WEBVTT 1 00:00:00.120 --> 00:00:02.799 This podcast is intended for mature audiences. 2 00:00:03.439 --> 00:00:05.759 Listener discretion is advised. 3 00:00:22.359 --> 00:00:26.160 Before Kelly Wilson vanished in nineteen ninety two, she had 4 00:00:26.199 --> 00:00:29.480 become really good friends with this local girl named Jennifer. 5 00:00:29.920 --> 00:00:33.520 Jennifer lived in Gilmer, Texas, just a few houses down 6 00:00:33.560 --> 00:00:37.240 from Kelly's family. Like Kelly, Jennifer was a senior in 7 00:00:37.320 --> 00:00:39.560 high school that year, but she went to a smaller 8 00:00:39.600 --> 00:00:42.799 school outside of town. When Kelly never came home from 9 00:00:42.840 --> 00:00:46.079 work on the night of January fifth, nineteen ninety two, 10 00:00:46.280 --> 00:00:48.799 Jennifer didn't even find out for a couple of days. 11 00:00:49.039 --> 00:00:52.159 When she heard the news, she hurried over to Kelly's house. 12 00:00:53.000 --> 00:00:55.520 One thing I do remember is that when I went 13 00:00:55.560 --> 00:00:58.159 to see her mom, Kathy, when I found out. 14 00:00:58.000 --> 00:01:01.039 That she was missing. I found out Tuesday. 15 00:01:01.880 --> 00:01:05.000 As I'm standing there talking to her mom, she's just saying, 16 00:01:05.040 --> 00:01:07.760 you know, Jennifer, they're saying that she's you know, they 17 00:01:07.760 --> 00:01:10.359 think she's just run away. She's like, there's no way 18 00:01:10.359 --> 00:01:12.519 she's run away. I mean she left her purse, she 19 00:01:12.640 --> 00:01:15.400 left her contact solutions, she. 20 00:01:15.400 --> 00:01:16.920 Left I mean she left everything. 21 00:01:16.959 --> 00:01:20.319 And she's like, and she left all this money she has. 22 00:01:22.239 --> 00:01:24.599 So she takes me in a room and she opens 23 00:01:24.599 --> 00:01:28.280 a drawer and she shows me just a lot of cash, 24 00:01:28.840 --> 00:01:29.959 a lot of cash. 25 00:01:30.760 --> 00:01:33.280 I'm just like, yeah, that's definitely weird. 26 00:01:34.000 --> 00:01:37.439 Jennifer had no idea what was Kelly doing with all 27 00:01:37.480 --> 00:01:38.040 that money. 28 00:01:38.879 --> 00:01:41.319 I think it's unusual that any of us would have 29 00:01:41.519 --> 00:01:43.640 a lot of cash. She worked it in TV. She 30 00:01:43.640 --> 00:01:45.079 would have gotten paid with a check. 31 00:01:45.840 --> 00:01:48.879 Are we talking like hundreds of dollars or more? 32 00:01:50.239 --> 00:01:54.280 I don't remember for sure, but it was significant. 33 00:01:55.640 --> 00:01:59.000 Joe Henry, the former video store manager, also said that 34 00:01:59.079 --> 00:02:03.560 Kelly was paid by never cash. Jennifer remembers another strange 35 00:02:03.560 --> 00:02:07.519 detail from the weekend in nineteen ninety two when Kelly vanished. 36 00:02:07.879 --> 00:02:10.439 The girls had gone out Friday night with another friend 37 00:02:10.680 --> 00:02:14.080 named Misty. I haven't been able to reach Misty. It 38 00:02:14.120 --> 00:02:16.199 was a quiet night in Gilmert Friday night. 39 00:02:16.280 --> 00:02:19.319 We just, I guess she could say, kind of wandering aimlessly. 40 00:02:20.039 --> 00:02:22.840 I think we did go out to some trailer house. 41 00:02:22.919 --> 00:02:25.759 Some guys lived out there, just you know, see what 42 00:02:25.800 --> 00:02:28.680 they were doing. It didn't we didn't stay long. I 43 00:02:28.800 --> 00:02:32.000 ended up happening to go home close to midnight or 44 00:02:32.000 --> 00:02:36.439 a little before, and her and Missy ended up staying 45 00:02:36.479 --> 00:02:37.159 out later. 