True Crime Reporter

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Do Murderous Roots Lie Within Your Family Tree? Apr 04, 2022

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It was called the "Ride Murder." The bullet-riddled body of an unidentified seaman from the Port of Houston, Texas, was found dumped in a ditch a few miles away. HELP US FIND THIS MAN'S FAMILY Two men and a woman used a “honey pot” trap to lure the seaman into their car to rob him. It was one of the most sensational murder trials ever brought in East Texas. School children paraded through the county jail on macabre field trips to get a look at the accused killers. Jailhouse Sketches by The Ride Killer One of the defendants, who had already killed a traveling salesman using a similar “honey pot” ploy, sat behind bars drawing sketches about romantic encounters. Decades later, veteran criminal investigator Louis Fawcett was conducting genealogical research about his family tree. Imagine his shock when Fawcett who had spent 43 years hunting down criminals, discovered that the trigger man in the "Ride Murder" was his uncle. If you have information about the identity of the murdered seaman, please CONTACT US.

A Sniper In The Tower–The First School Shooting–Why Did He Do It? Mar 29, 2022

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Before Columbine. Before Sandy Hook. Before Virginia Tech. There was the Sniper in the Tower at the University of Texas. America’s first mass murder and school shooting unfolded on live television in Austin, Texas, more than a half-century ago. Since then, the question has lingered, “Why did he do it?” Gary Lavergne, the author of A Sniper in the Tower: The Charles Whitman Murders, addresses the whys and the myths about the why. In this True Crime Reporter™, Confidential investigative reporter Robert Riggs and former U.S. prosecutor Bill Johnston take listeners back to 1966 when a student cut down fifty people in 96 minutes. We have placed links in the show notes to black-and-white film footage from the shooting and a video of Gary Lavergne following the sniper’s trail to the top of the UT Tower

CBS News Anchor Bob Schieffer Shocked By Broomstick Killer’s Brutality Mar 21, 2022

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Kenneth McDuff "The Broomstick Killer" Retired CBS News Anchor Bob Schieffer was the first reporter to interview Kenneth McDuff and cover his crimes in 1966. Fort Worth Star-Telegram police beat reporter Bob Schieffer; appeared in "The Anatomy of a Newspaper" article dated 01/12/1964 Back then, Schieffer was the police beat reporter for the Fort Worth Star-Telegram. Fort Worth Star-Telegram reporter Bob Schieffer in combat helmet while reporting from Vietnam, spring 1966 Schieffer had just returned from a combat assignment covering the Vietnam War when the call came in from homicide detectives. The bullet-riddled bodies of 17-year-old Robert Brand and his cousin, 16-year-old Mark Dunnam, had been found in the trunk of their abandoned car on a remote farm road south of Fort Worth, Texas. Sixteen-year-old Edna Louise Sullivan, who had been out with the boys, was missing. Hundreds of law enforcement officers and residents started a widespread search of rough terrain. Kenneth McDuff Dubbed "The Broomstick Killer" Gives Menacing Stare During Court Hearing The triple slaying would bring Schieffer face to face in exclusive interviews with 20-year-old Kenneth McDuff, who became known as the “Broomstick Killer,” and his accomplice, 18-year-old Roy Dale Green. Investigative reporter Robert Riggs would follow Schieffer's lead 27 years later. Their journalism careers came full circle. Robert Riggs Reporting From Capitol Hill 1987 In 1978, Schieffer helped Riggs move from the staff of a congressional committee to television news. Both reporters covered wars for CBS during their careers but never witnessed brutality like serial killer Kenneth McDuff inflicted on young women. Robert Riggs Interviews Retired CBS Anchorman Bob Schieffer About The Broomstick Killer Besides appearing on the True Crime Reporter™ podcast, Schieffer sat down in front of a TV camera to talk with Riggs about what it was like to cover McDuff.

First There Was the Lone Ranger. Now There’s Creed True. Mar 14, 2022

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We usually take our fans inside the crime scene tape of real-life crimes. But in this episode, we are testing out a fictional Texas Ranger superhero named Creed True, inspired by real-life cases. The Texas Ranger became a superhero in pop culture long before Spider-Man and fellow characters from Marvel Comics captured our collective imaginations. Think about how "Who was that masked man?" is now part of our vocabulary. Superheroes possess supernatural or superhuman powers and are dedicated to fighting evil in their universe. Our first story is titled The Kidnapper's Tale. Please let us know what you think about it fan@truecrimereporter.com.

