God, how he wished they'd quit fishing and gone home early. In carrying Jill's body to where it was found, the killer could have brushed against the sunflower. Besides Horton, Waco attorneys Russ Hunt and Walter M. Reaves Jr. also think the four defendants were wrongfully convicted. The brotherhood that he felt was supposed to exist among officers was nothing more than a television-inspired myth. "Look, man, there's a lot of people wandering around out here and these girls don't have any clothes on. The murders put the city of Waco on edge. Now available as a three-volume paperback boxed set, E L Jamess, "I rest my head against him, and he kisses my hair repeatedly. Arlington, Texas, USA. Careless Whispers/the Lake Waco Murders by , January 1991, Pocket Books edition, Paperback Ex law partner or not, Reyna had gone too far. It was not a road in the truest sense, just a rutted path carved out by pickup-driving fishermen, campers who wanted to set up their tents in the more isolated areas of the park, and adventurous young lovers seeking privacy for other reasons. I have heard so many people who have read the book, Careless Whispers, or heard me talk about it on my podcast, and they say, I remember that my mom wouldnt let us go out. ; Standard Book Size. A few seconds later, the smile drained from his face. a Slo BurnPodcast, The Lake Waco Murders Part 2 Who Killed? District Attorney Vic Feazell prosecuted the case, and while wary of Simons questioning tactics, placed him, Salinas, and Baier on the task force. Being Mr. Whittle, 49, of Fletcher Way, Hemel Hempstead, denied murder but was found . If such was the case, the perpetrator had succeeded with flying colors. The discovery of the bodies had stirred a beehive of activity among the officers and onlookers. Ilus. Maybe they were good kids; maybe they had problems. The whole thing, Simons thought, was turning into a goddamn three-ring circus. I give you my word on that. With this evidence and the incriminating testimonies of the Melendez brothers, local law enforcement officials believed the case was closed. a Slo Burn Podcast, On July 13, 1982 Jill Montgomery and Raylene Rice left Waxahachie, Texas to go to Waco, Texas, which was approximately 90 minutes away, to pick up Jills last pay check from Fort Fisher. "He was supposed to be with a couple of young girls from Waxahachie. Yet only 52 days after the gruesome triple-murder was discovered, frustrated authorities suspended the case indefinitely. The top stalk of a dead sunflower had been snapped off and on it there appeared to be bloodstains. It was the loss of reputation, which was like the loss of a limb at that time. For most of the day construction worker Sidney Smith and his brother-in-law Joseph Chambers had been fishing along the banks of Lake Waco with little success. FULL INTERVIEW: Criminal defense attorney Russ Hunt. Now, in his Edgar Award-winning account of the Lake Waco killings, acclaimed true crime writer Carlton Stowers lays bare the facts behind the tragic crimes, the twisted predators, and the heroic man who broke the investigation--with important updated information based on new developments in the case. Jokingly they said that he would get right down there with them, touching them, looking right at them, like he was checking a dog for fleas. She still wore blue hoop earrings and there were rings on two of her fingers. After Anthony Melendezs death in 2017, Simons said Anthony Melendez initially denied his involvement in the murders but failed polygraph tests. [9] Gilbert Melendez died in prison in 1998 from AIDS-related complications. Narrated by Danny Campbell 4 / 5 ( 25 ratings ) About this audiobook When the bodies of three teenagers were found on the shores of Lake Waco, Texas, in July 1982, even seasoned lawmen were taken aback by the savage mutilation and degradation to which they had been subjected. Not enough Prozac for me to read him being that way to someone I admire. A package of cigarettes was still in place, tucked under the left sleeve of his shirt. "Looks like we've got some kind of questionable death out here at Speegleville," he told the dispatcher. Maybe some distance would dim the pictures of those dead kids which were still so vivid in his mind's eye. Still crouched beneath the tree, Simons looked first at the picture, then back at the youngster. Subsequently, Deeb was released for lack of evidence. Exposing small town corruption and secrets in Waco, Texas. Constable Thorpe, a husky, middle-aged man with an ever-present weary look, had just returned home from work and was ready to sit down and watch the evening news before having his dinner. Why do things like this have to happen? WACO, Texas (KWTX) - Forty years ago, before mass shootings became regular occurrences and flags routinely fly at half-staff, the gruesome murders of three teenagers at Lake Waco terrified the community and sent shock waves across the state. Bastards didn't leave them a shred of dignity. He pounded his palm on the steering wheel as he began to cry. Yet only fifty-two days after the gruesome triple-murder was discovered, frustrated authorities suspended the case indefinitely. He had driven only a few blocks when a call from Brian Reynolds