True Crime Reporter

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Protect Your Self From Sexual Predators – Have A Plan… Because They Do Jan 10, 2022

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When you hear about violent crime, do you think to yourself, “it would never happen to me?” When 29-year-old Colleen Reed went to a self-service car wash in Austin, Texas, none of her family or friends thought it would be the last time they saw her. Reed never imagined that serial killer Kenneth McDuff was stalking her. McDuff is featured in the first season of True Crime Reporter®. I want you to understand that it can happen to you because “they walk among us.” Sexual predators and killers don’t present themselves in a demonic manner and are not easy to recognize or avoid. “They walk among us” means that people who might hurt us may be unrecognizable as a threat. More often than not, they are people we see in public, go to school with, date, live with, or strangers who appear trustworthy. In our earlier episode about the teenage girl who was rescued from her kidnappers by Texas Rangers, the ring leader of the abduction was the father of one of her school classmates. What would you do if you were ordered to get into a car and threatened if you didn’t? Retired homicide detective David Thorton explains how and why violent criminal actors target their victims and how victims' behavior may contribute to their vulnerability.

Surrounded By Psychopaths With Author Thomas Erikson Jan 03, 2022

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After listening to our episodes about serial killer Kenneth McDuff, you have no doubt that McDuff is what FBI profiler Roy Hazelwood described as a textbook psychopath. But it’s not only criminals that are psychopaths. CEOs of major corporations, politicians, and entertainers score high on the checklist of psychopathic behavior. Think about your work colleagues or social circle. Is your boss a narcissistic manipulator with no remorse? Do you know someone who takes pleasure in hurting others and easily lies? Thomas Erikson reveals how psychopaths surround us. They may not physically threaten our lives, but they can emotionally destroy them. In this episode, investigative reporter Robert Riggs talks to Erikson about his book Surrounded by Psychopaths and how we can protect ourselves from them.

Best of True Crime Reporter® 2021 – Serial Killer Kenneth McDuff Dec 27, 2021

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In this “Best Of True Crime Reporter®”, we take you back to the first episode in our series about serial killer Kenneth Allen McDuff. It was a Webby Award Honoree for Best True Crime Podcast in 2021. McDuff is the only criminal in Texas history to have received three death sentences. Serial Killer Kenneth Allen McDuff is being escorted to a holding cell in the Texas Death Chamber. McDuff was believed to be the only condemned inmate in the nation ever paroled and then returned to death row for two more murders. He was sentenced to die in the electric chair in 1966 for killing Robert Brand, one of three teenagers he was charged with randomly killing. But McDuff was later paroled after the death penalty was overturned. He was sentenced in two different cases to die by lethal injection for the murders of Melissa Northrup and Colleen Reed. McDuff was executed shortly after this photograph was taken on November 17, 1998. Yet he got out of prison under a cloud of corruption after murdering three teenagers. An FBI profiler, the late Roy Hazelwood, described McDuff to me as the Great White Shark of serial killers. Yet most people have never heard of McDuff.

The Devil Lovers- The Satanic Cult of Murder & Meth Dec 20, 2021

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What is it about Waco, Texas? A whirlwind of bizarre events and violence seems to dump all sorts of strange creatures into Central Texas. Whether it is serial killers on the hunt for victims or the Branch Davidian Cult ending in a fiery inferno, it spins out true crime stories that are stranger than fiction. Investigative reporter Robert Riggs and former federal prosecutor Bill Johnston have been deeply involved in all of them. In the previous episode called Murder, Mayhem, and Meth, they talked about violent meth kingpins who controlled the manufacture and distribution of “speed” during the 1980s in Texas. Now it’s about to get really weird with the story of devil lovers who set up a factory to make methamphetamines. In a weekly ritual, the devil lovers would prick their fingers and drip blood on the pages of an open Bible. You won’t believe what happened next.

