; in the police department basement when nightclub owner Jack Ruby shot and killed Oswald; and who covered the Ruby trial. [...] Those who chronicled the event are not among the many who subscribe to the voluminous conspiracy theories that have become a cottage industry. "I found it interesting," says Krys Boyd Villasenor, the writer/producer of KERA's documentary, which will air nationally on November 19, "that during my seven months of interviews, none of them had any doubt that Oswald acted alone in the assassination of President Kennedy." Only one--Wes Wise, former KRLD reporter and later mayor of Dallas--admitted even the slightest concern that the entire story has not yet been told."
        • Dallas Observer, "'We Want Them to Shut Up': The Two Dallas Cops Who Earned Hoover's Ire After JFK Killing", 2017/10/30: "[Captain Will] Fritz headed homicide team at DPD. He joined DPD in 1921 and reportedly had been part of the squad that hunted Bonnie and Clyde. Carlton Stowers, an author and former Dallas Observer staffer, described Fritz in his book Partners in Blue as someone who organized a seemingly well-run department and didn't appreciate interference from the brass. His competency seems demonstrated by a 10-year span with a reported 98 percent clearance rate of the murders in Dallas. The rate of today's department hovers at around 50 percent."
        • Focus Daily News, "Cedar Hill Still Home to Award-winning Author Carlton Stowers", 2019/02/28: "Dallas journalist and author Hugh Aynesworth said, “Carlton Stowers, my friend for a couple generations at least, is not only a very good reporter, but also an excellent writer. He IS quiet, unassuming…but also a master at eliciting information — often from those who would ‘confess’ to things they wouldn’t tell their wife or best friend. He is respected by all who know him.” [...] A member of Abilene High School’s 1960 State Championship track team, Stowers attended the University of Texas at Austin on a scholarship. He worked for several Texas newspapers, including 12 years at the “Dallas Morning News,” before becoming a freelance journalist. He earned numerous national and state awards for his journalism. A 17-time finalist in the annual five-state Dallas Press Club competition, he won eight Katie Awards. He is a four-time winner of the Stephen Philbin Award from Dallas Bar Association, and received a Texas Gavel Award from the State Bar of Texas for Outstanding Legal Reporting."
      • DNA exoneration efforts
        • Waco Tribune-Herald, "Lake Waco murders: Efforts underway to exonerate man convicted of famed slayings", 2011/05/15: "The DNA testing effort has been in process for at least a couple of years. During that time period, the two men behind the exoneration push — Waco defense attorney Walter M. Reaves Jr. and author Fredric Dannen — have had to navigate a number of obstacles. One early hurdle involved finding funding for the testing. That issue was resolved after a 2008 meeting with two top staffers in Gov. Rick Perry’s office, arranged by Feazell’s ex-wife. While the governor’s office didn’t provide money, it referred Reaves and Dannen to an innocence project at the University of Texas. That group agreed to spend $4,500 in state money to hire a California lab in April 2009. Submitted for testing were shoelaces used to bind the hands of victim Kenneth Franks. Presumably, the laces were touched by the killer or an accomplice. What has happened with the testing since then, though, is largely a mystery — even to Reaves and Dannen. The scientist at the lab in charge of the DNA testing is essentially holding the evidence hostage, said Jeff Blackburn, chief counsel for the Innocence Project of Texas. Reaves and Dannen have repeatedly asked the lab for information about the testing. But they have not been able to get the scientist, Ed Blake, to tell them much of anything, Blackburn said. [...] UT sent the money to a Richmond, Calif., company called Forensic Science Associates in April 2009, Dowling said. The lab is headed by Ed Blake, who has done work in a number of exoneration cases. What has happened since then is unclear. Blake has not provided adequate information to Reaves about the testing, despite repeated requests, said Blackburn, from the Lubbock innocence group. [...] The lab’s Blake refused to answer most of the Tribune-Herald ’s questions, likening them to a reporter asking a doctor about a patient’s surgery. He would not directly address questions related to the UT money. Blake said, though, that there is no current investigation at his lab involving a Waco case. A “number of years ago,” he said, his lab conducted one, but it “didn’t go anywhere.”"
        • Waco Tribune-Herald, "Lake Waco murders will return to court after decades", 2011/09/18: "The issue at the heart of the testing dispute is the lab’s contention that biological samples it extracted from the evidence and other key elements of testing are its work product. Based on that, the lab is refusing to cooperate with a request from Dannen and Reaves that the testing be transferred to another lab that might be able to get better results using a different testing method. The disagreement has delayed the testing for several years. [...] This spring, after the lab dispute became public, Reaves would only confirm a pair of shoelaces used to tie up one of the victims had been submitted for DNA testing. But the Tribune-Herald subsequently used Texas’ public information law to obtain more than 200 pages of records, which show the DNA testing is much greater in scope than previously known. That prompted the men to further discuss their work. Besides the shoestrings, beer cans found at the crime scene, material from under one victim’s fingernails and hairs found on the victim’s bodies have undergone DNA testing, according to documents from the Tarrant County Medical Examiner’s Office. The office has acted as a clearinghouse for the testing. In addition, Dannen has obtained DNA samples from several alternate suspects. [...] [After a near-decade of unsuccessful tests] Dannen and Reaves met in 2008 with a scientist from Blake’s lab and decided to pursue Y-STR testing on the shoelaces. [...] Shortly after the UT money was sent to Blake’s lab in April 2009, an attorney involved with the UT project proposed moving the testing to another lab. Blake’s lab is not accredited by any professional organization, and the attorney thought the exoneration effort would be helped by using a lab that is. The lab declined to send the shoelaces elsewhere based on the work product claim. “All they’ve done is moved the biology from the physical evidence itself into the test tube,” Dannen said. “How do you make the argument that’s their property?” But the lab persisted, so Dannen asked it to stop work on the case. That also halted work on fingernail clippings from victim Jill Montgomery, Dannen said. The lab had previously determined male DNA was present underneath Montgomery’s fingernails, Dannen said. [...] Blake has recently returned most of the evidence to the Tarrant County lab. But he has retained key pieces, including extracts, Reaves said. Tarrant County lab personnel reviewed the evidence, with the hope some of it could still yield usable samples. “Their opinion is he’s kept all the stuff we could do anything with,” Reaves said. [...] Jill Spriggs, president-elect of the American Society of Crime Laboratory Directors, said the work product argument is indefensible and she has never heard any DNA scientist make such a claim. “The evidence holds the truth,” said Spriggs, who is chief of the Bureau of Forensic Services at the California Department of Justice. [...] John Collins, the society’s executive director, agreed."
        • Edward Blake background
          • Office of Indigent Defense Services: Forensic Resource Counsel bio for Edward Blake (2010 CV for Edward T. Blake) - of Forensic Science Associates at 3053 Research Drive, Richmond, CA 94806; in 1968, graduated as a Bachelor of Science in Criminalistics from UC Berkeley; from 1969 to 1970, employed at Paul L. Kirk & Associates; from 1971 to 1972, was an intern at the Contra Costa County Sheriff's Office Criminalistics Laboratory; from 1971 to 1972, was a Teaching Assistant in the Forensic Science Program at UC Berkeley; from 1973 to 1975, was a Graduate Research Fellow at UC Berkeley; from 1975 to 1977, was a Research Assistant at UC Berkeley; in 1976, graduated as a Doctor of Criminology in Forensic Science from UC Berkeley; from 1975 to present, has been a Consultant in Forensic Biology
          • Tulare Advance-Register, "Rape-murder trial delayed to Tuesday", 1976/07/01: "Spectators continue to fill the 84-seat courtroom in the trial of Oscar Archie Clifton, 35, the accused in the kidnap, rape and stabbing murder of Donna Jo Richmond, 14, Exeter. [...] The last two witnesses Wednesday were Michael J. Grubb, a criminalist with the Institute of Forensic Sciences in Oakland, and Edward T. Blake, a graduate student at the University of California who is completing a doctorate on the genetic variations in human semen. Grubb said an analysis of a bone-handled knife taken into evidence did not show whether it was used to stabb the youth 17 times. . Blake testified about the possibility of evidence connecting Clifton to the rape, but his analyses could not point to a specific suspect. Clifton, a rural Visalia house painter, is accused of kidnap, rape, murder, indecent exposure and failure to register as a sex offender. Miss Richmond was found dead last December in an orange grove after failing to return home from a friends house."
          • ...
          • Paul L. Kirk background
            • ...
            • Connection to Kenneth Dean Parker - note that Parker was called by John Linley Frazier's "defense" attorney James Jackson as a witness (to rebut prosecution testimony that Frazier's knife was used to cut the Ohta family's phone line), and gave such a horrible performance on the stand that Jackson asked the judge to strike Parker's testimony (see this 2022 Twitter thread by pastichepsyop for more details)
              • Analytical Chemistry, "Separation and Identification of Barbiturates by Gas Chromatography" by Kenneth D. Parker and Paul L. Kirk (School of Criminology, University of California, Berkeley, Calif.), 1961/09 (PDF site)
              • Journal of the Forensic Science Society, "The Identification of Marijuana" by J. I. Thornton (School of Criminology, University of California, Berkeley, California, U.S.A., 94720) and G. R. Nakamura (Bureau of Narcotics and Dangerous Drugs, U.S. Department of Justice, San Francisco, California, U.S.A., 94102), 1972: "The authors are indebted to Dr. Adriance S. Foster, Professor of Plant Anatomy, University of California, Berkeley, for his contributions; to the botanical gardens of the University of California at Berkeley, Davis and Los Angeles; to the Strybing Arboretum at San Francisco; to the State and County Botanical Gardens and Arboreta at Los Angeles and Santa Barbara; and to the Royal Botanic Garden, Kew, England, for kindly furnishing plant specimens; to Dr. John L. Strothers, University of California Herbarium, for his kind assistance; to Dr. Elizabeth McClintock of the Herbarium of the California Academy of Science, San Francisco, for her help and guidance; to the Journal of the Association of Official Analytical Chemists for permission to print a portion of the manuscript by Nakamura ([969) which appeared in a modified form in that journal; to Mr. Kenneth D. Parker of the Hine Laboratory, San Francisco, for his gift of tetrahydrocannabinol isomers; to Dr. Paul L. Kirk of the University of California School of Criminology and Dr. Donald Noyce of the Department of Chemistry, University of California, Berkeley, and to William P. Butler, Bureau of Narcotics and Dangerous Drugs, Washington, D.C., for having reviewed the manuscript."
        • Texas Forensic Science Commission letter on 2016/03/15 to Jason Spence, which attaches a 2015/11/09 DNA lab report addressed to Melendez's attorney Walter Reaves - indicates that reference samples from Steve Spence (the brother of David Spence), Anthony Melendez, Terry Lee Harper, Derwin Wilkins, and John David Wilkins were submitted
    • Corruption scandal
      • United States v. Vic Feazell materials on Feazell's website - has a couple transcripts of grand jury testimony from David M. Jordan and Deanna Ruth Fitzgerald, but the only trial testimony is Feazell's own
      • Belo / Channel 8 lawsuit materials on Feazell's website
      • Waco Citizen, "No Help From DA" letter to the editor by Missy Pierce, 1983/11/01: "The burglary of my home occured October 28, 1982. At first, I had the full cooperation from the McLennan County District Attorney’s office. This changed January 1, 1983, due, in my opinion, to the change in District Attorneys. Two suspects (one indicted but never tried, and one plead guilty and assessed a five year probated sentence) were apprehended. An appraisal of the property stolen from me in this burglary was almost $40,000.00. The DA’s Office was aware of this appraisal. [...] Since January 1, 1983, I tried, unsuccessfully, to see Mr. Vic Feazell. I tried to call Feazell numerous times and he never returned my calls. The Assistant District Attorney handling the case stopped returning my calls in February. Neither the DA nor his Assistant returned calls from my personal attorney. Why was I so persistent in trying to reach these two men? The female who was indicted, and never tried, is a personal friend of the District Attorney’s wife. I was also told that overheard at a party of Waco lawyers this particular case was never going to trial because of favors owed. In the spring, my attorney and I made an unannounced visit to Waco. The Assistnat Attorney was in, we talked with him and were again promised that we would be notified of any proceedings involving any of the persons indicted. On October 14, 1983, I received a telephone call telling me to pick up the few possessions of mine that had been recovered by the Sheriff’s Department. I was also told that the sentencing of one of the indicted persons had taken place five weeks earlier on September 8, 1983. Neither I nor my Attorney had been notified. I still do not know any of the facts on the case except that the person who called me told me that a sentence of five years probation had been given to one of the burglars. A condition of probation was that the burglar make restitution to me of $1,500.00."
      • Texas Department of Public Safety interoffice memorandum of 1985/04/26 from Ronald E. Boyter to W. A. Cowan Jr. ("MEETING WITH FEDERAL AUTHORITIES IN AUSTIN CONCERNING ALLEGATIONS OF POSSIBLE CORRUPTION IN THE MC LENNAN COUNTY DISTRICT ATTORNEY'S OFFICE")
        • Darryl Banas
          • Blackhawk Aerospace page on its Support unit - one of those listed is Darryl Banas
        • Darryl Glenn Truax
          • Lake Shore Funeral Home & Crematory page for Glenn Salvatore Truax, Jr.: "Glenn Salvatore Truax, 76, of Waco, passed away Wednesday, January 30, 2019. [...] Glenn was born May 7, 1942, in Warsaw, New York, to Glenn E. and Elizabeth Truax. Glenn joined the United States Army in 1959. June 17, 1961, Glenn married Barbara Sue King. He was Past Master of Waco Masonic Lodge 92 in 1985. Glenn was the founder of Truax Plumbing Company and was in business for many years. He worked for the McLennan County Sherriff’s Department for 5 years as a jailer. Glenn was a member of Parkview Baptist Church, where he proudly served as an usher. Glenn was preceded in death by his father, Glenn E. Truax; his mother and step-father, Elizabeth and Kenneth Faulds; and his in-laws, Paul and Carrie King. He is survived by his wife of 57 years, Barbara Truax; sons, Kenneth Truax and wife Jeannie and Darryl Truax; daughters, Glenda Moore and husband Billy Moore, Sr. and Mary Harper and husband William; grandchildren, Billy Moore, Jr. and wife Stephanie, Rachel Moore, Rebecca Moore, Tim Truax and wife Faith, Matt Truax and wife Hailee, Alyse Simons and husband Jeff, Darla Walton and husband Scott, Kaitlynn Martin and husband Cody, Tucker Truax, and Tommy Harper; 15 great-grandchildren; brothers, Sam Faulds and wife Lisa and Leo Faulds of Tuscaroro, NY. All of Barbara’s family were like brothers and sisters to Glenn, and he loved them all dearly."
        • Loyd Edwin Perry
          • Waco News-Tribune, "Californians Are Visitors", 1973/09/21: "Mr. and Mrs. Thomas H. Evans Jr. and son Steve of 1107 North Sixty-fourth have had as guests his sister and family Mr. and Mrs. George Prier and daughter Bonnie of Fountain Valley, Calif. The two families visited the Evanses' daughter and family Mr. and Mrs. Loyd Perry in Houston. They also vacationed in Galveston and New Orleans."
          • Waco Tribune-Herald, "BIRTHS IN WACO", 1974/08/07: "Aug. 2, Girls [...] Mr. and Mrs. Loyd Edwin Perry, 4704 Edmond; mother former Shirley Louanne Evans."
      • Austin American-Statesman, "Prosecutor on defensive", 1985/08/18 (pages C1, C8): "FBI agents and DPS investigators have been questioning a number of people, including several with connections to criminal cases used as examples in the series of stories that began in June on a Dallas television station. The stories raised questions about the dismissals of drunken driving and drug cases against defendants who knew Feazell or someone in his office. Several cases were dismissed after the defendants paid attorney fees described by the television reporter as unusually high. [...] Col. Jim Adams, director of DPS, used to be second-in-command of the FBI. He grew up in Mexia, and went to school with David Smith, now Waco city manager. According to the retaliation theory, Adams started a DPS investigation of Feazell and persuaded friends in the FBI to do the same, while Smith started a city investigation of Feazell and encouraged the Waco police chief to criticize the prosecutor. [...] Some in Waco and elsewhere say the investigation of Feazell began long before the district attorney took an interest in Lucas, and say they believe Feazell started the Lucas inquiry as a smoke screen and a convenient way to claim retaliation by DPS. Feazell is not averse to comparing himself to Jesus Christ. He took the opportunity again when saying he may be down, but is not defeated. After Jesus raised the dead, "when he rode into Jerusalem they laid palm branches in front of him," Feazell said. "It wasn't too long after that they crucified him. But you can't keep a good man down." [...] [Among detractors of Feazell and Mattox] The scenario presumed that one motive of the Waco grand Jury inquiry was to discredit Walsh as a potential opponent of Mattox, or Feazell if Mattox decided to run for governor and Feazell chose to run for attorney general. Feazell's response was to dismiss Walsh, who later announced for attorney general, as a "gnat" unworthy of such concern. He also suggested Walsh was too ugly and talked too slowly to be a serious threat to Mattox. [...] One of the few people who will confirm being questioned by federal investigators regarding Feazell is Tony Duty, a Waco defense lawyer. Duty said he was quizzed about buying $1,000 in tickets for a Feazell fund-raiser, and was asked if the purchases were connected to a decision by Feazell's office to dismiss a DWI case against Duty's daughter. Duty said the two events were unrelated, and said his daughter was warned by Feazell that if she got Into trouble again he would prosecute her. His daughter was arrested again for DWI, and she received an uncommonly stiff sentence, he said. The Dallas television reports referred to a number of other dismissals by Feazell's office. Feazell readily acknowledged that several of the cases were dismissed for reasons other than legal problems with the evidence. But during his 1982 campaign, Feazell had said, "We need to cut out the plea bargaining and the cases that are swept under the rug." [...] In McLennan County, defense attorneys and two former district attorneys said, prosecutorial discretion has been a part of the Judicial system for many years. If anything, these sources said, Feazell was less likely to drop a case than many of his predecessors. "I've never heard any difference between the way things are done now and the way they have been done for the last four or five DAs that I know of," said former District Attorney Don Hall."
      • D Magazine, "WAR IN WACO" by Carlton Stowers, 1985/10
        • "●Duncan pointed to another DWI case wherein the DA chose not to prosecute because “the woman in question was eight months pregnant.”
          
          Feazell initially said the circumstances of the case were far different from what Duncan had aired, stating that it was his understanding that the woman had not been arrested or given a breath test, and that she had simply been taken home by the police.
          
