1 00:00:08,640 --> 00:00:12,480 Speaker 1: At the conclusion of the previous episode, you heard my 2 00:00:12,680 --> 00:00:18,680 Speaker 1: source Alan Carter mention a series of accidents, suicides, and 3 00:00:18,800 --> 00:00:23,880 Speaker 1: other strange deaths in Parker County, in fact Wright in Weatherford. 4 00:00:24,760 --> 00:00:29,480 Speaker 1: Several sources I spoke to, including Alan, claimed that many 5 00:00:29,560 --> 00:00:34,000 Speaker 1: of those deaths tied directly back to the murders of 6 00:00:34,159 --> 00:00:39,600 Speaker 1: Shelley and Vincent in some way. I understand that's a big, 7 00:00:40,120 --> 00:00:44,640 Speaker 1: bold assertion. When I first heard this, I honestly had 8 00:00:44,680 --> 00:00:48,200 Speaker 1: one of those moments. Okay, I get it. The frustration 9 00:00:48,520 --> 00:00:52,559 Speaker 1: of an unsolved teenage double murder case, a lack of 10 00:00:52,640 --> 00:00:57,360 Speaker 1: results from the local PD. Add the conspiracy mindset that's 11 00:00:57,360 --> 00:01:02,040 Speaker 1: so common today. Any death of a team becomes suspicious, 12 00:01:02,560 --> 00:01:07,320 Speaker 1: the confusion of a mishandled investigation, no arrests forty something 13 00:01:07,480 --> 00:01:12,160 Speaker 1: years later. It's a basic human response. When no answers 14 00:01:12,200 --> 00:01:17,200 Speaker 1: present themselves, you begin to question everything. You begin to 15 00:01:17,319 --> 00:01:23,040 Speaker 1: think systemic corruption. It's rare, but it does take place. 16 00:01:24,600 --> 00:01:28,800 Speaker 1: So I put my investigative cap on and decided to 17 00:01:28,840 --> 00:01:32,200 Speaker 1: take a serious look into some of these cases in 18 00:01:32,440 --> 00:01:36,200 Speaker 1: Parker County. Now, let me ask you, so, are there 19 00:01:36,240 --> 00:01:39,720 Speaker 1: any other murders before or after this that have a 20 00:01:39,760 --> 00:01:42,640 Speaker 1: similar kind of ring to them that begin to tell 21 00:01:42,680 --> 00:01:46,440 Speaker 1: a tale of like, wow, there's something bigger going on here. 22 00:01:46,959 --> 00:01:48,200 Speaker 2: There's one I know. 23 00:01:48,240 --> 00:01:50,080 Speaker 3: His name is Jimmy Joe Hayes, and I know he 24 00:01:50,200 --> 00:01:52,960 Speaker 3: was a younger guy and he was found next to 25 00:01:53,000 --> 00:01:56,480 Speaker 3: the lake. He had allegedly hung himself. It was ruled 26 00:01:56,520 --> 00:01:59,840 Speaker 3: as a suicide, but he was found hanging with his 27 00:02:00,120 --> 00:02:02,920 Speaker 3: hands tied behind his back, his feet tied up, and 28 00:02:02,960 --> 00:02:05,960 Speaker 3: then his dog shot underneath his feet. 29 00:02:07,000 --> 00:02:08,840 Speaker 1: Wow, okay put his. 30 00:02:08,919 --> 00:02:09,839 Speaker 2: Rule of suicide. 31 00:02:10,120 --> 00:02:11,480 Speaker 3: And so I know a lot of people have kind 32 00:02:11,480 --> 00:02:15,040 Speaker 3: of brought him up, and you know that doesn't really 33 00:02:15,040 --> 00:02:17,960 Speaker 3: set well with the suicide. I don't know about you, 34 00:02:18,040 --> 00:02:19,360 Speaker 3: but I don't know how man to tie my hands 35 00:02:19,360 --> 00:02:21,679 Speaker 3: behind my back and my feet and then try to 36 00:02:21,720 --> 00:02:22,920 Speaker 3: figure out how to hang myself. 37 00:02:22,960 --> 00:02:25,160 Speaker 2: But I mean, I don't know. Maybe a magician can. 38 00:02:27,600 --> 00:02:30,280 Speaker 1: I must say that working with mel Mitchell over the 39 00:02:30,400 --> 00:02:33,960 Speaker 1: years on these cases has taught me many things. She 40 00:02:34,120 --> 00:02:39,000 Speaker 1: is a tenacious, driven, insatiable investigator working for a very 41 00:02:39,120 --> 00:02:44,080 Speaker 1: large private investigation firm, Blackfish, and she does not stop 42 00:02:44,520 --> 00:02:49,400 Speaker 1: until she finds an answer or exhausts every avenue, which 43 00:02:49,440 --> 00:02:54,160 Speaker 1: is what these cases need. She also refuses to take 44 00:02:54,320 --> 00:02:59,880 Speaker 1: any shit from anyone, which I admire and respect immensely. 45 00:03:00,080 --> 00:03:04,960 Speaker 1: In researching all of these strange deaths, murders, accidents, and suicides, 46 00:03:05,560 --> 00:03:10,360 Speaker 1: Mel Mitchell did something which needs to be recognized and acknowledged, 47 00:03:10,880 --> 00:03:13,800 Speaker 1: something that's vital in cold case work. 48 00:03:16,840 --> 00:03:18,080 Speaker 2: I was trying to understand. 49 00:03:17,760 --> 00:03:20,639 Speaker 3: How they did things back in the eighties, which clearly 50 00:03:20,680 --> 00:03:22,919 Speaker 3: is a lot different than now we're talking about. Like 51 00:03:22,960 --> 00:03:26,400 Speaker 3: I guess the investigators are also cross trained in some 52 00:03:26,480 --> 00:03:29,200 Speaker 3: pathology and some you know, some classes within you know, 53 00:03:29,400 --> 00:03:33,600 Speaker 3: medical examers. They could actually determine okay, suicide, homicide, you know, 54 00:03:33,720 --> 00:03:35,600 Speaker 3: undetermined whether or not needs to go. 55 00:03:35,600 --> 00:03:37,440 Speaker 2: Off, and you know, have an autopsy. 56 00:03:37,920 --> 00:03:40,120 Speaker 3: But it was a JP back then that would actually 57 00:03:40,120 --> 00:03:42,560 Speaker 3: make the determination, Okay, you know what, it's a suicide. 58 00:03:42,880 --> 00:03:48,360 Speaker 2: You know what, it's a homicide. 59 00:03:49,360 --> 00:03:52,400 Speaker 1: Mel is referring to the justice of the piece when 60 00:03:52,440 --> 00:03:56,720 Speaker 1: she says JP, And what impresses me about her research 61 00:03:57,000 --> 00:04:00,400 Speaker 1: is how she places her investigation in the year twenty 62 00:04:00,440 --> 00:04:04,640 Speaker 1: twenty five back into the context of nineteen eighty three, 63 00:04:04,840 --> 00:04:08,440 Speaker 1: which is so very important when trying to develop new 64 00:04:08,480 --> 00:04:12,280 Speaker 1: information in a cold case, when you are trying to 65 00:04:12,360 --> 00:04:16,080 Speaker 1: figure out what might have been missed. You have to 66 00:04:16,160 --> 00:04:20,400 Speaker 1: look at things the way in which investigators did at 67 00:04:20,560 --> 00:04:24,960 Speaker 1: that time. And when you do that in this case, 68 00:04:25,360 --> 00:04:29,560 Speaker 1: as Mel pointed out, obvious signs of the potential to 69 00:04:29,680 --> 00:04:35,479 Speaker 1: corrupt and muddy an investigation emerge. One insider could easily 70 00:04:35,520 --> 00:04:38,440 Speaker 1: cover up a lot of crime. Three or four could 71 00:04:38,480 --> 00:04:45,120 Speaker 1: change the entire course of a murder case. It sounds 72 00:04:45,160 --> 00:04:49,159 Speaker 1: to me like a clusterfuck. That's what it sounds like. 73 00:04:49,279 --> 00:04:54,119 Speaker 1: This whole thing. Like from the moment that they showed 74 00:04:54,160 --> 00:04:56,520 Speaker 1: up at that scene, nobody did anything right. 75 00:04:57,320 --> 00:04:59,120 Speaker 2: No, they did not, oh one hundred percent. 76 00:04:59,200 --> 00:05:01,880 Speaker 3: And those people that had that would talk to us 77 00:05:01,880 --> 00:05:05,840 Speaker 3: will tell you, yes, nothing was done right. And that's 78 00:05:05,880 --> 00:05:08,479 Speaker 3: why it's mind boggling to me, because right around that 79 00:05:08,520 --> 00:05:11,160 Speaker 3: time period, like six weeks after their murders, there was 80 00:05:11,200 --> 00:05:14,840 Speaker 3: two other murders that happened at the lake and it 81 00:05:14,880 --> 00:05:16,919 Speaker 3: was a couple and they were I believe shot in 82 00:05:16,920 --> 00:05:19,880 Speaker 3: their vehicle and then that vehicle was pushed off into lake. Anyway, 83 00:05:19,920 --> 00:05:22,240 Speaker 3: but they found the guy done in Austin within a 84 00:05:22,240 --> 00:05:24,400 Speaker 3: couple of weeks, and I'm like, okay, so you guys 85 00:05:24,400 --> 00:05:27,400 Speaker 3: are able to process that scene and actually find out 86 00:05:27,400 --> 00:05:29,719 Speaker 3: whose guy is and the locate on way down Austin, 87 00:05:30,520 --> 00:05:34,000 Speaker 3: and you do all that right, but within six weeks 88 00:05:34,040 --> 00:05:36,839 Speaker 3: time period, you can't do anything right with these kids. 89 00:05:40,320 --> 00:05:43,200 Speaker 1: I mentioned the murder of that couple in an earlier 90 00:05:43,240 --> 00:05:47,120 Speaker 1: episode of the podcast. That case doesn't appear to be 91 00:05:47,160 --> 00:05:49,599 Speaker 1: connected to any of the cases here, but the point 92 00:05:49,640 --> 00:05:53,880 Speaker 1: Mel makes is noted. The Weatherford Police Department publicized that 93 00:05:54,000 --> 00:05:57,080 Speaker 1: they had cleared all the murders in town over a 94 00:05:57,160 --> 00:06:02,960 Speaker 1: ten year period, including when d Robinson's. They'd cleared everything 95 00:06:03,839 --> 00:06:09,960 Speaker 1: except Shelley and Vincent's, which says something. What was it 96 00:06:10,080 --> 00:06:15,600 Speaker 1: about Shelley and Vincent's murders stifling progress? Within the first 97 00:06:15,640 --> 00:06:19,880 Speaker 1: six months, the Weatherford Police Department reported to the media 98 00:06:20,279 --> 00:06:24,200 Speaker 1: they had eleven law enforcement agencies working on the case, 99 00:06:24,600 --> 00:06:29,240 Speaker 1: and the Weatherford PD had amassed over three hundred hours 100 00:06:29,279 --> 00:06:34,240 Speaker 1: in overtime alone and not a single solid lead or suspect. 101 00:06:36,200 --> 00:06:40,480 Speaker 1: Was there someone deeply involved behind the scenes, pushing the 102 00:06:40,520 --> 00:06:45,800 Speaker 1: investigation off course at every opportunity. Remember when Mel and 103 00:06:45,880 --> 00:06:48,479 Speaker 1: I met in front of the funeral home and Mel 104 00:06:48,600 --> 00:06:53,320 Speaker 1: went inside and asked about embombing records for Shelley and Vincent. 105 00:06:53,920 --> 00:06:56,799 Speaker 1: She had made contact with someone at the funeral home 106 00:06:57,000 --> 00:07:00,760 Speaker 1: in twenty twenty five during one of my trips to Texas. 107 00:07:01,160 --> 00:07:05,880 Speaker 1: The woman was extremely helpful during that first conversation Mel 108 00:07:06,000 --> 00:07:09,800 Speaker 1: had with her. Yes, absolutely, we keep all the records. 