One Riot, One Ranger Fuels 200-Year Old Legend Mar 08, 2022

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Texas kicked off festivities on Texas Independence Day, to commemorate the 2023 Bicentennial of the Texas Rangers. As the Rangers approach their 200th year of service, their legend is embodied in the following quote. When Texas Ranger Captain Bill McDonald was sent to Dallas in the 1890s to prevent a scheduled prizefight, McDonald was greeted at the train station by the city's anxious mayor, who asked: "Where are the others?" McDonald supposedly replied, "Hell! ain't I enough? There's only one prize-fight!" (credit: Texas Ranger Hall of Fame and Museum). The Texas Rangers are the oldest serving state law enforcement agency in the United States. Texas Ranger Displays Drones Used For Crime Fighting Operations Armed with the latest technology, Rangers wear distinctive white cowboy hats, white western-style shirts with silver badges crafted from Mexican Cinco peso coins, and cowboy boots. The event started at the Dickies Arena on the grounds of the Fort Worth Stock Show and Rodeo with special help from Brad Barnes, the President/General Manager of the Exposition and Livestock Show. It concluded on Mule Alley, hosted by Craig Cavileer in the Fort Worth Stockyards at the Hotel Drover. (L) Bob Sims buying mules to work the Texas oil fields. Mule Alley Fort Worth Stockyards circa 1940. Artist's aerial drawing of the mule barns at the Fort Worth Stockyards. Date Unknown. Herd of Texas mules at Mule Alley at Fort Worth Stockyards circa 1939 One note: Mule Alley is where Robert Riggs' great uncle Bob Sims bought mules for use in the East Texas oil fields in the 1930s and 40s. Those places are steeped in Texas history. Fort Worth, known as “Cowtown,” is where the West began. And there is nothing more Texan than the Texas Rangers. You will like this episode if you are a fan of Taylor Sheridan’s TV series Yellowstone or 1883.

History of the Texas Rangers Feb 28, 2022

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The Bonnie and Clyde gang rode roughshod over the Central United States during the Depression in the 1930s until Texas Ranger Frank Hamer came out of retirement and ended their deadly robbery spree in an ambush. Clyde Barrow and Bonnie Parker aka Bonnie and Clyde It’s one of many cases that contributes to the worldwide reputation of the Texas Rangers. In order to get a concise and accurate account of its history, Riggs went to the Official Texas Ranger Hall of Fame and Museum. Texas Ranger Hall of Fame and Museum In Waco, Texas The museum attracts 100-thousand people a year from around the globe to see its exhibit artifacts, artwork, and archives. Here’s my interview with its Director, Byron Johnson.

How Det Jeff Bennett Used Genetic Genealogy To Solve The 47-Year Old Murder Of Carla Walker Feb 21, 2022

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Fort Worth Cold Case detectives solved the murder of 17-year-old Carla Walker after it had gone cold for nearly five decades. They analyzed old evidence using genetic genealogy and new DNA extraction technology pioneered by Othram, a forensic genealogy lab in the Woodlands, a suburb of Houston. 17-Year Old Carla Walker Abducted in August of 1974 Othram matched the DNA to a test submitted to a genealogy site by a member of the killer’s family tree. Othram did not disclose the relative’s name. Cold case investigators Jeff Bennett and Leah Wagner identified 78-year-old Glen McCurley, who was among the original suspects. McCurley confessed to them when confronted with the DNA evidence. Genetic genealogy was used in the Golden State Killer case, but this was the first time the technology made it to a courtroom. Glen McCurley Sentenced To Life In Prison Under McDuff Capital Murder Law McCurley pleaded guilty after two days of testimony in his capital murder trial in August of 2021. More than 1,000 cases remain unsolved in Fort Worth alone. Paying for expensive DNA tests and travel expenses for investigators makes the task even more difficult. Detective Jeff Bennett created the FWPD Cold Case Support Group in the wake of the Walker case. This nonprofit foundation accepts tax-deductible donations to help solve Fort Worth’s unsolved murders. Make An Online Donation with a note that you heard about this on True Crime Reporter™ Podcast or mail a check to: FWPD Cold Case Support Group PO Box 185052 Fort Worth, TX 76181-0052, US The seven members of the FWPD Cold Case Support Group Board of Directors are: Detective Jeff Bennett, Detective Leah Wagner, Jim Walker (brother of Carla Walker), Emily Dixon (Tarrant County Criminal District Attorney’s Office), Detective John Galloway, former Sgt. David Thornton (who started the cold case unit in the 2000s), and Adam Palmer (founder of the oil and gas company Resource Sense LLC.)