46 00:02:38.080 --> 00:02:40.159 And so the next morning, you know. 47 00:02:40.120 --> 00:02:43.080 We kind of call each other or talking and kind 48 00:02:43.120 --> 00:02:45.919 of you know, recapping the night, and I'm curious to 49 00:02:46.000 --> 00:02:48.280 know if they ended up finding anything else to do. 50 00:02:48.479 --> 00:02:51.560 And you know, she's telling me, no, not really. You know, 51 00:02:51.599 --> 00:02:53.560 we stayed out another hour or so, and then we 52 00:02:53.599 --> 00:02:57.479 came home. And then as we're talking, she's like, you know, 53 00:02:57.599 --> 00:02:59.360 I think somebody came. 54 00:02:59.240 --> 00:02:59.759 To my window. 55 00:03:00.919 --> 00:03:04.599 Kelly's bedroom window was right next to a little side street. 56 00:03:04.759 --> 00:03:10.159 She's trying to sort out whether she's imagining this, she was, 57 00:03:10.639 --> 00:03:11.000 you know. 58 00:03:11.240 --> 00:03:13.599 Maybe a little drunk, couldn't hearing. 59 00:03:13.400 --> 00:03:16.599 Things or dreamed it, or it really happened. 60 00:03:17.000 --> 00:03:19.280 But as she's you know, kind of talking out loud, 61 00:03:19.479 --> 00:03:21.000 she's just saying. 62 00:03:20.719 --> 00:03:22.800 You know, well, no, I think there were somebody there. 63 00:03:23.000 --> 00:03:25.240 You know, there were taking one windows, saying hey Kelly. 64 00:03:26.000 --> 00:03:28.639 She I guess convinced herself that yeah, maybe there was 65 00:03:28.639 --> 00:03:31.520 somebody actually there because she heard the dogs blocky. She 66 00:03:31.879 --> 00:03:35.520 couldn't really say who, I mean, she didn't know, she 67 00:03:35.639 --> 00:03:37.840 just knew it would sound like a couple of guys. 68 00:03:38.759 --> 00:03:42.000 Jennifer was still talking to Kelly's mom, Kathy, when they 69 00:03:42.039 --> 00:03:46.599 were joined by James York Brown, the officer investigating Kelly's disappearance, 70 00:03:47.719 --> 00:03:51.120 the strange guys knocking on Kelly's window that seemed like 71 00:03:51.120 --> 00:03:54.360 a clue Sergeant Brown might want to know about. 72 00:03:55.080 --> 00:03:58.919 Near the end of our visit, Brown shows up and 73 00:03:59.000 --> 00:04:02.000 she introduces me to him, and she. 74 00:04:02.080 --> 00:04:03.680 Says, you know, why don't you tell him. 75 00:04:03.560 --> 00:04:07.080 About Kelly's thinking somebody came to her window the other night, 76 00:04:07.199 --> 00:04:09.680 And so I tell him, you're thinking like. 77 00:04:09.680 --> 00:04:12.159 The movies, like well, maybe they can fingerprint the window 78 00:04:12.240 --> 00:04:14.080 sill or you know, stuff like that. 79 00:04:15.039 --> 00:04:17.639 Nothing ever came a bit like you know, I guess 80 00:04:17.680 --> 00:04:20.240 I asked her mom later, did he check? 81 00:04:20.519 --> 00:04:20.720 You know? 82 00:04:21.160 --> 00:04:23.800 She's like, well, I think he looked, but they didn't 83 00:04:23.839 --> 00:04:27.600 really investigate that lead, I guess she could say. And 84 00:04:27.759 --> 00:04:30.839 I never got another I never I was never called 85 00:04:30.839 --> 00:04:32.000 about it, and I was never. 