Bonus Episode 49 - Weird Scenes in Waco pt. 5: the Lake Waco Murders, feat. George from CAVDEF (Patreon)

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The fifth episode in conversation with George of CAVDEF discussing Henry Lee Lucas. In this episode, we begin to explore the background of the Waco authorities who held Lucas when he made his recantation. We start with a brief overview of the Waco DA's background, including an introduction to his Tulsa lawyer friend Gary Richardson. Then we head into a discussion of the Lake Waco murders: a 1982 homicide case involving many of the same people from Waco who reappear in the Lucas story.

George walks us through the police investigation and court proceedings on the Lake Waco murders. We discuss the initial angle that the murders were a drug-related crime, possibly even committed by members of a local "devil's cult". From there, we discuss how DA's investigator Truman Simons and assistant DA Ned Butler developed a much different case for trial that largely omitted these connections from the narrative. It turns out that Simons and Butler, who both assisted the Waco DA in his inquiry of Lucas's confessions, almost certainly engaged in the same misconduct that the Texas Rangers are merely alleged to have done with Lucas.

We talk through the prosecution's case against the alleged perpetrators, which was jointly prosecuted by the Waco DA and assistant DA Butler. George walks us through the maze of contradictory evidence presented at trial, which includes jailhouse snitches, other questionable testimony, and even a brand new entry in sus dentistry. The possibility of a wrongful conviction begins to emerge from this messy picture.

George's Notes:

• The Aspen connection to Fleet White that I mention comes through his father Fleet White Sr.: a wealthy oil executive and reputed pedophile who had a chalet in Aspen since 1963
• Ned Butler's time as assistant DA in Amarillo TX occurred between his relocation to Aspen (in mid 1979) and joining the McLennan County DA's office (in early 1983). It was during this time that he helped develop a 1982 murder case against Jay Kelly Pinkerton using Homer Campbell's bite mark testimony.
• Another notable case where Homer Campbell provided bite mark testimony was actually Ted Bundy's trial for the Chi Omega murders
• When I mentioned Gayle Kelley as having been employed by Muneer Deeb at his store, the picture is a bit murkier. Gayle did often hang around the store, Deeb offered her a job, and she signed some preliminary employment documents including the insurance policy. However, it does not appear that she actually followed through with working for him.
• The timing of Spence having to wait for an hour or more in Koehne Park while the Melendez brothers got the truck is detailed in Tony Melendez's clemency petition. A defense investigator timed the trip (as described in Tony's guilty plea statement), and per their findings, an hour is arguably charitable.

George's Links:

https://twitter.com/CAVDEF_George

http://cavdef.org/w/index.php?title=Main_Page

http://blog.cavdef.org/

series art by Dakota

Sources:

Texas Monthly article on the Lake Waco murders

David Spence appeal filings

Anthony Melendez clemency petition

Police reports and trial testimony in the Lake Waco murders

CAVDEF section on the Lake Waco murders

Episode 49 Songs:

Dolores by Los Hermanos Gutiérrez

El Camino De Mi Alma by Los Hermanos Gutiérrez

There’s No Justice by George Jones

Merch:

https://programmed-to-chill.myshopify.com/