          Later Feazell admitted he had not personally reviewed the file on the case, getting his information instead from another member of his staff. After personally reviewing the case file, which clearly shows the subject was in fact arrested, taken to the police department and given a breath test (she registered .12, well over the intoxication level), Feazell said, “My information was wrong on that case. I had no first-hand knowledge of it, so I relied on the memory of someone else. The lady was arrested-and then taken home and released to the custody of her husband for medical reasons.” The case was, Feazell acknowledges, dismissed."
        • "Even before the investigations of Feazell had begun, Hunt had made it clear that he was light years removed from being an admirer of the District Attorney. In a taped interview with this writer last spring he discussed Feazell’s prosecution tactics in the Spence case: “For Vic’s political gain, the lake murders were tried before they were ready. Instead of a decent investigation, they did it with bullshit from jailbirds and [bite-mark testimony from Albuquerque-based forensic odontologist] Homer Campbell. It makes me want to vomit. Obviously, I get real upset when I’m talking about Vic. Vic wants to be president of the United States or head of the CIA, depending on who you talk to. He wants to be in power.”"
      • Waco Citizen, "Lawyers Appear Before Federal Grand Jury", 1986/06/06: "Three Waco attorneys appeared before a federal grand jury in Austin Thursday in the continuing investigation surrounding activities of McLennan County District Attorney Vic Feazell. Appearing were Ken Crow, Ron Moody and Whitney Fanning. Also supposed to appear were Attorney Guy Cox and DA Administrative Aide John Ben Sutter. They did not appear Crow and Moody arrived at the federal courthouse around 9:30 a.m. with two other gentlemen, apparently their attorneys, as they accompanied the men inside. Fanning came about 10.30 a.m., alone, smiling as he entered the front door of the building. Jan Patterson, federal prosecutor, arrived before 9 a.m. and the grand jury members came in at different times, until all had arrived by 9:30. Fed. Agent Bob Zane was also present. He had served several of the subponeas."
      • Waco Citizen, "Waco Attorneys Make Second Appearance In Austin Court", 1986/06/24: "Waco Attorneys, Ken Crow and Ron Moody, appeared before the Austin Federal Grand Jury that is investigating activities surrounding McLennan County District Attorney Vic Feazell. [...] This is the second appearance of Crow and Moody before the grand jury. They made their first appearance on June 6. John Ben Sutter, Assistant to the DA for Administrative Services, was subponeaed earlier this month to appear before the grand jury and it was rumored he would be there Friday. However, he did not appear. Calls to his office on Thursday went unanswered. Reportedly on Thusday, attorneys for Waco attorneys, Guy Cox, Whitney Fanning and Crow and Moody appeared before the judge in federal court to quash a subponea for their records related to the investigation which was denied by Judge James Nowlin."
      • Waco Citizen, "Lawyer Jailed In Austin", 1986/07/22: "Waco Attorney and former McLennan County District Attorney Don Hall was arrested in Austin last Friday evening on charges of contempt of court in the ongoing investigation of McLennan County DA Vic Feazell. Hall was ordered by the grand jury to produce certain records by a subponea and he refused and late Thursday filed a motion to quash the subponea. Judge James Nowlin on Friday morning denied the motion to quash and ordered Hall to produce the records by 5 p.m Friday afternoon. Hall, former law partner of Feazell, arrived at the federal courthouse in Austin escorted by an FBI agent and Treasury Department agent. He went to Judge Nowlin's courtroom on the second floor and than to the grand jury room in the basement. From there he returned to Judge Nowlin's court where the judge ordered him arrested. He left the courthouse in handcuffs with the two agents and was placed in Travis County Jail where he remained last Monday. Also appearing in Austin was another former law partner of Feazell's, Dick Kettler. Kettler was in Judge Nowlin's courtroom for the 9 a.m. hearing and then went to the grand jury meeting room. He left about 11 a.m. and returned about 3 p.m carrying a manila envelope. Shortly before 5 p.m. he left the courthouse and asked by a reporter what had happened, Kettler replied. “I think everything is settled.” [...] Feazell publicly stated he wanted to appear before the grand jury, but he has not been subponead and it is believed he will not be. However, he could request to appear. John Ben Sutter, Feazell's administative aide, was subponead about two months ago to appear before the grand jury but has not done so. Hall was district attorney from January 1, 1963 to December 31, 1966."
      • Waco Citizen, "Attorney Released", 1986/07/25: "Waco attorney Don Hall was released from Travis County Jail around 5 p.m. Monday into the custody of federal marshals who took him to the US Federal Courthouse in Austin for a hearing before federal district judge, James Nowlin. Hall had been in the Travis Coutny Jail since his arrest late Friday afternoon, charged with civil contempt of court. He left the courthouse shortly after 6 p.m. Hall has reportedly refused to turn over records of business dealings with McLennan County District Attorney Vic Feazell, who is the apparent center of an investigation by a federal grand jury for alleged wrongdoings in his office. In order for Hall to be released, according to reliable sources, the records requested by the grand jury had to be made available for their investigation. Hall and Feazell were law partners prior to Feazell's election to office. Another partner in the firm, located at 504 Austin Ave., Dick Kettler, also appeared before the grand jury and judge on Friday. Kettler apparently turned over his records as he was seen entering the courthouse late Friday afternoon, following a morning appearance carrying a manila folder. When he left he did not have the folder."
      • Waco Citizen, "DA Feazell Investigation Expected To Continue", 1986/08/22 (pages 1, 2): "Investigation into alleged wrong doings in the McLennan District Attorney’s office is expected to continue. A federal grand jury was sworn in Wednesday in Austin by Judge James Nowlin and sources inside the courthouse said investigation into activities of District Attorney Vic Feazell would continue. It is not known if the local case will be heard by the new grand jury or if it passed to one already in existence. It was confirmed also Wednesday that a federal grand jury, which had heard testimony concerning the investigation, concluded a two-year term with no indictments being returned. The first grand jury served an 18-month term and was extended an additional six months. Its term ended Saturday, August 16. [...] Investigations by grand juries are generally secret but in the early part of 1985, Feazell told local media representatives he was being investigated by a federal grand jury in Austin. His statement was confirmed by federal prosecutor, Jan Patterson in July, 1985. Ms. Patterson met with the new grand jury for several hours on Wednesday, but would not comment on what was being discussed. [...] Five local attorneys were known to have appeared before their first grand jury. They were Ron Moody, Ken Crow, Whitney Fanning, Dick Kettler and former McLennan County DA Don Hall."
      • Waco Citizen, "Officers Questioned In San Antonio", 1986/09/05: "[Despite Feazell's retaliation claims,] it has been confirmed, with the ending of the federal grand jury probe into Feazell's activities that the investigation by federal authorities actually began in late summer of 1984. The first grand jury in Austin turned their reports over to a second grand jury in August which is continuing the investigation. According to sources, inside the federal courthouse in Austin, the grand jury has been working this week on the case and will continue next week."
      • Fort Worth Star-Telegram, "McLennan DA denies charges", 1986/09/18 (pages 1, 16): "Feazell and his defenders said a grand jury that completed its work in August had refused to indict him after hearing testimony from more than 100 witnesses. John Ben Sutter, Feazell's administrative assistant, said he believed a newly empaneled grand jury heard only selected portions of the earlier testimony before returning the indictment. Said Feazell: "That's not the kind of case that I (as a prosecutor) would like to go into court with.""
      • Baylor Lariat, "Sutter explains Feazell method of doing justice", 1986/09/25 (pages 1, 8)
      • Baylor Lariat, "Sutter clarifies contribution statements", 1986/09/26 (pages 1, 8)
      • Waco Citizen, "DA Investigation Continues Before Federal Grand Jury", 1986/10/03: "Six attorneys and one businessman were in Austin Tuesday to appear before the federal grand jury investigating the operations and conduct of McLennan County District Attorney Vic Feazell. Three of the attorneys are assistant DAs. They were Deanna Fitzgerald, First Assistant DA and Pat Murphy and David Jordan, Assistant DA. Guy Cox , Whitney Fanning and Bill Stallings, all local private practice attorneys also appeared before the grand jury. Cox and Fanning were the first attorneys to appear and spent over two hours with the grand jury. [...] Jerome Sobel, owner of the Script Shops in Waco, also came to the grand jury and said “I possibly have a subponea.” Asked what he had taken into the grand jury in a brown manila envelope, Sobel replied it was records dealing with advertising, campaign information and contributions. Sobel is a friend of Feazell's. The DA has handled several legal matters for him and federal agents took four envelopes with material relating to Sobel when they searched his office, home, car and storage bin on September 17. Sobel also served on a grand jury during 1985 and federal agents took tapes relating to grand jury information from Feazell’s home when they carried out a search warrant on September 17."
      • Waco Citizen, "99 Tapes Taken in Feazell Search", 1986/10/21: "Ninety nine tapes, including six cassettes labeled “Grand Jury," were on a list presented by Assistant Federal Prosecutor Jan Patterson in a hearing before District Judge James Nowlin in Austin Thursday. The tapes were seized through search warrants from the home, office and storage shed of McLennan County District Attorney Vic Feazell. [...] Many of the names on the labels are of local attorneys, county officials and news media representatives. Several of the attorneys have appeared before the grand jury in Austin. Those named were Ron Moody, Ken Crow, Deanna Fitzgerald, Guy Cox, Whitney Fanning, Bill Stallings, Dick Kettler and Pat Murphy. Also named were State Representative Betty Denton, County Judge Stanley Rentz, McLennan County Constable Bill Donaldson, Hugh Davis, Executive Director of HOTCOG, Attorney General Jim Mattox and several from his office, Henry Lee Lucas, Sister Clemmie, Democratic party leader, Bernard Rappaport, County Auditor Weldon Wells, and County Treasurer Odessa Wells. A large number of the tapes were unlabeled."
      • S.E. Chastain cocaine trafficking controversy - note that Chastain was previously the notary for Feazell's incorporation of a hypnosis corporation on behalf of his former MHMR colleague Robert J. Sullivan
        • Tyler Morning Telegraph, "D.A. Accuses Opponents Of Smear Tactics", 1986/10/30: "McLennan County District Attorney Vic Feazell says his opponents are trying "throw everything they can at me" after it was revealed that 10 of his campaign signs were found in a truck laden with cocaine. The signs were found in a pickup being driven by S.E. Chastain of Waco. Chastain, 62, was arrested Friday with James Goff Hazeltine, 54, of Austin, after a state trooper stopped a pickup on Interstate 20 near Odessa. Chastain and Hazeltine were in the Ector County Jail in Odessa in lieu of $100,000 bond each. Sgt. Gerald Bradford of the Texas Department of Public Safety in Midland said 706 pounds of cocaine were found in the pickup. The cocaine is valued at $67.7 million and is one of the largest cocaine busts in Texas history, authorities said. Feazell said he did not know the signs were in the pickup truck. He said Chastain provided scrap lumber for yard signs to various political candidates. "I really don't think it's fair because it makes it look like I'm involved in drugs. If they'd tell the truth, I'd bet there were other political signs in there as well," Feazell said. [...] "They're trying to throw everything they can at me to make it look bad right before the election. By innuendo they are trying to tie me to drug trafficking. I had no idea any of my signs were in his truck and I didn't know he was hauling any 700 pounds of dope," he said. Bradford said he saw only Feazell signs in the truck. But Chastain's daughter, Marcee Chastain, told the Waco Tribune-Herald that her father has given scrap lumber to several candidates including Feazell and county judge candidates Raymond Matkin and John Ben Sutter. Chastain's name was listed on the label of an empty cassette tape case seized from Feazell's office by federal agents after Feazell's arrest. [...] Feazell has declined comment on Chastain, saying only that "many of the tapes taken by the feds contained names concerning ongoing criminal investigations that I'm not at liberty to discuss." Chastain also was listed as contributing $100 in money or equivalent to Feazell's campaign in September 1984. Feazell said the contribution was in the form of lumber."
      • Waco Tribune-Herald, "Affidavit charges Feazell accepted bribes", 1986/11/01 - quotes Feazell as claiming that the recent release of an FBI affidavit describing his alleged bribes was "obviously political"; subsequently reveals that federal prosecutors wanted the affidavit sealed and he asked for it to be unsealed
      • Fort Worth Star-Telegram, "Former aide defends official in bribery case", 1987/05/30: "The former top assistant to McLennan County District Attorney Vic Feazell testified yesterday that he never saw his boss take a bribe. U.S. Magistrate Dennis Green of Waco, who worked as Feazell's first assistant in 1983, said prosecutors sometimes take into account the defendant's circumstances when deciding what punishments to recommend. Feazell also tried to be merciful in cases that warranted it, Green said during the fourth day of Feazell's federal bribery trial."
      • Waco Citizen, "Clark Cross Examined by Feazell's Attorney....Lawyer's Testify Today", 1987/06/05 (pages 1, 2)
        • "Lloyd Edward Perry, an employee of MKT railroad, was the next to testify about two DWI’s he received in 1984. His first arrest was in August, 1984 and he said a friend, Roger Bethke, referred him to Hall for an attorney. The fee for his first DWI was $2,500 he told the jury in response to questions from Frels. “I told him I wanted it dismissed,” Perry said, “I never went to court.” Perry said he received his second DWI in October, 1984. He testified that Hall got him out of jail and that his fee would be $2,500 for the second offense. “I borrowed $2,000 from Bethke to pay the fee,” he said, “and the rest from another friend.” Perry said he never went to court on his second DWI, but Hall plead for public intoxication with a fine of $200 which he paid to Hall. On cross examination by Richardson, Perry said he was alseep in his car when arrested by Waco PD. He said he blew 0.12 on the breath test."
        • "“Showtime” club owner Randy Roberts, was the last witness called by the government Wednesday afternoon. Roberts, who also describes himself as a professional gambler and bookmaker, related how he had been called by Roger Bethke in 1982 and told Vic Feazell needed a contribution for his campaign. “I gave Feazell $1,000 in 100 dollar bills in his office,” Roberts said. “Roger called me again in 1983, after Vic was elected and said Vic needed some more money. In all, I have given him $3,500,” Roberts said. “In 1985, my friend James Kalocek of West, called and said he needed to borrow $3,500 to pay Don Hall to take care of his DWI charge,” Roberts said. “I loaned it to him.”"
        • "Roger Bethke, of Waco, was the next to testify. He listed his occupation as a bookmaker and said he had a social relationship with Bernadette (Bernie), wife of Vic Feazell, beginning in 1978 or 1979. He testified he met Vic through his wife in 1980 and their friendship continues today. Before and after Feazell's election, Bethke said he was a guest in the Feazell home. Bethke testified he had referred both Perry and Kalocek to Don Hall. Under cross examination by Richardson, Bethke said he had never “booked” for Feazell or Richardson. Bethke said he had a “bookie” stamp, but when asked if he was legal, he took the 5th amendment. He also testified he and Feazell were mutual friends with Waco Police Department Lt. Ronnie Rigney, who was in charge of the WPD drug enforcement unit for a number of years. Under redirect questioning from Frels, Bethke said he had asked Bernie, wife of Feazell, in 1984 or 1985, to check some license plates for him. “I did it as a favor for Randy Roberts, who said some people were following him,” Bethke said. “I don't know if it happened before or after Randy's father was shot," Bethke testified."
      • Waco Citizen, "Waco Attorney Talks About Payments", 1987/06/12 - references how Dick Kettler was subpoenaed by the Austin grand jury in April 1986, and appeared before it in June, July, and August of that year; mentions testimony from first assistant district attorney Deanna Fitzgerald about how assistant DAs would sign dismissal slips for each other, and how attorneys like Guy Cox, Jim Barlow, and Whitney Fanning would go directly to Feazell for certain cases; mentions testimony from the cashier of a local bank, describing how a $6,500 check drawn on the McLennan County Special Crimes Unit, signed by Feazell and his administrative assistant John Ben Sutter, had been written to Don Hall as "the attorney of Richard Bowers" (a hydromorphone dealer, whose $50,000 in drug money was, per Kettler, split in a deal between their firm and the DA's office); has Kettler cite Feazell as saying, in late May 1986, that Whitney Fanning and Guy Cox had been subpoenaed before the grand jury, and Jim Barlow, Ron Moody, and Don Crow would likely be getting subpoenaed too
      • Waco Citizen, "Kettler Insists Bribes Paid To DA Feazell", 1987/06/16 - mentions the Hall and Kettler law firm secretary Barbara Hilliard appearing before the grand jury in April 1986 (ed. note: article says 1985, but this is clearly a typo given the grand jury's known timing) at the same time Kettler was first subpoenaed; has Kettler recount how he and Whitney Fanning discussed cooperating with the government for immunity, but Fanning claimed to have no information to give; names a hydromorphone co-conspirator as Tom Ed Harris
      • Waco Citizen, "Don Hall Has Copies Of Records", 1987/06/16
      • Trial testimony of Victor Fred Feazell (volumes I, II)
        • "A. And one day Don Hall was up at the office, and he came walking into my office carrying this gun. He told me he had just picked it up from from J. L. Crawford. And he looked at it. And at that time, the cylinder -- it's loose now, but it was a lot looser then. I mean it had a lot of play in it. It had these grips on it, and it was dirty. I mean it was just filthy. It's fortunate nobody tried to shoot it, or it could have blown up in their hands, or at least sprayed lead pretty bad.
             He said, "This wasn't even worth walking over here for." Well, I did not have a .357, and I was willing to see if I could work on it. And I offered him fifty dollars for it. He said it wasn't worth fifty dollars.
             I said, "Well, I‘ll give you fifty dollars, or I'll take you out for a steak." And I believe what I eventually did was wind up taking him -- I'm sorry -- him and Dick Kettler out for a steak later on." (p.83 of Vol. I) - appears to be at odds with Feazell's characterization elsewhere in his testimony of Hall being incredibly cheap (TODO: find)
        • "A. Yes, sir. Now I remember this Lloyd Perry DWI. This was the second. The first one, he got in August. The second one, he got in October. This is a case that had it gone to trial, I don't believe we could have won it.
          Q. Why is that?
          A. Well, for one thing, he didn't take a breathalyzer test, if I recall, on this one right -- no breathalyzer test. And when he was arrested, he was asleep in his car with the motor off, and there was conflicting evidence as to whether he was behind the wheel or whether he was in the back seat." (p.116 of Vol. I) - this recollection of Perry not taking a breathalyzer for his second DUI is clearly incorrect
        • "Q. "And that's the one, and that gun is in the search warrant, they had that gun in the search warrant on my house, .357, which is the gun that Bowers gave to Don."
          A. Yes, sir.
          Q. And Hr. Hall's response to that was what?
          A. Don said, "No, he never did give me the gun. I never saw it."
          Q. Then you go on to say, "Well, it was forfeited, and it was gonna go to you, that was it."
          A. Yes, sir.
          Q. And Mr. Hall said, "night of, whatever."
          A. Yes, sir.
          Q. Then Mr. Kearny goes on at the bottom there and says, "Where did it end up?"
          A. Yes, sir."
          Q. And then you tell him.
          A. I said, "It ended up with me. 'Cause it was gonna go to Don, that was part of the deal for the plea bargain, I told Don, ‘I'll give you fifty dollars for it, and I don't think I ever even paid you.'"
          Q. And Mr. Hall responded to that, "No, I didn't know, you know, I don't remember those." And then you say to Mr. Hall, "what about that gun?"
          A. I say, "The gun never got to your office. I think we talked about that in my office, because I remember you looked at it and didn't like that cylinder. It was loose. It was a trash gun. It's been through hell, and I said, 'I'll give you fifty dollars for it', and I think all I ever did was take you out for a steak one day."
          Q. And Mr. Hall then said?
          A. "Well, I'm not questioning that. I just don't remember ever seeing the gun."
          Q. You don't mean at all, Mr. Feazell, in the context of this conversation on September 17th, 1986, with Don Hall to in any way insinuate that the government planted that gun in your house before the execution of the search warrant?
          A. No, sir. I believe I testified exactly how that gun got in my house, and I believe Mr. J. L. Crawford‘s testimony corroborates that." (p.277-278 of Vol. I)
        • "Q. Okay. Page 34, down towards the bottom of the page, you indicate that -- towards the middle to the bottom, you indicate, do you not to Mr. Kettler that you got John Tower, the former United States senator, looking into this matter for you?
          A. Yes, sir.
          Q. Did you?
          A. At that time, I don't think he was looking into it, but he had made a commitment to someone that he would look into it and see if there was any way to put a stop to the witch hunt.
          Q. Did you ever talk to John Tower yourself?
          A. Personally, no, but a friend did.
          Q. Okay. So when you were telling Mr. Kettler, "John Tower is looking into it for me right now. I may eventually have to switch to the Republican Party."
          A. That was a joke, yes, sir.
          Q. Then you go on, "But Tower heads - going through one other person, but he's made a commit to doing anything he can to put a stop to it." Had he given some commitment to put a stop to it at that time?
          A. He had given a commitment to this friend that he would look into it and try, yes, sir.
          Q. "And that man's still got a lot of pull and a lot of stroke. Even if they’ve got to do something like offer Helen Eversberg, and make a federal judgeship."
          A. Yes, sir.
          Q. She's the U.S. Attorney?
          A. She is. I had no commitment on anything like that. That was just light conversation toward the end. I was trying to leave on a fairly light note." (p.284-285 of Vol. II)
        • "Q. "The only way they could do anything now is to find something else that they don't already have." Am I right so far?
          A. Yes, sir.
          Q. "And unless Ravkind points 'em in the right direction, they ain't gonna get nothing, 'cause nothing is there."
          A. 'Cause nothing is there. That‘s exactly right, because nothing had happened.
          Q. You go on to say, "'Cause nothing happened."
          A. Exactly." (p.286 of Vol. II) - the claim that the authorities won't get anything "unless" Dick Kettler's lawyer Billy Ravkind "points 'em in the right direction" appears to be at odds with the claims of no criminal activity
      • Waco Citizen, "Feazell Defense Begins In Austin Courtroom", 1987/06/23 (pages 1, 2) - under cross examination, it was revealed that David R. Scott, who had failed the Texas bar exam three times, signed the motion to dismiss for one of Perry's DWI cases; mentions how David Jordan testified before the federal grand jury on 1986/09/17 (ed. note: the same day that Feazell was arrested); has Truman Simons testify that he first met Feazell in 1974, when Simons was a narcotics cop and Feazell worked at the MHMR drug program; Simons indicates that Richard Bowers was, to his knowledge, "never out of drugs to sell"; Dan Weyenberg testifies that he joined the sheriff's office in 1971 (after being police chief in Robinson TX), had known Feazell for about 10 years, and personally lobbied Feazell not to prosecute probation officer Henry Mendez for his DWI; Jack Harwell testifies that he had known Feazell for about 15 years and had a "very good" relationship with him; DA's office investigator J.L. Crawford testifies that Don Hall did receive Bowers' confiscated gun (the one later found in Feazell's home)
      • Waco Citizen, "Testimony Heated In Vic Feazell Trial", 1987/06/26 (pages 1, 2)
      • The Herald-News (Passaic NJ) (from Dallas Times Herald), "Justice nearly undone: The sordid saga of Vic Feazell" by Jim Henderson, 1987/07/12 (pages H-6, H-7) - note that the author is Hugh Aynesworth's coauthor in the supposed exposes of the Lucas "hoax", and the version of events is clearly slanted towards Feazell
      • George Merilian background - had served in the McLennan County Constables office under Bill Donaldson during the 70s (as did another notable individual Johnie Dodd); initially worked as an investigator in Feazell's office before getting fired in late 1984; according to Waco drug cop Donnie Tidmore, there was something regarding Merilian and a formula for stovetop meth that Feazell asked the Waco police to investigate; came forward with allegations that Feazell let the jailhouse informants against Spence have conjugal visits in the DA's office
        • TODO fill out
        • Background of father Joe Merilian - whose name was on a tape seized from Feazell's office; married into a Dodd family, and was a pallbearer at the funeral of the brother of Johnie Dodd (who may or may not be from the same Dodd family)
          • Waco Tribune-Herald, obituary for Louis Alton Dodd, 1980/04/28 - parents are Mr. and Mrs. Johnie Dodd Sr. of Riesel TX; has a sister Barbara Holland of Houston TX and a brother Johnie Dodd Jr. (ed. note: the chief deputy constable and friend of Derwin Wilkins, who is generally meant when "Johnie Dodd" is referenced on this page with no further specifiers) of Robinson TX; pallbearers include Robert Dodd and Joe Merilian
          • Waco Tribune-Herald, obituary for Lillie Merilian, 2001/11/11 - full name is Lillie Dodd Merilian; parents are Jimmy Dodd and Frona Troxell Dodd; husband is Joe D. Merilian; was preceded in death by siblings Jimmy Dodd, Robert Dodd, Elizabeth Sparks, and Frona Moreland; son is George Merilian
          • Waco Tribune-Herald, obituary for Joe D. Merilian, 2013/01/29
      • Helen Eversberg background - served as US Attorney for the Western District of Texas during the Henry Lee Lucas controversy and the Feazell prosecution; had been nominated by John Tower in 1984, but retired rather than seek reappointment in 1989 following criticism by Phil Gramm (the successor to Tower's Senate seat) and others
        • Waco Tribune-Herald, "Prosecutor in Feazell probe takes teaching post", 1987/06/02: "[Jan] Patterson said the personal nature of attacks by Feazell was a major factor in her decision to resign from the U.S. Attorney's office. Patterson said she "felt very strongly about" following through on the Feazell prosecution, but was not allowed to do so by U.S. Attorney Helen Eversberg. "The only reason was that Feazell made allegations of a personal nature against me, and Helen Eversberg felt that another prosecutor should try the case," Patterson said. "I felt there were some decisions I should live with and others I should not live with ... in order to maintain my consistency and integrity." Both Ms. Eversberg and Jack Frels, the U.S. attorney in charge of prosecuting the case, said Ms. Patterson was still with the office, working behind the scenes to aid the investigation."
        • Austin American-Statesman, "Gramm hints at refusing to renominate prosecutor", 1988/12/14 - criticism of Eversberg by Gramm as well as multiple Western District judges, including chief judge Lucius Bunton and judge James Nowlin of Austin (ed. note: who presided over Feazell's bribery trial)
        • Waco Tribune-Herald, "Gramm says attorney not aggressive", 1988/12/14
        • Waco Tribune-Herald, "MOVING ON: U.S. Attorney Helen Eversberg plans to set up a private practice", 1989/03/04 (pages 1A, 9A)
        • Waco Tribune-Herald, "U.S. official says attorney 'is the worst'", 1989/05/12 - attack on Eversberg by US Customs Commissioner William von Raab
        • Phil Gramm background
          • eBay listing for a photo of John Tower and Phil Gramm on the campaign trail together
          • CIA documents on a 1986/09/22 breakfast hosted by DCI William Casey in honor of Senator Phil Gramm
      • Waco gamblers and their circle of friends implicated in the Feazell scandal
        • Longview News Journal, "Gregg Property Transfers", 1978/05/17: "K. Dan Thompson to Larry W. Binnion and Roger B. Bethke, Lot 9, Block "H", Jones Estates, Longview."
        • Fort Worth Star-Telegram, "Police hit jackpot in raid", 1980/10/13: "Local gamblers lost a fun house here when state troopers and Texas Rangers converged on a small home and scooped up $20,000 in cash, assorted gambling paraphernalia and arrested 22 people in a surprise raid. Investigators said the sophisticated operation may be only the "tip of the iceberg" of Central Texas gambling, but police were calling it the biggest raid in Waco's recent history. [...] Arrested early Saturday and charged with felony counts of gambling promotion were Randy Ray Roberts, 26, of China Spring and Gerhard Hefele, 26, of Waco. Both were charged by Justice of the Peace Clarence Weikel and released on $10,000 bond each. John Thomas Ash and Henry Sprague III, both of Waco, also were charged with felony counts of gambling promotion. They were released on $5,000 each."
        • Waco Citizen, "Reyna, Cops Arrest 7 On Gambling", 1980/10/31 (pages 1, 2): "Seven Wacoans were arrested on gambling charges late Tuesday afternoon by the Waco Police Department on sealed indictments handed down by the McLennan County Grand Jury. Arrested and charged with four counts each of violations of Article 71.02 of the Pena1 Code entitled Engaging In Organized Criminal Activity were: Jimmy Helka, 29, 810 Rambler; H. C. Deaton, 53, 6633-C Landmark; Randy Ray Roberts, 28, Route 1, Box 801, China Spring; Gerhard “Jerry” Hefele, 26, 6509 Landmark; Johnny Ash, 22, Route 6, Box 1450, Waco; Henry Sprague III, 24, 3400 New Robinson Rd.; and August F. Barton, 53, 2609 Cedar Point. [...] The indictments stem from an investigation by the grand jury which began when the Waco Police Department raided a house and confiscated gambling paraphenalia earlier this month. The grand jury has completed the first phase of their investigation which concentrated on the bookie or casino operation level. The grand jury will reconvene at 8 a.m. on Nov. 12 to begin building a case against the “top moneymen” which will be the second phase of their investigation. Ash, Hefele, Roberts and Sprague were arrested in the earlier raid and charged with felony counts of gambling promotion. Helka, arrested at the same time, was charged with misdemeanor counts of gambling."
        • Waco Tribune-Herald, "McLennan Grand Jury Indicts 8 In Illegal Drug Airlifting Case", 1980/12/17: "THE GRAND JURY reconvened today to consider several routine cases. Twenty-four indictments, excluding the sealed indictments, were returned Tuesday. Indicted were: • Roger Bryant Bethke, 37, of 3200 Wenz, and Gerhard Hefele, 26, of 6509 Landmark, for operating a gambling place at 400 Industrial. The men were charged with running a bookie operation out of an apartment."
        • Fort Worth Star-Telegram, "10TH RACE", 1995/08/07 - mentions Larry W. Binnion and Jerrel E. Bolton (a Waco car dealership owner whose wife Melodie Bolton was murdered) as co-owners of a racing horse
        • Roger Bethke background
          • Fort Worth Star-Telegram, "FW golfers head to Las Vegas", 1986/03/16: "The Western Oaks Country Club is representing Waco in the Gold Cup Tournament. Playing with the Waco team are Joe Browder, Blake Browder, Dr. Bond Browder, Rory Younger, Ken Wall, Jake Wilson, Tom Westbrook, Roger Bethke and Curtis Wilkinson."
        • Randy Roberts background
          • Facebook friends list for Randy Roberts - includes Randy Crook, Chad Branch (Manager - Distribution & Inside Sales NA at Howmet Aerospace), Charlotte Miller McNamara (wife of Parnell McNamara), Doug Henager (Waco defense lawyer active in various notable cases such as the Edna Chrisenberry matter), Gordon Rountree Jr (either a director of Community State Bank of Waco or that director's son), Larry Binnion (racing horse owner and associate of Roger Bethke) accounts 1 and 2, John Ash, Felipe Reyna, Lyndon Olson, and Bill Miller (Waco car lot owner who had sold a car to Joe Leaming, employed him for some paint jobs, and testified for the defense at his murder trial)
        • Johnny Ash background - reportedly one of two Waco gamblers (alongside Roger Bethke) who testified against Feazell at his federal trial
          • Bernadette Feazell, "SHERIFF IGNORES MURDER FOR MONEY", 2019/06/12
            • "Jerry Hefele came by my house the night before he left for Germany (1980) and told me that his wife, Lilly Hefele was murdered by “Johnny Ash.”"
            • "This Johnny Ash having a birthday party given by Kim Falcone who’s gotten off countless DWI’s, and remember Kim’s naughty fake purse selling offspring, Nikki Pittman? Kim Falcone who was treated favorably by DA Abel Reyna shown below at the party being kissed on the head by one Johnny Ash in front of a birthday cake."
            • "This Johnny Ash that got immunity for testifying in my ex husband’s racketeering trial back in 1987. I’ve never met Johnny Ash but …… I know.
              
              https://lakewacotriplemurder.blog/2017/11/02/two-waco-gamblers-get-immunity-for-testimony-against-waco-da-1987/"
            • "So, Sheriff McNamara, knowing that I, and others, have implicated Johnny Ash in a cold case that HIS OFFICE TOOK THAT DAY, and the possible perp is one Johnny Ash and now Clifton Robinson, Johnny Ash and Wes Waller are putting on a fundraiser for Parnell McNamara."
          • Facebook friends list for John Ash - includes Chris Eubank (Captain of Patrol & Courthouse Security at Mclennan County Sheriff's Office), Abel Reyna, Diane Binnion, Todd Binnion, Felipe Reyna, Parnell McNamara, Charlotte Miller McNamara (wife of Parnell McNamara), Brenda Binnion, Don Kinder, Randy Crook, Jim Dunnam (two accounts), Lisa Uptmor, Mike Trammell, Johnie Dodd, Bob Gerhard, Dorothy Uptmor, Doug Henager, Robin Thorp, Larry Binnion accounts 1 and 2, Randy Roberts, Sherre Whitney, and Jason Darling
        • Larry Binnion background
          • Waco Tribune-Herald, "Jack Sparks, Sherry Binnion exchange vows", 1982/07/12: "Mr. and Mrs. Jack Keith Sparks are living in Waco following their June 12 wedding at Central Christian Church. Rev. Dr. C.W. Christian performed the ceremony. The bride, the former Sherry Lynn Binnion, is the daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Larry Binnion of Waco. Parents of the groom are Mr. and Mrs. J.W. Sparks, also of Waco. The bride's honor attendants were Paula Knight and Ronda Sparks. Bridesmaids were Teresa Cundiff, Debbie Cundiff and Linda Buzbee. Larry Sparks was best man, and Todd Binnion, Ricky Sparks, Clint Cox and Henry Witt were groomsmen. Ushering were Dave Downey and Roger Bethke. Sparks is an auto glass installer at Auto Glass Masters."
        • Randy Crook background
          • Facebook friends list for Randy Crook - includes Randy Roberts, Parnell McNamara, Lyndon Olson, Vic Feazell, Larry Binnion (a third account not seen among the above), Susan Kelly (54th District Judge), Jim Dunnam, Marsha Cottle, Johnie Dodd, Michael McNamara, Rob Sadler, John Ash, Larry Binnion, John McLemore, Felipe Reyna, Barry Johnson, Earl B. Patrick, Cynthia Lattimore Fadal, Bill Miller, Dan Ingham, Parnell McNamara (seemingly different from the sheriff)
        • James Kolacek background - bakery owner in West TX, and one of the defendants alleged to have paid Feazell through their attorneys to have their case dismissed (misspelled in some articles as "James Kalocek" or "James Kolachek")
          • Waco Tribune-Herald, obituary for James Clement Kolacek (Oct. 9, 1940 - Sept. 17, 2005), 2005/09/19
          • Aderhold Funeral Home obituary for James Kolacek: "James Clement "Kake" Kolacek, age 64, of West, passed away Saturday evening, September 17, 2005 at his residence. A rosary will be recited 8:00 p.m. on Monday at St. Mary's Catholic Church of the Assumption in West, by Rev. Ed Karasek. Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated 3:00 p.m. on Tuesday at St. Mary's Catholic Church of the Assumption, with Monsignor Mark Deering as celebrant. Burial will follow at St. Mary's Cemetery near West. Mr. Kolacek was born on October 9, 1940 in West, the son of Clement Frank and Estelle (Archer) Kolacek. He graduated from West High School in 1958 and then attended North Texas University. He was owner of the Kolaceks Kolace Kitchen and Café in West for over thirty years and the Kolacek-Coleman Lumber Company. Kake loved to watch all sports on television, especially football games and enjoyed hunting and gambling. His grandchildren were very special to him and he enjoyed knowing all about their sports and school activities. He was a member of St. Mary's Catholic Church of the Assumption in West and Knights of Columbus Council #2305 in West."
          • Radio Legendary, "Goodfellas, The Phone Records, And The Line-Up", 2017/10/29: "You’ve got to go for the fine print, if you’re from out of town, but no matter if you’re from the mid-cities of DFW, Baja Austin del Rio Colorado, the piney woods of Houston’s far north side, the Alamo City, or New Braunfels, you will get a very quick understanding – if not a cold chill – when you look at this obituary of a well-known resident of West, Texas, located in Baja Hill County.
            