86 00:04:31.879 --> 00:04:32.759 Asked about it. 87 00:04:33.480 --> 00:04:36.199 And I think there's a lot of people her friend 88 00:04:36.279 --> 00:04:39.079 group that could say kind of like, yeah, there were 89 00:04:39.120 --> 00:04:40.000 a lot of kind. 90 00:04:39.800 --> 00:04:44.720 Of loose ends that weren't explored. So there was maybe, 91 00:04:44.759 --> 00:04:47.600 you know, another side to Kelly that some. 92 00:04:47.480 --> 00:04:52.839 Of us didn't know, or or just maybe on another side, 93 00:04:52.839 --> 00:04:57.519 but other things that she was involved in, perhaps. 94 00:04:58.480 --> 00:04:59.920 I remember going before that. 95 00:05:00.079 --> 00:05:02.720 Her injury and They were asking me all these questions 96 00:05:02.720 --> 00:05:06.199 about Kelly. They were asking me questionable things I didn't know. 97 00:05:06.839 --> 00:05:10.560 There were some pictures of Kelly naked that had circulated 98 00:05:10.639 --> 00:05:12.600 around the school. They asked me if I knew if 99 00:05:12.639 --> 00:05:16.279 she'd ever done cocaine. I was like no, and I 100 00:05:16.319 --> 00:05:19.360 mean we partied. I don't feel like she'd keep a 101 00:05:19.399 --> 00:05:22.519 lot from me, But I don't know because I've since 102 00:05:22.639 --> 00:05:24.319 learned things, you know, first hand. 103 00:05:24.439 --> 00:05:28.000 Things No one I've spoken to said they ever saw 104 00:05:28.079 --> 00:05:31.720 Kelly using any substances harder than alcohol and pot. But 105 00:05:31.759 --> 00:05:34.639 I heard something else that connects back to drugs. Kelly 106 00:05:34.720 --> 00:05:38.040 had this step cousin from Louisiana, where she'd lived before 107 00:05:38.079 --> 00:05:40.399 she moved to East Texas. The cousin didn't want to 108 00:05:40.399 --> 00:05:43.319 be recorded, but she says that Kelly confided in her 109 00:05:43.399 --> 00:05:45.879 during the fall semester of their senior year, when they 110 00:05:45.879 --> 00:05:49.160 took a campus tour of Louisiana State in Baton Rouge. 111 00:05:49.439 --> 00:05:51.279 She told me she wanted to move back to her 112 00:05:51.360 --> 00:05:54.959 dad's to get away from her ex. He was harassing her, 113 00:05:55.360 --> 00:05:58.519 demanding back gifts he had given her, wouldn't accept that 114 00:05:58.560 --> 00:06:01.040 they were done. She told me they broke up because 115 00:06:01.079 --> 00:06:03.600 he was dealing, and she was pissed because he tricked 116 00:06:03.600 --> 00:06:05.879 her into holding for him once when he was going 117 00:06:05.920 --> 00:06:07.199 to be gone for a weekend. 118 00:06:07.399 --> 00:06:10.279 Kelly didn't mention any names to her cousin, And I've 119 00:06:10.319 --> 00:06:12.720 looked at several guys Kelly dated and I haven't heard 120 00:06:12.759 --> 00:06:14.360 about any of them dealing drugs. 121 00:06:14.680 --> 00:06:18.279 People are afraid, I think of just throwing stuff out 122 00:06:18.279 --> 00:06:22.360 there willy nilly, because there are a lot of decent 123 00:06:22.399 --> 00:06:25.879 people that were maybe mixed up in this, and then 124 00:06:25.959 --> 00:06:30.319 maybe some shady characters too. But you don't know, you know, 125 00:06:30.519 --> 00:06:32.680 so you just you don't want to be careless. 126 00:06:33.120 --> 00:06:37.040 Jennifer also addresses claims made in the last episode that 127 00:06:37.199 --> 00:06:40.959 Kelly might have been taking money for sex. This sort 128 00:06:41.000 --> 00:06:43.000 of thing couldn't happen in Gilmer, right. 