109 00:07:10,000 --> 00:07:12,320 Speaker 1: I'll find the ones you're looking for and call you, 110 00:07:12,480 --> 00:07:15,800 Speaker 1: she told Mel. Important to keep in mind is that 111 00:07:15,920 --> 00:07:20,160 Speaker 1: those notes from the embomber Mel was searching for would 112 00:07:20,200 --> 00:07:25,080 Speaker 1: give a complete and very detailed description of the bodies 113 00:07:25,400 --> 00:07:29,880 Speaker 1: during the embalming process when the bodies were being prepared 114 00:07:30,280 --> 00:07:34,760 Speaker 1: for viewing in burial. Any injury, any blemish to the skin, 115 00:07:35,280 --> 00:07:39,560 Speaker 1: any anomaly would have been noted. That same woman who 116 00:07:39,640 --> 00:07:42,160 Speaker 1: was so friendly the first time Mel spoke to her, 117 00:07:42,520 --> 00:07:46,440 Speaker 1: turned stand offish the next time they had a conversation 118 00:07:46,880 --> 00:07:51,320 Speaker 1: and passed the baton off to higher ups. So Mel 119 00:07:51,440 --> 00:07:54,040 Speaker 1: got one of the managers on the phone. After playing 120 00:07:54,080 --> 00:08:00,200 Speaker 1: tag for a bit, I did tell him. 121 00:08:00,240 --> 00:08:03,400 Speaker 3: I was like, well, I was like, through some back channels, 122 00:08:03,440 --> 00:08:05,880 Speaker 3: we'll leave it there now. I did a copy of 123 00:08:05,920 --> 00:08:09,600 Speaker 3: a Shelley's on TOOS report and he's like, okay, we 124 00:08:09,680 --> 00:08:12,680 Speaker 3: also found out that we were missing Shelley's in mommer report. 125 00:08:12,880 --> 00:08:14,360 Speaker 2: You know. I found out that they have a file 126 00:08:14,440 --> 00:08:16,080 Speaker 2: and I was like, there's no hippo violations. 127 00:08:16,920 --> 00:08:20,440 Speaker 1: The point is handing over an embombing report is not 128 00:08:20,600 --> 00:08:24,840 Speaker 1: the same as handing over medical records. Yet, out of 129 00:08:24,920 --> 00:08:28,520 Speaker 1: all the embombing reports they had, even as far back 130 00:08:28,560 --> 00:08:32,160 Speaker 1: as nineteen eighty three and before, all of which had 131 00:08:32,200 --> 00:08:37,040 Speaker 1: the embombing notes inside the file, Mel was told, guess 132 00:08:37,200 --> 00:08:42,440 Speaker 1: which two reports did not have embombing notes when they checked. 133 00:08:44,200 --> 00:08:46,559 Speaker 1: Shelley and Vincent's so. 134 00:08:46,559 --> 00:08:48,319 Speaker 3: When you talk about crush, you're talking about someone who 135 00:08:48,320 --> 00:08:51,320 Speaker 3: actually really knew how to cover themselves up, because who 136 00:08:51,360 --> 00:08:54,280 Speaker 3: would even think to go after an embalming report. And 137 00:08:54,320 --> 00:08:56,520 Speaker 3: He's like, well, I want it either, And I'm like, exactly, 138 00:08:56,720 --> 00:08:59,920 Speaker 3: that's my point because it was showing her external injuries. 139 00:09:01,800 --> 00:09:05,400 Speaker 1: Mel reached out to Lance Arnold, the Weatherford Police Department 140 00:09:05,480 --> 00:09:09,200 Speaker 1: chief from twenty seventeen to twenty twenty four, who expressed 141 00:09:09,320 --> 00:09:12,760 Speaker 1: interest in talking to me for the podcast, but then, 142 00:09:13,320 --> 00:09:16,800 Speaker 1: like many others in law enforcement involved in this case, today, 143 00:09:17,320 --> 00:09:23,040 Speaker 1: disappeared and stopped responding to my requests without even having 144 00:09:23,160 --> 00:09:27,120 Speaker 1: the courtesy to tell me no. Each time. It was 145 00:09:27,200 --> 00:09:31,000 Speaker 1: the same scenario. At first, they had no problem talking 146 00:09:31,040 --> 00:09:35,280 Speaker 1: to me, some were even eager, but as time went 147 00:09:35,320 --> 00:09:38,520 Speaker 1: by and they must have spoken to friends or those 148 00:09:38,679 --> 00:09:42,959 Speaker 1: in positions of high authority from that point on, they 149 00:09:43,000 --> 00:09:48,599 Speaker 1: ghosted me. That says a lot. After forty plus years, 150 00:09:49,080 --> 00:09:52,760 Speaker 1: what is there to hide? Why wouldn't you want to 151 00:09:52,800 --> 00:09:56,760 Speaker 1: make a statement on a worldwide podcast and take the 152 00:09:56,880 --> 00:10:01,560 Speaker 1: opportunity to reach out to people in your community who 153 00:10:01,679 --> 00:10:07,120 Speaker 1: might help you solve your town's coldest murder case. Melwood 154 00:10:07,160 --> 00:10:10,400 Speaker 1: puts several different questions to Chief Arnold, some of which 155 00:10:10,440 --> 00:10:14,440 Speaker 1: included the condition of Shelley's body and if in fact 156 00:10:14,920 --> 00:10:17,080 Speaker 1: she had been raped and beaten. 157 00:10:19,440 --> 00:10:20,880 Speaker 3: And he's like, well, I don't know if she had 158 00:10:20,920 --> 00:10:22,880 Speaker 3: external injuries, and like, what do you mean. He's like, well, 159 00:10:22,880 --> 00:10:25,040 Speaker 3: I saw the photos of her and Vins in the car, 160 00:10:25,600 --> 00:10:28,640 Speaker 3: and he's like, for maybe ten fifteen seconds, I saw 161 00:10:28,640 --> 00:10:30,880 Speaker 3: her body that was in the morgue, you know, when 162 00:10:30,920 --> 00:10:33,880 Speaker 3: she was unclothed. And he's like, I don't remember seeing 163 00:10:33,960 --> 00:10:35,080 Speaker 3: any external injuries. 164 00:10:35,120 --> 00:10:36,840 Speaker 2: But he's like, but don't quote me on that, because 165 00:10:36,840 --> 00:10:38,600 Speaker 2: only it's not for like fifteen seconds. It's been like 166 00:10:38,640 --> 00:10:39,440 Speaker 2: five years ago. 167 00:10:39,600 --> 00:10:41,040 Speaker 3: And I'm like, okay, well, what I am going to 168 00:10:41,120 --> 00:10:44,080 Speaker 3: tell you is that if the mom you know of 169 00:10:44,200 --> 00:10:47,960 Speaker 3: a murdered child sees all these injuries on body, I'm 170 00:10:48,000 --> 00:10:50,600 Speaker 3: going to be obviously inclined to believe her because that's her, 171 00:10:50,679 --> 00:10:52,680 Speaker 3: that's her child that's been really murdered. He's like, no, 172 00:10:52,720 --> 00:10:54,240 Speaker 3: one hundred percent, I absolutely agree. 173 00:10:54,280 --> 00:10:54,839 Speaker 2: If if the. 174 00:10:54,800 --> 00:10:57,319 Speaker 3: Mom's what, if that's what the mom saw, then then 175 00:10:57,320 --> 00:10:58,160 Speaker 3: that's what you have to go on. 176 00:10:58,200 --> 00:10:58,800 Speaker 2: Because he's right. 177 00:10:59,000 --> 00:11:01,640 Speaker 3: He's like, I'm not stuff like fifteen seconds, but I 178 00:11:01,679 --> 00:11:05,720 Speaker 3: don't remember seeing anything on her body from the morgue, 179 00:11:05,840 --> 00:11:07,320 Speaker 3: and I do remember seeing seeing her. 180 00:11:07,240 --> 00:11:08,720 Speaker 2: Had clothing on in the car. 181 00:11:09,720 --> 00:11:12,040 Speaker 3: What I kind of pieced together with him and when 182 00:11:12,040 --> 00:11:14,480 Speaker 3: I'm what I kind of had thought about enough is 183 00:11:14,559 --> 00:11:15,760 Speaker 3: I don't think they. 184 00:11:15,600 --> 00:11:18,880 Speaker 2: Were giving Arnold the whole story. I personally don't. 185 00:11:18,920 --> 00:11:21,840 Speaker 3: I don't think the investigators were giving Arnold because you know, 186 00:11:22,160 --> 00:11:24,920 Speaker 3: he created this cold case unit. You know, he said 187 00:11:24,960 --> 00:11:26,839 Speaker 3: we had They got together once a day, I mean 188 00:11:26,880 --> 00:11:29,000 Speaker 3: once a week, They work once you know, once a week, 189 00:11:29,080 --> 00:11:31,160 Speaker 3: and they come back to him monthly give him updates 190 00:11:31,160 --> 00:11:32,640 Speaker 3: on it. So he's not going to have the fine 191 00:11:32,679 --> 00:11:34,520 Speaker 3: details and everything going on in the case. They're just 192 00:11:34,520 --> 00:11:36,600 Speaker 3: gonna give him the broad overview. Okay, that's what we 193 00:11:36,600 --> 00:11:38,439 Speaker 3: found this we have you know, probably made ten to 194 00:11:38,440 --> 00:11:41,160 Speaker 3: fifteen minute briefing and that's about it. When I'm talking 195 00:11:41,360 --> 00:11:43,240 Speaker 3: about this, he's like, yeah, I think the kids were 196 00:11:43,240 --> 00:11:45,080 Speaker 3: actually killed, you know, in the car. I saw the 197 00:11:45,080 --> 00:11:48,000 Speaker 3: photos and he's like, you know, it looked like they 198 00:11:48,160 --> 00:11:50,040 Speaker 3: were probably killed in the car. So I didn't have 199 00:11:50,160 --> 00:11:52,840 Speaker 3: time to really get into it with him on no, 200 00:11:53,040 --> 00:11:56,920 Speaker 3: I don't believe that's true. And here's my reasons why. 201 00:11:57,360 --> 00:11:59,280 Speaker 3: He's like, there's some things about this case I can't 202 00:11:59,320 --> 00:12:01,720 Speaker 3: tell you about. It's still up an investigation. He's like, 203 00:12:01,720 --> 00:12:03,960 Speaker 3: I can only give you, you know, bare minimum stuff. 204 00:12:03,960 --> 00:12:04,800 Speaker 2: I'm like, that's fine. 205 00:12:05,040 --> 00:12:07,040 Speaker 3: But the more I started talking to him about some stuff, 206 00:12:07,040 --> 00:12:10,600 Speaker 3: like about finally Kimura and he's like, yeah, i'd heard. 207 00:12:10,440 --> 00:12:13,079 Speaker 2: Those rumors rumors. 208 00:12:13,120 --> 00:12:16,079 Speaker 3: I'm like, yeah, okay, but unfortunate as rumors are pretty 209 00:12:16,120 --> 00:12:16,680 Speaker 3: much true. 210 00:12:17,240 --> 00:12:19,040 Speaker 2: And he started kind of coming around. 211 00:12:19,040 --> 00:12:21,480 Speaker 3: Towards end the conversation, he's like, well, yeah, we know 212 00:12:21,520 --> 00:12:24,719 Speaker 3: that there was a lot of activity going on that 213 00:12:24,920 --> 00:12:27,600 Speaker 3: shouldn't have been going on back of that time period. 214 00:12:37,120 --> 00:12:40,360 Speaker 1: Here, once again is part of a conversation with the 215 00:12:40,480 --> 00:12:45,120 Speaker 1: late Elwood Hohertz, the Weatherford Police Department chief at the 216 00:12:45,120 --> 00:12:48,800 Speaker 1: time of the murders a tape which I obtained late 217 00:12:48,920 --> 00:12:50,040 Speaker 1: into my investigation. 218 00:12:53,960 --> 00:12:56,640 Speaker 4: The only thing is we knew that they got shot 219 00:12:57,440 --> 00:13:01,160 Speaker 4: somebody sticking inside the right passion and shot him from 220 00:13:01,200 --> 00:13:04,440 Speaker 4: the right side with them. 221 00:13:04,600 --> 00:13:08,280 Speaker 1: The interviewer then brings up several points, one that there 222 00:13:08,360 --> 00:13:12,439 Speaker 1: was definitely a struggle before they were murdered, Two that 223 00:13:12,480 --> 00:13:16,000 Speaker 1: in speaking with many people attending the wake, abrasions were 224 00:13:16,160 --> 00:13:19,640 Speaker 1: reported on Shelley's right side nearly from the top of 225 00:13:19,679 --> 00:13:23,000 Speaker 1: her face to the bottom of her leg. And three 226 00:13:23,240 --> 00:13:26,560 Speaker 1: how for a fact, from Shelley's face all the way 227 00:13:26,559 --> 00:13:30,640 Speaker 1: down to her arms had been completely torn up, as 228 00:13:30,679 --> 00:13:35,439 Speaker 1: if she'd been dragged through a brier patch. Hoehertz responds, 229 00:13:35,800 --> 00:13:37,400 Speaker 1: confirming as much. 230 00:13:38,080 --> 00:13:40,920 Speaker 4: It' not torah, but it was noticeable. 