Most of the murder victims have been women. Kevin Edison Smith is one of the few killerswith a confirmed link to remains found in the Texas Killing Fields. In Tim Millers mind, Hedrick is certainly guilty of the death of his daughter, and he is not alone, as Hedricks former stepdaughter and many law enforcement officials are also convinced of his guilt. However, it wasn't until 2020 that the mystery was solved and the victim was revealed to be Julie Gwenn Davis, as per The Record. The first key suspect was a convict who, in 2001, falsely confessed to the murders at the Calder Road oil field while in custody. At their website, you might be able to discover the same material in a different format or more details. A forensic artist also created a portrait based on her remains, and her DNA was added to databases. The Texas Killing Fields are an area of land in League City where more than 30 girls and women have disappeared or been found dead since the 1970s. One such individual is a woman that was known as Princess Blue. Self died in prison in 2000, with many wondering if the wrong man had been convicted after all. Skip Hollandsworth specializes in long-form narratives. He died on December 21, 2000, and 16 years later, a number of police officials admitted their belief that Self had been wrongly convicted, according to Fox News. Kevin Edison Smith: 16 years after Krystal Jean Bakers murder, Smith was apprehended in 2012. Kevin Petroff, Galveston Countys assistant district attorney, says in the doc that Hedrick made a jailhouse confession that he raped and murdered Laura, and he confessed to Heide Fyes death, too. He admitted to abandoning her body but again, denied any involvement in her death. William Reece is currently incarcerated and has been relocated to Texas, where he has pleaded guilty to the killings of Cain, Cox, and Laura Smither. By subscribing to this BDG newsletter, you agree to our. Tim Miller, the father of Laura Miller, is convinced Hedrick is the person who murdered his daughter and won a wrongful death lawsuit against him in 2014. 2023 BDG Media, Inc. All rights reserved. That letter included details that line up eerily well with the facts of some cases. One suspect was Clyde Hedrick, who would be convicted of involuntary manslaughter in one of the cases mentioned in the series. Dimmock went onto clarify she believes these killers operated in different decades, "Each decade has its own [serial killer] - you know, its not like three different [killers] operating over 30 years. Located in League City, Texas, the 50-mile piece of land known as the Killing Fields lies about 26 miles away from Houston. This young man was later identified as Clyde Hedrick. He would later be tried and found guilty before being sentenced to 20 years in prison. Also, he was sentenced to 60 years for putting Sandras life in danger. He said he was afraid for his lifeone father of a murdered girl even left aggressive messages on his answering machine, at least one of which threatened to kill him. In June 2022, he was extradited to Texas where he was found guilty of the murders of Smither, Cain, and Cox. The nail-biting documentary on Netflix shows us the vicious crimes men committed against women in the 80s. Each has its own sheriff's department and local police force. As is explored in the new docuseries, out Nov. 29, Clyde Hedrick was initially charged with abuse of a corpse in connection with Ellen Beasons death which first put him on Tim Millers radar as a possible suspect in the death of his daughter, Laura Miller. Another person. Scholarships for Admission, Exchangeand more! The League City teen probably ran away, police initially told her father, Tim. According to "Deliver Us: Three Decades of Murder and Redemption in the Infamous I-45/Texas Killing Fields," the fields and surrounding small towns fall under the jurisdiction of three separate counties. Nevertheless, everything changed once Ellens body was exhumed in 2012 her revised autopsy declared she suffered skull fractures, meaning shed been hit on the head with a blunt object before drowning. Despite cutting cheques adding up to a multi-billion-dollar deficit, British Columbia's provincial government is facing disappointment and criticism . The three-part documentary investigates the puzzling pattern of young women who vanished in the 1980s and 1990s only to be found dead on a Texas plot of land called Calder Road. Crime Scene: The Texas Killing Fields. This meant that, for much of the history of the murders here, investigations were muddled and dispersed amongst 11 different departments. In April 2012, Kevin Edison Smith was arrested for the murder of 13-year-old Krystal Jean Baker. She still lives in fear of him, and the community that fought this case seeks justice. Crime Scene: The Texas Killing Fields tells the story of the Texas Killing Fields murders and suspects in the case, such as Clyde Hedrick. Outer Banks Character: Denmark Tanny, Explained: What Happened To Him? The District Attorney claims that although there is not enough evidence to establish the case, he has not yet been excluded as a suspect. For cases that had seemingly stalled out decades ago, it was a hugely significant development and one that proved the power of DNA analysis. The DNA matched Smith, who had been arrested for a minor drug offense in 2010. The land dubbed The Texas Killing Fields was next to Robert Abels home and horseback riding business on Calder Road. FALLS COUNTY, TexasKWTX)- The Falls County Sheriff's Office is warning residents to be vigilant as deputies actively search for burglary suspects in the area of State Highway 7 between Chilton and Bruceville-Eddy."Residents of this area should exercise caution, be on alert and report any suspicious activity immediately," the sheriff's office Haunting details link some of the murders, including the arrangement of victims' remains beneath trees in the fields, with some investigators going so far as to suggest that they formed a kind of walking trail used by a single killer to linger over the remains. Texas Monthly interviewed Abel in 1999. TheGuardianreports thatthe Millers searched for Laura themselves, even checking local hospitals. So who is ultimately responsible for the 33 bodies discovered in the Texas Killing Fields? Night Framed Bootleg The Suspect We Keep the Dead Close Dead End Murder in the Heartland Murder Book . 