            Please do take note of the names of the pallbearers and honorary pallbearers at this sad occasion, including a Campisi, a Binnion – and, then, there’s Mr. Ash. [...]"
        • Abel Reyna corruption scandal
          • Bernadette Feazell, "ABEL REYNA PHONE RECORDS", 2017/10/28
            • "254-315-1407 Abel Reyna’s Wife
              254-709-7555 Randy Crook
              254-749-3300 John Ash
              
              These are the first three people Abel Reyna called when he found out TWIN PEAKS had just erupted."
            • "Let’s forget Abel’s wife for now, this is the boys club game, she’s home with an infant, of course, Randy Crook AND Johnny Ash plus others were at her wedding with Abel in Mexico, plenty of FACEBOOK pictures."
          • Radio Legendary, "Goodfellas, The Phone Records, And The Line-Up", 2017/10/29
            • "254-315-1407 Abel Reyna’s Wife – 08:23
              254-709-7555 Randy Crook – 08:43
              254-749-3300 John Ash – 08:55"
            • "Now, then, this brings us to Mr. John Ash.
              
              No matter how tenuous the connection, both he and Randy Crook are members of Goodfellows, a Christmas charity forced to skin back a corporate donation to the campaign chest of Sheriff Parnell McNamara when a paid employee made a mistaken deposit of their check. Taking money from corporations is an ethics no no. Just saying."
        • Twin Peaks biker shootout in 2015 - TODO complete
      • Alfred Ray Smith background - a local businessman who punched a cop and broke her nose during a drunken disturbance, thus facing a serious charge, but following a large payment to his lawyer Chuck Youts, was able to get nothing but probation and a $7000 out-of-court settlement to the cop
        • Deposition of Alfred Ray Smith on 1990/08/22 - on p.4 says that he's self-employed at "A. R. Smith & Sons Products, Incorporated" which is "a little chemical company I created when I retired from the army"; on p.5 describes having retired from the Army in January 1969 as a lieutenant colonel after 23 years of service; on p.20 denies the seriousness of his assault on the officer, expressing doubt that he "ever really hurt her"
        • Waco Times-Herald, "PROMOTED", 1967/02/23: "Alfred R. Smith, formerly of Waco and husband of the former Margaret Shindler of Waco, recently was promoted to lieutenant colonel in the Army at Munich, Germany. Col. Smith graduated from Waco High School and from the University of Southern Mississippi. He is a 19-year veteran of the Army."
        • Waco Tribune-Herald, "Waco Colonel Is Honored For Services", 1968/03/23: "The Legion of Merit, the Army’s second highest decoration for performance of duty, has been awarded to Lt. Col. Alfred R. Smith. Smith was honored for meritorious services in the performance of his duties from November, 1964 to September, 1967. He is the son of Mrs. M. L. Roberts of 1114 Clay Avenue. His wife and three children live at 8909 Gladevale Drive. Smith was serving as commanding officer of 507th United States Army Security Agency Group Special Projects Detachment. His citation in part said: “His organizational ability, coupled with sound judgment, perseverance and exceptional skill as an Army aviator, contributed significantly to the projective and successful operation of the testing phases of special projects of the United States Army Security Agency.” Smith is a 1948 graduate of Waco High School. He received a bachelor of science degree in history from the University of Southern Mississippi."
        • Waco Times-Herald, "Connally Tech To Offer Pilot Training Course", 1969/02/07: "A training program in career pilot training will begin this May at James Connally Technical Institute [later Texas State Technical Institute (TSTI), then Texas State Technical College (TSTC)]. Retired U.S. Army Lt. Col. Alfred R. Smith will be the instructor. [...] Col. Smith recently retired with 21 years of military service. He is a master army aviator, parachutist, and qualified in virtually all types of aircraft. He served in Europe, Korea, and recently returned from a tour in Vietnam. He holds a B.S. from the University of Southern Mississippi and has attended the Universities of Maryland and Alabama and Roosevelt University in Chicago. Actual flight training for the course will be conducted on the Connally Tech campus at James Connally airport. Flying will be contracted through a local flight agency. [...] Smith said the instruction is supported by the Veterans Administration and qualified students will receive the same financial benefits they could expect to receive in other courses."
        • Waco Times-Herald, "Wacoan Awarded Medal For Meritorious Service", 1969/05/28: "Lt. Col. Alfred R. Smith of 5001 Lake Arrowhead recently received his first Oak Leaf Cluster to the Legion of Merit for "exceptionally meritorious service" in Vietnam. Smith is the son of Mrs. M. L. Roberts of 1114 Clay. He was cited for his service from November 1967 to October 1968. The citation said he served during this time in consecutive positions of increasing importance with the 17th Combat Aviation Group, 1st Aviation Brigade in Vietnam. He was assigned as post commander for Lane Army Airfield in An Son, Vietnam. Almost as soon as he had arrived for those duties, he was selected to serve as Task Force commander for the Aviation Task Force in support of the 1st Brigade, 101st Airborne Division (Airmobile) during Operation Klamath Falls. [...] Smith was then assigned as the staff officer in charge of logistics with the 17th Combat Aviation Group where he "continued his brilliant performance of duty and became an invaluable asset to his superiors," the citation continued. [...] Other decorations he holds include another Legion of Merit seven Air Medals and one with the "V" device for valor the Bronze Star and the U.S. Defense Medal with Oak Leaf Cluster (designating service in both the Korean Conflict and the Vietnam War.) Smith and his wife both graduated from Waco High School. He attended several universities in the U.S. and graduated from the University of Southern Mississippi with a bachelor of science degree in history. He retired from the service after completing a Vietnam tour in January. He is now an associate professor of aerospace technology at James Connally Technical Institute. His wife is the former Miss Margaret Shindler, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. F. E. Shindler of 3004 Pine. They have three children, Sandra, 18, Deborah, 13, and Alfred Michael, 3."
        • Waco Times-Herald, "Miss Sandra Smith Bride Of Arthur Preston Bunnell", 1971/05/27: "A Saturday evening ceremony in First Baptist Church united in marriage Miss Sandra Eileen Smith and Arthur Preston Bunnell. Parents of the couple are Lt. Col. and Mrs. A. R. Smith of 5001 Lake Arrowhead and Mr. and Mrs. A. L. Bunnell of Marble Falls."
        • Waco Citizen, "Smith Files For Trustee", 1972/02/17: "Alfred R. Smith filed for place 3 on the MCC board of trustees, election to be held April 1st. Smith and his wife, the former Margaret Shindler, are native Wacoans and have three children, Sandra Bunnell 21, and currently a senior at Baylor, Deborah 16, a sophomore at Richfield High, and Michael 6, a student at St. Alban’s Episcopal School. Mr. Smith is associated with Warner Chilcott Laboratories, and is a graduate of the University of Southern Miss., (Deans list), and member of Phi Alpha Theta, national society of honor history students. Mr. Smith is also a member of the Northwest Waco Lions Club, Karen Shrine Temple und currently serves in the capacity of President of the Waco USO council. Smith is a retired Lt. Col. from the U.S. Army having served in Germany, Korea and Viet Nam where he received the Legion of Merit with an oak leaf cluster, Bronze Star with V- for valor, as well as the Air Medal with 7 oak leak clusters. The Smith family are all members of St. Albans Episcopal Church and as stated by Mr. Smith “he is deeply interested in the growth and development of MCC, ever keeping in mind the cost to the taxpayer.”"
        • Waco Tribune-Herald, advertisement for the re-election of city councilor Ted Getterman, 1973/04/01 - says that Getterman was a graduate of Baylor Law School as well as president of Seven-Up Bottling Company; endorsements include Margaret Smith and Alfred Smith along with Abner V. McCall, Dr. Herbert H. Reynolds, Gordon Rountree, Dr. W. M. Avent (whose office was burglarized in 1971 by an associate of Gary Keith Harvey, brother of Donny Joel Harvey), Mrs. Walter Fadal, and Jarrell McCracken
        • Waco Tribune-Herald, photograph of a team in the Bear Downs bicycle race, 1975/04/18: "THESE THREE GUYS are smiling because each has his own personal pedal pusher to cheer him on as he prepares for the Bear Downs 50-mile bicycle race at 2 p.m. Saturday in the Heart O' Texas Coliseum. The three members of the team called Dark Horse are Steve Ratcliff, a Corpus Christi sophomore; Lee Miller, a Corpus Christi law student; and Holt Getterman, a Waco sophomore. Getterman is the son of Mayor and Mrs. Ted Getterman of 3219 Lake Shore Drive. The three smiling pedal pushers are Debbie Brashear, a Cameron senior; Debbie Smith, a Waco freshman; and Jaynie Narramore, a Greenville sophomore. Miss Smith is the daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Alfred R. Smith of 2600 Regency."
        • Waco Tribune-Herald, "Gettermans Plan Dinner", 1976/08/04: "Mr. and Mrs. Louis T. Getterman Jr. of 3219 Lake Shore Drive will honor their son Holt, his fiancee Miss Debbie Smith and their wedding party with rehearsal dinner at 7:30 p.m. Friday in Ridgewood Country Club. The bride is the daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Alfred R. Smith of 2600 Regency. The engaged pair will be married at 4 p.m. Saturday in Columbus Avenue Baptist Church."
        • Waco Tribune-Herald, "Ex-Wacoan Gets Master's", 1976/09/02: "Mrs. Sandra Bunnell, daughter of Col. and Mrs. Alfred R. Smith of 2600 Regency in Waco, has received a master's degree in theater from Texas Christian University. Mrs. Bunnell is a graduate of Midway High School and Baylor University."
        • A. R. Smith & Sons Products, Inc. corporation info - filing number 40371400; tax ID 17419157551; incorporated 1977/04/15; dissolved 2002/05/28, with the president being A. R. Smith of Waco and the secretary being Alfred Michael Smith of Thousand Oaks CA
        • Waco Tribune-Herald, advertisement for city council candidate Jim Mathis, 1980/04/04 - endorsements include A. R. Smith and Mrs. A. R. Smith along with David Hodges and Jarrell McCracken
        • Waco Tribune-Herald, advertisement for state legislature candidate Rollin Khoury, 1980/11/03 - campaign treasurer is John B. McNamara (seemingly related to Parnell McNamara and Mike McNamara); endorsements include Alfred R. Smith along with Ted Getterman, Mrs. Walter C. Fadal, Harvey Fadal, Jr., Mitchell Fadal, Paul Gartner, Mrs. George M. Fadal, Mrs. Mitchell Fadal, Christian Ramsey, Jr. MD, Edmond Fadal, Jr., Walter C. Fadal, Mrs. Edward W. Fadal, Teal Fadal, Dell Fadal, Rosemary Fadal, Edward W. Fadal, Johnnie Fadal, M.M. Key, Jr. (a director of Community State Bank), Marian Fadal, Paul E. Gartner, Ted Getterman, Mrs. J. Carroll Wood (mother of future Vic Feazell client Jean Auclair), Mary Fadal, Dr. Ronald Fadal, John McNamara, Jr., and Mitchell Fadal
        • Waco Tribune-Herald, obituary for Mrs. Margaret Smith, 1983/03/13: "Mrs. Margaret Rose Shindler Smith, 52, of 2600 Regency died Saturday at a local hospital. Services will be at 11:30 a.m. Monday at St. Alban's Episcopal Church, the Rev. Paul Taft officiating. Burial will be in Oakwood Cemetery. Mrs. Smith was born in Waco. She was a graduate of Waco High School and the University of Southern Mississippi. She was a member of St. Alban's Episcopal Church, St. Mary's Guild at St. Alban's and the volunteer's auxiliary of the Hillcrest Baptist Medical Center. Survivors include her husband, Alfred Smith; two daughters, Mrs. Preston (Sandra) Bunnell of Mexia and Mrs. Holt (Deborah) Getterman of Waco; a son, Michael Smith of Waco; two sisters, Mrs. Herbert Gunn of Waco and Mrs. Nova Wolfe of Indianapolis; and three grandchildren."
        • Waco Tribune-Herald, "Man released from jail after assault arrest", 1983/12/13: "A 54-year-old Waco man was released Monday from the McLennan County Jail after his arrest late Sunday on a charge of aggravated assault on a police officer. Alfred Ray Smith, 2600 Regency Drive, was placed under $2,500 bail by Justice of the Peace Joe Johnson. Police said his arrest stemmed from a disturbance at 9:30 p.m. at 1612 Rambler in which Waco police officer Mary Crook was struck in the face with a fist."
        • Waco Tribune-Herald, obituary for M.L. Roberts Sr., 1983/12/31: "M.L (Luther) Roberts Sr., 82, of 1114-A Clay died Friday at a local hospital. Graveside services will be at 10 a.m. Tuesday at Waco Memorial Park, the Rev. Bryan Thornburg officiating. Mr. Roberts was born Aug. 28, 1901, and lived in Waco all of his life. He was a retired service station operator and a member of Waco Lions Club and Emmanuel Baptist Church. Survivors include his wife, Opal Roberts of Waco; four sons, Buddy Roberts, Eddie Smith, Raymond Smith and Alfred Smith, all of Waco; two daughters, Betty Garner and Viola Jones, both of Waco; and a sister, Hattie Roundtree of Houston."
        • Waco Tribune-Herald, "LYNN'S HELP-LINE", 1985/07/09: "A reader inquired about the services of a professional clown, "Sparkles," who also is known as Karen Smith. Help-Line was called by another clown, "Hee-Haw," to tell us about the Karem Shrine clowns. The Karem Shrine clowns work to earn donations for the Shriners Crippled Children's Hospitals and Burn Centers, said "Hee Haw," an alias for Dempsey Welch. "We'll be happy to go to birthday parties, store openings or other events," he said. "We charge $10 an hour and all the donations go to the hospitals and burns centers." He said anyone needing a Karem Shrine clown can call him at 772-4552, or Burl (Bo) Hunt at 772-1413. President of this group of clowns is Alfred (Scarecrow) Smith at 822-1652."
        • Waco Tribune-Herald, "Smith-Williams", 1986/12/28: "Monica Dawn Williams and A. Michael Smith are engaged and plan a Feb. 7 wedding at First Baptist Church. The bride-elect is the daughter of Jean Williams of Waco and Dr. Jimmy Williams of Temple. The prospective groom is the son of the late Margaret Rose Smith. Miss Williams is a graduate of Richfield High School, where she participated in band and was a Symphony Belle. She received a bachelor's degree in political science from Texas A&M University, where she was a member of Political Science Honor Society. She is a teacher at Waco Baptist Academy. Smith is a graduate of Richfield High School, where he participated in band. He attended Southern Methodist University, where he participated in band and was a member of Kappa Sigma fraternity and Russian Club. He is a senior accounting major at Baylor University."
        • Waco Tribune-Herald, "ON THE MOVE", 1997/08/17: "A. Michael Smith, a 1989 Baylor University graduate, has been promoted to senior manager in the Audit and Business Advisory Services group of Price Waterhouse LLP in St. Louis, Mo. Smith joined Price Waterhouse as a senior accountant in Dallas in 1992 and transferred to St. Louis in 1994."
        • Waco Tribune-Herald, obituary for Alfred Smith (December 12, 1929 - May 1, 2010), 2010/05/04
        • Vietnam Helicopter Pilots Association memorial for VHPA member LTC Alfred R. Smith - quotes a slightly modified Waco Tribune-Herald obituary: "Lt. Col. Alfred Smith, 80, a career soldier and one of the most decorated in Texas history, passed away Saturday, May 1, 2010, succumbing to respiratory failure with complications from years of exposure to the herbicide Agent Orange in Vietnam. Services will be 1 p.m. Thursday, May 6, at Wilkirson-Hatch-Bailey Funeral Home on Bosque Blvd. Full military honors, with gun salute, will follow at Waco Memorial Park. Visitation will be 6 to 8 p.m. Wednesday, May 5, at Wilkirson-Hatch-Bailey Garden Room. Col. Smith, a native of Waco, played football for the Waco High School Tigers from 1946-1948, before graduating in 1948. Col. Smith, an Army bootstrapper, worked during his early military years to earn a degree in history from the University of Southern Mississippi. Col. Smith served in the Korean campaign and in Vietnam as a Rotary Wing Commander, earning the Distinguished Flying Cross, two Legions of Merit, multiple Bronze Stars with V for Valor in Combat, and many other distinguished medals and honors. He was a paratrooper, a nuclear weapons-qualified Army aviator, and a test pilot for the Army Aviation Test Board, who was invited to perform touch-and-go's with the Blue Angels. He also served as the project officer for the Mohawk. A friend in Waco once asked him, "Al, what did you fly?" To which Col. Smith responded with a chuckle, "Anything that had wings." Following active military service, he was a member of several military pilot and officer organizations. During later years and difficult times, Col. Smith found strength in the power and forgiveness of the resurrected Christ, and, as a result of the efforts of Mr. Herbert Harding, he later joined the Horizons class of the First United Methodist Church."
        • Warner Chilcott Laboratories presence in Waco
          • Waco News-Tribune, "Freeman Heads Drug Travelers", 1962/09/16: "Cen-Tex Drug Travelers Saturday morning elected Larry Freeman of 1326 North Sixty-sixth Street its new president. He succeeds Charles McClure of 3916 Austin Avenue. Other officers elected at the Bertrand's Restaurant meeting are Robert J. McQuirk of 3908 Morrow Avenue, vice president; Bill Locklar of 1730 Southern Drive, recording secretary; James F. Gunn of 1213 North Sixty-Sixth Street, corresponding secretary; Lacy Clifton of 2600 Austin Avenue, treasurer; and Leo Mayes, 2114 Colcord Avenue, auditor. Members elected to the executive committee include Shelby Brown of 3817 Maple Avenue, Morris Kearney of 1617 Royal Oaks and Charles McClure."
          • Waco Tribune-Herald, "Doctors' Assistants Set Dinner at Nick's", 1966/09/11: "Doctors' Assistants will hold a dinner meeting at Nick’s at 4565 West Waco Drive Tuesday at 7 p.m. Larry M. Freeman of Warner-Chilcott Laboratories will give the program. The dinner meeting reopens regular meeting schedule for the 1966-67 season."
          • Waco Times-Herald, advertisement for a Warner-Chilcott pharmaceutical sales job, 1970/06/26 - note that the position is in Waco but the contact to arrange the interview is in Dallas
          • Waco Tribune-Herald, obituary for Larry Freeman, 2013/01/17: "Larry Morrow Freeman, 79, of Salado, passed away Tuesday, Jan. 15, 2013, in Austin, while receiving treatment for a traumatic brain injury. Services for Larry will be at Salado United Methodist Church at 2 p.m. Friday, Jan. 18, with the Rev. Travis Franklin conducting the services. Visitation with the family will be at 1 p.m. at the church.
            
            Larry was born in Grand Saline, Texas, on March 22, 1933. His family moved to Dallas where he graduated in 1950 from North Dallas High School. He received an athletic scholarship from Daniel Baker College in Brownwood and played all college sports. When Daniel Baker closed its athletic program, Larry transferred to Southwestern University in Georgetown where he was an All-Conference guard for the basketball team. At Southwestern, he met Patricia Gregory and while students, they were married in 1952 resulting in a 60 year marriage.
            
            Larry was a high school basketball coach in Monahans and Crane after graduation from college. He helped coach all other sports and retained his love for athletics all of his life. In 1960, Larry went to work as a pharmaceutical salesman living in Waco. In 1970, he began his career with Herff Jones Graduation Supply Co., and moved his family to Midland. He accepted the job as state sales manager for the company in 1983 and moved to Chandler in East Texas with plans to retire there. After retiring in 1996, he and Pat moved to the golf community of Emerald Bay in Bullard. Family obligations in 2002 resulted in a move to Salado.
            
            [...]
            
            The Lions Club was a 30 year commitment to give back to his community. He was a District Governor and from 1988-89, served as State Chairman. He welcomed their motto, "We Serve" as a life guideline."
      • Richard Bowers background - a local lounge owner and prominent drug dealer, who was alleged to have bribed the DA's office through his lawyer Don Hall to get probation (though Bowers denied this), and was shot to death a month after Feazell's federal indictment
        • Fort Worth Star-Telegram, "Police puzzled over shooting of man linked to McLennan DA", 1986/10/17
        • Radio Legendary, "LAKE MURDERS: Smoking gun, still hot after 35 years, returns to Austin court tomorrow", 2017/08/02 (RSS feed archive): "Of particular note is the allegation made by the ex-wife of Feazell, Bernadette, who reported on her blog Feazell and Simons spoke of a certain federal informant who made allegations about a racketeering case against the DA for bribery” “He was Confidential Informant #13 in Vic’s indictment. Vic was indicted on September 17, 1986 and Bowers was dead by October 16. There is a tape of Vic and Truman that morning talking about it, plus a confession from Alvin Collins, also known as Black Jesus, saying they hired him. Dannen the…played it for me and Judy Simons on June 8, 2002.”"
        • Alvin Collins background
          • Corsicana Weekly Light, "DISTRICT COURT", 1976/01/08: "State vs. Alvin Ray Collins, unauthorized use of a motor vehicle, sentenced to 10 years, probated to 5 years. State vs. Alvin Ray Collins, burglary, sentenced to 10 years, probated to five years."
          • Waco Citizen, "More Drug Charges Expected From Reyna", 1980/12/16: "Arraignments on the following cases will be heard in 54th District Court on Thursday: [...] Alvin Roy Collins, forgery by possession."
          • Waco Citizen, "Jury selection begins in murder trial", 1988/07/12: "(In a surprise move Collins plead guilty to the murder of Webb and life imprisonment.) Jury selection began Monday afternoon in the alleged murder by Alvin Ray Collins of Web Jones on Halloween night 1986. Collins, also known as “Black Jesus” on the streets, is alleged to have shot Jones to death. Collins has been in jail since November 4, 1986. Motions have been heard at various times since the murder almost two years ago, but this is the first trial for the allegation. Karen Amos and Scott Peterson are representing the state and Walter Reaves is representing Collins. Collins appearance in court was delayed after the motions were filed in order for jail personnel to cut his hair. The state is seeking a life sentence for the murder."
      • Larry Ortega background - a martial arts instructor (one of his students being Feazell's first assistant district attorney Pat Murphy) who had drug charges against him dismissed
        • D Magazine, "WAR IN WACO" by Carlton Stowers, 1985/10: "In one of his early reports, the WFAA reporter addressed the fact that Pat Murphy, first assistant in the McLennan County District Attorney’s office, had personally handled a drug possession case filed against his karate instructor, Larry Ortega, and dismissed it. Duncan insinuated that Murphy had chosen not to prosecute primarily because of his friendship with Ortega. Duncan also said that Murphy had refused to return his telephone calls.
          
          Murphy, who has not spoken with Duncan, tells a different story: “The only time I was ever contacted by Duncan was during a murder trial on which I was working,” he says. “When I got his message it was about three days old. I went to Vic and asked who Charles Duncan was, and he told me what he felt was going on. So, I never returned his call. But there was just the one call-not ’calls’ as he indicated on the air.
          
          “Larry Ortega was my karate instructor for almost a year, but our relationship was that of instructor and pupil. I would hardly classify it as a ’longtime friendship.’ We’ve never visited socially in any way. Our only contact, for that matter, was during the lessons I took. In fact, because of his rank in the sport, I called him Mr. Ortega despite his being several years younger than I am.” After Ortega was charged with marijuana possession, Murphy received a call from Ortega’s employer, who wanted to know how serious the case was. The employer went on to explain that the youngster was a gifted athlete who neither smoked nor drank, had never been in trouble with the law, and that it was his understanding the marijuana had actually belonged to Ortega’s brother. Murphy also received a call from a local attorney, who also took karate lessons from Ortega, suggesting that there was “something wrong” about the case.
          