231 00:13:41,440 --> 00:13:45,679 Speaker 1: Then the question of several gashes on Shelley's forehead were posed. 232 00:13:46,280 --> 00:13:47,160 Speaker 4: I didn't notice that. 233 00:13:47,800 --> 00:13:51,920 Speaker 1: Another fact gleaned from Shelley's mother, Janetta, if you recall, 234 00:13:52,280 --> 00:13:55,680 Speaker 1: was that her shoes were pristine, but her feet were filthy. 235 00:13:56,920 --> 00:13:59,439 Speaker 1: Hoehurtz ignored that and said this. 236 00:14:00,120 --> 00:14:03,600 Speaker 4: Well, the saying that always interests us. You know, the 237 00:14:03,760 --> 00:14:06,880 Speaker 4: car radio was on. As soon as you turn on 238 00:14:06,920 --> 00:14:10,600 Speaker 4: the switch of the car, the radio was running immediately, 239 00:14:10,640 --> 00:14:15,600 Speaker 4: and we know that they were killed with the car running. 240 00:14:16,640 --> 00:14:21,840 Speaker 1: Point in fact, the keys were reportedly missing and never 241 00:14:21,960 --> 00:14:23,720 Speaker 1: found anyway. 242 00:14:24,400 --> 00:14:28,280 Speaker 4: I was upset that everybody was calling around. People were 243 00:14:28,320 --> 00:14:30,960 Speaker 4: not trained at up there at Witherford at that time, 244 00:14:31,200 --> 00:14:35,600 Speaker 4: and they didn't protect the scene. But I'm upset Max 245 00:14:35,640 --> 00:14:39,160 Speaker 4: Smith and his people going there and going off through 246 00:14:39,160 --> 00:14:41,280 Speaker 4: that they should have protected the scene. 247 00:14:41,840 --> 00:14:46,560 Speaker 1: Holehurtz mentions Max Smith there the district attorney at the time. 248 00:14:47,200 --> 00:14:51,000 Speaker 1: This interview with Hoolehurtz exemplifies a major point from me. 249 00:14:51,720 --> 00:14:55,680 Speaker 1: If you persist in keep asking the right questions, truth 250 00:14:56,120 --> 00:14:57,760 Speaker 1: will eventually emerge. 251 00:14:58,360 --> 00:14:58,600 Speaker 5: Whole. 252 00:14:58,640 --> 00:15:02,080 Speaker 1: Hurtz was the chief at the time, and here he 253 00:15:02,200 --> 00:15:06,840 Speaker 1: is acknowledging a lot of the quote unquote rumor we've 254 00:15:06,880 --> 00:15:11,160 Speaker 1: been hearing. He confirms the injuries Shelley sustained, while at 255 00:15:11,200 --> 00:15:14,880 Speaker 1: the same time trying his best to back away from 256 00:15:14,920 --> 00:15:18,880 Speaker 1: a complete confirmation. So clear in this tape as I 257 00:15:19,000 --> 00:15:23,160 Speaker 1: listened back and studied it carefully, was how much Hohurtz 258 00:15:23,560 --> 00:15:27,840 Speaker 1: wanted to say but ultimately bit his tongue about that 259 00:15:27,960 --> 00:15:32,520 Speaker 1: evidence they did collect. Hohurts said there were shellcasings and 260 00:15:32,840 --> 00:15:35,760 Speaker 1: a used condom both of which could break the case 261 00:15:35,840 --> 00:15:39,119 Speaker 1: open at some point down the road. According to Hohertz, 262 00:15:39,400 --> 00:15:43,080 Speaker 1: those items were sent to Fort Worth, a department more 263 00:15:43,120 --> 00:15:47,280 Speaker 1: skilled in forensics in crime scene investigation than any other 264 00:15:47,400 --> 00:15:51,320 Speaker 1: department at the time in the region. But when the 265 00:15:51,320 --> 00:15:55,280 Speaker 1: Weatherford Police Department went back to Fort Worth and asked 266 00:15:55,640 --> 00:15:58,960 Speaker 1: what had been found from testing those pieces of evidence, 267 00:15:59,280 --> 00:16:03,920 Speaker 1: the evidence officer there said, I'm sorry, but we can't 268 00:16:03,960 --> 00:16:04,960 Speaker 1: find any of it. 269 00:16:05,520 --> 00:16:09,080 Speaker 4: I'm surprised about that. Really, the main part isn't what 270 00:16:09,320 --> 00:16:12,480 Speaker 4: we're playing. And I always remember they want to take 271 00:16:12,520 --> 00:16:16,720 Speaker 4: the heat off of me, sure me? Holy hell. 272 00:16:16,720 --> 00:16:20,240 Speaker 1: According to Hohurtz, the case became political right from the start, 273 00:16:20,400 --> 00:16:23,080 Speaker 1: and the person he refers to as she there was 274 00:16:23,120 --> 00:16:26,840 Speaker 1: a top politician in town then, the indication being that 275 00:16:26,920 --> 00:16:30,520 Speaker 1: all sorts of local politicians and lawyers and other law 276 00:16:30,600 --> 00:16:35,240 Speaker 1: enforcement officials were getting involved mucking everything up, telling him 277 00:16:35,280 --> 00:16:41,280 Speaker 1: to basically back the fuck off. And then as Holhurtz's 278 00:16:41,360 --> 00:16:45,040 Speaker 1: investigators started digging into the case through the evidence collected 279 00:16:45,200 --> 00:16:48,320 Speaker 1: from the crime scene that they had sent off, things 280 00:16:48,360 --> 00:16:53,280 Speaker 1: became even more convoluted and quite honestly alarming. 281 00:16:54,200 --> 00:16:56,800 Speaker 4: I still thank you for the deal, and I think 282 00:16:56,840 --> 00:17:00,120 Speaker 4: it strict MODI was he couldn't stand the sea a 283 00:17:00,200 --> 00:17:02,360 Speaker 4: Mexican lady and a white girl. 284 00:17:02,840 --> 00:17:06,000 Speaker 1: Hoehurtz is referring to one of the names I have censored, 285 00:17:06,160 --> 00:17:12,760 Speaker 1: and that politically connected person following him to the polygraph, and. 286 00:17:13,800 --> 00:17:16,240 Speaker 4: It's got to be an on my case, like Chris 287 00:17:16,760 --> 00:17:21,400 Speaker 4: wanted me out of there. Well, that's when two detectives 288 00:17:21,400 --> 00:17:24,440 Speaker 4: of pot Words agreed that they takes the heat off me. 289 00:17:25,280 --> 00:17:30,720 Speaker 4: They picked up up and the lawyer followed him and 290 00:17:30,840 --> 00:17:33,240 Speaker 4: went to pot work to run the polygraph. That time. 291 00:17:33,800 --> 00:17:37,080 Speaker 4: This is now well after, and that's the day he 292 00:17:37,760 --> 00:17:41,560 Speaker 4: lets her lawyer followed him right behind him all the 293 00:17:41,560 --> 00:17:43,080 Speaker 4: way the name censored. 294 00:17:43,119 --> 00:17:48,040 Speaker 1: There is that politician seemingly running things within Weatherford and 295 00:17:48,119 --> 00:17:52,159 Speaker 1: so we have this supposed cover up going all the 296 00:17:52,240 --> 00:17:58,000 Speaker 1: way up the chain. Then Hoolhertz tells this story which 297 00:17:58,040 --> 00:18:02,359 Speaker 1: is just mind boggling but all so revealing, showing the 298 00:18:02,480 --> 00:18:06,159 Speaker 1: links to which some went to make sure this case 299 00:18:06,920 --> 00:18:08,000 Speaker 1: never went anywhere. 300 00:18:10,200 --> 00:18:13,920 Speaker 4: One day, two Texas rangers showed up and they said, 301 00:18:13,920 --> 00:18:17,560 Speaker 4: we're missing some evidence, and I said what is it? 302 00:18:17,640 --> 00:18:22,439 Speaker 4: And said, suppose that you took to the property room 303 00:18:22,720 --> 00:18:27,399 Speaker 4: to be uh checked out by you know, they're property people. 304 00:18:27,880 --> 00:18:30,239 Speaker 4: And I said, oh, I remember, I said, and I 305 00:18:30,280 --> 00:18:33,280 Speaker 4: took it in let him side for it. They said, yeah, 306 00:18:34,000 --> 00:18:37,560 Speaker 4: the state can't find it. I said, state can't find it. 307 00:18:38,520 --> 00:18:41,160 Speaker 4: They can't even find where they signed for it. Yeah, 308 00:18:41,200 --> 00:18:43,720 Speaker 4: but I bet you Weatherbord's got where they signed for it. 309 00:18:43,880 --> 00:18:48,439 Speaker 4: They said they did, but that person is signed for 310 00:18:48,480 --> 00:18:54,240 Speaker 4: it supposed to don't work for the state. I said, 311 00:18:54,280 --> 00:18:56,840 Speaker 4: oh my god, what kind of mess is it? 312 00:18:57,600 --> 00:19:04,800 Speaker 1: Oh my god, previously on paper. 313 00:19:04,560 --> 00:19:08,199 Speaker 6: Ghosts and he had just forty two years later and 314 00:19:08,920 --> 00:19:09,720 Speaker 6: nothing still. 315 00:19:09,960 --> 00:19:11,639 Speaker 4: But I'm going to say that that's what it was, 316 00:19:11,680 --> 00:19:13,359 Speaker 4: and to me, that's what it was. 317 00:19:13,880 --> 00:19:15,719 Speaker 6: Sure sign and they all covered it up. 318 00:19:16,160 --> 00:19:19,040 Speaker 7: There were a couple of you know, young African American 319 00:19:19,040 --> 00:19:20,960 Speaker 7: boys that were killed and murdered for no reason. 320 00:19:21,080 --> 00:19:24,160 Speaker 2: There was just so many, so many things, and so. 321 00:19:24,119 --> 00:19:26,440 Speaker 6: Many that were not even written about that we know 322 00:19:26,600 --> 00:19:27,840 Speaker 6: about that we're missing. 323 00:19:28,080 --> 00:19:29,560 Speaker 2: I just hope that they can stop. 324 00:19:30,320 --> 00:19:32,320 Speaker 8: So we went in the house and she was looking 325 00:19:32,320 --> 00:19:34,320 Speaker 8: for him and I was just kind of sitting there 326 00:19:35,160 --> 00:19:39,159 Speaker 8: and that's when I saw. I didn't know who he 327 00:19:39,400 --> 00:19:43,719 Speaker 8: was when I saw him, but it was then all 328 00:19:43,760 --> 00:19:46,440 Speaker 8: of a sudden I heard him say, we killed those kids. 329 00:19:47,359 --> 00:19:51,399 Speaker 1: My name is em William Phelps. I'm an investigative journalist 330 00:19:51,440 --> 00:19:55,119 Speaker 1: and the New York Times bestselling author of dozens of 331 00:19:55,200 --> 00:20:01,080 Speaker 1: true crime books. This is season five of for Ghosts 332 00:20:01,720 --> 00:20:15,400 Speaker 1: the Texas Team Murders. So what is in the autopsy 333 00:20:15,560 --> 00:20:21,040 Speaker 1: report Troy Nichelis received on his front doorstep during the 334 00:20:21,080 --> 00:20:24,080 Speaker 1: fall of twenty twenty four which could have been so 335 00:20:24,240 --> 00:20:29,360 Speaker 1: important that the person leaving the report wanted that information 336 00:20:29,720 --> 00:20:33,359 Speaker 1: to be either known by the family or shared publicly. 337 00:20:34,640 --> 00:20:40,600 Speaker 1: And why now four decades later, here is mel Mitchell. 338 00:20:40,920 --> 00:20:41,560 Speaker 1: Once again. 339 00:20:42,400 --> 00:20:44,320 Speaker 3: We've had a lot of people that we had talked to, 340 00:20:45,080 --> 00:20:46,840 Speaker 3: you know about Hey, where were they shot? 341 00:20:46,880 --> 00:20:47,800 Speaker 2: What do you remember? 