129 00:06:43.560 --> 00:06:46.160 Well, on one hand, I'm kind of like, wouldn't we know? 130 00:06:46.439 --> 00:06:49.399 I mean, like we were partying with Kelly and we 131 00:06:49.399 --> 00:06:51.759 weren't like judging, I mean, we. 132 00:06:52.279 --> 00:06:54.199 Were all up to no good for the most part, 133 00:06:54.920 --> 00:06:58.120 just having fun. But why wouldn't she tell us? 134 00:06:58.319 --> 00:07:01.279 But then again, if that was actually happening and we 135 00:07:01.279 --> 00:07:04.399 didn't know, well, then there was this other side of 136 00:07:04.519 --> 00:07:06.839 things that was going on, and we didn't know about it. 137 00:07:07.639 --> 00:07:09.399 I don't know what other girls, though. 138 00:07:09.279 --> 00:07:15.120 Would have been participating in that. There was this circle. 139 00:07:15.240 --> 00:07:17.319 You know, if there were two or three or four 140 00:07:17.360 --> 00:07:19.879 girls that were getting paid to have sex with older men, 141 00:07:20.519 --> 00:07:22.439 who else would it be? 142 00:07:22.600 --> 00:07:23.079 I don't know. 143 00:07:23.600 --> 00:07:26.600 One more rumor has floated out there for years. In 144 00:07:26.639 --> 00:07:29.639 episode one, Kelly's dad Robbie said, the last time he 145 00:07:29.720 --> 00:07:32.279 ever talked to his daughter, Kelly said she had something 146 00:07:32.319 --> 00:07:34.839 to tell him. Here's Kelly's friend, Michelle. 147 00:07:35.319 --> 00:07:40.720 I honestly don't think that the pregnancy, what is the 148 00:07:40.800 --> 00:07:44.560 reason why she's gone? I just don't in my heart 149 00:07:44.560 --> 00:07:46.000 of hearts, I don't feel like that. 150 00:07:46.319 --> 00:07:49.600 Michelle thinks Kelly found out something she wasn't supposed to know. 151 00:07:50.199 --> 00:07:53.199 As a young girl, you start questioning, you might get upset. 152 00:07:54.120 --> 00:07:57.199 I can't get ready to turn somebody in. Or she 153 00:07:57.399 --> 00:08:01.519 witnessed she knew about who was doing drugs. She probably 154 00:08:01.639 --> 00:08:03.600 I mean, she could have made a threat or anything, 155 00:08:03.639 --> 00:08:07.560 because she was upset about what had transpired. And if 156 00:08:07.600 --> 00:08:11.160 the whole community gets scared that she's going to take. 157 00:08:11.000 --> 00:08:13.439 Them down, they'll handle it. 158 00:08:14.319 --> 00:08:17.399 So my fear is that it's something she got in 159 00:08:17.439 --> 00:08:20.800 way too deep, and she got in way too deep, 160 00:08:20.839 --> 00:08:23.639 maybe because she was pregnant and getting upset and things 161 00:08:23.720 --> 00:08:25.040 were starting to at Snowball. 162 00:08:25.279 --> 00:08:28.839 According to Michelle, the day before Kelly disappeared, she told 163 00:08:28.839 --> 00:08:30.759 a couple of her friends that she needed to tell 164 00:08:30.800 --> 00:08:33.240 them something. There's no way to know if this is 165 00:08:33.320 --> 00:08:36.679 the same something Kelly wanted to tell her dad, Robbie. 166 00:08:36.919 --> 00:08:40.399 And then Saturday she went to work and she told 167 00:08:40.480 --> 00:08:43.360 them come by later because I have something I need 168 00:08:43.399 --> 00:08:46.399 to show you or tell you. I feel like she 169 00:08:46.480 --> 00:08:48.600 wanted them to come up there. She needed to show 170 00:08:48.639 --> 00:08:51.600 them something up there at the video store. I mean, 171 00:08:51.720 --> 00:08:54.399 keep in mind, back then, we did not have cell phones. 