          “Legally and ethically,” says Murphy, “I could have handled it myself.” Nevertheless, Murphy passed the case on to another prosecutor in the DA’s office, Crawford Long. After studying the facts of the case, Long recommended that it not be prosecuted. The Channel 8 report never indicated that anyone in the DA’s office other than Murphy dealt with the case. Long says he is unaware of any attempt by Duncan to contact him during his investigation."
        • Waco Tribune-Herald, "Feazell ties spur case changes", 1987/05/01 (pages 1B, 2B): "An attorney for criminal defendants in two separate cases was successful Thursday in disqualifying the McLennan County district attorney's office from prosecuting them because both have ties to a federal racketeering investigation of District Attorney Vic Feazell. During pretrial hearings in 170th State District Court, visiting judge Clyde Whiteside of Nocons approved motions from Waco attorney Lynn Malone to disqualify prosecutors in the organized criminal activity case of Greg Barrett and unrelated drug possession cases against Larry Ortega. After approving the motions, Whiteside appointed former prosecutors Bill Johnston and Crawford Long as independent prosecutors in Barrett's case and Johnston in Ortega's case. Malone said that Barrett's mother testified before an Austin federal grand jury that investigated Feazell for alleged bribery and racketeering activities. Feazell was indicted in September and reindicted Tuesday on bribery and mail fraud charges. Malone said Barrett's mother reportedly testified in Austin that she had a charge against her of driving while intoxicated that was dismissed by Feazell's office after she reportedly paid a "large sum" of money to a defense attorney. Malone declined to identify the woman or the defense attorney reportedly involved in the case. Ortega testified before the grand jury in Austin about drug possession charges that were dismissed against him, Malone said. [...] Barrett, 36, of 1007 N. 66th St., is one of 12 people charged in an alleged farm equipment theft network that operated throughout Central Texas. McLennan County Sheriff's Department officers bought stolen property from suspected burglars."
        • Waco Tribune-Herald, obituary for Demetria Trevino, 1997/03/17 - the mother of Larry Ortega
        • Waco Tribune-Herald, "Brothers medal in state karate competition", 1999/07/29: "The boys are trained by master instructor Larry Ortega and Frank Jones at International Tae Kwon Do Academy in Waco."
        • Waco Tribune-Herald, obituary for Joe Peña, 2000/08/31 - the brother of Larry Ortega's mother; note that Larry Ortega was a pallbearer at the funeral
      • Dr. Anthony Quinn background - a prominent obstetrician and gynecologist in Waco who reportedly committed suicide on 1986/04/08; was rumored to be involved in passing bribes to Feazell, and the notes he wrote shortly before his death were suspected to have relevant clues in that regard; his alcoholism treatment came from Dr. James Jolliff, who had been used by Feazell for a covert psychiatric exam of David Spence in the Lake Waco investigation so that the DA's office would have testimony supporting the death penalty
        • Waco Citizen, "Dr. Quinn's Letter", 1986/05/02 (pages 1, 3) - on 1985/10/19, Quinn got a DWI, and it is strongly implied that he was trying to pay off the DA's office through Guy Cox to make it go away
          • 1986/04/02 notes - under "(1) Alcoholism", says "No alcohol since 10-20-85, thanks to God, A.A. & Jim Joliff"; under "(3) Legal", says "Basically, pay Guy Cox $12,500.00 & "the problem" no longer exists - because of my profession & status in this country, this obviously is not negotiable, & under other circumstances would be paid & perhaps the incident closed??? However, this must involve the D. A. who is already up to his ass in this type of problem - so how reliable a solution is if the going got tough?? -- NO GUARANTEES & I am sure I am expendable!!! Plus money does not exist, so no money / no lawyer / no arrangement with D.A. - All hell on wheels breaks loose!!"; signed "Tony Quinn 4-2-86"
          • 1986/04/07 final letter
      • Waco Citizen, "Motion Filed Charles Duncan Deposition", 1987/11/20 - interesting that some of the people who Feazell and Richardson were trying to determine if Charles Duncan contacted include Dennis Green, Jan Price, Marvin Horton, David Spence, and Jesse Ivy
      • Waco Citizen, "Feazell Disciplined By Bar", 1988/01/08: "Acceptance of bribes and a violation of the code of ethics for attorneys were the counts agreed to on Monday between McLennan County District Attorney Vic Feazell and the State Bar General Counsel and the local bar grievance committee. The acceptance of bribes stems from testimony given during his trial in Austin on charges of bribery and conspiracy in which local attorneys testified they had paid him campaign contributions to get favorable results on criminal cases they were handling with criminal district attorneys office. The violation of the ethics was in relation to Feazell calling 54th St. District Judge a "liar" in a newspaper article, which is referred to as professional misconduct. The agreement between the parties calls for a two-year suspension of his license to be fully probated for the complete two years. [...] The state bar took no action on Feazell allowing, David Scott, a former prosecutor in his office to practice law without a license or any of the many complaints filed, according to sources, on his taping conversations with attorneys or with clients without their knowledge."
      • Ronald Eugene Dempsey allegations - note that he first made his allegations to none other than Truman Simons, at the recommendation of a fellow inmate who provided the name of Roy Lee Wells Jr. (the meth cook for a satanic cult, who was one of two meth lab operators living at Mount Carmel under David Koresh predecessor George Roden) as a suspect in the Mark Crozier murder
        • Waco Citizen, "DA Charges Police Chief With Conspiracy Scheme", 1988/01/05: "McLennan County District Attorney Vic Feazell leveled charges against Waco Police Chief Larry Scott Wednesday, saying he (Scott) and two other officers of the Waco PD were involved in a conspiracy to create false evidence linking himself (Feazell) to criminal activity. Feazell said he was turning the information he had received from jail inmate Ronald Eugene Dempsey over to the Texas Attorney General’s office in Austin for investigation and prosecution. [...] In his press conference, Feazell handed out a prepared news release and copies of a polygraph results and transcripts from two phone conversations. Feazell said the evidence presented to him by local law enforcement officers shows that the Waco police officials were involved in a conspiracy attempting to bribe and coerce a criminal defendant into claiming falsely that he and Feazell had trafficked in drugs together. The Waco Police officials, Chief Larry Scott, Special Crimes Sergeant Robert Fortune and Special Crimes Detective Robert Fuller, promised the unnamed defendent favorable treatment on pending criminal cases and other benefits if he would falsely accuse the District Attorney. Feazell also said his attorney Gary Richardson was forwarding the information to friends in the justice department in Washington. Feazell previewed his evidence for some members of the Waco City Council and the city staff. He requested John Harrison, City Manager, answer a letter he wrote to him in 48 hours. The letter was given to Harrison on Monday and he responded on Tuesday, saying the council would have to make a decision on their position on the evidence. He also commented later that the tapes and videos did not appear to have much evidence in them. Feazell has said he has more evidence to present. [...] Feazell refused to comment that Detective Fuller came to jail following a call from Sheriff Jack Harwell that Dempsey had information on a murder that remains unsolved. Feazell also said this all happened in April but he only learned of it in November. “Until December 21 I was still trying to go along with the scheme,” he said. “Initially I wanted a letter from the police department about the scheme,” he said. [...] Dempsey, a former resident of Mexia, has been sent to the pen twice by members of the Limestone County’s Sheriff’s office. He has a rap sheet of over six pages long and is known for working deals, sources say. All pending cases against Dempsey in McLennan County were dropped Wednesday afternoon. Hoagie Karels, attorney for Dempsey, would not comment on the cases plead saying “this is a matter of client confidentiality and is not part of the record.”"
        • Waco Citizen, "DA Says Telephone Calls Part Of Evidence", 1988/01/05
        • Waco Citizen, "Taped Phone Call May Exonerate Waco PD", 1988/03/04 (pages 1, 7): "A transcript of a telephone conversation between Waco Police Detective Robert Fuller and Scott Peterson, Assistant DA, has been received through a confidential source. The conversation taped on December 28, 1987, between Fuller and Peterson appears to exonerate the Waco Police Department of all allegations made by District Attorney Vic Feazell during a Dec. 30 press conference where he stated the police were attempting to set him up for a drug bust using a inmate of the county jail. Peterson in the phone call to Fuller, was telling him trial dates had been set for Ronald Eugene Dempsey, the inmate who reportedly told Sherrif's Deputy Truman Simons, of the alleged set-up against Feazell. He also told Fuller a second inmate, who had told authorities about the Mark Crozier murder, would be tried during the same week as Dempsey. The second inmate, had allegedly told Dempsey to see Simons about a meeting he (Dempsey) said took place between him, Fuller, Waco Police Chief Larry Scott and Detective Sgt. Robert Fortune at the Waco Police Dept. where they mentioned the deal with him. Peterson continued talking to Fuller about a suspect in the Crozier murder, Roy Boy Wells, saying they could possibly charge him with a case, in a shooting which occurred the night before the assistant DA called the Waco detective. Peterson told Fuller he would possibly be trying Dempsey, but the assistant DA did not tell Fuller all of the charges had been dismissed or reduced against Dempsey by Feazell on December 21, 1987, exactly one week prior to the call being made. [...] During the taking of deposition on February 17, by Attorney Charles McGregor, who is looking into the allegations made against Scott and his personnel, Peterson said he had handled three felony cases on Dempsey in 1987, that were given to him in the Spring of that year. One was theft over $750 where Advantage TV Rentals owner accused Dempsey of taking TVs and VCRs from his store. Peterson also said a drug case of delivery of methamphetamine against Dempsey in the Housecall Sting was assigned to him, along with an aggravated felony, made up of a number of hot check charges. In July, 1987 the cases were turned over to El Hadi Shabazz another assistant DA. Shabazz began dealing with Karels on the Dempsey cases and told him the inmate was facing 25 years in jail. Peterson claimed in his deposition made on the same evening that he had never seen Dempsey, not even a picture of him, but he admitted he had talked with Karels about a five year sentence in TDC, although he was aware of Shabazz’s 25 year deal. Under sworn testimony, Peterson admitted that Fuller was only passing on what Dempsey wanted and the detective had no authority to grant anything. Peterson claimed in the deposition that he was not aware the cases had been dismissed until February 8 when he received his subpoena to appear for the deposition."
        • Waco Citizen, "WPD Detective “Glad Ordeal Is Over”", 1988/05/13: "Waco Police Detective Robert Fuller is “glad the ordeal is over.” Fuller along with Waco Police Chief Larry Scott, and Sgt. Robert Fortune were cleared by action of the McLennan County Grand Jury of allegations brought against them by McLennan County District Attorney Vic Feazell. [...] Ronald Eugene Dempsey, a three time-convicted felon, who had charges dismissed by the DA, was the man who made the allegations to Feazell that Scott, Fortune and Fuller were going to set him (Feazell) up on a drug deal. Fuller said he had numerous calls from Dempsey, during the time he was in the McLennan County jail. He wanted to see me in connection with a Waco homicide and “I had no reason to doubt his word at that time.”"
      • TODO: look into the role of FBI agent Greg Rampton, who purportedly assisted Karl Rove in political prosecutions
      • 2014/03/24 comment on Grits for Breakfast, "Must-read: Michael Hall on the Lake Waco murders", 2014/03/21: "I was a teenager in Waco during Vic Feazell's reign back in the 80s. He always oozed sleaze like a used-car salesman or a tent preacher. He was and is a shameless, grand-standing, self-aggrandizing charlatan. Everyone knew he was dismissing DUI cases for bribes back in the day, but he was able to muddy the waters enough that the feds couldn't convict him."
    • John Ben Sutter background
      • Prabook page on John Ben Sutter
      • Jaye Ramsey Sutter, "Rove attacked a friend of mine", 2005/07/14
      • Background of his wife
        • Houston Community College bio for Jaye Ramsey Sutter: "Jaye began teaching professionally in 1989 as an adjunct professor at Austin Community College. Jaye has been with Houston Community College since 1992. Besides teaching federal and Texas government, Jaye also serves students as a pre-law advisor. Jaye has been teaching political science, state and federal government since 1985 as a graduate student at Baylor University. Jaye holds a Bachelor's of Arts in foreign service from Baylor University with a special focus on American-Russian relations. She was educated in the Soviet Union in 1983 during her junior year at Baylor University. She holds a Master's of Arts in political science from Baylor University. Her Master's thesis is Arrogance of Intervention: The United States Invasion of the Soviet Union, 1918-1920.
          
          Jaye worked for Texas Attorney General Jim Mattox in 1988 as his legislative analyst and in the Texas Legislature with State Representative Betty Denton of Waco. She also worked on Mattox's 1990 gubernatorial campaign. Jaye then secured a Texas secondary teaching certificate in government at Southwest Texas State University, now Texas State University, in San Marcos in 1990. She moved to Borger, Texas to teach U.S History and Texas Government at Frank Phillips Junior College in 1991. While teaching, Jaye took graduate history courses at West Texas State University, now West Texas A&M University at Canyon, Texas.
          
          In 1985 Jaye met her future husband, John Ben Sutter, at Baylor University. John Ben has a successful career as a press secretary and political campaign consultant and was the press secretary and administrator for the McLennan County District Attorney, Vic Feazell. John Ben ran successfully as the Democractic Party nominee for McLennan County Judge but lost his runoff election after subpenaed by the FBI and Texas Rangers to a federal grand jury investigating Feazell. Feazell helped expose the Henry Lee Lucas bogus confession spree documented in the Netflix series The Confession Killer. Feazell was indicted and stood trial on federal RICO charges and Jaye worked with Feazell's defense team which secured Feazell's acquittal. Feazell sued WFAA-TV Channel 8 News for libel for repeating the RICO allegations. He won a $58 million verdict, the highest jury award in a defamation trial in American history.
          
          Jaye earned her Doctorate of Jurisprudence in 2004 from South Texas College of Law. Jaye taught full time while attending law school part-time. She clerked for People for the American Way and Houston Volunteer Lawyers. Upon graduation, she worked at John O'Quinn's law firm while teaching full time for Houston Community College. Jaye has taught pre-law classes at the University of Houston in 2011-2017 in judicial behavior, women in the law, criminal justice, Supreme Court cases, political theory and the law, and the history of American jurisprudence. Jaye is a noted political commentator, television panelist, and public lecturer. Since 2016 she has been active in public political education and awareness and feminist issues in local grassroots political and social organizations. She has lectured and written on the John F. Kennedy assassination and Lee Harvey Oswald's Russian correspondence. Jaye divides their time between two homes, in Sugar Land, Texas and a seventy-five-year-old farmhouse in Rayville, Louisiana where she raises 114 acres of hardwood trees."
        • The News Star (Monroe LA), obituary for John Douglas Ramsey, 2014/06/25
      • Facebook social media presence
        • 2020/03/23 link post criticizing Trump's COVID response - is sad-reacted to by Felipe Reyna
        • 2020/03/24 link post criticizing Texas Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick - is angry-reacted to by Felipe Reyna
        • 2020/03/24 link post captioned "Pathetic narcissist" - is angry-reacted to by Felipe Reyna
        • 2020/03/24 link post captioned "Obviously, the World Health Organization isn't aware of President Trumpf's profound prediction that there is "light at the end of the tunnel."" - is angry-reacted to by Felipe Reyna
        • 2020/03/25 link post captioned "Fox News: The enemy of human life in this country" - is wow-reacted to by Felipe Reyna; has an anti-Trump comment left by Bernadette Feazell
        • 2020/03/27 link post captioned "Stupid, dangerous, selfish people" - is liked by and has the comment "Who are these people ?" by Lyndon Olson
        • 2020/03/28 quote post captioned "Lyndon Olson"
    • Ida Lee Baugh murder - in 1983 in McGregor TX
      • Associated Press, "DA Reopens Murder Investigation", 1988/06/13: "Vic Feazell, McLennan County district attorney, said Sunday his office is re-examining Ida Lee Baugh’s slaying in December 1983 and that a National Enquirer reporter’s new information could help him resolve ″unanswered questions.″ Feazell said the inquiry was not aimed at Swaggart but could involve ″one or more individuals connected with the Jimmy Swaggart Ministries at that time.″ [...] Jacqueline Euna Warren was convicted in April 1984 of murder in the case and sentenced to 99 years in prison. Mrs. Baugh, 70, of McGregor, was found stabbed and beaten and died later at a Waco hospital. Her husband, Maurice Patrick Baugh, died of heart failure five days later. In their will, the couple left all but 25 percent of their cash, not to exceed $25,000, to the ministry in Baton Rouge, La. A Swaggart spokesman estimated the couple’s total estate at between $500,000 and $800,000. Baugh’s son contested the will, charging that associates of Jimmy Swaggart ministries exercised undue influence on his parents to change their will. Larry Neale Baugh alleged that two men working on behalf of Swaggart Ministries had recommended that Ms. Warren take care of Mrs. Baugh. [...] Feazell said his office had investigated a possible connection between the murder, the will and Jimmy Swaggart Ministries at the time of Ms. Warren’s trial. ″Lot of questions came to light in the spring of 1984 - unanswered questions that weren’t pursued,″ he said. ″I met with Jimmy Swaggart’s attorneys at that time. After meeting with him, I decided to take no further action,″ he said."
    • Ed Graf murder case
      • Waco Citizen, "Two Witnesses Testify Fire Was Set In Shed", 1988/04/22 (pages 1, 4): "A state fire investigator on the stand in the capital murder trail of Edward E. Graf Jr., testified Friday morning that he had testified during an inquest in 1986 that he could not positively say if the children had started the fire or if someone else had. During his testimony Friday morning, he stated he now believed the cause of fire was arson. Joe Porter, employed by the State Fire Marshalls office, as a fire investigator, under cross examination said he had resigned as a fire inspector and investigator after the fire chief Harry Davis of College Station alleged he had falsified fire inspection reports. Porter also testified that he had not conducted any more investigation into the deaths of Jason and Joby Graf since October 1986. [...] The state employee for the past two and one-half years also said he was the one who had filled out the affadavit to have the bodies of the boys exhumed for further autopsy study September, 1986. [...] Porter also said he had discarded the notes of his investigation, because they were not pertinent, but did keep the notes that were pretinent." [...] District Attorney Feazell then caikd Dr. James I. Ebert, a photogramist from Albuquerque, New Mexico to the stand. Dr. Ebert uses electronic images to analyze photos by using a television camera. [...] Under cross-examination by Malone, Ebert said Charles King had contacted him so he could reach a decision on his report. Testimony however revealed that King and Ebert nad not talked to each other until February 25, 1988 and the photos used extensively in the trtal were not enlarged until April 15, 1988. Ebert said he first heard about the Graf case when he was in Waco to testify in another case for the DA. Ebert has testified in seven cases for Feazeil and charges $125 per hour for his work. [...] Ebert said he worked between 40 and 50 hours on the Graf case. Porter, King and Ebert are staying at the same hotel, and have been there since Monday. Ebert said they had spent time together. [...] Charles King took the stand following the afternoon break. An author on fires and former New York Fire Department investigator for 23½ years, King is a fire investigator and native of Brooklyn, N.Y. Having covered over 10,000 fires in the past 30 years, King said, "I found the fire to be incendinary and a set fire, it was not an accidental fire." King testified that he requested blow-ups of various photographs from Dr. Ebert in March, 1988."
      • Waco Citizen, "Jury Deliberating Fate Of Ed Graf, Jr.", 1988/04/29 (pages 1, 2)
      • Evening Sun (Norwich NY), "Innocence Project Re-trial Frees Murderer Ed Graf, Jr." by Shelly Reuben, 2014/11/06
        • "And that brings us to Graf’s arrest and prosecution. During trial preparation, the district attorney, believing that he was dealing with an unscrupulous murderer, not only wanted to get a conviction, he also wanted to make sure that none of his investigators could be accused of bias. So he decided to call in a nationally known, highly respected private arson consultant. One who had no previous relationship with Waco, Texas.
          
          That was New York City fire investigator, Charlie King."
        • "After prosecutors brought Charlie into the case, he suggested (Strongly! Firmly!) that they hire James I. Ebert to be their photogrammetrist. Dr. Ebert’s assignment would be to analyze the pictures taken by the Hewitt Volunteer Fire Department, and using his equipment, skill, experience, and specialized knowledge, to make more readily visible details in those photographs that could not be perceived without enhancement." - worth questioning the accuracy of the claim that King got Ebert involved, considering Ebert's longtime association with Feazell and Ebert's claim that he first heard of the Graf case while testifying in another Feazell case
        • "Now we’re going to fast forward to 2009, when Dr. Ebert started to hear murmurs of dissatisfaction about Ed Graf’s trial, imprisonment, and guilt. He alerted me to the rumors, and they all turned out to be true."
        • "The Innocence Project made a lot of noise. They saddled up, climbed on their horses, and rode to Texas. The bottom line of their (angry, contemptuous, vociferous) protestations was that Ed Graf, Jr. may have been guilty of a little tiny $70,000 embezzlement; and maybe he was a little tiny bit culpable of taking out life insurance policies Claire’s sons without telling their mother; and maybe he didn’t have the all-time best personality in the world. But other than that, he deserved a new trial because his conviction was based on…are your ready for this? – “Junk Science.”" - arguably demonstrative of a clear bias for the prosecution and against defendants (including the notion that a prior crime demonstrates guilt)
        • "David Mann, for a George Soros organization called Open Society, wrote: “Given the botched forensics in this case (Ed Graf) should never have been convicted.”" - arguably gratuitous in its mention of George Soros
        • "I found out at 5:00 p.m. New York Time, when Dr. Ebert called me from his laboratory in Albuquerque, New Mexico.
          
          “Shelly,” he said, his voice, deep and troubling. “I have to tell you something.”
          
          “What?” I gasped. I was exercising at my gym and surrounded by sweating bodies. “Make it quick. I can’t talk now.”
          
          “All right,” Dr. Ebert said. And then, in just four words, he made it quick. He said, and I quote, “Ed Graf just confessed.”"
        • "One: Several times during the evolution of this case, lawyers for both the defense and prosecution complained that all of the photographic evidence had disappeared. The evidence they were referring was the pictures from which Charie King had drawn his conclusions about burn patterns in this fire, i.e., the photographs that Jim Ebert had enhanced.
          
          I had those photographs all along, and I still have them. Dr.Ebert and I informed the prosecutors of this fact, offered to meet with them, go over the photos, explain the fire, and also provide them with copies. But after one brief phone call from the prosecutor’s office, I never heard from them again.
          
          Every burn pattern in every photograph, particularly the burn patterns in the photographs that Dr. Ebert enhanced, corroborate Graf’s confession. Why didn’t the prosecutors want the photographs? I don’t know. Maybe it was just easier to bow to pressure from Innocence Project attorneys than to study and understand the evidence." - the notion of the Waco DA's office bowing to Innocence Project pressure by ignoring evidence, especially when they deliberately reindicted Graf after his conviction was overturned, is highly dubious
      • Community State Bank background (later Community Bank and Trust) - employed Graf as vice president before his embezzlement from the bank
        • Waco Tribune-Herald, "Rick Smith Elected Bank Vice President", 1976/02/11: "J. D. Hudson Jr., president of Community State Bank, announced Tuesday the election of Frederick M. (Rick) Smith as vice president and director of the bank. Smith was elected Tuesday in the regular monthly meeting of Community State Bank's board of directors. He succeeds Daniel Chapman who became president of a north Texas bank Feb. 1. Smith has served as controller of the Citizens National Bank of Waco since January 1972. Prior to becoming controller, he was an accounting and audit clerk and assistant at Citizens National Bank. He began his banking career while in high school working at Citizens National Bank in his hometown of Abilene. [...] Smith is a certified public accountant and a chartered bank auditor. He has been a student and instructor in the American Institute of Banking program of the American Bankers Association. Smith and his wife, Kathy, have two sons, Mark, 8, and David, 5. They live at 5819 Caldwell and attend the Episcopal Church of the Holy Spirit. Smith is active in the Chamber of Commerce and is chairman of the industrial education committee. He is a member of Hedonia Club."
        • Waco Tribune-Herald, "State Bank No. 1816: Consolidated Report of Condition of Community State Bank of Waco in the State of Texas 76702 and Domestic Subsidiaries at the close of business on June 30, 1979", 1979/07/24 - cashier is Edward Graf, Jr.; directors are Carroll Baird, Leo H. Bradshaw, Jr., William E. Darden, Dr. Duncan Howard, J. D. Hudson, Jr., Floyd Jensen, Jr., M. M. Key, Jr., Harry Provence, Dr. Herbert H. Reynolds, O. B. Robertson, Gordon Rountree, and Frederick M. Smith
        • Fort Worth Star-Telegram, "Autopsies show 3 teens died of stab wounds", 1982/07/16: "The family suggests donations be made to the Ken Franks Reward Fund through Waco Crimestoppers (Attention: Rick Smith, president), Community State Bank, P.O. Box 2303, Waco, Texas 76703."
        • Waco Citizen, "New Directors, Honorary Directors for Chamber Named Wednesday", 1983/01/14: "At the January board meeting for the Greater Waco Chamber of Commerce 10 new directors were appointed and Herman Coleman was appointed to fill the unexpired term of Louise Sommors who left Waco to help with the White House communications for Southwestern Bell in Dallas when the Republican Convention is held there this summer. The directors for ‘83 are: Charles Buenger, Olson, Stem, Farr & Buenger; Lindley Elliott, Texas Power & Light Co.; Jim Evans, Bill Bailey Ins. Co.; Dr. Merritt Felmly; Herb Harding, Westview Natl. Bank; David Lacy, Republic Bank Waco; Elmer Roberts, First National Bank; Richard Scott, Hillcrest Medical Center; Rick Smith, Community State Bank and Bob Williams, Interfirst Bank. Nine honorary directors were named for 1983 by Bill Nesbitt, They are: David Smith, City Manager, City of Waco; Jim Mathis, Mayor, City of Waco; Judge Stanley Rentz, McLennan County; Dr. Frank Kudlaty, Supt., Waco I. S. D.; Jack Coker, Director, Waco V.A. Regional Office; Dr. Herb Reynolds, Pres., Baylor University; Dr. Wilbur Ball, Pres., McLennan Community College; Dr. Jack Tompkins, Pres., Texas State Technical Institute and Dr. Norman Handy, Pres, Paul Quinn College."
      • Joseph Porter background
        • Reddit comments by a relative
          • 2022/12/05: "Not me, but after a 40 year career starting as an emt, then a firefighter, then a state arson investigator, then a police officer and firefighter/fire marshal at the same time, my dad has some stories.
            
            He was on the scene at Waco for the first 24 hours before the feds kicked the state out. He was familiar with the smell and what a burned body looked like, but he was overwhelmed by the whole situation.
            
            [...]
            
            So many of these have stayed in his mind for decades. He can recall so much about those days, because he had trained his memory to seal those details as an investigator. A case that he investigated as a state investigator came back into the news in the 2010’s since the perp was granted a retrial, and he was criticized for his investigation in 1986 but damnit if he couldn’t recall every facial expression and voice changes from his interviews."
          • 2023/04/02: "Since my dad was the original investigator of the case, and many of the officials named in the article are people he continued to work with up until the 2010s, the conversation over his guilt has come up many times in my dads career. Arson investigation is still hotly debated and many of the crimes related to arson aren’t as vastly covered in the True Crime world like other murders. Before the retrial opinions were greatly mixed on Ed Graf’s innocence and even after the trial opinions stayed mixed because of the loophole used by Graf’s lawyers."
          • 2023/05/23: "My Dad was an investigator on a few cases that have been on forensic files, evil lives here, and some true crime podcasts. He was also one of the first arson investigators on scene at the Branch Davidian fire. He’s been interviewed for quite a few Texas news publications and there a a few books written about his cases with interviews from him and his reports.
            
            My dad is also good friends and worked closely with Vic Feazell, the McLennan County DA featured heavily in the Confession Killer on Netflix (about Henry Lee Lucas). Dad was actually working with him on a case when Vic was arrested. He also knew the ATF agents killed on the first day of the Branch Davidian Siege, and knew a lot of the people in charge of that scene (he hated the ATF commander).
            
            My dad being a state arson investigator connected him with a LOT of people that were LEOs on lots of famous Texas cases and even US cases, so it’s pretty interesting to talk to him about it and I’ve even met/known a lot of those people."
      • Charles King background
        • Evening Sun (Norwich NY), "Innocence Project Re-trial Frees Murderer Ed Graf, Jr." by Shelly Reuben, 2014/11/06
          • "Charlie was my husband and my business partner. In my other life, I am an International Association of Arson Investigators (IAAI) Certified Fire Investigator and a court qualified expert in determining the origin and cause of fires. I have been president of Charles G. King Associates since Charlie’s death in 2003, and I am good at what I do. [...]"
          • "Starting with him having been a fire fighter with the New York City Fire Department, which means that he not only understood the science of how fire burns, he also knew it up close and personal – with smoke in his nose, and eyebrows singed by flames. Charlie fought fires for 23 years and then switched to the Division of Fire Investigation, first as a fire marshal and then as a supervising fire marshal. After investigating thousands of fires for over eight years, including the infamous Waldbaum’s fire in which six fire fighters died, he moved to the New Jersey State Commission of Investigation, where he investigated organized crime and corruption. Two and a half years later, we started Charles G. King Associates."
          • "As a guest speaker, Charlie taught fire and arson investigation throughout the country at organizations including the Middlesex County Fire Academy, the State of New Jersey Division of Criminal Justice, the American Society of Safety Engineers, and the Victor Collimore Institute of Advanced Forensic Skills.
            
            His most famous case was as the cause and origin fire expert for the Philadelphia Special Commission of Investigation on the MOVE fire, in which eleven people died and over 60 houses burned down."
        • MOVE bombing investigation
          • Evening Sun (Norwich NY), "A Terrorist By Any Other Name ..." by Shelley Reuben, 2008/05/15: "The confrontation began at dawn.
            