342 00:20:48,200 --> 00:20:50,760 Speaker 3: And we have been told that, you know, Vincent had 343 00:20:50,840 --> 00:20:53,840 Speaker 3: been shot in the right temple because his left eye 344 00:20:53,880 --> 00:20:57,200 Speaker 3: was kind of hanging out, and Shelley had been shot 345 00:20:57,520 --> 00:20:59,200 Speaker 3: once in the back of the head, like I guess, 346 00:20:59,280 --> 00:21:00,000 Speaker 3: kind of behind the ear. 347 00:21:01,160 --> 00:21:03,879 Speaker 2: Well, come to find out she was shot twice in 348 00:21:03,920 --> 00:21:04,240 Speaker 2: the head. 349 00:21:10,520 --> 00:21:13,760 Speaker 1: That autopsy report isn't clear about a lot of things, 350 00:21:14,800 --> 00:21:17,439 Speaker 1: and I would go so far as to say it 351 00:21:17,560 --> 00:21:23,399 Speaker 1: was purposely constructed to be unclear. On the front page, 352 00:21:23,440 --> 00:21:27,800 Speaker 1: the medical examiner states that one projectile was recovered from 353 00:21:27,840 --> 00:21:31,679 Speaker 1: the right side of the head, and one projectile was 354 00:21:31,720 --> 00:21:35,920 Speaker 1: recovered from the left side of the head of interest. 355 00:21:36,200 --> 00:21:40,160 Speaker 1: The external examination section of the report has a note 356 00:21:40,240 --> 00:21:45,159 Speaker 1: indicating that quote lividity conforms to the position of the 357 00:21:45,240 --> 00:21:50,600 Speaker 1: deceased having been seated slightly plumped over attached car door. 358 00:21:51,000 --> 00:21:55,399 Speaker 1: This is directly associated with what the pathologist was told 359 00:21:55,640 --> 00:21:59,200 Speaker 1: by law enforcement, or there is no other way he 360 00:21:59,240 --> 00:22:03,720 Speaker 1: could have known. With the amount of certainty he maintained 361 00:22:04,080 --> 00:22:08,120 Speaker 1: in the report, Shelley had no defensive wounds, the report claims. 362 00:22:08,440 --> 00:22:11,560 Speaker 1: Then it specifies that Shelley had a single gunshot wound 363 00:22:11,760 --> 00:22:15,720 Speaker 1: localized to the left side of her face, very close 364 00:22:15,760 --> 00:22:19,439 Speaker 1: to her ear. The second wound was found three inches 365 00:22:19,640 --> 00:22:22,919 Speaker 1: below the base of the same ear. If you are 366 00:22:22,960 --> 00:22:26,399 Speaker 1: looking at Shelley from a left profile view, one wound 367 00:22:26,840 --> 00:22:29,280 Speaker 1: was just to the side of the ear and the 368 00:22:29,359 --> 00:22:32,479 Speaker 1: other to the back of the ear. Those are the 369 00:22:32,480 --> 00:22:36,680 Speaker 1: type of wounds generally associated with an execution, like a 370 00:22:36,720 --> 00:22:41,359 Speaker 1: mob related hit, designed specifically to send a message. 371 00:22:43,560 --> 00:22:46,640 Speaker 3: When we got the autopsy report, there's a lot more 372 00:22:46,800 --> 00:22:52,040 Speaker 3: questions and that than answers, because we know that she 373 00:22:52,520 --> 00:22:55,159 Speaker 3: has scratch marks all over her We know that she 374 00:22:55,440 --> 00:22:58,240 Speaker 3: had scratches, I mean, like on her forehead and like 375 00:22:58,359 --> 00:23:00,959 Speaker 3: almost like she'd been drug through the briers. Like online, 376 00:23:01,040 --> 00:23:03,359 Speaker 3: the whole right cyber body was torn up. Going to 377 00:23:03,400 --> 00:23:05,440 Speaker 3: the funeral. You could see the scratches, I mean, and 378 00:23:05,680 --> 00:23:08,280 Speaker 3: it's seen, you know, some moment. Actually I had seen her 379 00:23:08,280 --> 00:23:10,639 Speaker 3: oppositely prior to you know, being dressed, you know, for 380 00:23:10,720 --> 00:23:13,199 Speaker 3: the funeral. I mean, just seeing all these crash marks. 381 00:23:13,240 --> 00:23:15,399 Speaker 3: Because in the auto's report it shows none of that, 382 00:23:15,800 --> 00:23:20,119 Speaker 3: nothing at all. It doesn't show there is any I mean, 383 00:23:20,160 --> 00:23:24,920 Speaker 3: any wounds at all of asides the two bullepoint winds. 384 00:23:24,960 --> 00:23:25,320 Speaker 2: That's it. 385 00:23:25,400 --> 00:23:27,760 Speaker 3: So that's already a huge question for me as someone 386 00:23:27,800 --> 00:23:31,000 Speaker 3: who's an emmy, Why are you not documenting all the 387 00:23:31,080 --> 00:23:35,720 Speaker 3: exterior injuries because you haven't documented any. 388 00:23:36,680 --> 00:23:39,199 Speaker 1: By the end of what is one of the shorter 389 00:23:39,520 --> 00:23:44,439 Speaker 1: autopsy reports I've ever come across, the pathologist says he 390 00:23:44,520 --> 00:23:49,520 Speaker 1: took blood in urine samples, tissue sections, fingernail cuttings, plucked 391 00:23:49,560 --> 00:23:54,440 Speaker 1: hair from Shelley's scalp, to cardiac blood, and very important, 392 00:23:54,840 --> 00:24:00,119 Speaker 1: a rape kit. There is zero mention of any external injury. 393 00:24:00,440 --> 00:24:06,040 Speaker 1: Like Elwood Hulhertz describes throughout this podcast, The pathologist who 394 00:24:06,080 --> 00:24:12,159 Speaker 1: conducted Shelley's autopsy was doctor nzamb Pirwani, a name steeped 395 00:24:12,520 --> 00:24:13,560 Speaker 1: in controversy. 396 00:24:13,840 --> 00:24:15,080 Speaker 3: Well, I don't know if you ever had a chance 397 00:24:15,119 --> 00:24:16,840 Speaker 3: to read about the Emmy, Like I sent just some 398 00:24:16,880 --> 00:24:18,400 Speaker 3: of the documents a while back. Did you ever read 399 00:24:18,400 --> 00:24:19,879 Speaker 3: about the emmy in his background? 400 00:24:20,160 --> 00:24:22,560 Speaker 1: Yeah, yeah, it's a very sketchy situation. 401 00:24:23,000 --> 00:24:23,320 Speaker 4: Yeah. 402 00:24:23,359 --> 00:24:26,439 Speaker 3: And at that time period, he had just gotten a 403 00:24:26,480 --> 00:24:29,399 Speaker 3: contract a couple of months prior to these murders to 404 00:24:29,600 --> 00:24:31,680 Speaker 3: do Parker County. I think they were paying him like 405 00:24:31,680 --> 00:24:33,800 Speaker 3: five hundred dollars in autopsy, which obviously back there was 406 00:24:33,800 --> 00:24:36,520 Speaker 3: a lot of money, but his lab was not like 407 00:24:36,680 --> 00:24:39,840 Speaker 3: a massive, you know, medical examer's lab like you have now. 408 00:24:39,920 --> 00:24:42,159 Speaker 3: Like he had been asking for donations and all that 409 00:24:42,240 --> 00:24:44,200 Speaker 3: kind of stuff, and so he built this like half 410 00:24:44,280 --> 00:24:47,320 Speaker 3: million dollar lab that opened up I think October November 411 00:24:47,359 --> 00:24:50,320 Speaker 3: of that same year to where he had a better facility. 412 00:24:50,640 --> 00:24:53,680 Speaker 3: So I don't know what all he was lacking at 413 00:24:53,680 --> 00:24:56,639 Speaker 3: the time of their murders, because typically a lot of 414 00:24:56,640 --> 00:24:59,960 Speaker 3: the bigger named, you know, autopsies would be sent to Dallas. 415 00:25:00,119 --> 00:25:01,960 Speaker 3: So if you had if you really needed a lot 416 00:25:01,960 --> 00:25:04,600 Speaker 3: of in depth stuff, I mean, better forensics, you'd be 417 00:25:04,600 --> 00:25:06,320 Speaker 3: going to Dallas because this guy was like an up 418 00:25:06,400 --> 00:25:09,040 Speaker 3: and coming metal examer, Like he wasn't just some guy 419 00:25:09,080 --> 00:25:11,919 Speaker 3: that's been, you know, around for ten twenty years. I mean, 420 00:25:11,920 --> 00:25:13,200 Speaker 3: he'd just started up as practice. 421 00:25:13,600 --> 00:25:17,439 Speaker 1: Wouldn't two teenagers shot to death in a car be 422 00:25:17,600 --> 00:25:20,640 Speaker 1: a big case that you'd want to send to Dallas. 423 00:25:20,280 --> 00:25:21,879 Speaker 3: I would think, So that'd be the first place I 424 00:25:21,960 --> 00:25:23,960 Speaker 3: sent him to his Dallas because Dallas wanted took on 425 00:25:24,040 --> 00:25:27,000 Speaker 3: all the big stuff back then. So instead you're saying 426 00:25:27,040 --> 00:25:29,159 Speaker 3: to a new guy who's new here and has long 427 00:25:29,240 --> 00:25:31,520 Speaker 3: been practicing for like maybe a year or two, and 428 00:25:31,560 --> 00:25:35,160 Speaker 3: you just get, you know, a contract at the county. 429 00:25:35,880 --> 00:25:37,159 Speaker 3: I'm like, well, why would you say it to this 430 00:25:37,200 --> 00:25:40,400 Speaker 3: guy who doesn't have it's like a fully functional lab 431 00:25:41,080 --> 00:25:42,640 Speaker 3: like you would Dallas, And. 432 00:25:42,600 --> 00:25:44,639 Speaker 1: Who would be in charge of all of that? 433 00:25:44,640 --> 00:25:48,040 Speaker 2: That would be the justice of the piece. 434 00:25:48,080 --> 00:25:51,159 Speaker 3: Glenn Dimsmore was the one that was making most of 435 00:25:51,160 --> 00:25:52,160 Speaker 3: those decisions at the time. 436 00:25:52,160 --> 00:26:00,760 Speaker 1: From my understanding, Doctor Pierwani, and it would have been 437 00:26:00,760 --> 00:26:05,000 Speaker 1: a stretch calling him a doctor at the time had 438 00:26:05,040 --> 00:26:09,760 Speaker 1: a career mired in lies and incompetence, beginning in the 439 00:26:09,880 --> 00:26:14,160 Speaker 1: years before the kid's murders, and it's important to note. 440 00:26:14,440 --> 00:26:19,000 Speaker 1: According to then district Attorney Max Smith, the Monte Carlo 441 00:26:19,440 --> 00:26:23,360 Speaker 1: was sent to doctor Pierwani as well, and Max Smith 442 00:26:23,760 --> 00:26:30,280 Speaker 1: publicly stated that Pierwani conducted the forensic examination of that vehicle. 443 00:26:30,800 --> 00:26:35,440 Speaker 1: Pierjani became the deputy medical Examiner in nineteen seventy six, 444 00:26:35,680 --> 00:26:40,159 Speaker 1: yet his medical license did not become effective until nineteen 445 00:26:40,200 --> 00:26:46,399 Speaker 1: seventy eight, so for two years he conducted autopsies without 446 00:26:46,440 --> 00:26:51,520 Speaker 1: a medical license, which is a felony. He also obtained 447 00:26:51,520 --> 00:26:56,280 Speaker 1: his green card he immigrated from Pakistan after lying about 448 00:26:56,320 --> 00:27:00,399 Speaker 1: the terms of his student visa. In the years after 449 00:27:00,480 --> 00:27:04,480 Speaker 1: he conducted the autopsies of Shelley and Vincent, Pierjuani was 450 00:27:04,520 --> 00:27:08,639 Speaker 1: found to have given false testimony in a death penalty case, 451 00:27:08,960 --> 00:27:13,840 Speaker 1: resulting in the defendant being sentenced to death, and an 452 00:27:13,920 --> 00:27:18,080 Speaker 1: audit of his office found fifty nine errors in twenty 453 00:27:18,160 --> 00:27:28,600 Speaker 1: seven cases. Fifty nine errors twenty seven cases. Perjuani's comedical 454 00:27:28,600 --> 00:27:31,919 Speaker 1: examiner was later fired. This is not the guy you 455 00:27:32,080 --> 00:27:35,640 Speaker 1: want to trust with two bodies in a double homicide. 