came over his radio, asking his location. Patrol Sergeant Truman Simons, a seventeen-year veteran in the Waco Police Department, was a man of average build, trim, and well shy of six feet, but something about the way he carried himself gave one the impression of a much larger man. Thus the situation presented him by the two shaken fishermen was more aggravating than alarming. That seems to have been the case as years later, one of the wives of one of the other Plaintiffs called Vic and asked his advice when her boss had asked her for oral sex and told her if she didnt he was going to demote her. In Spences appeals, his defenders argued that the state mishandled the case. Feazell wanted to be a healthy muscle man like his new law partner, Mr. Truman Simons left the station shortly after midnight, ending his shift a bit earlier than usual. No matter what your religion, or lack of it, political leanings or party, one things for sure, its time to clean up your act, and those of the others around you. Reynolds was already there, waiting in his car. The Digital and eTextbook ISBNs for Careless Whispers are 9781429937474, 1429937475 and the print ISBNs are 9781250010575, 1250010578. Beat officer Brian Reynolds, specialinvestigator Jimmy Wilcox, and Sergeant Simons were asked to respond. Sidney Smith felt as if he was going to be sick. He would still be sleeping when she left for work at the Engineering Technological Institute, and she would already be asleep when he arrived home in the early morning hours. On July 13, 1982, two fishermen discovered the bodies of Jill Montgomery, 17, Raylene Rice, 17, and Kenneth Franks, 18, in Speegleville Park, near Lake Waco. This page is not available in other languages. ratings. It has a slick photo of a beautiful lake with a placid sunset and the words: Open Discussion on the 1982 Lake Waco Murders. 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. Bob Herbert wrote a series of articles for The New York Times in 1997, with headlines such as The Wrong Man and The Impossible Crime, in which he claimed that the case had been cobbled [] together from the fabricated and often preposterous testimony of inmates who were granted all manner of favors in return. [14]. For several silent minutes the police officer had stood looking down at the body of the young girl. h/back. Also considered was the confession Deeb had made to the two young women about his involvement in the killings and the life insurance policy he had taken out for his employee. What kindof monster could do that to someone? Approximately twenty-five yards away, in the underbrush on the other side of the fishing trail, lay the nude body of a young girl. July 28, 1997. It happened in the city limits, right out of Koehne Park, three young teenagers brutally, brutally stabbed and raped. Like the blonde, she too had been a pretty girl, with long dark brown hair. Several television reporters who must have been monitoring the police radio were already milling around, along with three or four sheriff's deputies, several constables, and some of the park's employees. George W. Bush, who was running for president at the time, said the state of Texas never executed an innocent man during his watch. When one finally snaps to proof after suspicion in this case where time, reason, and science in the form of the TEXAS FORENSICS COMMISSION have led us towards innocence, its another form of The Emperors New Clothes, that seems to be hypocrisy and corruption pervasive now in all government and society. SUBSCRIBE FOR INSTANT E-MAIL UPDATES ON THE LATEST AND NEVER MISS OUT! Vic Feazell, of course, was acquitted of all RICO Counts, AND, the Superme Court of the United States dropped Mail Fraud as a crime. Its so bad, Matt Johnson, current Judge and ex law partner, had to back out of this one. This is home. He persuaded his brother-in-law to drive over there and try just a bit longer. He considered the possibility that the murders were the work of a psychopathic killer, someone who had ended the lives of three young kids just for kicks. It was just minutes after 6:00 P.M. Finally, weary of the unyielding heat and disappointed with their luck, Chambers suggested they call it quits, stop somewhere for a couple of beers, then go on home. The Award-Winning True Account of the Horrific Lake Waco Murders. I dont have all the answers. Horton remains convinced to this day that innocent men were charged in the Lake Waco case. There was no urgency in his movements as he pulled on the cowboy boots he had just minutes earlier removed. Criticism intensified after then Gov. Especially those around us who pretend to be God fearing and holy. Recently, though, he had been giving considerable thought to the direction his own career was heading. Im trying to remember if it was Patti Dees, Lisa Kater. [13] Brian Pardo, a wealthy Texas businessman, met Spence a few months before his execution and, on becoming convinced of his innocence, launched a campaign to delay his death sentence so that a new trial could be commenced. Times were simpler in 1982. But Smith was starting a new job the next day and knew he wouldn't have the opportunity to do much fishing for some time to come. When the bodies of three