            The disastrous events that followed included a police helicopter dropping a bomb made of C-4 and Tovex on MOVE’s roof to demolish the bunker. The roof went on fire. This fire and a subsequent gun battle between MOVE and the police resulted in 61 houses burning down, the deaths of eleven people, and 250 residents of Osage Avenue being left homeless.
            
            My involvement with MOVE started when my late great husband, Charlie King, was asked by the Philadelphia Special Investigation Commission to determine the origin and cause of that fire. During the course of Charlie’s investigation, I became fascinated by MOVE’s terror tactics, and equally fascinated by the nature of terrorism and how violent fanatics interact with governments, the media, and regular old you and me.
            
            The years went by. Five years. Ten. Fifteen. Sixteen. My interest in terrorists waned.
            
            Then came the World Trade Center attacks on September 11, 2001.
            
            My eyes popped open.
            
            My brain began to churn.
            
            I remembered what I had once learned, and I started to see Islamic militants implementing the same tactics as earlier had been utilized by MOVE. I also began to see an obliging media accommodating these enemies of the free world with either an obliviously inaccurate or willfully suspect use of language. [...]"
    • Branch Davidians / David Koresh / Waco siege connection
      • Prosecution of Koresh and his group for an armed takeover attempt of Mount Carmel
        • New York Times, "Warning of Violence Was Unheeded After Cult Leader's Gun Battle in '87", 1993/03/10: "There was an exchange of gunfire that lasted for several minutes and left the leader, George Roden, slightly wounded, and Mr. Koresh ultimately in control of the property and the sect. But after a two-week trial here, none of the participants were convicted of anything and their weapons were returned to them. [...] "A McLennan County sheriff's deputy out there said at the time they had enough weapons and ammunition to hold off the entire McLennan County Sheriff's Department, the police department and the local national guard," El-Hadi J. Shabazz, an assistant district attorney who prosecuted the case, said in an interview last week. [...] Mr. Koresh maintained in his trial that he had been aiming at a tree, not trying to hit Mr. Roden. And after the jurors who heard that argument deadlocked on the charge of attempted murder, several hugged him. His comrades, who said they had been shooting into the air, were found not guilty of the same charge. Mr. Shabazz, now a lawyer in private practice here, did not explain why he did not seek to retry Mr. Koresh after the hung jury, although he did recall with some bitterness that "it was a black man trying to prosecute seven white men in a Southern town called Waco.""
        • Bernadette Feazell, "Branch Davidians": "The Davidians were found not guilty on the count of attempted murder. Justice was done, and the Davidians were humble and grateful. Members of the jury had lingered in the hallway, as did El Hadi T, whose heart was never really in it to begin with, congratulating Vernon Howell, shaking hands with Clive Doyle. [...] Winn Norman [Vic Feazell] was satisfied with the verdict, but took it upon himself to walk over to the courthouse to ask Judge Bebee [Judge Herman Fitts] about the matter of the Davidian arsenal, which still littered the courtroom. “Judge, these people are a little bit naïve ‘bout these guns, and I’m not sure they need to have them back.” Judge Bebee had the power to keep the guns from ever reaching the hands of the Davidians again, but instead made a snap decision to return them to Mt Carmel. Almost ten years later, when the Feds went in, the Davidian arsenal had been an important factor in their action. As he watched, along with most of the nation, as the Mt Carmel compound burned to the ground with David Koresh and the Branch Davidians trapped inside, Winn wondered what might have happened if he hadn’t personally questioned the judge about the weapons. A part of him that he didn’t really want to hear whispered that maybe the judge had made his fateful decision just to stick it to Winn, because of the bad blood between them."
        • El-Hadi Shabazz background
          • Waco Tribune-Herald, "Former Koresh prosecutor disbarred: Shabazz stripped of right to practice in Texas over alleged insurance-settlement misconduct", 1994/09/21: "A former Waco attorney who unsuccessfully prosecuted Branch Davidian cult leader David Koresh after a 1987 shootout with a sect rival was barred from practicing law in Texas on Tuesday. Retired Judge Robert Montgomery of Chandler stripped El-Hadi T. Shabazz of his right to practice law in Texas after a brief hearing in Waco’s 74th State District Court. Shabazz, whose name was Donald Harris before he changed it in honor of slain civil rights leader Malcolm X, did not attend the hearing. Shabazz declined comment on his disbarment when reached Tuesday at his home in Carlsbad, Calif. A complaint filed against Shabazz by the State of Texas charged him with professional misconduct for reportedly keeping a portion of the proceeds from an insurance settlement in 1991 after a client fired him as his attorney. [...] According to testimony at Tuesday’s brief hearing, Shabazz’s Texas law license was under suspension for his failing to complete the required number of annual continuing legal education courses. It also was revealed that Shabazz agreed in 1992 to accept a private reprimand from the State Bar of Texas for unspecified wrongdoing. Shabazz earned his law degree from the University of California-San Francisco and practiced in Detroit for six years before coming to Waco in 1985. He worked as a prosecutor on former District Attorney Vic Feazell’s staff from 1987 to 1989. He prosecuted a number of felony cases, including the 1988 trial of Koresh, then known as Vernon Howell, and seven of his followers, charged with the attempted murder of former Branch Davidian leader George Roden. A McLennan County jury acquitted Koresh’s followers, but could not reach a verdict concerning Koresh’s guilt, forcing a mistrial. After leaving the DA’s office, Shabazz entered private practice in Waco, founded and became the first president of a local black bar association and ran unsuccessfully for county commissioner, justice of the peace and Waco school board. He moved to California about two years ago, according to his cousin, Quincy Harris, a McLennan County adult probation officer."
          • Note that Shabazz was one of the prosecutors on the Juanita White murder case; Waco cop Jan Price claims to have told him that the informant witnesses developed by Truman Simons were liars, to which Shabazz allegedly responded that he knew but didn't care
      • Legal representation of Koresh - done alongside his friend and attorney Gary Richardson, under the aegis of the CAUSE Foundation
        • From p.??? of Waco: A Survivor's Story by David Thibodeau (2018): "Noting the FBI’s mobilization of military equipment, former McLellan County District Attorney Vic Feazell lamented the FBI’s Storm Trooper tactics (his words) and the “vulgar display of power on the part of the feds.” Feazell told the Houston Chronicle on March 1: “The Feds are preparing to kill them. That way they can bury their mistakes and won’t have attorneys looking over what they did later.… I’d represent these boys for free if they’d surrender without bloodshed, but I’m afraid I’m going to wake up and see the headlines that say they all died.”"
        • Austin American-Statesman, "Members fortifying compound, FBI says", 1993/03/09 (pages 1, 4): "A team of 11 attorneys has been assembled to handle the courtroom defense of Koresh and his followers free of charge, and the lead attorney arrived in Waco on Sunday to sell the proposal. "I cannot give these attorneys' names, though many are names any Texan would recognize," said Kirk Lyons, director of Cause Foundation, an international legal and civil rights group from North Carolina. "We think that what is most critically needed right now is an independent negotiator," Lyons, a practicing attorney in Texas, said Monday. "We think we can show David there are reasonable alternatives than duking it out with the feds." Vic Feazell, an Austin lawyer and former district attorney in Waco, and Gary Coker, a Waco lawyer who represented Koresh in the past, are part of the 11-lawyer team, a source confirmed Monday."
        • Washington Post, "WACO CULT LAWYERS PREPARE THEMSELVES FOR LONG LEGAL SIEGE", 1993/03/26: "The case has attracted some of the region's top criminal lawyers, as well as conservative legal groups with a bone to pick with the ATF. "I'd love to see their sails trimmed," said Kirk Lyons, head of the fledgling Cause Foundation, a conservative civil libertarian group that coordinated an offer by several lawyers to help mediate with Koresh. The group included Vic Feazell, a former McLennan County district attorney, and Gary Richardson, a former U.S. attorney from Oklahoma. Heading the list of legal talent so far is Dick DeGuerin, a prominent Houston lawyer retained by Koresh's mother to represent him when the siege finally ends."
    • Jean Auclair case - in which Feazell helped Auclair prepare a lease later alleged to be fraudulent, and was accused by his law office secretary of directing her to give false testimony validating the lease
      • United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit, no. 92-1116: In Re Grand Jury Proceedings Jean Auclair. VICTOR FEAZELL, Appellant, appeal decision, 1992/05/01 (PDF copy)
        • "The facts underlying this appeal bear a close recounting. This matter arises out of an ongoing criminal proceeding. On July 2, 1991 a federal grand jury in the Western District of Texas indicted Jean Auclair for mail fraud and for false declarations to a federal court. Auclair was accused of participating in a scheme involving a fraudulent lease between herself and Joseph V. Giffuni, and she was accused of committing perjury in a civil action to enforce the lease against Giffuni's estate. Auclair testified in that trial that Giffuni signed the lease in her presence in Feazell's law office. Upon conclusion of the trial the government sought and obtained the indictment.
          
          Auclair moved to recuse Judge Walter Smith of the Western District of Texas on the grounds that Feazell was a material witness in the criminal controversy regarding the Giffuni lease and that Judge Smith had testified in a prior trial that Feazell's reputation for truthfulness was bad. That testimony had received wide coverage in the local Waco press. Feazell's involvement in the Auclair case included: (1) drafting the Giffuni lease; (2) testifying in the lease litigation that Giffuni had executed the lease in his presence; and (3) having his secretary, Diane Sanders, type the lease and, allegedly on his instructions, perjuriously testify that Giffuni had signed the lease in Feazell's office. Judge Smith recused himself and transferred the case to the Northern District of Texas. It was assigned to Judge Jerry Buchmeyer."
        • "On December 9, 1991 an FBI agent served a grand jury subpoena on Feazell's secretary, commanding her appearance before the grand jury investigating the Auclair matter. She immediately called Feazell in Austin from her home in Waco. Feazell explained her obligations under the subpoena and offered to retain an attorney to advise and represent her. Her husband, Mike Sanders, joined the conversation and demanded that Feazell get an attorney for his wife who "wasn't going to jail for anyone." That afternoon they went to Feazell's home. Feazell attempted to contact Roy Minton, an attorney who previously had represented him, but Minton was not available. Feazell arranged an appointment with Charles Burton, one of Minton's law partners, for the following Friday.
          
          The following mise-en-scene is based on the testimony of Diane and Mike Sanders and Burton at a hearing before Judge Buchmeyer on February 7, 1992. On December 13, 1991 Feazell and Diane and Mike Sanders journeyed together to Burton's office for the appointment Feazell had arranged. The four met and conferred as a group. Feazell gave Burton an account of the "facts" of the situation. Burton then met with both Sanders together and then with each separately. Finally he met separately with Feazell. When Burton met with Diane Sanders alone she first sought assurances that he would hold their discussions in confidence. Receiving this assurance, she told Burton that Feazell had been lying and she then told Burton the "truth." When Burton met with Mike Sanders alone he told Burton that his wife's account was the "truth." After each Sanders met with Burton, Feazell asked about their discussion. Neither was forthcoming; Diane Sanders said she had confirmed Feazell's account and Mike Sanders said they spoke only about the Sanders' marriage. Burton declined to discuss his separate conversation with Feazell. After the round of separate interviews, Burton informed Diane and Mike Sanders that he could not represent either of them because of potential conflicts.
          
          Shortly after the meeting with Burton, Diane Sanders was arrested by the FBI. The record before us does not reflect the charge. She attempted to contact Burton and then retained Joe Lehman as her counsel. The next day she was hospitalized for a stress-related problem which required immediate surgery. While she was recuperating, she and her husband signed a form purporting to waive any attorney-client privilege existing between them and Burton. Diane Sanders also gave the FBI a statement in which she admitted that she had lied in the civil trial about the signing of the Giffuni lease."
      • Background of Jean Auclair
        • Dallas Morning News, obituary for Carolynn Wood, 2020/05/02-03: "Carolynn Jean Wood died, peacefully, late in the evening of April 9, in Mexico, after a long, interesting life. "I never had a friend like Jean," one friend said upon hearing of her death, and that is surely true for her many good friends from her hometown of Waco and all over the world. "Jean" was the eldest of six children, born in Waco, Texas, on November 30, 1937, to Doris Watters Wood and Joseph Carroll Wood. The family of five girls (Jean, Judy, Joy, Jane and Jeri) and a boy (Joe) were raised in and around Waco where they were permitted the freedom to pursue many lively and entertaining activities with a large circle of friends and extended family. Family patriarch, Carroll, was a local businessman who built a family-owned garment business into a thriving sportswear conglomerate before retiring to manage his own investments. Carroll was a colorful character with a huge heart, known to help almost anyone in need and then grumble about his poor financial position, all the while knowing he would happily go back and do it again. Jean was a headstrong beauty; smart as a whip and both fearsome and fun with an insatiable wanderlust. She was quick to wed and bear children. Jean married Clark Townsend Collins, Jr., the only child born to Mildred Benge Collins and Dr. Clark Collins, one of two OB/GYNs who practiced in Waco during WWII. Her teen-aged marriage lasted just long enough to produce three children: Clark, Cissy and Christopher. About this time, it could be said that Jean possibly bit off more than she could chew, but she was not one to look back. Jean loved to go, see, eat and shop; and to take all her friends and family, horses and dogs with her. Jean was a moving target; so much that her children rarely attended the same school two years in a row. Jean was a voracious reader with amazing recall. Of course, this never stopped her fabulously well-known and typically ill-advised embellishments, which often became the story. Jean was an intrepid traveler and a brilliant home chef. Genius or disaster, her meals were not to be missed. Jean warmly embraced the strategy of her second husband, Donald Camm Auclair, "The difference between a good meal and a great meal is about two hours." DC, as he was called, was a doting stepfather and a much-needed stabilizing influence. He was unfailingly patient with Jean's knack for being "hard on the equipment" because he could fix anything. DC not only brought food to the table, he literally taught us all how to cook and eat, read and write, and indulged Jean's love of travel; likely because it was impossible to keep her home. Jean was happiest during the twelve years she was partner and cohort in luxe living with the love of her life, Joseph Vincent Giffuni. Jean and Joe met in Mexico at The Spa Ixtapan de la Sal. Jean was there to lose weight and Joe for stress relief, having been medically remanded to six months of rest. Little did he know, he was going to need it. As Joe was preparing to make his way back home to New York City, Jean offered to drive him to the airport in Mexico City and true to form, caused Joe to miss his flight. Then with her signature stroke of joie-de-vivre, Jean drove Joe all the way back to New York City and she never willingly left his side after that. Joe found someone who loved New York City as much as he did and Jean found someone who loved the ranch as much as she did and by a dandy stroke of luck, Joe could afford her. Joe was a tough, gruff, native New Yorker, but always endeared to Jean. Once, on a return trip to Mexico, one of their large and unwieldly traveling party ended up in a Baja jail after a silly attempt to thwart a parking ticket. Joe was summarily accepted as a member of the Wood family when he leveraged his "elder status" to spring the young Wacoan from his incarcerated state and family-status further elevated when Joe awarded the family hunting dog the shotgun seat in his Manhattan limo. It was a magical time for Jean. Jean never recovered from Joe's death and slowly migrated to Mexico. Changes and friends came easily and Jean eventually returned to Texas only for brief visits with friends and family and to get a few things done. She died while under the kind and empathic care of her "peeps" in a small, lovely nursing home in the expat-community of Ajijic on the shores of Lake Chapala."
        • Wilkirson-Hatch-Bailey obituary for J. Carroll Wood, Sr.: "J. Carroll Wood, Sr., age 85, of Waco died Thursday, September 20, 2001 at his residence. [...] Mr. Wood was born in Dallas on March 11, 1916 to Joseph M. and Mittie Carroll Wood. He attended Waco schools. In 1935, he married Doris Watters of Belton. They made their home and reared their family in Waco since that time. J. Carroll Wood has been prominent in Waco business and industrial circles since he was a youth. His father started the J. M. Wood Manufacturing Company in 1930. After Carroll Wood became president of the company in 1946, it became one of the largest clothing manufacturers in the South, employing over 4,600 people. It was well known for its line of Gene Autry jeans and western clothes for boys and girls, its coveralls and khaki work clothes. During World War II the company made uniforms for American service personnel. Carroll Wood was active in many organizations throughout his career. He was a member of Texas Manufacturers Association, Southern Garment Manufacturers Association, U.S. Chamber of Commerce and a director of Citizens National Bank of Waco. He served as president of American Apparel Manufacturers Association, as chairman of its Economic and marketing committees, and as a member of its Executive and National Affairs committees. He was a 32nd Degree mason and a member of Karem Shrine. His favorite charity was the Texas Scottish Rite Hospital for Children in Dallas. His other interests included the oil and cattle ranching businesses. Mr. Wood merged J.M. Wood Manufacturing Company with Genesco, Inc. in a stock exchange in 1964 and remained as president. In 1968 he severed his ties with Genesco, Inc. and later bought controlling interest in Bayly Corporation, a Denver-based clothing manufacturing company. He was Chairman of the Board until he sold Bayly Corporation and retired in 1982. In retirement he continued his work with American Apparel Manufacturers Association with special emphasis on fundraising for its Education Foundation. Survivors include: His wife of 65 years: Doris Watters Wood Children: Jean Auclair of Boerne Joe Wood of Santa Barbara, CA Judy Wood of Spring Valley Joy Wood of Dallas Jane Blakely of Wichita, KS Jeri Wood of Galisteo, NM Seven grandchildren Nine great grandchildren Sisters: Virginia Patterson of Houston Lucile Voelker of Converse Contributions may be made to the Texas Scottish Rite Hospital for Children, 2222 Welborn St., Dallas, TX 75219 or Texas Ranger Museum of Waco."
    • Life after the DA's office and Belo verdict
      • Bernadette Feazell, "LAKE WACO TRIPLE MURDERS: Careless Whispers or Contrived Convictions ?", 2017/10/08
        • "When Vic Feazell, John Ben Sutter, George Shaffer, and Mike Stanley got their settlement checks from the Belo case, they all had their wives sign Agreements that the verdict and settlement be in the name of the men, “for tax purposes”, to protect the amount of the verdict, which at the time was not taxed. It was the “loss of reputation”, which was like the “loss of a limb” at that time. The wives of the Plaintiffs were all friends, trusted Vic Feazell and Gary Richardson, so they signed away any right to any of the verdict monies.
          
          The women trusted Vic Feazell.
          
          One of Vic’s closest friends once said, “Vic is a good friend as long as he is in trouble.”
          
          That seems to have been the case as years later, one of the wives of one of the other Plaintiff’s called Vic and asked his advice when her boss had asked her for oral sex and told her if she didn’t he was going to demote her. Instead of helping or sympathizing, Vic merely laughed at her. He made her feel embarrassed and helpless so she didn’t get any other legal help, rebuffed his advance and wound up having to move into an apartment from a house when her position was taken away in retribution.
          
          Just like when asked about getting the wrong MEN in the Juanita White murder, Vic Feazell and Truman Simons say, “We always knew there was a third man.” Feazell had masterminded controlling all the money as blackmail and control over his own wife as well as giving the other men control over theirs."
        • "When his ex wife swam out of Denial and took a deep breath of truth, she not only realized he had planned on leaving her and their son with either nothing or whatever he wanted for at least six years while she slept next to him. Coupled with sending Joe Sidney Williams and Calvin Washington to prison without even a nano second of question, curiosity or remorse.
          
          Worst of all, and even more terrible than Feazell’s cheating was that he had brought home a clear, odorless substance that was legal at the time called, “GHB”. Feazell wanted to be a healthy muscle man like his new law partner, “Mr. World”, Marc Rosenthal. If you live in Waco you might remember Vic, “Mr. World”and anonymous support staff on the cover of your phone book for years. GHB is a precursor to testosterone and Feazell touted it as “non addicting”, and healthy for you. Everyone who was around him back in those days knew it, he made no secret of it and always had a bottle of water with him laced with the stuff. [...]"
        • "Everyone is a liar except Vic, well, maybe Truman but their Bromance ended when Vic Feazell fired Sherre Johnston, yes, the same Fire Chief’s wife that had the Marshall/DA’s investigator die in her arms, and is the long time lover of Truman Simons and others. Of course, Feazell hired Sherre Johnston FOR Truman Simons, so that they could see eachother and continue their love affair, of course, both collecting money from the Law Office of Vic Feazell. Perfect, and, Vic went right along with it, even though it was a humiliating thing to do to Simons’ wife, not to mention John Johnston who doesn’t seem to have any ego when it comes to his wife’s love life whatsoever. [...]"
        • "You live long enough and you just wonder what on earth because you cannot imagine having that kind of ego. Not in the very least. Truman has that, “aw, shucks” thing, while Feazell went from Baptist preacher, to lawyer, to actor, and no one ever said he wasn’t good. Simons shredded Gilbert’s truck. Feazell calls his own son a liar, has gone to rehab himself for drugs and sexual addiction, [...]"
      • Old version of the vicfeazell.com website
        • Home Page
          • 2003/05/26
        • Vic For President
          • 2003/06/02 - somewhat contradictory policy platform seeking to spend government money "for better Health Care, Housing, Education and Economic Development" but also "Privatize as much as possible and get the Government Out of People’s Lives"
        • Law Office
          • 2003/04/07 - includes a photo of Vic and Truman together
        • Vic's Soapbox
          • 2001/04/23
            • "Governor Bush Speaks Out Against Secret Evidence" - from a 2000/10/04 presidential campaign flier
          • ...
            • "DNA: Making Our Criminal Justice System Better", 2002/03/11 - note the far more magnanimous perspective on the Juanita White case, compared to his statements in the 2001 news articles (asserting the original defendants were guilty) and his 2002/07/04 email to Carlton Stowers (expressing a belief that the White case DNA was tampered with): "A decade and a half later, we now know that DNA recovered from the crime scene belonged to a man named Benny Carroll. Carroll committed suicide in 1990 and what he knew about the commission of the crime died with him. From what I recall about the case, I still believe that Williams and Washington may have been involved, but I agree with the decision of the trial judge and the present D.A. not to retry them. However, if Williams and Washington were not involved in the murder, then I am thankful they are out of prison and they have my heartfelt apologies for what they went through."
        • Recommended Files
          • 2001/04/24 - the "Mind Control" link (to a Jeff Rense page) is captioned "The battle for your mind. Mass mind control techniques in America. Thought provoking. Required reading for anyone who wants to remain free"; the "Spiritual & Ritual Use of Psychoactives" link is captioned "The only freedom which counts is the freedom to do what some other people think to be wrong"; the "The One Behind The Many" link is captioned "This is a treasure trove of articles and papers on consciousness and spirituality. I spend several hours each week going through this file. Thought provoking and enlightening"; the "This is a great video about the history of LSD" link (to a History Channel documentary) is captioned "It will shock, surprise and educate you. Don’t believe what anyone else has told you. See this for yourself"; the "Nag Hammadi Library" link is captioned "A great site containing a history and translation of the Nag Hammadi Library, a treasure of Gnostic writings"
        • Photos
          • 2001/04/23
            • History Page 1 - includes "K ieth Darden, Berni, Jerry Sobel", "Fred Feazelll & Vic 1969", "Harry Reasoner 1985" (the CBS 60 Minutes reporter who did a 1985 piece on Lucas's alleged false confessions), "Fred & Sue Feazell & Greg", "Waco 1982" (depicting a Knights of Columbus sign stating "WELCOME VIC FEAZELL AND FRIENDS")
            • History Page 2 - includes "Jim Mattox & Guy Cox" (depicting one of the chief Lucas confession investgators and Lucas's court-appointed Waco attorney posing for a photo together), "John Ben Sutter 1984", "U.S. Sen. Lloyd Bentson" (depicting Feazell with Lloyd Bentsen), "Henry Lee Lucas", "Ned Butler", "Gary Richardson"
            • History Page 3 - includes "Willie Thompkins" (depicting Willie Tompkins, the former policeman and friend of Truman Simons turned Baptist preacher who had a business partnership with Muneer Deeb, later became a prosecution witness against Deeb, and officiated at Simons' funeral), "The Belo Plaintiffs", "Jim Mattox 1984" (depicting Feazell and Mattox together in what is said to be the year prior to their joint Lucas investigation), "Ken Crow", "Ron Moody", "Dick Kettler & Don Hall 1983"
            • History Page 4 - includes "Wayne Davis & Gary Coker" (depicting Feazell in what appears to be a victory pose with two men who are said to be Wayne Davis and Gary Coker, the latter being the future attorney for David Koresh in the Roden shootout trial and 1993 siege), "Blessed by Rapaport and Deering" (depicting Feazell getting blessed by two men who are presumably Mark Deering and Bernard Rapoport), "Betty Denton", "Raymond Matkin" (depicting Feazell with Raymond Matkin, who was the other person alongside Feazell and his administrative assistant John Ben Sutter to whom cocaine trafficker S.E. Chastain provided lumber)
              • Waco Tribune-Herald, "Monsignor Mark Deering, who united faiths and races, dies at 94", 2016/06/03: "Deering was born Nov. 6, 1921, in Ballybit, Rathvilly, County Carlow, Ireland. He was appointed to Waco — his first and only assignment — as a newly ordained priest under Bishop Louis J. Reicher of the Diocese of Austin. [...] He arrived in Central Texas in July 1953, two months after Waco’s deadly May 11, 1953, tornado, and quickly discovered a change in climate from his native Ireland that blisteringly hot summer. [...] But he soon found the weather wasn’t the biggest difference in his new parish. [...] The city not only carried a streak of racial prejudice, but a religious one, largely expressed against Catholics and Jews. [...] In addition to serving as president of the Waco Ministerial Alliance, Deering was a founding member of the Waco Conference of Christians and Jews with his longtime friend, the late Rabbi Mordecai Podet. Wilton Lanning, a close friend of Deering, accepted his 50-year pin from the Waco Rotary Club with the monsignor, Podet and the late Paul Marable. Lanning said he offered condolences to Deering at the passing of his friend. [...] Marable served as president of the Waco Rotary Club after Podet and before Deering and was fond of saying that he felt “like a postscript between the Old Testament and the New Testament,” Lanning said. [...] [Deering] was named an honorary Baylor alumnus by then-President Emeritus Herbert Reynolds. [...] During his Waco priesthood, Deering estimated he performed several hundred marriages and presided at more than 1,600 funerals, many of whom were non-Catholics but whose families had asked Deering to officiate. [...] Deering was named a monsignor on Dec. 28, 1976, by Pope Paul IV. After 47 years as pastor of St. Louis, he retired in October 2000, but continued to make his home in Waco. [...] Deering served as president of the Waco Rotary Club from 1973 to 1974. He attended Rotary meetings all over the world and received his 50 years perfect attendance gold pin in May 2015. [...] Deering traveled extensively, visiting many places including India, Japan, China, Israel, Egypt, Hong Kong and Europe."
            • History Page 5 - includes "Jim Barlow", "George Shaffer", "Sheriff Jack Harwell", "Clint McKethan", "Ralph Webb"
            • History Page 6 - includes "Scott Peterson", "Suzie, Bob Pearson and Janet Kettler", "J.L. Crawford 1987" (a DA's office investigator), "Joan Chapman, Karen and Raymond Matkin with Pat Murphy in the socks and underwear"
            • History Page 7 - incudes "Ted Hernandez", "J.L. Crawford, Berni and Vic 1982", "Chet Edwards 1982"
            • History Page 8
            • History Page 9
      • Old versions of the Law Offices of Vic Feazell website
        • vicfeazell.com subpage
        • withvic.com domain from early 2005
          • Firm Profile - partners are Austin Tighe and David Pittard; has a staff photo with Sherre Johnston and Truman Simons next to each other on the far right
          • p.2 of the Belo Broadcasting section under Search Documents
      • Claims by Bernadette Feazell about their now-deceased son Greg Feazell
        • KWTX, "Former Central Texas District Attorney’s Son Charged With Theft", 2015/07/31: "The son of a former McLennan County District Attorney has been charged in connection with the theft of items from his father’s apartment. Gregory Victor Feazell, 32, was ordered held in lieu of $3,000 bond, charged with theft of more than $1,500, but less than $20,000, a jail records clerk said. The charges stem from the theft of guns, art, electronics and household items from his father's apartment in the 3300 block of West Waco drive, Waco police Sgt. W. Patrick Swanton said. [...] Vic Feazell makes his primary home in Austin but still spends time in Waco and practices law here."
        • Bernadette Feazell, "LAKE WACO TRIPLE MURDERS: Careless Whispers or Contrived Convictions ?", 2017/10/08: "[...] When finally they both snapped to the fact their son was on it, Feazell shamed the both of them and said that the teenager was “just weak” as GHB was not addicting. Years later, GHB, also known as a “date rape drug”, became illegal as it was horribly addicting and, if your offspring was smart, they can make it at home.
          