456 00:27:35,920 --> 00:27:38,880 Speaker 1: With the public pressure of the case at the highest 457 00:27:39,040 --> 00:27:43,040 Speaker 1: level possible, I also couldn't wrap my mind around why 458 00:27:43,040 --> 00:27:46,199 Speaker 1: a medical examiner would be the one to conduct the 459 00:27:46,240 --> 00:27:49,600 Speaker 1: forensic search of a vehicle in a double murder case, 460 00:27:49,880 --> 00:27:52,800 Speaker 1: or why you would even send two bodies in a 461 00:27:52,840 --> 00:27:57,480 Speaker 1: double homicide to a medical examiner who was clearly unreliable 462 00:27:57,720 --> 00:28:01,400 Speaker 1: and did not do a thorough job up. But when 463 00:28:01,440 --> 00:28:06,120 Speaker 1: I applied more pressure, that supposed fact gave way. 464 00:28:08,640 --> 00:28:10,840 Speaker 3: That was a crazy thing too, is that there was 465 00:28:10,880 --> 00:28:13,960 Speaker 3: taking the car and the bodies to Emmy's office. Well 466 00:28:14,240 --> 00:28:16,840 Speaker 3: the Emmy's office. First of all, it's not forensics for 467 00:28:16,880 --> 00:28:19,000 Speaker 3: a car. Secondly, there's no word to even park a 468 00:28:19,080 --> 00:28:21,680 Speaker 3: car to even do forensics on it, so I knew 469 00:28:21,680 --> 00:28:22,840 Speaker 3: it wasn't Emmy's office. 470 00:28:23,400 --> 00:28:26,840 Speaker 1: Mel discovered that Max Smith was wrong. The car was 471 00:28:26,920 --> 00:28:31,280 Speaker 1: not sent to doctor Pierwani, which still did not make 472 00:28:31,400 --> 00:28:33,040 Speaker 1: matters any better. 473 00:28:33,840 --> 00:28:35,840 Speaker 3: I'd been told it went to fort Worth, and fort 474 00:28:35,840 --> 00:28:38,880 Speaker 3: Worth is the one who had done the processing on it. 475 00:28:39,160 --> 00:28:41,960 Speaker 3: And then when I talked to Raymond Pritcher, he had 476 00:28:42,000 --> 00:28:44,680 Speaker 3: said it was actually the Terrant County Sheriff's Department that 477 00:28:44,840 --> 00:28:47,640 Speaker 3: had the vehicle and was doing the forensics on the car, 478 00:28:47,880 --> 00:28:51,560 Speaker 3: and he had told us that it was nothing was 479 00:28:51,600 --> 00:28:53,240 Speaker 3: really done like I was supposed to be because I 480 00:28:53,240 --> 00:28:55,040 Speaker 3: asked him, I was like, well, were their fingerprints taken? 481 00:28:55,840 --> 00:28:57,040 Speaker 2: And he's like, I don't think so. 482 00:28:57,240 --> 00:28:59,760 Speaker 3: Because I'd asked the family, the ones that actually have 483 00:28:59,800 --> 00:29:01,120 Speaker 3: the car, I'm like, do you remember seeing any of 484 00:29:01,120 --> 00:29:02,560 Speaker 3: the black powders, like, you know, back then they we've 485 00:29:02,560 --> 00:29:04,280 Speaker 3: had the black fingerprint powder everywhere. 486 00:29:04,560 --> 00:29:05,960 Speaker 2: He's like, no, I don't remember seeing any of that 487 00:29:05,960 --> 00:29:07,479 Speaker 2: in the vehicle or outside of the vehicle. 488 00:29:07,720 --> 00:29:10,400 Speaker 3: And so talking to Raymond, he said he didn't really 489 00:29:10,440 --> 00:29:12,960 Speaker 3: remember them doing fingerprints all that either. He did remember 490 00:29:13,000 --> 00:29:15,840 Speaker 3: there was a bootprint in the back seat and they 491 00:29:15,840 --> 00:29:18,840 Speaker 3: had like kind of pointed towed cowboy boots with like 492 00:29:18,920 --> 00:29:22,320 Speaker 3: some zigzag design on the footprint. I asked him, I 493 00:29:22,400 --> 00:29:25,480 Speaker 3: was like, well, I understood that there was economist Shelle 494 00:29:25,520 --> 00:29:26,400 Speaker 3: cases in the car. 495 00:29:26,880 --> 00:29:30,120 Speaker 2: And he's like yeah, He's like this kind of went missing. 496 00:29:33,880 --> 00:29:36,520 Speaker 1: Let me break that down simply because it sounds so 497 00:29:36,680 --> 00:29:42,480 Speaker 1: confusing and truly unbelievable. Raymond Pritchard, who took over the 498 00:29:42,520 --> 00:29:46,320 Speaker 1: case many years later and eventually became deputy chief of 499 00:29:46,400 --> 00:29:51,160 Speaker 1: the Weatherford Police Department, told mel Mitchell no search for 500 00:29:51,280 --> 00:29:55,320 Speaker 1: fingerprints was ever conducted on the vehicle and we know 501 00:29:55,680 --> 00:29:59,560 Speaker 1: from Raven t Jerina, Vincent's uncle that when he saw 502 00:29:59,600 --> 00:30:02,640 Speaker 1: the vehicle that morning and after it was returned to 503 00:30:02,680 --> 00:30:06,280 Speaker 1: the family, there was a used condom inside the car. 504 00:30:07,240 --> 00:30:10,280 Speaker 1: So I think it's safe to say that no forensic 505 00:30:10,400 --> 00:30:14,840 Speaker 1: examination of the vehicle, or at least a competent examination, 506 00:30:15,400 --> 00:30:19,280 Speaker 1: was ever done, and surely that used condom, which could 507 00:30:19,320 --> 00:30:22,960 Speaker 1: contain the answer to the case, was never tested. 508 00:30:23,720 --> 00:30:26,160 Speaker 3: And so he's like, oh, well, it was a brand 509 00:30:26,200 --> 00:30:28,480 Speaker 3: new person, like it as a newbie that basically a 510 00:30:28,480 --> 00:30:30,120 Speaker 3: got assigned to do in the friensis on his car, 511 00:30:30,160 --> 00:30:32,120 Speaker 3: like he'd never done fansis on his car ever before. 512 00:30:33,240 --> 00:30:37,080 Speaker 1: Even if it was your first minute on the job, 513 00:30:37,440 --> 00:30:42,160 Speaker 1: it would be pretty damn hard to miss a used 514 00:30:42,240 --> 00:30:46,440 Speaker 1: condom sitting on the backseat of a vehicle you are 515 00:30:46,520 --> 00:30:50,600 Speaker 1: calling through for evidence in a murder investigation. 516 00:30:51,920 --> 00:30:54,360 Speaker 3: And so when I'm talking to Raymond, I'm trying to 517 00:30:54,400 --> 00:30:57,920 Speaker 3: understand this, Like, so you're telling me that you have 518 00:30:57,960 --> 00:31:01,240 Speaker 3: a double homicide and it's target sent over to Terrence 519 00:31:01,280 --> 00:31:04,720 Speaker 3: County Shaff's office, and some guy who's never done forensis 520 00:31:04,720 --> 00:31:06,760 Speaker 3: on a car ever before is the one that gets 521 00:31:06,760 --> 00:31:09,760 Speaker 3: assigned to doing the forensics on his car. He's like, well, yeah, 522 00:31:09,760 --> 00:31:11,920 Speaker 3: that's why that's such poor that's such a poor job 523 00:31:12,040 --> 00:31:12,640 Speaker 3: was done on it. 524 00:31:13,320 --> 00:31:17,160 Speaker 1: To say the least. I was baffled by the incompetence 525 00:31:17,480 --> 00:31:22,240 Speaker 1: within all of this. So, Mel, I'm not understanding how 526 00:31:22,680 --> 00:31:25,800 Speaker 1: the evidence got put back in the car and given 527 00:31:25,880 --> 00:31:28,520 Speaker 1: back to the family. Is that what somebody wanted done? 528 00:31:28,920 --> 00:31:29,240 Speaker 1: I don't. 529 00:31:29,360 --> 00:31:30,320 Speaker 2: I'm not, I think so. 530 00:31:31,000 --> 00:31:34,200 Speaker 3: They allegedly don't have the evidence, so I don't know 531 00:31:34,240 --> 00:31:36,920 Speaker 3: if it was someone who And I'm not sure I've 532 00:31:36,920 --> 00:31:39,360 Speaker 3: been trying to figure out for the family if they 533 00:31:39,520 --> 00:31:43,840 Speaker 3: actually went to go pick up the car or if 534 00:31:43,880 --> 00:31:46,720 Speaker 3: it was brought back. But my understanding the car was 535 00:31:46,800 --> 00:31:49,920 Speaker 3: actually kept after the forensics was done on it. It 536 00:31:49,960 --> 00:31:52,400 Speaker 3: was actually kept in a facility for all the other 537 00:31:52,480 --> 00:31:54,720 Speaker 3: toad you know, towed vehicles, like a towing yard, and 538 00:31:54,800 --> 00:31:56,920 Speaker 3: so it was like back in his back corner, and 539 00:31:56,960 --> 00:31:59,840 Speaker 3: it wasn't really shielded from the you know, from the elements, 540 00:31:59,840 --> 00:32:02,280 Speaker 3: like kind of stuck in a corner somewhere. And so 541 00:32:03,240 --> 00:32:05,960 Speaker 3: Vincent Senior and maybe his brother Raymond, you know, had 542 00:32:06,000 --> 00:32:07,400 Speaker 3: got out there and picked up the car and then 543 00:32:07,440 --> 00:32:10,200 Speaker 3: came back. But another family member had just told us 544 00:32:10,520 --> 00:32:14,040 Speaker 3: maybe Vincent Senior was not happy with maybe looking at 545 00:32:14,040 --> 00:32:15,800 Speaker 3: the car and realizing, Okay, I don't feel like this 546 00:32:15,840 --> 00:32:17,120 Speaker 3: has been inspected like it should. 547 00:32:17,160 --> 00:32:18,720 Speaker 2: And so at some point time he drew it back. 548 00:32:18,640 --> 00:32:20,560 Speaker 3: Up to whether for a PDE to have them look 549 00:32:20,600 --> 00:32:22,840 Speaker 3: over it, like, it doesn't look like this car's in 550 00:32:22,880 --> 00:32:23,400 Speaker 3: a process. 551 00:32:26,120 --> 00:32:29,760 Speaker 1: Can you imagine the car where two teenage murder victims 552 00:32:29,760 --> 00:32:35,160 Speaker 1: were allegedly found not being processed. If I hadn't gotten 553 00:32:35,240 --> 00:32:39,680 Speaker 1: involved in this case, I'd have to say, it's impossible. 554 00:32:42,760 --> 00:32:44,960 Speaker 1: Who the hell is running this investigation? 555 00:32:46,120 --> 00:32:47,880 Speaker 2: Exactly? That's that's what I'm saying. 556 00:32:47,920 --> 00:32:50,360 Speaker 3: And so when I was talking to Raymond, he I 557 00:32:50,560 --> 00:32:53,440 Speaker 3: was a lead on this, and Raymond reopened this case 558 00:32:53,480 --> 00:32:56,120 Speaker 3: in two thousand and three with another investigator Chris Crawford, 559 00:32:56,320 --> 00:32:56,880 Speaker 3: and Raymon. 560 00:32:56,920 --> 00:32:59,280 Speaker 2: At that point in time, I think was like, Deputy, please, chief. 561 00:32:59,720 --> 00:32:59,920 Speaker 6: You know. 562 00:33:00,200 --> 00:33:02,240 Speaker 2: So when I'm talking to Raymond Pritchett. 563 00:33:01,880 --> 00:33:04,920 Speaker 3: About this, it's like, well, you don't have a scene 564 00:33:05,000 --> 00:33:08,080 Speaker 3: properly taped off from all the witnesses we've talked to, 565 00:33:08,200 --> 00:33:10,520 Speaker 3: so you've basically got I mean, it's like the Grand 566 00:33:10,600 --> 00:33:15,120 Speaker 3: Prix walking through here. There's footprints everywhere, there's car tracks, everywhere. 567 00:33:15,800 --> 00:33:18,719 Speaker 3: Nothing was properly you know, purtened off from you know, 568 00:33:18,800 --> 00:33:21,760 Speaker 3: just anybody walking through it. You got press out there. 569 00:33:21,800 --> 00:33:24,400 Speaker 3: You've got Pressed the same night that's actually taking video 570 00:33:24,440 --> 00:33:27,360 Speaker 3: of people walking around where the bloodstains are on the ground. 571 00:33:27,800 --> 00:33:30,080 Speaker 2: And then you have this car that people are touching. 572 00:33:30,360 --> 00:33:33,080 Speaker 3: They're touching the car like as it's like getting loaded 573 00:33:33,160 --> 00:33:34,480 Speaker 3: up onto the tow truck. 