teenagers were found on the shores of Lake Waco, Texas, in July, 1982, even seasoned lawmen were taken aback by the savage mutilation and degradation they had been subjected to. He had seen more than one good police officer ruined by too much education. Despite an investigation by the Waco Police Department, no leads were produced. Still, after what they had already been through, he thought, they deserved something better than a cold stainless steel table with a drain at one end. The great, religious, Republican, man of God, who thought nothing of groping women his entire life, throwing out jury verdicts, and being just generally creepy for over 25 years. In 1986, award-winning author Carlton Sowers published Careless Whispers, creatively recounting the case. He backed the pickup down the road until he could turn around, then headed back in the direction of the paved road. From a group of one hundred taking the Civil Service exam, Simons was one of eight applicants called in for interviews. Simons handed the picture back to Salinas. Simons glared first at him, then at Reynolds. No longer concerning himself with a futile attempt to keep the area clear, he concentrated his full attention on the bodies. Eager to hear details of the previous evening's game, he drove to her office to have coffee with her after handing out beat assignments and completing his paperwork. The infusion of out of town talent in the form of biker lawyers, Casie Gotro, and Clint Broden make me feel braver and gives me hope that stroking the ego of the politician, although much easier than trying to snap them out of ego and denial, is going to stop and has to for everyones sake. Finally, making sure no one was watching, he knelt beside her and began to speak: "I don't even know who you are," he whispered, "and I don't know how or why this happened to you. God, why? Feazell calls his own son a liar, has gone to rehab himself for drugs and sexual addiction, and used to be an intelligent man but now doesnt believe in DNA in this case?Much like people around Donald Trump havent toned down the orange self tanner? Lying beneath a small tree on the edge of the road was the motionless form of a young man. However, his conviction was reversed and he was found not guilty on retrial in Tarrant County in 1993. 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. The true story of a determined lawman's attempt to track down the vicious murderer of three teenagers in Waco, Texas. Standing in the road, Simons could see that the body was that of a boy, probably in his late teens, wearing jeans, tennis shoes, and a bloodstained orange shirt. He was still looking at the body of the young man, feeling the arms in an attempt to determine how long he'd been dead, when he heard a shout. He regularly calls on a verse from the Book of Matthew: "Blessed are the peacemakers; for they shall be called the children of God." "It could be a suicide or maybe some old fisherman who fell out with a heart attack. FULL INTERVIEW: Attorney Walter Reaves Jr. Waco attorney Rod Goble, who represented Gilbert Melendez in the case, said he has no doubt that Gilbert Melendez was involved in the deaths and that the grisly details he related in his testimony came from him. However, he said he thinks there was another person involved who was never charged. At Gray, our journalists report, write, edit and produce the news content that informs the communities we serve. And somewhere close, Simons knew, there was one more. Several days later the accused officer confronted him and insisted he had gotten some bad information. The body was that of a teenage boy. We asked Gilbert why he testified and he said, I dont lie to my mother. Waco, TX. He also appeared to have some sort of gag tied around his mouth. Careless Whispers: The Lake Waco Murders. Besides, he had no ambition to advance to the rank of lieutenant. Nothing seemed to affect the guy. The murders put the city of Waco on edge. Pale and shaken, he didn't take his eyes off the road as he finally remarked on what he'd seen. Simons investigative style and penchant for cultivating jailhouse snitches came under fire, even from his former Waco police colleagues. Uh-oh, it looks like your Internet Explorer is out of date. Careless Whispers . On his bloghttps://lakewaco82.com/2016/01/21/questions-i-have-plenty/, he states that his ex wife has mental health issues. She too had been stabbed repeatedly. Deeb, who had continued to protest his innocence, was found guilty of instigating the murders, and on March 14, he was sentenced to death by lethal injection. Critics, including Horton, the retired Waco police lieutenant, claimed Simons gave snitches special favors to coax their testimonies and fed them information. His current wife was with him constantly through is GHB phase which lasted about five years. As Simons considered such questions, all the while searching the area for any evidence that might have been left behind, he turned in the direction of where Raylene Rice's body lay and saw a park ranger placing a blanket over the girl's body. By placing the blankets over Kenneth and Raylene, the park ranger had almost assured the technicians of finding hair and fibers that had nothing to do with the case. When he had strong suspicions that a fellow policeman had killed a prisoner in the city jail, he began looking into the matter but wassoon told to forget about it or find another job. [5] Those who had been involved in the initial prosecution were stunned. To do the job he knew the situation demanded, he had to go about his duties with an attitude some might mistake for a total lack of emotion. He hoped Thorpe was at home. [6] Spence and both Melendez brothers were, at the time, already serving prison sentences for various crimes.