          Two weeks ago, Greg Feazell, now living in Mexico, on Facebook wrote about his battles with drugs, that GHB was the worst thing he ever did and he wished he hadn’t taken it from his dad and tried it. Within minutes, Vic Feazell posted for all to see, that it was NOT him that brought home GHB, no, it was his mother’s boyfriend, Stephen Fletcher who did that not him (Vic). Being Mr. Hero means that much."
        • 2017/12/20 review for Law Offices of Vic Feazell by Bernadette Feazell: "Vic Feazell’s son, Gregory, was hit by a car while on foot in June of 2012. He had to have brain surgery, he had a broken wrist, leg, clavicle and many other life threatening injuries. His Dad, the famous, Vic Feazell was his lawyer. Of course, he got “policy limits”, AND Vic took his usual one third fee. THEN Vic got mad at me, his ex wife, Bernadette Feazell, and had our crooked DA, Abel Reyna put this son, who had been hit by a car in 2012, in the McLennan County jail in 2015. Vic overvalued his property to get his own son on a FELONY. Had Vic wanted his son to go to legal rehab, he could have made it a misdemeanor, he didn’t. He wanted his son in prison for 5 years. The DA crook ultimately dropped the charges after Vic Feazell’s son spent 5 months in jail. Vic Feazell is a terrible person who put his own son in jail in a Breach of Fiduciary Duty. You don’t put your clients in jail, he did."
    • KWTX, "State Bar honors former Central Texas DA who questioned accused serial killer’s claims", 2021/04/23
    • David Christopher Boen case
      • KWTX, "‘It broke my heart’: Damaging testimony in trial of ex-police officer accused of fondling boy at wedding reception", 2023/05/31: "David Christopher Boen gave a teenage boy alcoholic drinks, fondled his penis at Boen’s best friend’s wedding in 2017, and then offered to perform oral sex on the boy’s older brother while groping at his pants on the way to a post-wedding dinner, prosecution testimony in Boen’s trial revealed. Boen, 34, a former police officer in Clifton and Meridian, and a former McLennan County deputy constable, is on trial in Waco’s 19th State District Court on a second-degree charge of indecency with a child by contact. Boen also worked as a McLennan County jailer. Boen’s chief accuser, who was 15 at the time, underwent cross-examination Wednesday from one of Boen’s attorneys, Vic Feazell, after testifying Tuesday that Boen got him drunk, lured him to a wooded area during the wedding reception and grabbed his penis. [...] During Feazell’s cross-examination of the accuser, Feazell charged that the boy made up the accusations against Boen to deflect the fact that he got drunk to the point of becoming ill after the wedding, and because he was mad that Boen, who was a policeman in Clifton at the time, warned him that he could arrest him for underage drinking. The man, who now is 21, denied Feazell’s allegations, and said it was Boen who kept refilling his glass with vodka and orange juice, who lured him away from the reception, and offered to perform oral sex on him. [...] Feazell asked him if he ever fantasized about men, and why he was wearing a gay pride ankle bracelet. The boy explained that he made the multi-colored ankle bracelet at church, telling jurors that it is a symbol to remind him that God is close to him at all times. He said it has nothing to do with gay pride. In other prosecution testimony, Ty Hardy, a Hill County Sheriff’s Office deputy, testified that he and Boen have been good friends for many years and he considered him like a brother. It was at Hardy’s wedding at the Karem Shrine building near China Spring where Boen is alleged to have fondled the 15-year-old. He said Boen got extremely drunk at the reception and disappeared for a time."
    • Facebook social media presence
      • 2022/07/01 image post with an 80s photo of Feazell captioned "My x-wife, Berni, found this on eBay and bought it for me. Thanks Berni." - one comment liked by Vic says "I like Bernadette; she makes sense to me..She answers things for people that are too scared to question the logic ❤️"
      • 2022/07/13 post stating "Welcome to LOVF, Seth Andrew Sutton We’re excited to have you with us."
      • 2022/07/26 image post - one comment liked by Vic is from Brad Shellady
      • 2022/07/28 image post - one comment liked by Vic is from Keith Boatman
      • 2022/10/01 post by the podcast account criticizing the murder case against Charles Sedigas (ironically built by Feazell's own former investigator Truman Simons): "This guy spent over 800 days in jail. The DA knew the DNA didn’t match for over a year. I’d be looking at the so called “witness.”"
      • 2023/04/17 image post wth a photo of Feazell at his desk captioned "New Photoshoot. Coming soon to a website near you. The Law Offices of Vic Feazell." - has a comment from American Derringer Corp. CEO Elizabeth Saunders stating "I wished you would have taken my case for my grandson."
        • Facebook friends list for Elizabeth Saunders - includes Vic Feazell and Lyndon Olson
      • 2023/12/25 post about the death of Hugh Aynesworth: "Hugh Aynesworth will be missed by many. I will miss him a lot. It was his work that unraveled the Henry Lucas Confessions and provided the McLennan County Lucas Grand Jury with the evidence needed to produced the Texas Attorney General’s Lucas Report. I miss Hugh Aynesworth, Jim Mattox, and Bob Lemons."
    • Instagram social media presence
      • 2020/01/25 post - in which Feazell posted a quote of himself right alongside quotes from Jesus Christ and Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.
    • Catalogue of questionable statements by Feazell
      • Claiming (at ??:?? in Episode 2 of The Confession Killer) that the Texas Rangers brought three Lucas confessions to him and that triggered his investigation; by his own contemporaneous accounts to the press, the confessions came in at different times (Glen Parks in October 1984 and Dorothy Collins in November 1984); moreover, it was local law enforcement in McLennan County which got the confessions (e.g. see the above information about Lt. Elijah Dickerson describing his interrogation of Lucas), not the Rangers
      • Claiming that Lucas's April 28 letter to Sister Clemmie did not exist, even though it does
      • Claiming that Lucas had insisted his interview with radio evangelist Bob Larson was spliced together from prior interviews, even though the interview makes specific reference to Lucas's incarceration in McLennan County
      • Claiming that Ron Boyter told him the Rangers should not investigate the veracity of Lucas's confessions because they would just cover it up, only to later accuse Boyter of being in on a conspiracy to frame him up on corruption charges; in reality, Boyter likely just said that the Rangers shouldn't investigate because it would appear like a cover-up (as they would seem to be investigating themselves)
      • Claiming (at 43:40 in Episode 3 of The Confession Killer) that the grand jury which indicted him on corruption charges did so based only on viewing the Channel 8 series, not any live witnesses or documents; by definition, investigator Ron Boyter, who Feazell says played the episodes for the grand jury, was a live witness; news reports make it clear that multiple witnesses (such as Feazell's former law partner Dick Kettler) did testify before the federal grand jury, and while Feazell and his defenders argue that this grand jury ended in August 1986 to be replaced with a new grand jury in September 1986 that quickly indicted him based on an abridged case, this new grand jury reviewed all the findings of the previous grand jury; moreover, the August 1986 grand jury ended because its 2-year term expired, meaning that Feazell had been under federal investigation since at least the summer of 1984, predating his Lucas inquiry and thus negating his retaliation claims; it also turns out that Gary Richardson, in a chapter of his book Black Robe Fever which Feazell appears to promote, offers yet another contradictory account to Feazell's documentary statements, claiming that the indictments were based off statements by his two former law partners (Kettler and Don Hall)
      • Claiming that the release, shortly before his November election, of an FBI affidavit describing his alleged bribes was "obviously political", despite it being an affidavit that federal prosecutors wanted sealed and he asked to be unsealed
      • Suggesting (near the end of Episode 3 of The Confession Killer) that his federal bribery prosecution lead to his divorce from Berni Feazell, when it was actually, by his own admission elsewhere, the result of him cheating on her
      • Claiming (at ??:?? in Episode 5 of The Confession Killer) that "There's not a fingerprint. There's not a hair. There's not an eyewitness. There's nothing, nothing, nothing, except Henry's confessions, to put him in any of those murders." despite the 1982 murder of Barbara Begley having multiple witnesses who implicate Lucas
      • Claiming (at 22:49 in Episode 58 of his podcast) that the conspirators who were persecuting him for his Lucas investigation planned to have Russ Hunt (defense lawyer for David Spence in his first trial) come to Georgetown and get a confession from Lucas to the Lake Waco murders; per the June 1985 testimonies of Hunt and Bob Prince before the McLennan County grand jury, it was Hunt who decided on his own to question Lucas, and he made arrangements through Johnie Dodd, but a meeting was never arranged and Lucas was bench-warranted into Waco right before the meeting date that Hunt had planned; there is a postscript in Careless Whispers where Stowers says Lucas claimed that Bob Prince pressured him several times into confessing to the Lake Waco murders, but this account is highly dubious given the signs of Lucas's coercion in Waco and the incongruity of the Rangers being cast as pressuring Lucas into countless false confessions yet unable to do so in this instance where it matters most
      • Accusing the Texas Rangers of corruption for their handling of Lucas, despite saying during the 1985 grand jury investigation that he expected no such allegations, and despite publicly stating in 1994 after Phyllis Wilcox was exposed as a fraud that he owed the Rangers an apology (indicating that he thought they were duped, not complicit)
      • Claiming (at ??:?? in Episode 58 of his podcast and as quoted in KWTX, "Lake Waco Murders: 40 years later, attorneys believe wrongfully convicted man executed", 2022/07/13) that the lawyers seeking to exonerate the Lake Waco defendants never submitted the defendants' own DNA, even though Reaves submitted samples from both Anthony Melendez and David Spence's brother in 2015
  • Jim Mattox involvement and background
    • D Magazine, "MAD, MAD MATTOX", 1989/10/01
    • Bribery scandal
      • D Magazine, "MAD, MAD MATTOX", 1989/10/01
      • Seattle Times, "Prosecutor has drawn wrath of Dems, too", 2005/09/29: "In the 1980s, Jim Mattox was the attorney general of Texas and one of the most powerful figures in the state — mentioned as a future governor and, maybe, more. Today, he is a real-estate lawyer. A turning point came in 1983, when the district attorney in Austin, Ronnie Earle, indicted Mattox on bribery charges. He was acquitted, but the damage was done. Mattox had spent $300,000 on attorneys. His political career began to peter out. “Ronnie Earle had visions of grandeur,” said Mattox, now 62. “He was using it as a steppingstone.” In 1994, Earle also brought now-U.S. Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison, a Republican, to trial on ethics charges but dropped the case at the last minute — something GOP activists seized upon as proof that he was trying to humiliate Hutchison because of her party affiliation. Now, Earle is going after another powerful Texas politician, and the defense is no different. When he indicted U.S. House Majority Leader Tom DeLay yesterday, the Texas Republican lashed out at Earle, calling him an “unabashed partisan zealot.” Just one hitch: While Earle is a Democrat, so were 12 of the 15 politicians he has indicted over the years, including Mattox. Even Mattox said yesterday that Earle long has targeted people from both parties, roiling the halls of power in Austin — and now Washington — at every turn. [...] Within a year of taking office, Earle indicted former Texas Supreme Court Justice Don Yarbrough on perjury charges; Yarbrough fled to Grenada, and eventually served time in a state penitentiary. Earle also won convictions against a state treasurer, state House speaker and several Democratic legislators. George Shipley — a political operative who worked for the late Bob Bullock, a Democrat and one of the most powerful figures in modern Texas politics — said yesterday that Earle over the years had taken plenty of heat from Democrats in Austin. Earle went after Bullock — who was last elected as George W. Bush’s lieutenant governor — on several occasions, although he never brought an indictment. Bullock routinely described Earle in terms that are “not printable in a family newspaper,” Shipley said."
    • Texas Lawyer, "Politics and Prosecution: Before Tom DeLay, 14 Other Politician-Defendants Tangled With the Travis County DA", 2005/11/07
    • Involvement with Shearn Moody Jr. - who would later be accused of defrauding his family foundaton to support alleged CIA / Iran-Contra front Centre for Independence of Judges and Lawyers (CIJL)
      • Victoria Advocate, "Shearn Moody Singing the Blues", 1987/03/22 (pages 1C, 2C): "Caddy's accusations did not stop with the Moodys. He also accused Texas Attorney General Jim Mattox of aiding in a purported "cover-up" of the Moody scandal and called on a federal prosecutor to look into the attorney general's ties to the Moodys and their friends. "It is indeed ironic that Attorney General Mattox's office is conducting an investigation into the Moody Foundation scandal when a true investigation would have to focus on the role of Attorney General Mattox in attempting to cover up the scandal," Caddy said in a letter to Assistant U.S. Attorney Steve Shaw. Shaw headed the federal grand jury investigation into possible perjury, bankruptcy fraud and misuse of charitable funs by Shearn Moody and others. Caddy suggested that Mattox benefitted from foundation grants through his relationship with Shearn and a mutual friend, Moody publicist Marta Karpan, who was linked to a $50,000 foundation grant. Mattox, a bachelor, surfaced occasionally in Galveston as Ms. Karpan's escort and accompanied her once to an opera ball in Austin as a representative of a project funded by a foundation grant. Mattox largely ignored Caddy's comments but aide Elna Christopher said of the attorney general, "He is not close friends of the Moodys, but he has met some of them." Mattox defended a legal brief he once filed on Shearn's behalf in a fraud case, insisting his intervention in that affair was in no way linked to a $20,000 fee paid by Moody to his former law partner, A. Don Crowder of Dallas."
    • Election fraud investigation - appears to have been unceremoniously dropped with no results
      • New York Times, "TEXAS LOOKS INTO REPORTS OF VOTE FRAUD", 1986/09/23: "The Texas Attorney General is investigating allegations that a number of discrepancies found in the computerized voting records of several recent Dallas elections might have resulted from fraud. At the same time, the State Director of Elections has undertaken an independent investigation to see if additional safeguards should be imposed to assure the integrity of elections in Texas in November. [...] The discrepancies that prompted the parallel investigations by Attorney General Jim Mattox and Elections Director Karen Gladney were presented to both offices by Terry Elkins, campaign manager for Max Goldblatt, an unsuccessful candidate for Mayor of Dallas last year. He lost to the incumbent Mayor, A. Starke Taylor, who avoided a runoff by 472 votes. ''I have spent the last 18 months examining the documents of the 1985 Dallas elections,'' Mrs. Elkins said, ''and on their face they indicate there was fraud.'' [...] Conny B. McCormack, the Dallas County Elections Administrator, who conducted the election last year, acknowledged that administrative and technical problems had produced some discrepancies in the statistical tables published during and immediately after the election. But Ms. McCormack said the votes for each candidate had been counted accurately. Richard H. McKay, president of the election services division of the Business Records Corporation, the company that makes the computer system, said in a telephone interview that although a number of allegations of election fraud involving the system had been made over the years, no case had ever been proved. [...] After receiving Mrs. Elkins's allegations, the Attorney General's office hired an independent expert to assess their merit. One of the expert's findings was that the voting system Dallas used last year lacked adequate safeguards against fraud."
      • Texas Observer, "Democracy in the Computer Age", 1988/11/11: "Since, Meyer said, two of Mattox's campaign workers in a 1980 Congressional election had pleaded guilty to charges that they had illegally witnessed absentee votes of elderly nursing home residents, "asking Mattox to investigate voter fraud is like asking the fox to guard the hen house." [...] "There's a suspicion that there is a second program in the vendor's product," the highest law enforcement official in Texas said last autumn in his official car on his way to attend a picnic under the trees beside the University of Texas School of Law. "The suspicion we're investigating was whether or not they [the vendor] and people working with them had the ability to influence the outcome of these elections and were doing so. Our belief is that the vendor has the ability to influence the elections should they want to, but we could not prove that they have purposely influenced any elections. The suspicions are still there. The people on my staff — we still have suspicions about the security of the individual vote.""
    • 1990 gubernatorial campaign against Ann Richards
      • Los Angeles Times, "Texas Democrats End Lurid Campaign : Politics: Ann Richards or Jim Mattox will be the gubernatorial nominee after today’s runoff. It caps possibly the dirtiest race in state history", 1990/04/10: "At stake in the runoff election today is the Democratic gubernatorial nomination. Most recently, the two contenders--state Treasurer Ann Richards and state Atty. Gen. Jim Mattox--have dealt in accusations of illegal drug use, bribery and improper business dealings. [...] Mattox, who has a history of going for his opponent’s jugular, is generally regarded as the candidate who started the campaign on its downward spiral, although Richards quickly responded once the attacks appeared to be working. After the March 10 primary, in which Richards and Mattox received 39% and 37% of the vote, respectively, Mattox began challenging Richards to divulge what illegal drugs she has used. In one recent television ad, Mattox insinuates, without proof, that Richards was a cocaine addict when she was a county commissioner. “Did she use marijuana? Or something worse, like cocaine?” asks the ad. “Not as a college kid, but as a 47-year-old elected official sworn to uphold the law.” Richards, a recovering alcoholic, has refused to discuss the matter, except to say that she has not used any “mood-altering chemicals” in the last 10 years. She retaliated by running campaign ads pointing to Mattox’s 1983 indictment on bribery charges, without including the fact that he was acquitted. She also questioned Mattox’s business dealings, as well as loans received, but without offering proof that anything was amiss."
      • Paley Center for Media overview of the 2012 documentary ANN RICHARDS' TEXAS: "As a result of the speech, many ask that Richards run for governor of Texas, and soon thereafter she announces her candidacy for the 1990 gubernatorial election. Her opponents in the primary are Jim Mattox, the Texas Attorney General and a former friend of hers', and former governor Mark White. The primary proves to be a difficult challenge for Richards, and all sides level a great deal of vitriol against each other during the course of campaigning. Mattox launches a series of advertisements and public statements where he accuses Richards of having a drug problem, particularly with cocaine. Richards retaliates by leveling accusations against Mattox of accepting bribes, and she accuses White of benefiting financially from public funding. The campaign grows so intense that Mattox and White each broadcast advertisements wherein each of them claims to have executed the most people via the death penalty."
  • Jacksonville Sheriff's Office involvement and background
    • Sheriff Dale Carson
      • Florida Times-Union, obituary for Dale G. Carson, 2000/05/28: "Sheriff Carson was known nationally in law enforcement circles, said John Nelson, Orange Park police chief who served with him as undersheriff of Jacksonville from 1975-87. He recalled that in 1977, Sheriff Carson was on a short list of three people to be named FBI director to succeed the retiring Clarence Kelly. He was a pioneer in upgrading training and setting minimum standards for police officers nationwide. [...] Nelson, the former undersheriff, said he has known Sheriff Carson for 42 years. "He had so many accomplishments in law enforcement, but the one he was proudest of was consolidating the two departments," he said. "He really made an impact on law enforcement here and nationally. He was even involved with Interpol, helping to raise police standards around the world."
    • Lt. Jim Suber
      • Florida Times-Union, obituary for James Lamar Suber Sr., 2008/05/29: "James Lamar Suber, Sr. went home to be with his Lord on May 27, 2008. He was a native of Jacksonville born to Daniel Webster and Annie Lou. Mr. Suber retired in 1991 with 36 years service from the Jacksonville Sheriff's Office. His career began as a Deputy with the Duval County Road Patrol and later under consolidation, became part of the Jacksonville Sheriffs Office retiring as a Detective Lieutenant after commanding the Homicide Unit and Crime Lab. In addition to his long civil service career, he was a Korean veteran and served in the National Guard for 42 years after obtaining the NCO rank of Command Sergeant Major, Mr. Suber retired as a CW4 in 1991. Mr. Suber was a member of the Fraternal Order of Police Lodge #5-30, Past Worshipful Master of Riverview Masonic Lodge #306, F. & A.M., and served as the Potentate of the Morocco Shrine in 1997. He was one of the founding members of the Morocco Temple Crippled Children's Transportation Unit. His work with the Shrine was one of the highlights of his retirement years."
• Lucas defense efforts to get him off death row - led by Feazell from 1991 until 1994
  • Los Angeles Times, "Killer’s Case a True Trial for Texas D.A.", 1991/12/29: "Feazell is setting up his law practice in Austin. And he plans to represent Henry Lee Lucas at no charge."
  • Brad Shellady - private investigator who discredited Lucas's confessions; wrote an article about Lucas in Everything You Know Is Wrong: The Disinformation Guide to Secrets and Lies by Russ Kick (2002)
    • River Cities' Reader, "A Different Kind of Dinner Party" by Jeff Ignatius, 2002/10/22: "Brad Shellady first saw The Texas Chainsaw Massacre when he was about 13 years old, at Milan's Memory Drive-In. [...] Clearly the movie made an impression on Shellady. In the late '80s, he interviewed and filmed the actors who played Chainsaw's family of cannibals under the title The Texas Chainsaw Massacre: A Family Portrait. [...] Shellady grew up in this area and now works here as a surgical technologist, but his employment history is all over the map. He did special-effects work in Hollywood on such movies as The Abyss and was a legal investigator for the defense team of Henry Lee Lucas - who was convicted of several murders but is more famous for confessing to dozens of others, even though he didn't commit them."
    • Murder Auction page for "Bradley Shellady XL Metallica owned shirt he was the lead inspector in the Henry Lee Lucas’s case": "This was worn Mr. Shellady and used to protect a handmade boat by Lucas when it was shipped. The boat was a gift from Henry Lucas to him. It’s considered the largest crafted wooden artwork done by Mr. Lucas behind bars."
  • Phyllis Wilcox hoax of pretending to be Becky Powell - allegedly duped both Feazell and Aynesworth
    • alt.true-crime discussion in 1998 on Lucas's impending execution - a 1998/04/04 comment says "Becky experienced a brief, if spurious, revival a couple of years ago, when killer groupie Phyllis Wilcox announced that she was actually Becky come back from the dead. Backed by "investigator" Brad Shellady, who solemnly "staked his reputation on it," she appeared on Jerry Springer. The hoax lasted less than 24 hours."
    • Dallas Observer, "Dead Wrong" by Carlton Stowers, 2001/05/17
• Commutation of Lucas' death sentence by George W. Bush
  • The Facts (Clute TX), "Lucas happy with case's attention", 1998/06/18: "Confessed serial killer Henry Lee Lucas, maintaining his innocence with two weeks to go before his scheduled execution, said Wednesday he's pleased Gov. George W. Bush wants the state parole board to review his case. "I think it's a good thing," Lucas said from a cage in the visiting area of death row. "I'm glad he's involved in it. I know the truth is going to come out there some time or another, showing that I couldn't have committed the crimes." Lucas, who once confessed to as many as 600 killings, is scheduled for lethal injection June 30 for the slaying of an unidentified woman whose body was found, wearing only orange socks, near Georgetown in 1979. Although prosecutors say they have no doubt Lucas committed the crime — and he confessed to it numerous times — investigations by the news media and a former attorney general cast some doubt on the conviction. Lucas, dubbed the "one-eyed drifter," has insisted he was working in Florida when the victim, who has become known as "Orange Socks," was murdered. Bush, who ultimately could decide if Lucas lives or dies, said earlier this week he's bothered by questions in the Lucas case and ordered the Texas Board of Pardons and Paroles to look into it."
  • Associated Press, "Serial Killer Eludes Texas' Death Chamber", 1998/06/27
  • Westword, "Ghost Story", 2001/02/15: "On June 26, 1998, four days before Lucas was scheduled to die by lethal injection, then-Texas governor George W. Bush commuted the death sentence Lucas had received in the death of the woman known as Orange Socks. "The first question I ask in every case is whether there is any doubt about the individual's guilt or innocence," Bush told reporters at the time. "This is the first case I have had since I have been the governor when the answer to that question was 'yes.'" Texas lawyer Danny Burns represented Lucas in his final round of death-penalty appeals. [...] Burns and representatives from the Texas Attorney General's Office went to Florida to take depositions from witnesses who said that Lucas had been in Florida at the time of the Orange Socks murder. [...] Lucas, however, kept sabotaging his own case by concocting "cock-and-bull" stories to discredit the witnesses that were providing his alibi, Burns says. For example, he claimed that he had bribed supervisors at his job with a roofing company to get them to say he was working during the periods when he was traveling around the country killing. [...] instead of trying to take the case to the Supreme Court, Burns filed a commutation petition and met with Governor Bush's office to defend it."
  • Sister Helen Prejean, "Death in Texas", 2005/01/13: "In the Henry Lee Lucas case in 1998, Bush showed where the real power lay. He intervened with the Texas pardons board before they had a chance to make a recommendation, and after his intervention, the board handed him the decision he wanted: a 17–1 vote for commutation of Lucas’s death sentence."
  • Bush's overall clemency record
    • New York Times, "ON THE RECORD/Bush and the Death Penalty; Texas' Busy Death Chamber Helps Define Bush's Tenure", 2000/01/07
    • TIME, "Death, Be Not Proud", 2000/02/13: "Just as he was beginning his presidential campaign in 1998, the case of convicted murderer Karla Faye Tucker came up for review. Religious leaders from Pat Robertson to the Pope pleaded with Bush to spare Tucker. Like Bush himself, she had found Christ in midlife. He could have issued a 30-day reprieve and signaled to the parole board that Tucker should be granted clemency. He didn't. Although he said he was anguished by the decision, in an interview in Talk magazine, writer Tucker Carlson described Bush mimicking the woman's final plea for her life. "'Please,' Bush whimpers, his lips pursed in mock desperation, 'don't kill me.'""
    • New York Times, "ON THE RECORD/Capital Punishment in Texas; Bush Candidacy Puts Focus on Executions", 2000/05/14
    • Chicago Tribune, "Flawed trials lead to death chamber", 2000/06/11
    • Los Angeles Times, "Bush Defends Texas Process in Death Cases", 2000/06/12
    • TIME, "The Final Hours of Gary Graham", 2000/06/22
    • Rolling Stone, "Bush and the Texas Death Machine", 2000/08/03
  • Break for News post about Lucas suggests that his death sentence was commuted to assure other assassins that they wouldn't be double-crossed
• Adam Walsh kidnapping - as explained below, perhaps Ottis Toole and Jeffrey Dahmer worked together on the murder under the auspices of the Hand of Death
• Other curiosities
  • "Socks-only" murder cases that Lucas confessed to (victims who were found nude aside from socks)
    • Dawn Schnetzer (1978/09/15 in Menasha WI)
    • Debra Jackson aka "Orange Socks" (1979/10/31 in Georgetown TX)
    • Roxanne Sharp (1982/02/05 in Covington LA)
  • Dubious "remote viewing" website connects the Hand of Death, Ottis Toole, and Jeffrey Dahmer to "Emilio" in the Johnny Gosch kidnapping