Murder, Mayhem, & Meth — Breaking Bad In Texas Dec 15, 2021

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If you were a Breaking Bad TV series fan, get ready to listen to the actual version in Texas. The TV series featured a fictional high school chemistry teacher named Walter White, diagnosed with a deadly brain tumor who manufactures high-grade meth to put away cash for his family’s future. It is not far from the truth. During the 1980s, Central and East Texas were dotted with illicit meth labs set up in remote farmhouses. But these “Walter White” meth kingpins typically became addicted to their own chemical product and turned super paranoid. Investigative reporter Robert Riggs and former federal prosecutor Bill Johnston flashback to the notorious trade and violence it brought to the badlands of Texas.

The Day The Last Texas Ranger Died Dec 06, 2021

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Texas Ranger Stan Guffey 1946 - 1987 Courtesy Texas Ranger Hall of Fame and Museum, Waco, Texas In the previous episode of True Crime Reporter™ Texas Ranger Files, we told the story of brave Rangers who kept up the pursuit of kidnappers while their car was being riddled with gunfire and was engulfed in flames. Thirteen-year-old Amy McNiel the daughter of the pioneer in the development of the first hand-held calculator, was kidnapped by five men on the way to school in January 1985 Retired Ranger Captain Bob Prince recalled the tension-filled 48-hour, 600-mile game of cat and mouse and a 100 mph running gun battle that ended in the safe rescue of the teen. During the pursuit of the kidnappers, Texas Ranger Stan Guffey maintained surveillance from an aircraft. Two years later, when a doped-crazed criminal out on parole kidnapped a two-year-old girl, Guffey did not want to stand by and watch as he had before. Guffey insisted on replacing another Ranger in a plan to surprise the kidnapper as the father of the victim delivered the ransom. He pulled a fellow Ranger out of his hiding place in the back seat of a Lincoln Continental that was being used in the rendezvous with the kidnapper and took his place. It was the day the last Ranger Died, January 22, 1987. Investigative reporter Robert Riggs and former U.S. prosecutor Bill Johnston reveal what happened in this exclusive edition of the Texas Ranger Files. Bill tells the sad ending of this story that has waited years to be told. Note: You can read more about the history of the legendary Texas Rangers and see vintage photos on our blog at True Crime Reporter®.

Texas Rangers Brave Bullets and Flames To Rescue 13-Year Old Girl From Kidnappers Nov 30, 2021

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The Texas Rangers constitute the oldest state law enforcement organization in North America, dating to 1823. You can read more about the Texas Rangers' history and influence on popular culture on our blog at the True Crime Reporter®website. L to R Bill Johnston, Ret'd Ranger Captain Bob Prince, Robert Riggs True Crime Reporter™ Podcast Robert and Bill interview retired Ranger Captain Bob Prince, a legendary modern-day Texas Ranger, about his most memorable case. Our story begins with the rescue of 13-year-old Amy McNiel of Alvarado, Texas, from five kidnappers in mid-January of 1985. It captures the frontier spirit and courage of the officers who wear the distinctive 5-star badge of the Texas Rangers. The teenage daughter of Don McNiel, a pioneer in the development of the first hand-held calculator, was snatched at gunpoint on the way to school. Kidnappers ran a jeep driven by her 17-year-old brother off the road and put a sawed-off shotgun to his face as they grabbed his sister. They demanded a $100,000 ransom for the seventh grader’s safe return but had no intention of releasing the teenage girl alive. Throughout McNiel’s abduction, the five kidnappers snorted and injected drugs and talked about “driving” to Hawaii with the ransom money. The teen defiantly insisted that her captors feed a hungry dog in their backyard before she would cooperate. Their ringleader, 34-year James Wesley Foote, lived near the McNiel’s mansion and his son was her school classmate but unknown to her. Foote’s son had once stabbed a fellow student in the arm with a knife. Two weeks before McNiel’s abduction, Foote who was wanted for attempted murder had burst into the home of a prominent businessman in Arlington near Fort Worth, Texas to kidnap his two young children. The family’s housekeeper wrestled Foote’s gun away from him and fought him in a bloody 45-minute struggle. The gun discharged near her head, and Foote fled. A few weeks later, Foote and his accomplices then abducted 13-year-old Amy McNiel In this episode of Texas Ranger Files, retired Ranger Captain Bob Prince remembers a tension-filled 48-hour, 600-mile game of cat and mouse and a 100-mph running gunbattle.