After Hitmen Failed To Kill Her Husband She Pulled The Trigger Feb 17, 2022

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This is a story about two botched murder attempts by hired hitmen. And what happened when 65-year-old Joyce Sturdivant took matters into her own hands? One of the most common forms of homicide is when one half of a couple kills the other. Women are usually the victims of this form of homicide. Only one percent of male victims are killed by a partner. Joyce Sturdivant 76-years old - TDCJ Inmate #01783322 But in this case, 65-year-old Joyce Sturdivant knocked off her husband after the hitmen she hired failed to kill Big Joe Sturdivant, a burly stock car racer in Central Texas.

Real Stories Of The Texas Highway Patrol Feb 07, 2022

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The men and women of the Texas Highway Patrol work alone, often at night, on remote stretches of highway. They drive distinctive black and white cruisers and SUVs with bright gold emblems in the shape of Texas on the side doors. Help might be a hundred miles away if a traffic stop turns bad. For example, in 2021, Texas Department of Public Safety Trooper Chad Walker was killed in an ambush. Walker stopped to help a driver in a disabled vehicle. The driver jumped out of the car armed with a handgun and unloaded rounds into the windshield of the Trooper’s vehicle, striking Walker in the head and abdomen. Honoring Fallen Trooper Chad Walker Courtesy Fairfield Recorder Newspaper His wife and four children survived the 38-year-old trooper. The suspect fled and later killed himself when surrounded. These are the dangers faced by Texas Troopers. Senior Texas Trooper Johnny Williams Ret'd In this episode of True Crime Reporter Extra, we feature real stories of the Texas Highway Patrol from retired Senior Trooper Johnny Williams, a Vietnam Veteran of Paris, Texas. By the way, people travel from miles around to see the Paris, Texas version of the Eiffel Tower.

Inside The Making Of Hollywood’s Greatest Crime Movies Jan 25, 2022

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Former NYPD Detective Randy Jurgensen walked a beat in Harlem all the way into Hollywood’s greatest crime dramas of all time. He is known as the cop who killed Sonny Corleone in The Godfather. Gene Hackman pats down NYPD Detective Randy Jurgensen to learn proper police procedures to use in the filming of The French Connection His walk of fame started when William Friedkin, the director of The French Connection, asked Jurgensen to demonstrate how to put a suspect against a wall for the “pat down.” Friedkin hired Jurgensen as the film’s technical consultant to advise him on how to realistically show the gritty side of heroin trafficking in the 1960s. NYPD Detective Randy Jurgensen playing a police sergeant in The French Connection It became Jurgensen's job to turn actors Gene Hackman and Roy Scheider into narcotics detectives. Jurgensen turned out to be a natural on camera and was given the role of an NYPD Sergeant in the film. 3rd Person Left -- NYPD Detective Randy Jurgensen Plays a police sergeant in The French Connection He appears on the poster for The French Connection, flanking Gene Hackman. Jurgensen had been on the periphery of an undercover narcotics investigation that netted a legendary seizure of heroin. Robin Moore, the author of The Green Berets, wrote a book about the case titled The French Connection. In those days, heroin flowed into New York City from Marseille, and the book was made into a movie. A long list of credits includes Jurgensen’s work as a technical advisor on Die Hard with a Vengeance, a cop in the first Superman movie with Christopher Reeve, and a role in Frank Sinatra's first made-for-TV movie, Contract On Cherry Street . A few days after celebrating The French Connection’s Oscars, Jurgensen became embroiled in the most notorious case in the history of NYPD. Jurgensen’s book titled Circle of Six details his determined effort to bring to justice the murderer of Police Officer Philip Cardillo, who was killed in a Harlem Mosque in 1972. Fasten your seatbelts! Link to the one-man-show parody of The Godfather mentioned in the podcast: The Godfadda Workout

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