[7]. The 1982 Lake Waco murders continued to pique interest, as journalists and reporters expressed interest in the handling, and likely mishandling, of the case. Hall, Michael. Indeed, as the years passed, it seemed that what was once a closed case was now a cold case. He helped Reynolds and Wilcox load the photography equipment into the car, then told them to meet him at the police station and make their reports. Discussions of Spences death row sentence appeared in The New York Times and in an HBO documentary. Vic Feazell was the McLennan County district attorney at the time, and his office gave Simons free rein to try to solve the triple homicide. People wondered how such a violent crime could happen in the small, quaint city of Waco, Texas. When the bodies of three teenagers were found on the shores of Lake Waco, Texas in July, 1982, even seasoned lawmen were taken aback by the savage mutilation and degradation they had been subjected to. Ants and pillbugs were crawling over her bloodstained torso and flies had already laid their eggs in her nasal cavities. Lividity had already begun and, after trying to bend one of her toes, the officer decided she had been dead for quite some time. I read some of it, got mad and knew it was Vic Feazell. After entering the park, he drove his pickup a couple of miles along the winding blacktop, then turned off onto a small dirt road that led into the thickly wooded area that bordered the lake's shoreline. From inside the book What people are saying - Write a review Simons noticed that one had brought his young son with him, a boy no older than nine or ten. 418pp. Simons had been working the relief shift3:00 P.M. to 1:00 A.M.for several weeks and had seen very little of his wife in recent days. Subscribe HERE or wherever you get your favorite podcasts. People naysaying the convictions found other suspects and submitted DNA. In the darkening woods of Speegleville Park, there were no such feelings. Add to Cart Buy now Item Price. CARELESS WHISPERS is, of course the name of Carlton Stowers' 1986 book about the case. After one of the women reported this comment to the police, Deeb was quickly arrested and submitted to a polygraph test, which he passed. Simons helped the attendants from the Connally Compton Funeral Home place the bodies into heavy black plastic bags, then assisted in carrying them to the van. Two fishermen discovered the teens bodies, and the grisly crime scene shook even the most seasoned officers and had Waco residents wondering how something so horrific could happen here. The book focused heavily on Truman Simons involvement in producing the evidence which led to the convictions. Just get your ass out of here and let us do our job.". [12] Three of the seven people who said Spence confessed later stated that Simons had offered them privileges to secure their testimony, including one that said he had fed her info on what to say. Who was the teenaged girl on whos word Truman picked up Muneer are you referring to? Muneer Mohammad Deeb, a local gas station owner, was known to have had a contentious relationship with Kenneth Franks. Eventually, the state exonerated Deeb. After only eight weeks, authorities suspended the case. When a blind panel examined the alleged bite marks and a mold of Spence's teeth, two matched them to a Kansas housewife, and the other three could not match them to anyone's teeth. Over the years there were a lot of effort to discredit the convictions in the Lake Waco case, Feazell said. Careless Whispers: The Lake Waco Murders - Carlton Stowers: 9780671646066 - AbeBooks In September that year, the investigation began to stall and was marked as "suspended." Whi, Careless Whispers or Contrived Convictions, The Lake Waco Murders Part 2 Who Killed? But if it falls within our jurisdiction, we're going to have to work it." If you want to[], via The Lake Waco Murders Part 2 Who Killed? by Carlton Stowers. Though he fought to free his mind from thoughts of what had just transpired at the park, it was to little avail. His brown eyes, which matched the color of his hair and his neatly trimmed mustache, always focused squarely on whomever he was talking with, signaling a quiet self-confidence. 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 doesnt seem to have any ego when it comes to his wifes love life whatsoever. You make this show possible. It lingers, he says, like a choking residue, a grim, almost tangible reminder that on a particular spot some unspeakable evil has taken place. This won't be just another murder in Waco, Texas. Her eyes remained partially open, a milky gray glaze replacing their original color. Years of investigating homicides had taught him to mask any feelings he might have. He died from cancer six years after being released. 