The Mind Of A Murder – What Makes A Killer? Nov 23, 2021

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In our previous episode of the True Crime Reporter® podcast, we presented the murder case of Annie Laurie Williams. Williams bludgeoned her 8 and 9-year-old sons to death and then dispassionately dismembered their bodies to dispose of them. Her acts are unthinkable. Robert Riggs and Bill Johnston contacted forensic psychiatrist Dr. Richard Taylor in the United Kingdom to gain perspective and understanding of such a crime. Dr. Taylor is the author of The Mind of a Murderer. He has worked on more than 100 murder cases. He explores the subject of Women Who Kill Children in his book. Dr. Taylor also works with a special unit called the Fixated Threat Assessment Center (FTAC), which investigates threats to the royal family and politicians. You can find a link to more information about the FTAC on our website. Murder is not just a crime; it is a significant public health problem. In 2017 alone, there were close to a half-million recorded victims of homicide around the globe.

The Ghastly Story Of A Mother Who Dismembered Her Children Nov 15, 2021

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The 1950s were called the “Happy Days.” The war was over, the economy was booming, and the American Dream was in full swing. In 1957, it was estimated that one baby was born every second. The Lone Ranger was a hit TV show. Little boys acted out their mythical western adventures on stick horses. But the dream became a nightmare for two brothers in Texas. Their murders at the hands of their knife-wielding mother shocked the nation. Annie Williams 1955 Mug Shot This is the story of how Annie Williams was supposed to spend the rest of her life in prison for dismembering her boys. Annie Williams Sentenced To Two Life Terms November 8, 1955 But contrary to what her sentencing jury was told, Williams was set free on parole. She then jumped parole and disappeared for sixteen years until fugitive hunter Louis Fawcett got on her trail. This is the 57-year-long account of a mother who murdered her sons with malice. Annie Williams Booking Photo After Her Fugitive Arrest In 1997 Until now, the tragedy of her two sons has been long forgotten. A pair of large ornate pink granite headstones mark their graves at the Oak Park Cemetery located in Alvin, Texas. Long-Forgotten Victims Of A Mother's Murder With Malice 8-year old Conrad S. Williams. and 9-year Calvin H. Williams were laid to rest side by side. In 1955, the shocked and grief-stricken community took up a collection to bury the murdered brothers. Years later, green mold grows on Calvin’s headstone. Vandals have tipped over Conrad’s headstone. It lies flat on the ground. Piles of scattered brown leaves and broken tree limbs cover the boy’s graves. Few remember the terrible end to their short lives that made front-page headlines across the world. But veteran Texas lawman Louis Fawcett, the fugitive hunter who always got his man or woman, says it is the one case out of hundreds that will never fade from his memory.

Inside A Cold Case Unit Solving A 46-Year Old Murder Nov 02, 2021

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46 years after the abduction, torture, and murder of a 17-year-old girl, cold case detectives with the Fort Worth police department arrested a 78-year old Glen McCurley and charged him with capital murder. McCurley abducted Carla Walker from the parking lot of a bowling alley in 1974. Walker had been to a Valentine’s day dance with her 17-year old boyfriend. McCurley pistol-whipped Walker’s boyfriend and tried to shoot him in the head three times but the pistol’s magazine fell out. Walker’s lifeless body was later found dumped in a culvert. Fort Worth Police detectives Jeff Bennett and Leah Wagner were the primary investigators who reopened this case in 2019. New, advanced DNA testing matched McCurley's DNA to stains found on Carla Walker's clothing. The 46-year old unsolved case came to an end in August of 2021 when McCurley pleaded guilty during his murder trial. He was sentenced to life in prison. Retired Homicide Detective David Thornton helped start the cold case unit. At the outset, investigators faced 750 unsolved murders dating back to 1966. Thornton put into motion an effort that is still solving cold cases in which the original investigation failed to produce sufficient evidence to support murder charges. In this edition of our True Crime Reporter Confidential, Robert Riggs and Bill Johnston take listeners inside homicide investigations and cold cases. It is nothing like what is portrayed on popular TV shows. That’s Hollywood. This is real life.

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