Rafael Resendez-Ramirez

• Crime Library, "Angel Maturino Resendiz: The Railroad Killer" by Joseph Geringer: chapters 1, ... (PDF copy)
• UPI, "Recording of Resendez-Ramirez obtained", 1999/07/01
• Newsweek, "The Faces Of A Fugitive", 1999/07/04
• Los Angeles Times, "Suspected Serial Killer Surrenders at Mexico Border", 1999/07/14

Son of Sam

• Mae Brussell broadcasts
  • 1977/08/15 and 1977/08/22
• Son of Sam by Lawrence Klausner (1981) - likely to be quite disinformational but worth checking out
• The Ultimate Evil by Maury Terry (1987, 1989, 1999)
• Time in the US Army
  • David Berkowitz joined the US Army in 1971, and was stationed in Korea, being honorably discharged in 1974. While serving in the Army, he was known to have used LSD, a drug associated with the CIA's mind control experiments.
  • Following Berkowitz's arrest, the New York Daily News on August 12, 1977 ran a headline story "SAM CHANGED AFTER LSD TRIPS" detailing his "devastating personality transformation" after taking the drug while in Korea. Article is republished here: New York Daily News, "Son of Sam's personality change was documented in letters to friends", 2017/08/03
  • Salt Lake Tribune, "More Indictments Likely In 'Son of Sam' Murders", 1977/08/18: "An army friend said Berkowitz adopted the "Son of Sam" nickname to signify his belief that he was a pawn of the government — symbolized by Uncle Sam. Terry Peterson, 24, McFarland, Wis., said in an interview with the Madison Capital Times he and Berkowitz were "best buddies" when they spent a year together in Korea. "When he'd complain about what the Army was doing to him — and he took a lot of static after he field those conscientious objector forms — I'd just tell him, 'Well, you signed up and now you're just a son of Sam,'" said Peterson. "What I meant was that he was a soldier for Uncle Sam and he was obligated to serve his country. But he took that to mean that he had become a pawn, a tool in some big game that the establishment was making him play. I'm certain that's where the name (Son of Sam) came from. We used to call each other that all the time," Peterson said."
  • According to p.80-81 of Secret Societies and Psychological Warfare by Michael Hoffman, upon joining the Army, Berkowitz became part of a special project for "profiled" candidates, during which he was dosed with drugs: "Terry Patterson, an army buddy of Berkowitz, stated that when Berkowitz said he was the Son of Sam he was trying to say he was the Son of Uncle Sam; a creation of certain elements in the U.S. government. [...] David Berkowitz joined the U.S. Army, entering a special program for "profiled" candidates. Drugs were administered."
• Work for IBI Security Services Agency
  • ...
• Relationship with neo-Nazi and murderer Fred Cowan
  • ** From p.303 of The Ultimate Evil: The Truth about the Cult Murders: Son of Sam & Beyond by Maury Terry (1999):
    
        Mitteager explained that Cassara, from whom Berkowitz rented a room in early 1976, was a coworker of Fred Cowan — an avowed neo-Nazi who murdered six people before killing himself during a daylong siege at the Neptune Moving Company in New Rochelle on Valentine's Day 1977.
        Moreover, Berkowitz kept a file of news clippings on Cowan in his Yonkers apartment and had referred to him as "one of the Sons."
     
• See the Son of Sam murders page for information on the murders themselves

Monster of Florence

• BOOKS, BULLETS AND BAD OMENS, "Il Mostro di Firenze – Italy’s first serial killer", 2017/09/20
• Satanic cult allegations
  • The Times UK, "Net closes on satanic high priest" by Richard Owen, 2001/04/05
  • The Guardian, "Monster of Florence may still be alive" by Rory Carroll, 2001/08/07
  • The Observer, "Italian mass killer 'was servant of Satanic sect'" by Rory Carroll, 2001/09/09
  • The Telegraph, "Monster of Florence blamed for mutilations" by Bruce Johnston, 2002/07/06
  • Sunday Herald, "Sixth Mutilated Corpse Revives 'Monster' Fears" by Hillary Clarke, 2002/07/07
  • The Telegraph, "Monster of Florence 'killed on cult's order'", 2004/01/23
  • BBC, "Cult theory in Italy murder probe", 2004/01/23
  • Sydney Morning Herald, "Magic ritual men's club suspected of killing couples", 2004/01/24
  • The Age, "Murder most foul", 2004/06/09
  • The Australian, "Police name the man behind the Monster", 2006/06/06
  • NewsBlaze, "Alexander Litvinenko and Satanic Society Ritual Murders" by T. Stokes, 2007/01/01: "A new suspect has now been charged with being the "Monster of Florence" And that is Francesco Calemandrei, a wealthy pharmacist, who is said to have implicated Satanists from the very top of society, including those close to Silvio Berlusconi, the intimate circle of Tony Blair and even an ex US President, I must not say more at this time."
• Operation Gladio connection
  • Italian Insider, "Monster of Florence investigation reopens with new suspect", 2017/07/26: "The investigation into the Monster of Florence murders has reopened, linking the eight double murders to a “strategy of tension” and a new 86-year-old suspect, Giampiero Vigilanti, according to local authorities. [...] Vigilanti, the new suspect, is believed to have known Pietro Pacciani, one of the four men convicted; they both lived in the village of Vicchio, in Mugello, in 1951 when Pacciani murdered his love rival after surprising him with his girlfriend. Shortly after the first double murder and before Vicchio was accused, Vigilanti enrolled in the Foreign Legion. The pensioner is also associated with right-wing groups. [...] The re-opened investigation also looks at the theory launched by lawyer Vieri Adirani 30 years ago, which suggested that the Monster of Florence crimes were a “pista nera” [“false flag”]. He suggested that the crimes served as distractions for magistrates and public opinion from what was happening in Italy during the “Strategy of Tension”. The Italian “Strategy of Tension” refers to terrorist acts throughout the 1970s and 1980s committed by right-wing extremists, such as the 1980 Bologna bombing, which aimed to shift the blame onto communists to quell communist movements and gain support for their right-wing cause."

Cary Stayner

Refer to the extensive collection of sources on the Cary Stayner page

Richard Speck

• Contemporaneous news articles
  • The Capital Journal (Salem OR), "Chicago Police Sift Death Leads", 1966/07/16: ""We've been inundated with phone calls, tips and leads since we added the sketch to our description," said Michael Spiotto, deputy chief of detectives. [...] At least one mystery remained, however, and police shed no new light on it after the interview with Miss Amurao: Why were there no loud screams, no outcries for help, during the time the killer bound and gagged the nine girls, herded them into a back room, and led eight of them out one at a time to their deaths? "There were some light outcries by the girls who came in late, but it wasn't much," Spiotto said Miss Amurao told him. An autopsy report showed the girls had not been drugged to prevent screams. Three of them arrived home after the killer had already gathered the other six into the rear room. [...] The sketch drawn from Miss Amurao's description shows a crew-cut young man with high cheekbones, aquiline nose, jutting chin, narrow-set eyes beneath brows of medium thickness, and thin lips. She said he definitely was a white man and that his hair was "somewhere between blond and black.""
  • Statesman Journal (Salem OR), "Alibi for Speck Provided by Tavern Employe", 1967/04/14: "A tavern employe testified Thursday that Richard Speck left the place at 12:15 or 12:30 a.m. July 14 more than an hour after, the state said, he entered a townhouse where eight nurses were slain. Merle Farmer gave the testimony to a Circuit Court jury trying Speck on charges of murdering the young women July 14, 1966. Corazon Amurao, the only survivor of the massacre and the state's star witness, told the jurors last week that Speck came to the door of her bedroom about 11 p.m. July 13, and stayed in the house until about 3:30 a.m., July 14. [...] Farmer, who works for Kay's Pilot House, about a mile and a half from the nurses' townhouse residence on Chicago's South Side, told his story under questioning by defense attorney Gerald W. Getty. [...] he said Speck came into the saloon around 8 p.m. and ordered a whisky and sat in a booth. Q. How long before he left? A. About 8:30 o'clock. Q. Did you see him any other time? A. Close to midnight. Q. What time was it when he left? A. I fix the time at between 12:15 and 12:30. Q. Did you see the lower part of his arm? A. I noticed a tattoo showing on his left arm. Farmer fixed his right hand at a spot above the elbow of his left arm. Speck has a tattoo on his left arm. [...] Getty also gave the jurors the original of a police bulletin featuring a sketch depicting the slayer as he was described by Miss Amurao. The sketch shows a man with a crewcut. Speck's hair is long. Miss Amurao, during cross-examination last week, said she did not tell the police artist that Speck had short hair."
• "BORN TO RAISE HELL -- LIFE & CRIMES OF RICHARD SPECK": "In the course of the hour, Speck had systematically tied and gagged each of the women. As author Richard Lindberg has stated: "How he accomplished this with minimal to no resistance is one of the enduring mysteries in the annals of Chicago crime." Why did none of the women try to escape? Why did they not try and overpower Speck as he was tying another victim? Why did none of the women in the other townhouses hear anything that was taking place? No one knows and as Lindberg has noted -- it remains a mystery."

Charles Whitman

• Echoes of Columbine thread on the 1966/08/01 Charles Whitman shooting rampage - gives extensive evidence hinting at multiple gunmen
• Brain tumor allegation
  • Daily Texan (Austin TX), "Experts still disagree on role of Tower shooter's brain tumor", 2016/07/30
  • Missing brain
    • USA Today, "Mystery of missing University of Texas brains solved", 2014/12/03
    • /r/UnresolvedMysteries thread on Whitman's missing brain

"Zodiac Killer"

• "Programmed To Kill/Satanic Cover-Up Part 39 (The Zodiac Killer)", 2012/01/08
• Original police reports
  • Napa County Sheriff's Department report on the 1969/09/27 Lake Berryessa attacks: pages 1, ..., 11, ..., 13, ...
• Thomas Henry Horan theory (Zodiac Killer hoax)
  • The Stones Unturned Podcast, "Episode 1: Zodiac Killer Fraud Robert Graysmith", 2018/01/04
  • The Stones Unturned Podcast, "Episode 7: Zodiac Killer Hoax Part 2", 2018/05/26
  • Ed Opperman interview on 2018/11/09 of Thomas Henry Horan - identifies major California narcotics officer Hal Snook as the author of the Zodiac letters; brings up how Darlene Ferrin married a man named Jim Phillips / Jim Crabtree with whom she traveled around the United States, often ending up near the sites of large French Connection drug busts; claims that some people who knew Jim said he was a Satanist (inspired by the teachings of Anton LaVey); mentions Darlene allegedly witnessing a murder in the Virgin Islands while she and Jim were there
  • Drug motive behind the murder of Betty Lou Jensen and David Faraday
    • The Great Zodiac Killer Hoax of 1986 forum post about the drug motive: "In December 1968, Lundblad and Butterbach had received tips that a certain gang of drug dealers may have "bumped off" David Faraday and Betty Lou Jensen. Lundblad's investigation immediately came to a halt. In June 1969, a group of young men went on a crime spree, robbing and shooting a series of gas station attendants in Vallejo. David Magris, Matthew Donohue, his brother Robert Donohue, and an unnamed fourth man were arrested. The unnamed man was quickly released. But the young Donohue Brothers, facing a possible death penalty, told Solano County Sheriff's Deputy Terry Cunningham that they had been present at the shooting of David Faraday and Betty Lou Jensen in December. Unlike the "Zodiac," the Donohue brothers accurately described what the victims were wearing, etc. to Cunningham. They accused a notorious local gang leader nicknamed "Big Red" of doing the actual shooting. They also accused Big Red of bragging about shooting Darlene Ferrin in the parking lot at Blue Rock Springs park. This Big Red was later indicted in absentia for the execution style shooting of Ronald Lee Roy in December 1967. One of his accomplices in that shooting, Rockey Dixon, was also accused by several people of shooting Darlene.
      
      Big Red was the favorite informant of Solano County narcotics task force officer Ben Villareal. In July 1969, Villareal arrested and associate of Big Red's in possession of the P38 pistol and handed him over to John Lynch who booked him for the murder of Darlene Ferrin. The P38 pistol was tested by the ballistics lab in Sacramento. The results of that test have never been made public. But the last week of July, victim Mike Mageau failed to identify the suspect or any members of Big Red's gang from their mugshots. On July 31, someone started mailing letters to the Bay Area newspapers."
    • Solano County Sheriff's Office report of 1968/12/24 by Sgt. Lundblad and Butterbach - cites information that David Faraday had planned to turn in a marijuana dealer and was threatened over this at the IHOP on Tennessee Street
    • "Now It Can Be Told" by Geraldo Rivera episode on 1992/02/28 - has former Vallejo police officer Steve Baldino acknowledge police corruption within the department, including narcotics trafficking, a burglary ring, and officers who were fired for having sex with a 14-year-old girl; cites Maury Terry as an investigator; interviews former Vallejo Police Department officer John Lynch, who says that David Faraday found out about a narcotics transaction that had taken place and was telling others about it; interviews the Vallejo PD's top suspect Arthur Allen who denies involvement
    • The Great Zodiac Killer Hoax of 1986 forum post describing how Detective Les Lundblad of the Solano County Sheriff's Office publicly promoted the idea that the killer was a "deranged individual" while hiding the links to drug trafficking
  • The Great Zodiac Killer Hoax of 1986 forum discussion on James Phillips Crabtree (pages 1, 2, 3)
    • "Thanks for your comment! What's even stranger is, police didn't even bother looking for Crabtree until January of 1970. They got a "tip" from a "psychic" named Joseph DeLouise, who had been talking to Darlene's family. It seems likely that the tip really came from them. So, why wait six months? Darlene's sister Pam and brother Leo III have both said that they and their family were not totally honest when they gave their statements to police in July 1969. Leo has said that Darlene was out looking to score him a bag of weed that night. Pam has always had a thing for "diet pills." So, it seems likely (and the "Zodiac"letters seem to confirm this) that VPD originally came to the rapid conclusion that the shooting at BRS was related to the rampant epidemic of drug-related shootings in Vallejo at that time. Buuuuuuuuuuuut: Mike's description of the shooter matches Crabtree's photos of that time to a perfect T. Mike also said that, as near as he could tell, the shooter's brown car was very similar to Darlene's brown 1963 Corvair. Guess what? Crabtree owned a brown 1963 Corvair. When asked about the car, Crabtree told police that he had abandoned the car in a parking lot and told the previous owner to come pick it up. This supposedly happened before the shooting. Crabtree told police that he did not even know Darlene was dead until they came to the jail he was locked up in (on another charge) for questioning. But Darlene's family all swear he was at her funeral. People who know Crabtree have said that he is bitter about Darlene to this day and several of them have said they believe he probably killed her. All of which proves zip. By far, the worst, sloppiest, laziest investigation of all of these murders was VPD's investigation of the Ferrin murder."
    • "Based on the ACTUAL witness statements in the files, the man who seemed to have sort of been "stalking" Darlene before her death was most likely Crabtree. But, at least one of those statements is undoubtedly about a young man named Richard Moncur (who owned a white Cougar) who simply lived across the alley and used to sit in his car, smoking and listening to the radio. The alley is very narrow, and it would have looked very much like he was parked more or less "in front of " Darlene and Dean's house."
    • "Soooooooooo...did Hal Snook KNOW Jim? Some of their mutual friends have told me they knew each other. After WWII, Hal got his degree in Journalism from San Jose State University (you will NOT believe who his roommate was...) and then took over two small, bankrupt newspapers in far northern California--near where Diamond lived. Jim would have been a kid then. Hal spent a lot of time with boys, but until Jim himself confirms he was, um, "mentored" by Hal, there is just no way to confirm that part of the story.
      
      However, everything Jim ever claimed to "know" about the news biz, and all of his "Special Forces" training (according to Jim's brother, Jim never did anything in the Army beyond clerk/typist) he obviously could have learned from Hal. And I have found quite a bit of evidence that Hal also taught Graysmith everything he needed to know to get HIS first job at a newspaper--at age 12--when Graysmith lived with his parents at Tachikawa AFB, Japan. Hal was an AF officer on the same staff with Colonel Robert G Smith, Sr.
      
      Did anything "inappropriate" happen between Hal and his two young proteges? Only they can say. But several people who knew Jim as a boy say they think he had been sexually, physically, and emotionally abused by Diamond. An allegation that, so far as Diamond goes, fits everything I've learned about HIM. Soooooooo...And Hal was his nephew. Some people who knew Hal as an adult have told me that they believed Hal was some kind of pervert, himself, and certainly spent a LOT of time with adolescent boys. Sooooooo..."
    • "Napa deputy Richard Lonergan, lead investigator (reporting to Captain Don Townsend) on the Berryessa attack, had a prime suspect in the case--Park Ranger Dennis Land. Who looks guilty as hell, according to the files released in 2012 in response to my work. And he is a great suspect in the SRH murders, too. But NOT Allen. The "detectives" who supposedly corroborated Graysmith's book over the years--Mulanax, Narlow, Bawart, etc--were NOT "detectives" on any of these cases. The REAL detectives on these cases ALL repeatedly affirmed what I pointed out--there was no "Zodiac" and no connection between the murders."
    • "Darlene's father Leo II was a pedophile who abused at least some of his kids. Darlene apparently ran away in 1962ish or 1963ish with a man in his 30s who her siblings considered more dangerous than Crabtree. She was gone for about 9 months. Did she have a kid who was sold on the black market? Good question. The Pill was not widely available yet, and it was expensive when it came out. Anyhoo, she apparently never told ANYONE what she and this man did, other than travel across the country. When she turned 18 she ran off again, to the Haight, and married Crabtree. No kids, but again, Crabtree is fundamentally queer, which may be why she married him. Jim and Darlene also hit the road, also apparently up to no good. Darlene's friends say she dropped hints that Crabtree had gotten her involved in drug smuggling and a cult-related murder in the Caribbean, and THAT sounds vaguely like the DeGrimstons and their Process Church. But I can't help wondering if it was DARLENE who got Jim involved, since she and Jim seemed to have been retracing the steps from the first time she ran off. In any case, this time around, Darlene was no longer a juvenile. During this exact period of time, Cheri Jo Bates's father was being threatened in regards to his actions against drug trafficking in Riverside County, and Cheri Jo ended up murdered. Before "Zodiac" took the rap for that one, L Ron Hubbard claimed the DeGrimston mob did it. The funny thing is, there may be something to that."
  • Doreen Heskett kidnapping/murder - disappeared 1963/03/25 in Napa County; found 1963/11/21 by Earl Stewart on his ranch
    • Find A Grave memorial for Phillip E. “Bucky” Stewart deceased 1987/05/28: "He began his law enforcement career with the Napa County Sheriff's Department in September of 1958 and served as a deputy until transferring to the District Attorney's Office in 1963. Mr. Stewart was the first D.A. investigator in Napa County. He was promoted to chief investigator in October 1972. He held that position until he was elected sheriff in November 1978. Mr. Stewart served two terms as sheriff, retiring in January after a 28-year law enforcement career. While in the district attorney's office, Mr. Stewart supervised the child support program and was active in the California District Attorney's Investigators Association, serving as president from 1969 to 1980. During his two terms as sheriff, Mr. Stewart began the use of a crime scene van for investigations, started the Napa River Boat Patrol, the motorcycle program and increased the canine program. He was instrumental in consolidation of communications with the City of Napa and 911 emergency number implementation. Mr. Stewart was active in many law enforcement and civic organizations, including the Calfornia State Sheriff's Association, the Napa County Bay Counties and California Peace Officers assocations, California District Attorney's Investigators Association, Native Sons of the Golden West Parlor 62, Yount Lodge Masonic 12, and the Npaa Valley and California State Horsemen's association."
    • Napa Valley Register, "Cold-case unit looks to wrap up mysteries", 2012/04/22: "In November 1963, a few days before President John F. Kennedy was assassinated, a dairy rancher southwest of Napa found the body of 5-year-old Doreen Heskett eight months after she had disappeared. The kindergartner had vanished as she walked home from a friend’s house near Jefferson and Pueblo streets, triggering a massive search involving 2,500 police, military personnel and civilian volunteers, along with tracking dogs. The discovery at the Stewart Ranch shocked everyone. Experts were called in, including the head criminologist from UC Berkeley, but the case was never solved as witnesses either died or left Napa County."
    • Interview with Bucky Stewart molestation victim Matt Newman in March 2014 (2015 reupload): "Hi. In 1956 I was attacked and molested by Napa police officer Phillip Bucky Stewart. I think he also killed Doreen Heskett in 1963. [...] Who do I think this? I was abducted by Bucky Stewart on Jefferson St. In Napa City. So was she. Her body was found on Bucky Stewart's ranch, owned by his father Earl Stewart. Many people know that Bucky and his police buddies were into dark stuff. Read the comments on this article. https://napavalleyregister.com/news/local/cold-case-unit-looks-to-wrap-up-mysteries/article_30b075ac-8c24-11e1-beb2-0019bb2963f4.html Napa County is one of the most corrupt places on earth and I want the attorney general to investigate the city of Napa and look into my allegations and prove Bucky Stewart killed this little girl.Napa law enforcement tried to intimidate me into shutting up. Now I tell my story. Please like, subscribe and spread the word."
    • Crime Magazine, "Forever 5: The Kidnap and Murder of Doreen Heskett", 2014/12/04
      • "On the morning of Thursday, November 21, 1963, Earl Stewart stumbled across the skeletal remains of a child in his South Napa cow pasture. Police were baffled by the location as they had paid particular attention to the field due to its proximity to the South Jefferson/Imola intersection, the last location of a possible sighting of Doreen. Undersheriff Gardner had participated in an aerial search of the field while law enforcement officers and volunteers had combed the field on three separate occasions."
      • "During their initial observation of the remains, investigators noticed some important details. There was a gaping hole in the skull; the missing portion lay about a foot from the body. The body was face down; the right arm under the body, the left arm outstretched with the hand clasped together. Despite the advanced decomposition of the body, the clothing was intact and only slightly faded. Investigators theorized Doreen was the victim of a sex crime as the child’s panties were pulled down to her knees. Missing were Doreen’s stockings and tennis shoes."
      • "One particular suspect, Claude Ray Jr., eventually became the prime suspect. Ray had a history of molesting prepubescent female children. In 1957, he served a one-year sentence in county jail for committing a lewd and lascivious act upon a 7-year-old girl.
        
        During the course of the investigation, police discovered information that placed the convicted pedophile in close proximity to Doreen Heskett. At the time of Doreen’s disappearance, Ray worked as a laborer on the Ghisletta Ranch, property that adjoined that of Earl Stewart. The Ray family resided in a small house on Lincoln Avenue, within sight of Napa Union High School and three blocks from the Heskett family. Due to their residential location, the Ray children attended Lincoln Elementary School, the youngest daughter a classmate of Doreen.
        
        Questioned within 48 hours of the abduction, Ray provided an alibi that Assistant Chief of Police Jack Blair was unable to disprove. Eight months later, when police recovered the remains of Doreen Heskett, Ray was again brought into the police department for questioning. Repeating his earlier alibi, Ray failed to convince Detective Earl Randol of his innocence. Unable to make an arrest without an eyewitness account or physical evidence that tied Ray to the abduction or murder of Doreen, Detective Randol was forced to cut his suspect loose."
    • The Great Zodiac Killer Hoax of 1986 forum discussion that mentions Phillip Stewart being part of the same circles as Hal Snook and Dennis Land: "Dennis Land and Phillip Stewart could pass for identical twins. Ray Land and Arthur Leigh Allen could pass for identical twins. [...] As an avid hunter and diver, Allen was well known to the deputies and park rangers of Napa and Sonoma counties. WELL known. Hal Snook, the Land brothers, and Phillip Stewart all knew each other from these activities, and from Snook's sporting goods store in Napa. All but Allen were also familiar with Snook from their classes in Criminal Justice at Napa Junior College. It is highly, highly, highly probable that David Faraday knew Snook. There was no official Scout affiliated Explorer program in the area at that time (there has always been a looseness in their association, anyway) but if there was any kind of Explorers getting off the ground at that time, it would have involved Snook and Faraday. The explorers have always welcomed girls, and David may have been recruiting Betty Lou. I'm having a haaaaaaaaaaaaaaaard time getting anyone to say one way or the other if Snook was ever a Scout leader. The question interests me for several very, very good reasons."
    • The Great Zodiac Killer Hoax of 1986 forum post with a photo of Bucky Stewart
  • Dishonesty of Michael Butterfield of the Zodiac Killer Facts website (http://zodiackillerfacts.com/)
    • The Great Zodiac Killer Hoax of 1986 forum discussion mentioning a planned debate against Horan: "FWIW, multiple podcasts have invited Butterfield to debate me (at least Mike Morford tried) and he has chickened out every time. [...] Oh, I almost forgot to pile onto Butterfield: As most of you know, it was Butterfield who published the complete case against Cheri Jo's (sort-of-ex-)fiancee, and he even debunked the "case" against Sullivan. What most don't know, is that he has repeatedly agreed to "debate" me on air, and repeatedly chickened out. And I have repeatedly snickered."
• Mae Brussell theory (Robert Linkletter son of Art Linkletter)
  • William Weston, "Who was the Zodiac Killer?", 2018/10/23
    • "According to a letter written by a woman who lived in Woodland Hills (near Los Angeles), Dr. Ohta was the man who prescribed the glasses found at the Tate house, and the owner was none other than the Zodiac himself. In late September 1970, less than a month prior to the Ohta slayings, she saw the Zodiac with Frazier in Woodland Hills. They “looked exactly alike” except that the Zodiac wore glasses. The implication is that Frazier was a Zodiac double. If he wore glasses, the resemblance would be greater. Pictures of Frazier at the time of his capture and all during his trial show him without glasses. However, a driver’s license photo released by the sheriff’s department shortly before his capture shows him wearing glasses. Perhaps he needed them to drive a car, yet the weird Zodiac-like appearance is certainly striking.
      