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. The evidence against the men largely consisted of testimony provided by other inmates, who claimed that the defendants had admitted to their involvement in the killings in private discussions, as well as confessions made by Anthony and Gilbert Melendez. Probably to elect new people over and over again until its right. He shook his head slightly, images of her killer forming in his mind. While other investigators busied themselves with such matters as collecting several Budweiser cans found on the side of the road near the bodies and searching through the high grass and scrub brush in hopes of finding a weapon, he stood for a long time looking down at her body, studying her face. With no serious interest in or understanding of law enforcement, he decided to look into it. It appeared she had been gagged with her own blouse and her hands tied behind her with what was probably a strip of cloth torn from a towel. Texas Rangers had arrived, as had other sheriff's deputies and police officers, more reporters and park employees. The only thing about the case he was absolutely certain of was that the three youngsters had not been killed where their bodies were found. Truman Simons eventually came to the decision that he really didn't like cops. Careless Whispers by Stowers, Carlton. Instead, he worked briefly for his father as a mechanic, then served as shop foreman at the Ford Tractor plant before hearing on the radio one day that the Waco Police Department was looking for recruits. What the hell's going on here? No, he thought, it seemed more than that. To listen to this audio please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 audio. Kelley worked at Deebs store and Simons learned Deeb had taken out a life insurance policy on her and made himself the beneficiary. In the minds of many in the department, including some ofhis superiors, Truman Simons was something of a renegade. You know I'm a good cop." Homer Campbell, a forensic odontologistsomeone who studies bite marksinsisted that the marks on the girls bodies matched the teeth of David Wayne Spence. Never mind the thousands of firemen all over Texas who know about it and shake their head in disbelief at the private constant humiliation and lack of male testes he must have to endure it. "It bothers me, too, Captain," the officer said. Careless Whispers or Contrived Convictions The Lake Waco Murders Part 2 Who Killed? ; 418 pages; Signed by Author . "We've got to tell somebody," he said with obvious fright in his voice. "Take a look at this," Salinas said. Deeb won his new trial in January 1993 and was subsequently released from prison. He wanted to get as far away from Speegleville Park as he could. However, both men were found to have credible alibis (Harper's was later proven false when Spence's attorneys investigated it). The girls, friends from Waxahachie, had driven to. One of the things he had missed most was attending her softball games. In 1982 murders, the mutilated bodies of three teenagers were found on the shores of Lake Waco, Texas. Graham pleaded not guilty to two counts of murder, two of attempted murder and two of administering poison at his trial at St Albans crown court in June, 1972, where he was sentenced to life . For Truman, being a police officer has always been something more than a way to earn a paycheck. Franks' body was found propped against a tree, with sunglasses over his eyes. He wanted to get home. Simons spent long hours visiting Spence in jail, cultivating a relationship with him in an effort to coax a confession that never came. The lifeless stare of a murder victim seemed always to draw the officer's attention. 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. Simons had just pulled out of the parking lot following the brief visit with his wife when the dispatcher put out the call. They kept us locked up. Until we made an arrest in that case, nobody knew who did it and they were afraid their child might be next.. Minutes later, Simons turned into a 7-Eleven store parking lot at the intersection of Highway Six and Bosque Avenue. After he started cooperating with investigators and said he wanted to testify against Spence for embroiling him and his brother in the brutal crime, he passed polygraphs, Simons said. But always he would tire of the duty quickly, and he had gained a reputation for spending unauthorized time looking into cases that didn't fall within his job description. Well, why do you think that was?. Time to look at the politician who is your husband and/or friend, or boss, and become an Accountability Partner. A story about the Lake Waco murders. As Spence was strapped to the gurney in the execution chamber, he turned to the victims families in attendance and said that they were being victimized again because he was not guilty and the real killer was still free. Smith knew that Gene Thorpe, a McLennan County Deputy Constable who also served as a night security guard at the park, lived in a house trailer near the marina, just a couple of miles away.
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