391. . The most recent true-crime documentary on. Police say Rodriguez drove a . The first key suspect was a convict who, in 2001, falsely confessed to the murders at the Calder Road oil field while in custody. But more than 30 bodiesof mostly young women and girlswere found. Tonight Youre Sleeping With Me Ending, Explained: Who Does Nina End Up With? Claire Wilson is reported as saying, "Colette was dead, but we could bury her." Colette Wilson (Born November 4th, 1957) was a young girl who lived in Texas. A notice of intent within the records, submitted by prosecutors while preparing for trial, had the statement; In Galveston County, Texas, between the years 1991 and 1993, the defendant (Clyde Hedrick) would come back home with a different shirt and would be saying repeatedly that he had done it again. SAN ANGELO - A multi-agency task operation led to the arrest of nine people for crimes against children in the San Angelo area. Texas Killing Fields Investigators Wasted Time with Michael Self Crime Scene: The Texas Killing Fields primarily focused on three potential murderers, Clyde Hedrick, Robert Abel, and William Reece. The woman was later identified as Donna Prudhomme, however Stallings has not been charged with her murder. The makers have chosen to actually have suspects front and centre for the crimes on screen (unlike the real life cases, most of which remain unsolved), well they intend to keep . So help me God, I didnt do anything to anyone, he wrote in 2018, also saying that his wife and daughter and friends still come to see [him] for a little moral support and pray that [hell] come home soon., In 2021, Hedrick was released on parole, having served less than half of his 20-year sentence. Ultimately though, there were other suspects who were not discussed in the series. This is multiple serial killers," true crime author Kathryn . Some suspect that, because some of the remains were arranged in a similar manner beneath trees, the same killer had taken the women's lives. Share. Crime Scene: The Texas Killing Fields is available on Netflix now. Per the Houston Press, her remains were discovered by a local man on a remote road in 1990. For over four decades, the murders are thought to be the work of multiple serial killers, but has anyone ever been arrested for the countless murders at the Texas Killing Fields? The Texas Killing Fields: Who Was the Real killer? Limited Series. Netflix is now streaming a three-part docuseries on the murders, titledCrime Scene: The Texas Killing Fields. Newsweek has everything you need to know. In May 1997, he was arrested for the kidnapping and attempted murder of 19-year-old Sandra Sepo and received a 60-year sentence. Hedrick has publicly asserted (in a letter to The Guardian) that he is innocent. Texas Monthly reporter Skip Hollandsworth says thatmany police detectives and FBI agents are convinced that this is the personal graveyard of a vicious serial killer. Neither was she waiting at home. March 1, 2023, 4:29 PM. Well, in the 1980s, Texas was a state that was full of opportunities because of the rampant industrial development. With the addition of new DNA and forensic evidence, detectives were able to determine Ellen Raes true cause of death was due to blunt force trauma, not drowning as Hedrick had claimed. As it turned out, Abel was violent towards both. . Who Was Queen Njinga in Netflixs African Queens? The "Killing Fields" is a term used to describe a 25-acre stretch of an abandoned oil field located in League City, Texas. This was a breaking point in the case of the famous killings. In September 1974, he was convicted of killing Shaw and was sentenced to life in prison, despite questions over the credibility of his confession. Some remains were quickly identified, while others languished for decades without a name to link them to a past and a family that was surely looking for them. Netflix's newest true crime series The Texas Killing Fields comes from the creators of Crime Scene: The Vanishing at Cecil Hotel and investigates the murders of women found dead on a road in Texas. Since the 1970s at least 30 bodies have been discovered there, with the majority of the bodies being women. Beasons girlfriends who were with her that night reported that they had stopped at the Texas Moon Club, where Beason immediately hit it off with a young man. disappearance of 30-year-old Ellen Rae Simpson Beason. Abel told me his life had been ruinedthat he couldnt even go to the grocery store without someone treating him like he was a serial killer. Crime Scene: The Texas Killing Fields is the newest true-crime documentary to arrive on the platform. He would dance in competitions and often win, too; he would go to bars and work in the construction industry. Jessica Dimmock, the creator of the Netflix series told the Independent she believes there were three serial killers operating on the killing fields. According to the FBI, she showed promise in music class, but had difficulty managing a seizure disorder and began to withdraw from both school and social life. During interrogations he confessed to their murders. In 2016, Reece confessed to police he had kidnapped and murdered Laura Smither, 12. Updated: Feb 27, 2023 / 12:17 PM MST. Its like one in the Seventies, theres one in the Eighties, theres one in the Nineties theres pretty good indications that thats the case. As time went on, police grew more and more suspicious, finally digging more into the death of Ellen Rae Beason. 1997, he was found guilty of the murders here, investigations were muddled and dispersed amongst 11 departments... 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