574 00:33:34,760 --> 00:33:35,720 Speaker 2: So now you've like. 575 00:33:35,720 --> 00:33:38,520 Speaker 3: Really contaminated the scene with all these people's footprints and 576 00:33:38,600 --> 00:33:40,680 Speaker 3: touching the vehicle. So, I mean, who knows how many 577 00:33:40,680 --> 00:33:43,600 Speaker 3: fingerprints maybe on the outside of the car, and then 578 00:33:43,600 --> 00:33:46,800 Speaker 3: it's sent over to Fort Worth to be processed, which 579 00:33:47,320 --> 00:33:49,400 Speaker 3: I don't think there are ever any fingerprints taken. 580 00:33:49,760 --> 00:33:50,960 Speaker 2: And so Raymond said that. 581 00:33:50,880 --> 00:33:54,520 Speaker 3: There was a paper I guess, like the old school 582 00:33:54,600 --> 00:33:56,440 Speaker 3: kind of paper you can kind of own I guess 583 00:33:56,880 --> 00:33:59,480 Speaker 3: the tracing sheets or whatever you can trace the footprints, 584 00:33:59,480 --> 00:34:01,800 Speaker 3: and so like they had a trice footprint made. 585 00:34:01,920 --> 00:34:04,280 Speaker 2: I've had one bootprint, and. 586 00:34:04,520 --> 00:34:06,840 Speaker 3: He said somehow that was lost in the evidence later on, 587 00:34:06,920 --> 00:34:08,600 Speaker 3: but they had a photo of it left, like they 588 00:34:08,600 --> 00:34:11,520 Speaker 3: still had a photo still somewhere in the evidence. But 589 00:34:11,719 --> 00:34:14,120 Speaker 3: there's so much evidence as lost in this So I 590 00:34:14,120 --> 00:34:16,239 Speaker 3: don't know who had the car. He's telling me it's 591 00:34:16,280 --> 00:34:18,520 Speaker 3: Terry County, Shaff's apartment. I have others to tell me 592 00:34:18,560 --> 00:34:21,160 Speaker 3: it's for or f PD, But whoever had the car, 593 00:34:21,200 --> 00:34:22,640 Speaker 3: I don't know. If there's a phone call that was 594 00:34:22,640 --> 00:34:26,080 Speaker 3: made and said, hey, make sure this doesn't find its way. 595 00:34:25,880 --> 00:34:26,399 Speaker 2: Back to PD. 596 00:34:32,719 --> 00:34:37,160 Speaker 1: I'm almost certain I've never heard anything this incompetent within 597 00:34:37,200 --> 00:34:41,160 Speaker 1: a murder investigation throughout my twenty five year career of 598 00:34:41,520 --> 00:34:48,239 Speaker 1: investigative journalism. It's either the most inept investigation ever or 599 00:34:48,280 --> 00:34:52,440 Speaker 1: certain parties are playing dumb, hoping to deflect the obvious 600 00:34:52,480 --> 00:34:55,920 Speaker 1: and muck up the investigation on purpose. 601 00:34:56,520 --> 00:34:59,040 Speaker 3: Because I mean, honestly, I don't know how else it 602 00:34:59,040 --> 00:35:01,239 Speaker 3: would have happened, because you're not going to have it 603 00:35:01,440 --> 00:35:03,799 Speaker 3: bagged and tagged, and then somehow it ends up right 604 00:35:03,880 --> 00:35:06,480 Speaker 3: back in the car for the family to find, knowing 605 00:35:06,520 --> 00:35:08,200 Speaker 3: the family is more than likely not going to hang 606 00:35:08,239 --> 00:35:10,799 Speaker 3: on to it thinking okay, well it's obviously left in 607 00:35:10,840 --> 00:35:11,560 Speaker 3: here for a reason. 608 00:35:12,320 --> 00:35:16,080 Speaker 1: More paper ghosts After a quick break, Please check out 609 00:35:16,120 --> 00:35:19,800 Speaker 1: my weekly podcast, Crossing the Line with m William Phelps, 610 00:35:19,800 --> 00:35:23,120 Speaker 1: where I delve into a new missing person and cold 611 00:35:23,160 --> 00:35:35,520 Speaker 1: case murder each week wherever you get your favorite shows. 612 00:35:36,880 --> 00:35:40,040 Speaker 3: We had set up a meeting and we try to 613 00:35:40,080 --> 00:35:43,719 Speaker 3: keep as confidential as possible with the witnesses to come 614 00:35:43,760 --> 00:35:46,280 Speaker 3: forward on this podcast. 615 00:35:47,680 --> 00:35:51,200 Speaker 1: At one point, Mel Mitchell and Justice for Vincent and 616 00:35:51,239 --> 00:35:55,800 Speaker 1: Shelley Facebook page administrator Laurie Kates set up a virtual 617 00:35:55,880 --> 00:36:02,680 Speaker 1: meeting with about ten sources. These potential sources wanted to 618 00:36:02,719 --> 00:36:06,360 Speaker 1: feel me out, understand what I was doing, get a 619 00:36:06,400 --> 00:36:10,280 Speaker 1: feel for this yankee and my angle. They also wanted 620 00:36:10,320 --> 00:36:14,400 Speaker 1: to meet one another. There is strength and unity and 621 00:36:14,480 --> 00:36:17,400 Speaker 1: each of them would make the other feel safer about 622 00:36:17,400 --> 00:36:21,520 Speaker 1: stepping forward. The ladies had worked hard at getting everyone together. 623 00:36:22,280 --> 00:36:25,319 Speaker 1: On the morning of the meeting, something happened, which has 624 00:36:25,360 --> 00:36:28,960 Speaker 1: become an all too common occurrence when people begin asking 625 00:36:29,040 --> 00:36:33,640 Speaker 1: questions about Vincent and Shelley's murders. 626 00:36:36,520 --> 00:36:39,759 Speaker 3: Some of them were really scared, and we wanted them 627 00:36:39,880 --> 00:36:42,839 Speaker 3: to kind of meet each other and know that they're one, 628 00:36:43,000 --> 00:36:46,160 Speaker 3: not alone two. You know, they could probably rely on 629 00:36:46,200 --> 00:36:48,759 Speaker 3: each other. They felt like, you know, possibly they were 630 00:36:48,800 --> 00:36:51,319 Speaker 3: being followed or you know, anybody had called them and 631 00:36:51,360 --> 00:36:54,759 Speaker 3: made them feel like uncomfortable or possibly harassed, So kind 632 00:36:54,800 --> 00:36:57,800 Speaker 3: of quitting them their own little small group of knowing, hey, 633 00:36:59,239 --> 00:37:03,080 Speaker 3: we are witness to certain aspects of this case, and 634 00:37:03,600 --> 00:37:04,600 Speaker 3: you know that we're not alone. 635 00:37:04,600 --> 00:37:06,480 Speaker 2: We've got a kind of a mini support group. 636 00:37:06,920 --> 00:37:11,160 Speaker 1: Neither Melth nor Lorie told them where the meeting would 637 00:37:11,200 --> 00:37:14,719 Speaker 1: take place until the last possible moment so as to 638 00:37:14,800 --> 00:37:17,239 Speaker 1: keep it as confidential as possible. 639 00:37:17,840 --> 00:37:21,279 Speaker 3: So we had set up a day in time, but 640 00:37:21,440 --> 00:37:24,840 Speaker 3: we were calling people that morning to tell them the location. 641 00:37:25,440 --> 00:37:27,440 Speaker 2: And it's a little bit further outside the city. 642 00:37:27,960 --> 00:37:30,680 Speaker 3: And that morning I was driving out there a little 643 00:37:30,680 --> 00:37:36,239 Speaker 3: bit earlier, and there was a SUV that was in 644 00:37:36,280 --> 00:37:37,920 Speaker 3: the left lane because it's only two lanes and I 645 00:37:37,960 --> 00:37:40,080 Speaker 3: was in the right lane. SUV's in the left lane, 646 00:37:40,160 --> 00:37:41,920 Speaker 3: And to be honest, I didn't even really notice them 647 00:37:41,920 --> 00:37:45,880 Speaker 3: because it's the traffic's ridiculous now. So I took the exit. 648 00:37:46,160 --> 00:37:50,000 Speaker 3: This suv cut off the driver behind me to get 649 00:37:50,040 --> 00:37:52,200 Speaker 3: over on the exit, and you know, of course, all 650 00:37:52,200 --> 00:37:56,520 Speaker 3: I'm thinking is, you know, hey, some idiot just was 651 00:37:56,560 --> 00:37:58,799 Speaker 3: about to miss her exit, and uh, you know, we 652 00:37:58,840 --> 00:38:01,600 Speaker 3: all know how drivers are these days, so I didn't 653 00:38:01,640 --> 00:38:04,040 Speaker 3: think much of it. And then we're going down this, 654 00:38:04,400 --> 00:38:06,479 Speaker 3: you know, one new road that they built out here, 655 00:38:07,200 --> 00:38:10,640 Speaker 3: and you know, person's kind of behind me, not anything 656 00:38:10,719 --> 00:38:14,479 Speaker 3: too too far out. And we get to a turn 657 00:38:14,560 --> 00:38:16,960 Speaker 3: lane where I had to turn left into where this 658 00:38:17,000 --> 00:38:20,480 Speaker 3: individual lives, and that person pulled in behind me. So 659 00:38:20,520 --> 00:38:22,839 Speaker 3: I got a pretty decent look at the person. It 660 00:38:22,880 --> 00:38:25,920 Speaker 3: was a female. So we take a left and she's 661 00:38:26,120 --> 00:38:28,520 Speaker 3: kind of like really wrong on my rear to where 662 00:38:28,560 --> 00:38:30,839 Speaker 3: I couldn't get a license plate like I wanted to. 663 00:38:30,960 --> 00:38:32,880 Speaker 3: She's I mean, close enough where I can't get a 664 00:38:32,960 --> 00:38:35,960 Speaker 3: visual of it, and I don't know. It's just one 665 00:38:36,000 --> 00:38:39,160 Speaker 3: of those gut instinct things where I'm thinking, okay, so 666 00:38:39,280 --> 00:38:42,000 Speaker 3: maybe this person does live the neighborhood. They just want 667 00:38:42,000 --> 00:38:43,719 Speaker 3: to get around me. I'll just kind of slow down, 668 00:38:43,760 --> 00:38:46,000 Speaker 3: see they'll pass me. Well, of course that didn't happen. 669 00:38:46,320 --> 00:38:48,120 Speaker 3: So I was like, well, let me just test my theory. 670 00:38:48,120 --> 00:38:49,959 Speaker 3: I'm gonna take another left up here onto an even 671 00:38:50,000 --> 00:38:53,640 Speaker 3: more of a rural road. And so when I did, 672 00:38:53,880 --> 00:38:56,160 Speaker 3: that person follow me again, and I guess that's when 673 00:38:56,200 --> 00:38:59,240 Speaker 3: she realized I was picking up on what she is doing. 674 00:38:59,400 --> 00:39:01,680 Speaker 3: So by the time I'm wanting to slow down because 675 00:39:01,719 --> 00:39:04,520 Speaker 3: I was going to stop and just you know, get 676 00:39:04,520 --> 00:39:08,319 Speaker 3: out and really confront the person. And by the time 677 00:39:08,400 --> 00:39:11,000 Speaker 3: I started slowing down. That person already pretty much slammed 678 00:39:11,000 --> 00:39:13,919 Speaker 3: on their brakes and turn around is already heading out 679 00:39:14,560 --> 00:39:16,879 Speaker 3: to the you know, to the highway again. So this 680 00:39:16,920 --> 00:39:19,640 Speaker 3: person exited the neighborhood the same way we came in, 681 00:39:20,200 --> 00:39:22,319 Speaker 3: but I went a different route and kind of loop 682 00:39:22,360 --> 00:39:25,360 Speaker 3: back around the neighborhood. So when I came out, this 683 00:39:25,480 --> 00:39:28,319 Speaker 3: individual was coming out on the other side of the neighborhoods. 684 00:39:28,360 --> 00:39:31,360 Speaker 3: I could see she was leaving pretty pretty quickly. 