      The author of the letter goes on to identify the Zodiac by his real name and said that he was a member of a white supremacist organization called the International White Guard."
    • "While relating these conversations on her Dialogue: Conspiracy program on radio station KRLB in Carmel, Brussell never mentioned the name of the woman who wrote the letter and only said that she lived in Woodland Hills and worked as a school bus driver. She did however reveal the name of the Zodiac – after an interval of four years.
      
      On September 12, 1980, Robert Preston Linkletter, son of television interviewer and Hollywood celebrity Art Linkletter, was at his apartment, where his mother came to visit him. An hour later, he got into his car, a 1979 Saab. With him was his lawyer, Charles Crozier. Shortly after leaving his apartment, as he was driving west on Santa Monica Boulevard near Thayer Avenue, Gracie Jones travelling eastbound in a 1976 Buick crossed the center divider and rammed head on into the Saab. Robert died an hour later at the Los Angeles New Hospital from chest injuries. His passenger, Mr. Crozier, survived the accident, suffering from rib and face injuries. Jones’ explanation was that a car made a U-turn in front of her, forcing her to swerve into oncoming traffic. In January 1981, she pleaded no contest to the charge of vehicular manslaughter and was given a year probation.
      
      The letter that Brussell read on her program of September 28, 1980 was the second of two letters written by the Woodland Hills woman. Excerpts of the earlier letter appeared in an article on the front page of the Redwood City Tribune, Saturday, November 20, 1971. ["Letter-Writer Links Frazier and ‘Zodiac’" which names the woman as Marie Vigil]"
• Maury Terry theory
  • "Now It Can Be Told" by Geraldo Rivera episode on 1991/??/?? (parts 1, 2)
  • The Missoulian, "TV show indicts Montana parolee", 1991/11/12 (pages 1, 8): "California authorities felt the [Robert] Salem murder was not connected to the Zodiac slayings, but was the work of a copycat killer. But Maury Terry, a "Now It Can Be Told" reporter and author of a book about the Son of Sam killings in New York, told the Missoulian on Monday that while Salem may not be a direct Zodiac victim, there are ties to the investigation. "There is no doubt that Baker was involved in the Salem case, and we're saying that people involved in Baker's (occult) group are absolutely involved in the Zodiac murders," said Terry, who said Baker was deeply involved in Satanism. Terry offered as evidence of that connection the case of Cecelia Ann Shepard, who was killed in September 1969 by a hooded man with the Zodiac's crossed-circle symbol sewn onto his wind-breaker. In that case, which authorities classify as a Zodiac killing, the murderer told Shepard and a friend, Bryan Hartnell, that he was an escaped convict from Deer Lodge. [...] Terry cited the Deer Lodge reference as circumstantial evidence that Shepard was killed either by Baker, who is from Sheridan, Wyo., or by someone associated with him. [...] Although authorities and author Graysmith tended to believe the Zodiac murders were the work of one person, Terry and Rivera believe at least two people were involved and perhaps more. "I think you had at least one person doing the murders and one person writing the letters (to the newspapers)," Terry said."
  • Note that the murder of Robert Salem was on April 19, 1970 and on April 20, 1970 there was a Zodiac letter (the "blue meannie" letter) sent out which ended with "PS I hope you have fun trying to figgure out who I killed"
  • "Now It Can Be Told" by Geraldo Rivera episode on 1992/02/28
• Harry Martin theory
  • Napa Sentinel, "UNSOLVED MURDERS OF THE NAPA VALLEY" by Harry V. Martin, 1991 - mentions links to the Presidio military base: the proximity of many of the Zodiac murders to it, that Darlene Ferrin’s first husband was associated with it (ed. note: according to a Zodiackiller.com forum discussion, her former husband Jim Crabtree "spent time in the Presidio mental ward"), that missing woman Donna Lass had worked at the Letterman Hospital on the Presidio; also links in Riverside County, where Cheri Jo Bates was murdered in 1966 one day before Halloween, around the time of Richard Speck and Charles Whitman's rampages that began shortly after Anton LaVey declared the "Age of Satan"; names as a suspect Robert E. Hunter Jr., a director of the California Academy of Sciences and vice president of Crocker Bank
  • Obituary for Robert Hunter Jr. in the San Francisco Chronicle on 2013/10/09: "He graduated from Yale University in 1945 and was a Second Lieutenant in the U.S. Marines Corps, where he participated in the occupation of Japan after the Second World War. Hunter began his banking career at Bankers Trust in New York City where he met his first wife, Sylvia Morton. The couple moved to San Francisco in 1949 where he became a banker at the Crocker National Bank, specializing in agricultural loans. His territory included the Pacific Northwest and Hawaii, where he had spent summers as a teenager working at the Parker Ranch on the Big Island of Hawaii. He enjoyed working with his clients, many of whom became close friends, while fishing and hunting. He was also a limited partner at Brown Brothers Harriman, the investment banking firm in New York. [...] He was a lifelong member of the Bohemian Club, where in his earlier years he enjoyed performing on Thursday nights."
• Alleged suspect Bruce Davis of the Manson Family
  • From p.620-621 of Helter Skelter by Vincent Bugliosi with Curt Gentry:
    
        On November 21, 1969, the bodies of James Sharp, fiften, and Dorren Gaul, nineteen, were found in an alley in downtown Los Angeles. The two teen-agers had been killed elsewhere with a long-bladed kniife or bayonet, then dumped there. Each had been stabbed over fifty times.
        Ramparts division Leiutenant Earl Deemer investigated the Sharp-Gaul murders, as did Los Angeles Times reporter Cohen. Although the two men felt there was a good possibility that a Familty member was involved in the slayings, the murders remain unsolved.
        Both James Sharp and Doreen Gaul were Scientologists, the latter a Scientology "clear" who had been residing in a Church of Scientology house. According to unconfirmed reports, Doreen Gaul was a former girl friend of Manson Family member Bruce Davis, himself an ex-Scientologist.
        Davis' whereabouts at the times of the murders of Sharp, Gaul and Jane Doe 59 are not known. He disappeared shortly after being questioned in connection with the death of Zero.
     
  • Discussion of the typed letter found in Gaul's room signed as the Zodiac killer - says "SO YOU THINK YOU CAN FOOL THE OLD KILLER HA HA I KNOW ALL YOUR MOVEMENTS AND THE TIME THEY ARE MADE TIME IS SHORT, ENJOY LIFE WHILE YOU CAN YOU ARE TO BEAUTIFUL TO LIVE AND I MUST KILL YOU. THE ZODIAC KILLER"
  • Allegation that Bruce Davis lived near Cheri Jo Bates in 1966 and dropped off the map shortly after her murder
  • Napa Sentinel, "Zodiac arrest tied to Charles Manson family" by Harry V. Martin, 2005/09/09
• Alleged suspect Bill Mentzer
  • New York Post, "THIS MAN COULD BE FRISCO’S FIENDISH ZODIAC KILLER", 2003/09/29
  • San Francisco Examiner, "SFPD dismisses claims on Zodiac killer's ID", 2003/10/01
• Lyndon Lafferty theory
  • The Zodiac Killer Cover-Up: AKA: The Silenced Badge by Lyndon Lafferty (2005)
  • Real name of Lafferty's suspect is William Joseph Grant
• Alleged suspect Jack Torrance
  • Rigorous Intuition thread about the CBS 13 article "News Clues Exposed In Bay Area Zodiac Killer Case": pages 1, 2 - finds that Dennis Kaufman, the person implicating his stepfather Jack Torrance, was the member of a Satanic church
• Alleged suspect Philip Arthur Thompson
  • Zodiackiller.com forum discussion on Philip Arthur Thompson as a potential Zodiac suspect (pages 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32) - has Dr. Doogie as the main supporter of the theory; notes the fact that Philip Arthur Thompson resided in several California cities where Zodiac crimes were committed, and that some of his murders were initially believed to be done by the Zodiac (like Betty Cloer) or the Symbionese Liberation Army; suggests that the SFPD's inexplicable decision to stop investigating the Zodiac in 2004 was a result of pressure by the federal government following the rumored DNA identification of Thompson

Stanley Baker

• "BAKER, Stanley Dean" entry in An Encyclopedia of Modern Serial Killers by Michael Newton (Serial Killer Central copy)
• USA Today, "'I'm a cannibal': victim's neighbor recalls horrific 1970 murder", 2015/07/03
• SF Weekly, "Yesterday's Crimes: The Zodiac Killer Answers His Copycats", 2016/02/04
• SF Weekly, "Yesterday's Crimes: The Hippie Cannibal Satanist", 2016/02/11
• Contemporaneous news articles
  • San Francisco Examiner, "Killer Confesses 'I'm a Cannibal'", 1970/07/14: ""I have a problem. I am a cannibal," police quoted Stanley Dean Baker, 22, of Story, Wyo., as saying. In Baker's pocket, police said they found a human finger bone from which the flesh had been gnawed. They found a second bone in similar condition in the pocket of Baker's hippie-mode traveling companion. Harry Allen Stroup, 20, of Sheridan, Wyo. [...] In Montana, police disclosed that parts of a body had been found in and near the Yellowstone River at the approximate spot where Baker described shooting his victim. The murder victim has been tentatively identified as James Michael Schlosser, a missing Montana social worker. Baker and Stroup had been traveling in a sports car registered to the social worker and it was a minor traffic accident with the auto which led to their arrest."
  • Fresno Bee, "Two Held In Montanan's Murder: 'I'm A Cannibal---I Ate His Heart'", 1970/07/15: "Baker, who said he belonged to a Satanic cult, reportedly told FBI agents and sheriff's officer that Schlosser had .picked them up as they hitchhiked near Big Timber, Mont. Baker also told them he had eaten the heart after shooting the victim, officers added. Stroup refused to talk and patrolmen said Baker tried to clear him of involvement by admitting that he had fired the fatal shot. The Park County, Mont., Sheriff, Don Guintoni said last night a site had been found where he believed Schlosser had been killed. The site, four miles north of Gardiner, was about a mile from where a dismembered body was found last Saturday."
  • Great Falls Tribune, "Great Falls Man Torso Murder Victim", 1970/07/15: "Detective-Sgt. John McMahon of the Monterey County sheriff's office says Baker calls himself "Jesus," and admits to cannibalism, witchcraft and other occult practices. [...] From Park County and California law-enforcement officials, this is the story Baker told: He was hitchhiking and Schlosser, bound for a weekend with friends in Gardiner, picked him up. It is believed they later picked up Stroup. Baker said he knew of a job possibility at a site off the main highway, and Schlosser offered to drive him to the home of the jobsite foreman. "He was a kindly person, always doing favors," a fellow employe said of Schlosser. Schlosser had started work June 22 as a social worker at Roundup. [...] The detective said both Baker and Stroup were long-haired hippie types, and he, McMahon, saw similarities between the Schlosser case and the Sharon Tate murders, where a "family" led by Charles Manson is accused of murdering the Hollywood starlet and others. A California Highway Patrolman said Baker told him he was the victim of an electrical accident at age 17 "and I haven't been the same since." [...] Sheriff's deputies in Sheridan said Stroup had been a "hippie type" but recalled Baker had a good reputation as a youth. Official sources said Stroup has spent much of his time recently in Denver. Baker, a Sheridan officer said, had recently been discharged from the Navy. [...] Schlosser, a 1970 graduate of the College of Great Falls, intended to pursue a career in social work, and the Musselshell County job was his first in this field."
  • Salt Lake Tribune, "2 Wyoming Men Face Charges In Yellowstone Torso Slaying", 1970/07/15: "Park County Atty. Byron Robb filed the murder charges, identifying Schlosser for the first time."
  • Casper Star-Tribune, "Father of Baker Says Son Under Drug Influence", 1970/07/16: "The father of a Sheridan man who claims he is a "witch and a cannibal" Wednesday told the Star-Tribune he believes his son has been using LSD and other drugs. [...] Stanley Baker Sr., a Sheridan barber, said he believes his son's personality was changed by the drugs. Baker said he had heard his son, Stanley, 22, was on an LSD "trip" when he was arrested in California after being involved in an auto accident. [...] He said his son hasn't been home for two or three weeks. A deputy in the Sheridan County Sheriff s office who said he knew young Baker told the Star-Tribune "In the last couple-three years he turned hippy." The deputy also said it was suspicioned Baker was connected with drugs. The deputy said he believes Baker's behavior "stems from a car wreck he had." Following the wreck, in which Baker was badly injured, his behavior changed, he said. He has no full brothers or sisters, the sheriffs office said, but had been living with a step-sister in Story, south of Sheridan. He attended Sheridan High School, where he made good grades freshman year, did worse as a sophomore and earned only two credits his junior year, according to assistant superintendent Jim Isaacson. Isaacson said a check of Baker's transcript shows he left Sheridan in November, 1963, and in 1964 requested his transcript be sent to the high school in Evergreen, Colo."
  • Rapid City Journal, "Attorney says Baker, Stroup will testify", 1970/11/19: "[Defense lawyer Michael] Whalen said Baker will testify that he "shot Schlosser in the back of the head, drug the body out of a sleeping bag, spent the night cutting up the body, threw the pieces in the river, washed himself and headed north to look for Stroup." Baker will testify to his membership in a black magic cult called "The Church of Satan," Whalen said. [...] "I will show," Whalen said, "that on the evening of July 9, 1970, Baker and Stroup were with a man that lived In the state of Colorado." The man was not identified. He said he would show that the three men spent that night a short distance from Gardiner, sleeping beside their car. He added that on the evening of July 10, the Colorado man went into Yellowstone National Park while Baker and Stroup began hitchhiking back through Livingston."
  • Idaho State Journal, "Baker Chills Court with Tale Of Satanic Cult, Cannibalism", 1970/11/20: "Schlosser's headless, heartless torso was washed up at the feet of a fisherman in the Yellowstone River July 11. Baker and Stroup were arrested in California two days later. [...] Baker said he and Stroup had beentravelmg together, but separated before the slaying. Each took an LSD capsule in parting, he said. Baker said it was after the separation that Stroup headed for his native Sheridan, Wyo., while Baker hitched a ride with Schlosser. That night, in an LSD-magnified trance, he shot the gentle, husky, bespectacled social worker and threw the dismembered body into the river, Baker said. [...] "I laid there awhile. I was stoned, but awake," Baker said. "When I woke up there was lightning and things ... There was some thunder too. By that time, it was already done." [...] Baker said he could not recall dismembering the body. [...] "If I want, I can hypnotize myself into not remembering things and won't recall them." Under questioning by Whalen, Baker professed "super-human" mental powers, saying his study of the "bible of the satanic faith" had led him to communication with intercelestial beings and a "direct role" in the death of pop singer Jimi Hendrix in England this fall. [...] Saying it was possible the "reincarnation of Christ was within him, Baker claimed the satanic religion was "something I should have have gotten into." He said he had tried to abandon it, and had consulted a priest." Concerning his claim of a "blackout" on the events during Scholsser's killing, Baker said he sometimes had blackouts under the influence of LSD and sometimes when he had not used the drug."
  • Billings Gazette, "Second Cannibal Slaying By Baker Hinted at Trial", 1970/11/20 (pages 1, 6): "When Whalen asked Baker if he knew a Bobby Salem in San Francisco, Baker smiled and said: "I respectfully refuse to answer on the grounds it might tend to incriminate me." Whalen then asked if Baker had, in fact, killed Salem in San Francisco, cut off his ear, cooked it and eaten it. After a gasp from the rear of the packed courtroom, Baker once again used the Fifth Amendment, refusing to answer. "How long had you known Bobby Salem?" Whalen asked. Baker refused to answer. [...] Asked by Whalen if Salem lived in San Francisco, Baker shook his head and again refused to answer. "Was he what you previously referred to as a faggot?" Whalen asked. Baker took the Fifth Amendment again. [...] During a brief mid-morning recess, Whalen refused to elaborate on the time of death of Bobby Salem or to identify the man or his alleged relationship with Baker. San Francisco Police Inspector Gus Coreris confirmed to The Associated Press Friday that a Robert Salem, 40, a prominant San Francisco lamp designer, was found dead April 19 in "a blood-bath." Salem's body, brutally beaten and with stab wounds in the back, was found in his plush apartment on April 19. Salem's throat had been cut and his left ear was missing. Coreris said Salem had been dead for several days when his body was discovered in the apartment. [...] [Harry Stroup] repeated Baker's testimony about the Canadian trip and backed up Baker's account of how they came to Montana. Stroup said he had gone to Canada to avoid serving in the Army. "I don't believe in serving in any army that uses its means to take the lives of other human beings," Stroup said. Stroup said he, Baker and Evan Brohard went to Canada together. Brohard died Aug. 23 in a one-car accident near Roundup, Mont. FBI agent Warren A. Cook took the stand to contradict what Baker said about Stroup's knowledge of Schlosser's killing. [...] He said Stroup told him Baker had admitted killing a man. Cook said Baker told him the day victim had made "sexual advances." Cook said Stroup told him he knew of the crime shortly after Baker picked him up in Schlosser's car. [...] Before describing the thunder and lightning-filled riverbank scene where he killed Schlosser, Baker bragged of his feats of magic, including one which "brought good weather" to a Canadian rock festival in Toronto last June. Asked if he believed he had changed the weather, Baker replied with assurance: "I know I did. I've done it many times." Following the rock festival, Baker said, he and Stroup began a trans-Canada trip which led them to a southern Montana highway overpass where, he said, he and Stroup separated." [...] Baker said he and Stroup had traveled to the town of Big Timber July 10 to talk to Jim Huggins, a timber man for whom Baker had worked in Wyoming. "Huggins told me I was wanted by the cops in Wyoming for some drug sales," Baker said, "and we rapped together and I got mad.""
  • Press Democrat, "Montana Link To Zodiac Killer?", 1970/11/22: "Stanley D. Baker, 22, Sheridan, Wyo., who has confessed to slaying a welfare worker and eating his heart, Friday refused to testify on Fifth Amendment grounds concerning the April, 1970, slaying of Bobby Salem in San Francisco. He was asked if he had cut off Salem's ear, eaten it, and written the word "Zodiac" in Salem's blood. He refused to answer. But Salem is not one of the five victims San Francisco police say was killed by the killer who calls himself Zodiac."
  • Billings Gazette, "California To Charge Baker Next", 1970/11/22: "Lt. Charles Ellis, chief of the San Francisco Homicide Bureau, said charges will be filed against Baker in the blood-bath slaying of Robert Salem, 40, whose lamp designs have been displayed in major art museums. [...] "We have been asked by Montana authorities to hold up on it (charges) but when the trial is over we will take action," Ellis said. San Francisco police said Salem's killer had tried unsuccessfully to decapitate the victim. Salem's left ear was missing from the gory slaying scene when police found the body April 19, horribly mutilated in Salem's plush apartment-workshop in the rear of the San Franciscan Hotel. "Zodiac" had been scrawled on the wall of the apartment, apparently in Salem's blood. But police discount any chance that Baker, a social dropout who admitted spending some time in California before coming to Montana last July for the fateful meeting with Schlosser, could be the "Zodiac" killer."
  • Billings Gazette, "Stroup Kept 'Bad Company'", 1970/11/22: "Harry Allen Stroup spent much of his young adulthood in the shadow of burly Stanley Dean Baker. It was Baker who was an athlete and a leader in Sheridan, Wyo. Stroup, still a string-bean at 20, was an obscure boy. It was Baker, the broad-shouldered society dropout with an affinity for drugs, black magic and the occult, who suffered the companionship of the bearded Stroup when both turned away from society for a murderous trip on the fringes of the hippie movement. [...] "I've had friends," Baker said in a moment of seriousness, "but they always wound up talking about me behind my back." Baker revealed "frequent impulses to dispose of Harry Allen Stroup," but said he resisted them because "good friends are hard to find." [...] Refuting Baker's statement that he could "control Harry Stroup's mind," Stroup said he was not sure whether he believed in what Berger called "Baker's hokey-pokey." "You don't really believe all that crap?" Berger challenged the startled Stroup. "I don't know; I don't discount it," Stroup whispered."
  • The Missoulian, "TV show indicts Montana parolee", 1991/11/12 (pages 1, 8): "On an episode of the television personality's "Now It Can Be Told" show, Rivera claimed that Stanley Dean Baker - paroled from the Montana State Prison after a notorious cannibal murder in Park County - had links to the San Francisco area's even more notorious Zodiac murders. [...] In Thursday's episode of "Now It Can Be Told" Rivera decried the decision to parole Baker, who helped several prisons set up inmate-therapy programs before he was paroled. [...] Baker was the top suspect in the Bay Area murder of lamp designer Robert Salem, whose body was found in his workshop in April 1970, just three months before Baker killed Schlosser. Salem's murderer had tried to cut off the victim's head. Failing that, he cut off Salem's ear, then smeared a crucifixion symbol on a wall in blood. The killer also wrote "Zodiac" in blood. Baker's fingerprint was found at the scene, but he was never prosecuted in California because of his life sentence in Montana for the Schlosser murder."

John Linley Frazier

• Crime Library, "John Linley Frazier, the Killer Prophet and Hippie Murderer" by Katherine Ramsland: chapters 1, ...
• Contemporaneous news articles - many on this Poli-con-deaths forum post
  • Santa Cruz Sentinel, "5 SC Slayings; Auto Only Clue" and "Dr. Ohta Settled Here After Air Force Duty", 1970/10/20
    • "Dr. and Mrs. Ohta were scheduled to attend the Founder's Day dinner of Dominican Hospital Monday night. It was speculated that Mrs. Cadwallader may have been engaged by them as a baby sitter for Taggart, a 6th grader at Good Shepherd school, and Derrick, who attended Thorp Manor private school in Santa Cruz.
      
      But Mrs. Cadwallader's husband, J. A. Cadwallader of 2115 Alice St., told The Sentinel today he did not know why his wife was at the Ohta residence, but that it definitely was not to act as a baby sitter.
      
      He said his wife did not return home from work Monday night and did not call home."
  • Santa Cruz Sentinel, "Three Sought In Mass Slaying", 1970/10/21 (pages 1, 6)
    • "Three people seen in the vicinity of Virginia Ohta's car while it was parked in Bonny Doon Tuesday and seen later near the tunnel where the station wagon was burned in the Rincon area off Highway 9 are being sought for investigation of murder, Sheriff Doug James said today.
      
      James said about 40 men were searching the mountainous area near Henry Cowell State Park for two men and a woman, all in their early 20s, all having long hair, one carrying an orange backpack.
      
      "We are following up every lead we can get," James said. He said deputies have found what appeared to be a campsite used by the trio in Bonny Doon, where the car was first seen.
      
      Search for the vehicle which began when Soquel Assistant Fire Chief Ernie Negro noticed it missing, at the death scene, ended late Tuesday afternoon when a Southern Pacific train crashed into it in a tunnel near the southern portion of Henry Cowell park. James said the car had been set afire in an attempt to destroy evidence. The car is being checked for fingerprints by state investigators.
      
      There were three sets of footprints leading from the car to the river James said. One of them was made by bare feet."
    • "An autopsy Tuesday revealed that Dr. Ohta had been shot twice in the back and once under the arm with a .38 pistol. The two women and two boys were shot in the base of the neck with a .22, Sheriff James said. There are indications that some of the victims were alive when they were toppled into the pool, and may have drowned."
    • "Sheriff James issued an appeal that anyone who was in the Rodeo Gulch Road vicinity, or who know of the Ohtas' or Mrs. Cadwallader's whereabouts between 3 p.m. and 8 p.m. Monday, contact his office, unless they have already done so."
  • Santa Cruz Sentinel, "Slaying Suspect Named" and "Fear Pervades SC Atmosphere", 1970/10/22 (pages 1, 2)
    • "At press time sheriff's investigators and the District Attorney were questioning two persons found in the search area, informed sources said."
    • "Chang, when asked about the persons in custody and the informants' information given him at 2 a.m. today, only said, "Absolutely no comment." At press time it is not known whether the people being detained by the sheriff's office are informants or suspects, although sheriff's spokesmen said no arrest had been made."
    • "Three barefoot, strange-acting people who entered a Monterey restaurant Wednesday night about midnight are being sought by police for questioning in connection with the Soquel mass murder, The Monterey Herald said today.
      
      Shaken by his experience, the restaurant owner requested that neither his name nor the name of his restaurant be used for fear of reprisal.
      
      He told police that three people, two men about 26 to 32, and a young woman, about 20, entered his restaurant and asked if he served food in nature's manner.
      
      The woman was waving a red wand and appeared to be in a semi-dazed condition. The two men asked the owner if he believed in nature. He replied he did.
      
      In the ensuing conversation the words "Without nature, we're dead" were used.
      
      The trio left the restaurant in a light colored, imported van."
• Possible motive for the murder of Dr. Victor Ohta (erroneously called Dr. Vincent Ohta in Programmed to Kill): the pair of prescription eyeglasses found at the scene of the Tate murders, the origin of which authorities were investigating by talking to ophthalmologists
  • William Weston, "Who was the Zodiac Killer?", 2018/10/23
    • "Originally, the police believed the slaughter at the Tate house was the work of one man. A clue to his identity was a pair of glasses found in the living room. A lieutenant for the Los Angeles Police Department, Robert Helder, showed them to the press on October 23 and said that the killer probably lost them during the struggle with the victims. There were fingerprint smudges on it but no identifiable ridges. The owner was extremely near-sighted and could not operate a vehicle without them. An unusual feature was the plastic lenses. Unlike glass lenses, plastic resisted shattering and was the choice of very active people such as athletes. The amber-colored, horn-rimmed frames were of a specific type manufactured by the American Optical Corp. The customized bend of the temple shafts showed that the left ear was about one-fourth to one-half inch higher than the right. Police sent flyers to thousands of eye doctors, hoping that someone might provide information about the man who bought them.
      
      What the news media hailed as a major breakthrough in October quickly became an almost forgotten loose end in December after the arrest of Charles Manson, Tex Watson, Susan Atkins, Patricia Krenwinkel, and Linda Kasabian, none of whom wore glasses.
      
      When the case came to trial, prosecutor Vincent Bugliosi feared that defense attorneys might bring up the glasses and make the reasonable assertion that at least one killer was still at large. From that standpoint, they could argue that the wrong people were on trial. [6] Augmenting the effectiveness of this strategy would be to identify and locate the doctor who prescribed the glasses. That man, as will be shown below, was Dr. Victor Ohta, a wealthy ophthalmologist in the town of Soquel in the Santa Cruz area, 350 miles north of Los Angeles. As one of the state’s busiest eye surgeons, he specialized in the removal of cataracts. He and his family lived in a secluded mansion designed by Aaron Green, a disciple of Frank Lloyd Wright, on a hilltop ten-acre site overlooking Monterey Bay."
    • "On October 19, 1970, three days before the glasses came up during the testimony of prosecution witness Roseanne Walker at the Manson family trial, [7] Mrs. Ohta was driving her green Oldsmobile station wagon home at about 5:00 pm. Calvin Penrod, a sales manager for mobile home parks, who knew Mrs. Ohta, was driving in close proximity to her car and noticed she had t