685 00:39:38,520 --> 00:39:42,480 Speaker 1: Keep in mind, mel carries several loaded weapons on her 686 00:39:42,719 --> 00:39:46,800 Speaker 1: at all times and has some loaded weapons bedside as well, 687 00:39:47,160 --> 00:39:50,880 Speaker 1: which is something I myself have embraced recently after getting 688 00:39:50,960 --> 00:39:55,560 Speaker 1: death threats deemed credible by my local police department during 689 00:39:55,600 --> 00:39:59,200 Speaker 1: the fall of twenty twenty four, after launching a narrative 690 00:39:59,280 --> 00:40:03,080 Speaker 1: podcast about the Karen Reid case in Boston, the woman 691 00:40:03,200 --> 00:40:08,000 Speaker 1: accused and later acquitted of murdering her Boston Police officer 692 00:40:08,080 --> 00:40:13,279 Speaker 1: boyfriend John O'Keefe. This is the world in which we 693 00:40:13,360 --> 00:40:17,000 Speaker 1: now live. Who do you think that could be? 694 00:40:18,600 --> 00:40:23,080 Speaker 3: I think it's someone that could have possibly been one 695 00:40:23,120 --> 00:40:25,640 Speaker 3: of the investors at a point in time on this case. 696 00:40:26,040 --> 00:40:28,080 Speaker 3: But like I said, I couldn't get a license plate 697 00:40:28,160 --> 00:40:31,719 Speaker 3: so I don't want to confirm, yes, this is who 698 00:40:31,800 --> 00:40:36,160 Speaker 3: it was, but given the appearance, that's who it appeared 699 00:40:36,200 --> 00:40:39,239 Speaker 3: to be. But why maybe just to see what we know? 700 00:40:39,520 --> 00:40:42,000 Speaker 3: I mean, there's a possibility that some of these witnesses 701 00:40:42,160 --> 00:40:45,160 Speaker 3: may have not told him everything, or maybe some of 702 00:40:45,200 --> 00:40:47,600 Speaker 3: his witnesses may not have ever come forward, and there's 703 00:40:47,680 --> 00:40:50,759 Speaker 3: just new people that they would probably love to know about. 704 00:40:51,000 --> 00:40:56,239 Speaker 1: Mel Mitchell has this contagious, welcoming, youthful aura about her. 705 00:40:56,520 --> 00:40:59,839 Speaker 1: One of the most determined investigators I have ever had 706 00:40:59,840 --> 00:41:02,920 Speaker 1: the honor of working with her, eye and ear for 707 00:41:03,080 --> 00:41:07,640 Speaker 1: detail unparalleled. Her courage to dig, even if digging is 708 00:41:07,680 --> 00:41:10,719 Speaker 1: going to rattle cages and stir up the past some 709 00:41:11,000 --> 00:41:15,080 Speaker 1: would rather not see resurface. She forges on even when 710 00:41:15,440 --> 00:41:21,239 Speaker 1: what she discovers might upset victims' families. Because look, I 711 00:41:21,440 --> 00:41:26,280 Speaker 1: had to ask, what if all this talk of corruption 712 00:41:26,520 --> 00:41:30,920 Speaker 1: and cops being involved major political people as well, had 713 00:41:30,920 --> 00:41:34,839 Speaker 1: all been some sort of a ruse, a deflection engineered 714 00:41:34,880 --> 00:41:38,400 Speaker 1: by the real killer or killers to keep law enforcement 715 00:41:39,040 --> 00:41:43,400 Speaker 1: off their scent. A lot of this talk about corruption 716 00:41:43,719 --> 00:41:47,040 Speaker 1: went from the town square to social media and soon 717 00:41:47,080 --> 00:41:50,440 Speaker 1: took off like a Texas marin heat gaining a life 718 00:41:50,560 --> 00:41:53,560 Speaker 1: of its own, So you'd have to wonder if the 719 00:41:53,719 --> 00:41:56,440 Speaker 1: murderers were working this angle. 720 00:41:58,239 --> 00:42:01,600 Speaker 3: So Shelley has a hope chest that her mom have 721 00:42:02,080 --> 00:42:04,600 Speaker 3: obviously kept over the years, and so in his hope chest, 722 00:42:04,640 --> 00:42:07,880 Speaker 3: amongst other documents, there was this one newspaper clipping that 723 00:42:07,920 --> 00:42:09,719 Speaker 3: she had circled these two individuals. 724 00:42:10,000 --> 00:42:12,799 Speaker 1: Mel gives me the names, and they are not the 725 00:42:12,800 --> 00:42:16,560 Speaker 1: two names I have been censoring throughout. These are two 726 00:42:16,760 --> 00:42:20,719 Speaker 1: different young men. What would be the significance do you 727 00:42:20,800 --> 00:42:25,799 Speaker 1: think that Shelley had this picture and had circled the 728 00:42:25,840 --> 00:42:27,600 Speaker 1: faces of these two males? 729 00:42:27,880 --> 00:42:28,040 Speaker 4: Now? 730 00:42:28,080 --> 00:42:30,080 Speaker 3: I know she went to high school with both of them, 731 00:42:30,360 --> 00:42:32,840 Speaker 3: I mean, and whether for it wasn't a huge city 732 00:42:32,960 --> 00:42:34,759 Speaker 3: or town, I mean much less a very big high 733 00:42:34,760 --> 00:42:37,479 Speaker 3: school either, So I mean what the significance of it 734 00:42:37,560 --> 00:42:40,200 Speaker 3: would be? I don't know as far as how she 735 00:42:40,239 --> 00:42:41,759 Speaker 3: would have known him outside the FFA. 736 00:42:42,760 --> 00:42:46,359 Speaker 1: Another line of inquiry once Mel began looking into these 737 00:42:46,480 --> 00:42:50,439 Speaker 1: new names also came up and could make sense when 738 00:42:50,560 --> 00:42:54,280 Speaker 1: compared to what looks to be the execution style manner 739 00:42:54,320 --> 00:42:58,640 Speaker 1: of murder in this case. Tell me about Vincent's ex 740 00:42:58,719 --> 00:43:01,759 Speaker 1: girlfriend perhaps being a target. 741 00:43:02,120 --> 00:43:05,360 Speaker 3: She said that, for whatever reason, when she was interviewed 742 00:43:05,400 --> 00:43:07,359 Speaker 3: by the police, that they had made a statement that 743 00:43:07,400 --> 00:43:10,080 Speaker 3: she may have been the ind attended target instead of 744 00:43:10,160 --> 00:43:15,120 Speaker 3: Shelley for whatever reason. She hasn't really elaborated much on that. 745 00:43:15,480 --> 00:43:17,480 Speaker 3: She had said also that they had never found the 746 00:43:17,520 --> 00:43:21,200 Speaker 3: car keys to Vincent's car that night, But she also 747 00:43:21,280 --> 00:43:24,360 Speaker 3: stated that they had known, or she had known, that 748 00:43:24,360 --> 00:43:27,120 Speaker 3: they had staged the kids after they were shot to 749 00:43:27,120 --> 00:43:29,040 Speaker 3: looked like they were making out. That's what she had 750 00:43:29,080 --> 00:43:32,960 Speaker 3: told us, and that she had, through whoever she had 751 00:43:33,000 --> 00:43:35,400 Speaker 3: talked to, believes that Shelley was killed outside of the 752 00:43:35,440 --> 00:43:40,319 Speaker 3: car and that Vincent was shot inside and basically left 753 00:43:40,000 --> 00:43:41,200 Speaker 3: to bleed out. 754 00:43:41,480 --> 00:43:41,919 Speaker 2: She said. 755 00:43:41,960 --> 00:43:45,440 Speaker 3: The other understandings she had whoever she's talking to, is 756 00:43:45,480 --> 00:43:47,719 Speaker 3: that the police were covering up due to one of 757 00:43:47,760 --> 00:43:52,279 Speaker 3: their own individuals possibly having been involved in it. 758 00:43:53,600 --> 00:43:58,800 Speaker 1: And so here we are again, we've come full circle, 759 00:43:59,360 --> 00:44:06,880 Speaker 1: directly back to that law enforcement angle. So that was 760 00:44:06,920 --> 00:44:09,279 Speaker 1: her whole basis for this information was. 761 00:44:09,560 --> 00:44:11,719 Speaker 3: That she may have known more than she needed to know. 762 00:44:11,960 --> 00:44:14,279 Speaker 3: And so she said that she had gotten a death 763 00:44:14,320 --> 00:44:16,640 Speaker 3: threat one day she was at the movies and just 764 00:44:16,640 --> 00:44:19,280 Speaker 3: gotten a brand new car, and I guess that morning 765 00:44:19,400 --> 00:44:21,840 Speaker 3: actually and so she got into movies a couple of friends, 766 00:44:21,880 --> 00:44:24,359 Speaker 3: and when she came out there was a note on 767 00:44:24,400 --> 00:44:27,080 Speaker 3: her window that was a death threat, and so she 768 00:44:27,239 --> 00:44:29,880 Speaker 3: handed it over to police to say, hey, can you 769 00:44:30,120 --> 00:44:32,080 Speaker 3: please look into this? And she said that was probably 770 00:44:32,080 --> 00:44:35,560 Speaker 3: around late January to early February nineteen eighty four. 771 00:44:35,800 --> 00:44:39,160 Speaker 1: Mel went on to say a lot of this the 772 00:44:39,239 --> 00:44:44,840 Speaker 1: idea of high school kids involved death threats, Shelley circling 773 00:44:44,880 --> 00:44:49,600 Speaker 1: the faces of two individuals pictures for some reason all 774 00:44:50,000 --> 00:44:53,680 Speaker 1: centered around the meth trade and how the drug was 775 00:44:53,719 --> 00:44:57,640 Speaker 1: then marketed in school as a quick, fixed weight loss 776 00:44:57,719 --> 00:45:03,360 Speaker 1: drug at the time. So the theory is some kids 777 00:45:03,760 --> 00:45:08,399 Speaker 1: got in too deep, knew too much, had seemed too much, 778 00:45:09,680 --> 00:45:42,759 Speaker 1: and had to be taken out. When I mentioned near 779 00:45:42,840 --> 00:45:45,400 Speaker 1: the top of the episode, there were a lot of 780 00:45:45,520 --> 00:45:49,760 Speaker 1: strange deaths and accidents around the time of the murders, 781 00:45:50,200 --> 00:45:53,120 Speaker 1: many of which seemed to be connected back to Shelley 782 00:45:53,160 --> 00:45:56,759 Speaker 1: and Vincent, much in the same way Vincent's former girlfriend 783 00:45:56,960 --> 00:46:02,480 Speaker 1: might fit in. I was not being overly dramatic or hyperbolic. 784 00:46:05,280 --> 00:46:08,239 Speaker 3: A couple of months after Vincent was killed, one of 785 00:46:08,320 --> 00:46:12,600 Speaker 3: his really good friends, Billy Taylor, had died in a 786 00:46:12,680 --> 00:46:14,880 Speaker 3: one man car accident. I believe his brother was in 787 00:46:14,880 --> 00:46:19,120 Speaker 3: the vehicle with him, but he dies. He's fifteen, He's 788 00:46:19,160 --> 00:46:21,640 Speaker 3: like one day away from his sixteenth birthday, so it's 789 00:46:21,680 --> 00:46:25,360 Speaker 3: a really sad deal. He passes away. And then you 790 00:46:25,480 --> 00:46:31,160 Speaker 3: have the following summer. You've got Shelley's stepbrother who had 791 00:46:31,200 --> 00:46:33,359 Speaker 3: the same last name as her. They had become really 792 00:46:33,400 --> 00:46:37,160 Speaker 3: close before she passed away, and him and someboddies were 793 00:46:37,239 --> 00:46:38,759 Speaker 3: about to go to Fort Worth. They picked up the 794 00:46:38,800 --> 00:46:41,440 Speaker 3: Bluebells I guess, kind of the cheerleading team for Weatherford, 795 00:46:41,800 --> 00:46:44,920 Speaker 3: the usual Friday night stuff for teenagers. The way I 796 00:46:45,000 --> 00:46:46,560 Speaker 3: understood is there's two other people that got in the 797 00:46:46,560 --> 00:46:48,719 Speaker 3: car instead. It is thirty minutes to an hour later, 798 00:46:49,040 --> 00:46:52,200 Speaker 3: those kids are in an accident right off the highway, 799 00:46:52,239 --> 00:46:55,120 Speaker 3: went flying off the highway over an embankment and basically 800 00:46:55,160 --> 00:46:59,600 Speaker 3: into a ditch, and the car exploded, killing four of 801 00:46:59,600 --> 00:47:03,399 Speaker 3: them on impact. Two of them were severely burned. One 802 00:47:03,440 --> 00:47:05,560 Speaker 3: of they're bosent down to a burn unit. I believe 803 00:47:05,600 --> 00:47:08,560 Speaker 3: in Galveston. One of them passed away and the other 804 00:47:08,600 --> 00:47:11,960 Speaker 3: one there's one survivor from that. But so that was 805 00:47:12,360 --> 00:47:15,080 Speaker 3: five classmates right there that passed away in that accident. 806 00:47:22,560 --> 00:47:26,000 Speaker 1: The idea that Shelley and Vincent saw something they should 807 00:47:26,080 --> 00:47:29,160 Speaker 1: not have seen and it was ordered that they needed 808 00:47:29,360 --> 00:47:34,640 Speaker 1: to unsee it is a plausible explanation, especially when placed 809 00:47:34,680 --> 00:47:38,319 Speaker 1: into the context of killing a couple of kids to 810 00:47:38,440 --> 00:47:43,640 Speaker 1: protect a multi million dollar operation like the meth trade. 811 00:47:43,680 --> 00:47:47,760 Speaker 1: For some involved in that world, murder becomes just another 812 00:47:47,840 --> 00:47:52,040 Speaker 1: part of doing business. And what shocks me perhaps most 813 00:47:52,480 --> 00:47:55,200 Speaker 1: is I begin to get deep into the weeds here 814 00:47:55,560 --> 00:47:59,600 Speaker 1: is just how many people are willing and courageous enough 815 00:47:59,719 --> 00:48:03,040 Speaker 1: to want to talk about that part of this story 816 00:48:03,280 --> 00:48:07,320 Speaker 1: at all, seeing how many people have died or been murdered, 817 00:48:08,520 --> 00:48:11,880 Speaker 1: And in that sense, I had to think the murderer 818 00:48:12,160 --> 00:48:15,520 Speaker 1: could be standing right in front of us the entire time, 819 00:48:15,920 --> 00:48:22,719 Speaker 1: and we might not even know it. Alan Carter, who 820 00:48:22,800 --> 00:48:26,719 Speaker 1: was entangled in the meth world at one time, had 821 00:48:26,719 --> 00:48:31,400 Speaker 1: been hauled in and questioned about Shelley and Vincent's murders. 822 00:48:31,920 --> 00:48:37,600 Speaker 1: You've heard from Alan in previous episodes. When did they 823 00:48:37,680 --> 00:48:39,160 Speaker 1: polygraph you Allan? 824 00:48:40,280 --> 00:48:40,400 Speaker 3: Uh? 825 00:48:41,640 --> 00:48:45,040 Speaker 6: They were so serious about it that they handcuffed me 826 00:48:45,480 --> 00:48:48,040 Speaker 6: and took me to go take it. And when I 827 00:48:48,080 --> 00:48:50,319 Speaker 6: got through it, that polygraph guy said he had nothing 828 00:48:50,360 --> 00:48:52,000 Speaker 6: to do with it, and I said, I take his 829 00:48:52,040 --> 00:48:55,680 Speaker 6: fucking handcuff of me, and he goes, calm down. 830 00:48:55,840 --> 00:48:57,080 Speaker 1: I'm calm down, my ash. 831 00:48:57,160 --> 00:48:58,960 Speaker 6: You handcuffed me and drove me all way over here 832 00:48:59,000 --> 00:49:01,360 Speaker 6: and made me take this student and I'm pasted with 833 00:49:01,360 --> 00:49:03,680 Speaker 6: a fine code and gets you hankos of me and 834 00:49:03,840 --> 00:49:05,920 Speaker 6: he took them off of me and then be to 835 00:49:05,960 --> 00:49:06,839 Speaker 6: Collie right at home. 836 00:49:07,719 --> 00:49:10,360 Speaker 1: So Alan, it's important to say, if we are to 837 00:49:10,440 --> 00:49:13,560 Speaker 1: take a lie detector test at face value, is a 838 00:49:13,600 --> 00:49:19,399 Speaker 1: truth teller? Do you remember any of the questions they 839 00:49:19,440 --> 00:49:20,919 Speaker 1: had for you on the polygraph? 840 00:49:21,440 --> 00:49:25,680 Speaker 6: Do you know do you hang out with where were 841 00:49:25,719 --> 00:49:28,400 Speaker 6: you on the night of this? What were you doing? 842 00:49:28,800 --> 00:49:30,720 Speaker 4: All kinds of questions. 843 00:49:31,680 --> 00:49:35,920 Speaker 1: Whenever we talk suspects in this case, those two names 844 00:49:36,160 --> 00:49:40,680 Speaker 1: I have been censoring throughout come up again and again 845 00:49:41,000 --> 00:49:46,800 Speaker 1: and again, and now here you have Weatherford investigators asking 846 00:49:46,920 --> 00:49:51,400 Speaker 1: Allan about those very names. So it is a fact 847 00:49:51,600 --> 00:49:56,440 Speaker 1: that Weatherford was looking at these two individuals as suspects 848 00:49:56,800 --> 00:50:01,120 Speaker 1: very early on into its investigation, and from what Allan 849 00:50:01,239 --> 00:50:05,040 Speaker 1: tells me, it seemed they were at least at one 850 00:50:05,080 --> 00:50:11,160 Speaker 1: time hyper focused on one of them in particular. So 851 00:50:11,280 --> 00:50:12,920 Speaker 1: this thing was really focused on. 852 00:50:13,760 --> 00:50:16,719 Speaker 6: It seems well, if somebody told him that me and 853 00:50:16,760 --> 00:50:22,200 Speaker 6: him were out together, well then he failed his polygraph. 854 00:50:22,680 --> 00:50:24,480 Speaker 6: That's why when they rapped to me, I said, no, 855 00:50:24,560 --> 00:50:27,640 Speaker 6: he looked like when they asked me that on the polygraph, 856 00:50:27,760 --> 00:50:31,239 Speaker 6: I said that I passed. They couldn't be And they 857 00:50:31,280 --> 00:50:32,440 Speaker 6: said because they said he was. 858 00:50:32,440 --> 00:50:34,280 Speaker 4: In college going to Trooper school. 859 00:50:34,600 --> 00:50:36,319 Speaker 6: You know how it work back then? You know, you 860 00:50:36,360 --> 00:50:38,640 Speaker 6: see them guys, they all got the crew cook, they're tall, 861 00:50:38,680 --> 00:50:40,480 Speaker 6: they all wear can can count with. 862 00:50:40,880 --> 00:50:41,680 Speaker 3: That same god. 863 00:50:42,320 --> 00:50:44,719 Speaker 6: And they wasn't saying flash and all that they were 864 00:50:44,719 --> 00:50:46,640 Speaker 6: white guys. 865 00:50:47,760 --> 00:50:51,360 Speaker 1: What could be the motive here to kill Vincent Shelley 866 00:50:51,480 --> 00:50:57,080 Speaker 1: like that? What do you think if it was, what 867 00:50:57,400 --> 00:50:58,280 Speaker 1: would be the motive? 868 00:50:58,560 --> 00:51:00,520 Speaker 6: They seen something they weren't sposed to on his heal. 869 00:51:00,640 --> 00:51:04,520 Speaker 6: I've seen a hand one something they. 870 00:51:05,480 --> 00:51:08,160 Speaker 5: Were supposed to see. 871 00:51:08,440 --> 00:51:11,640 Speaker 1: I needed to make a play at contacting these guys, 872 00:51:12,000 --> 00:51:15,839 Speaker 1: ask them to come on the podcast and discuss what 873 00:51:15,920 --> 00:51:19,719 Speaker 1: people have been saying for what over forty years? Now 874 00:51:21,080 --> 00:51:26,200 Speaker 1: give them their chance to speak for themselves. Remember, these 875 00:51:26,239 --> 00:51:31,480 Speaker 1: guys are innocent of these crimes until proven guilty. They 876 00:51:31,480 --> 00:51:35,279 Speaker 1: have never been charged. I need you to understand that 877 00:51:35,480 --> 00:51:39,840 Speaker 1: one very important fact They have become the focus of 878 00:51:39,880 --> 00:51:43,520 Speaker 1: this case today only by the people in town accusing 879 00:51:43,600 --> 00:51:48,279 Speaker 1: them and in several instances doxing them by putting their 880 00:51:48,320 --> 00:51:52,680 Speaker 1: pictures and names out there alongside information we have no 881 00:51:52,840 --> 00:51:58,399 Speaker 1: way of verifying. Not to mention, I have confirmed that 882 00:51:58,480 --> 00:52:02,200 Speaker 1: law enforcement looked deep into these men throughout the early 883 00:52:02,320 --> 00:52:06,520 Speaker 1: part of its investigation, and for whatever reason, have not 884 00:52:06,840 --> 00:52:12,480 Speaker 1: pursued them since. Was all of this a witch hunt, 885 00:52:12,800 --> 00:52:16,480 Speaker 1: a carefully orchestrated design to put the onus of the 886 00:52:16,600 --> 00:52:22,360 Speaker 1: murders on two innocent people? After all, nobody has offered 887 00:52:22,440 --> 00:52:28,360 Speaker 1: any concrete forensic proof or a credible eyewitness statement placing 888 00:52:28,520 --> 00:52:33,799 Speaker 1: either of them at the scene of the murders. I 889 00:52:33,920 --> 00:52:38,040 Speaker 1: needed to understand their opinions of it all, not badger them, 890 00:52:38,560 --> 00:52:41,840 Speaker 1: call them out on anything, or accused them of murdering 891 00:52:42,160 --> 00:52:46,919 Speaker 1: two teenagers. Just talk and listen to what they had 892 00:52:47,160 --> 00:52:50,760 Speaker 1: to say. So I called welcome too. 893 00:52:51,040 --> 00:52:54,160 Speaker 6: Now it's not available, please be good message after the. 894 00:52:54,200 --> 00:53:03,600 Speaker 1: Tone, Hey, this is Phelps coming up in the next 895 00:53:03,640 --> 00:53:06,160 Speaker 1: episode of paper Ghosts. 896 00:53:06,440 --> 00:53:08,960 Speaker 5: I know that Parker County was pretty young back. What 897 00:53:09,160 --> 00:53:13,160 Speaker 5: we called it crank Okay, all we ever heard was. 898 00:53:14,520 --> 00:53:16,840 Speaker 6: That's kind of sort of how I found out about 899 00:53:17,480 --> 00:53:17,799 Speaker 6: the men. 900 00:53:17,960 --> 00:53:21,319 Speaker 5: Well, we're gonna say we called the crank. We heard that, 901 00:53:21,960 --> 00:53:24,400 Speaker 5: you know, there might be some shady things going on 902 00:53:24,600 --> 00:53:28,120 Speaker 5: with to share it. He just always heard it that 903 00:53:28,680 --> 00:53:31,839 Speaker 5: he was always kind of shaved or had shady up. 904 00:53:33,080 --> 00:53:36,480 Speaker 7: Because when I went and talked to Arnold in February 905 00:53:36,520 --> 00:53:39,680 Speaker 7: of twenty twenty two, that's what Arnold had said. They 906 00:53:39,719 --> 00:53:43,239 Speaker 7: had five scenarios and they had just got back from 907 00:53:43,280 --> 00:53:46,960 Speaker 7: New Mexico. Now they've worked it down before, but I've 908 00:53:47,000 --> 00:53:49,640 Speaker 7: asked her and I don't think she would lie about that. 909 00:53:50,520 --> 00:53:53,879 Speaker 9: He told me that this girl said she had seen 910 00:53:54,480 --> 00:53:55,880 Speaker 9: the body shaking. 911 00:53:55,920 --> 00:53:56,840 Speaker 4: Actual they've been shot. 912 00:53:57,600 --> 00:54:01,120 Speaker 9: Now this guy's not alive, I can want to care. 913 00:54:00,440 --> 00:54:04,920 Speaker 9: Said he wasn't just somebody's sold for me. He was 914 00:54:04,960 --> 00:54:09,480 Speaker 9: a friend of mine. 915 00:54:13,200 --> 00:54:17,399 Speaker 1: Paper Ghost Season five is written and executive produced by 916 00:54:17,480 --> 00:54:23,280 Speaker 1: me and William Phelps. Script consulting by iHeartMedia Executive producer 917 00:54:23,640 --> 00:54:29,239 Speaker 1: Catherine Law, Production by Tok Boom Productions, Audio mastering and 918 00:54:29,320 --> 00:54:34,080 Speaker 1: mixing by Brandon Dicker. The series theme number four four 919 00:54:34,120 --> 00:54:38,080 Speaker 1: to two is written and performed by Thomas Phelps and 920 00:54:38,160 --> 00:54:39,560 Speaker 1: Tom Mooney