172 00:08:54.480 --> 00:08:55.759 You can't send pictures. 173 00:08:56.480 --> 00:08:58.519 If you want to talk to somebody, you're on a 174 00:08:58.600 --> 00:09:00.799 landline where somebody could be let listening to you. So 175 00:09:00.840 --> 00:09:02.720 you're probably not going to have a real in depth 176 00:09:02.759 --> 00:09:08.039 conversation on a landline. That could be detrimental. So you're 177 00:09:08.080 --> 00:09:10.759 going to want to have those conversations in person. So 178 00:09:10.799 --> 00:09:13.120 she wanted them to come back and wanted to show 179 00:09:13.159 --> 00:09:17.360 them something. And then they had volleyball tournaments and got 180 00:09:17.360 --> 00:09:20.679 into light and said we'll just catch up with her later, 181 00:09:22.240 --> 00:09:23.200 and so they never. 182 00:09:23.080 --> 00:09:24.240 Did go to me. 183 00:09:24.639 --> 00:09:29.639 All this speculation, rumor, and peculiar details raised more questions 184 00:09:29.679 --> 00:09:32.639 than answers. A week after my first call with private 185 00:09:32.679 --> 00:09:35.919 investigator Amanda Gammel, she and I agreed to meet at 186 00:09:35.960 --> 00:09:39.440 the local library. Amanda brought along her husband, Ricky, just 187 00:09:39.480 --> 00:09:41.799 in case I turned out to be a weirdo. Amanda 188 00:09:41.840 --> 00:09:44.600 had learned some other stuff about Kelly, things that had 189 00:09:44.679 --> 00:09:47.879 never been shared in public. As the private investigator for 190 00:09:48.000 --> 00:09:51.879 Kelly's mom, Kathy, Amanda wasn't exactly on team Robbie. 191 00:09:52.440 --> 00:09:56.080 There was a point in time that he had put 192 00:09:56.240 --> 00:10:01.120 Kelly in a mental institution, but he didn't tell you that, 193 00:10:01.159 --> 00:10:01.960 didn't he mut at all? 194 00:10:03.320 --> 00:10:08.080 And we are we're working on getting those records right 195 00:10:08.120 --> 00:10:13.679 Neil to see why, what, what was his motive for that? 196 00:10:13.799 --> 00:10:15.159 Why did he do that? 197 00:10:15.679 --> 00:10:18.320 Later I called and asked Robbie whether he'd ever had 198 00:10:18.440 --> 00:10:21.000 Kelly committed. He turned it back on Kathy. 199 00:10:22.000 --> 00:10:25.240 She would go weeks from her mother, and I'd come 200 00:10:25.279 --> 00:10:28.600 home from work and I could tell immediately Kathy had 201 00:10:28.679 --> 00:10:33.600 called and talked to her. Her entire personality and disposition 202 00:10:33.679 --> 00:10:38.960 which would be different, be agitated and all that kind 203 00:10:38.960 --> 00:10:41.840 of stuff. But anyway, long story shore when she was 204 00:10:41.919 --> 00:10:45.080 when Kelly was the last time she was living with us, 205 00:10:45.600 --> 00:10:49.840 she went on one of these tears after Kathy had 206 00:10:50.200 --> 00:10:57.879 agitated her and she tried to run away, and so yeah, 207 00:10:58.080 --> 00:11:01.399 I put her in in a hospital just for no 208 00:11:01.480 --> 00:11:03.360 other reason, to keep her from going back to her mother. 209 00:11:05.480 --> 00:11:08.080 But she wasn't there but a wink or so if 210 00:11:08.120 --> 00:11:11.320 I remember right, and I think Katy came and got 211 00:11:11.320 --> 00:11:11.679 her out. 212 00:11:12.480 --> 00:11:15.679 She was she diagnosed with any kind of psychic psyched 213 00:11:15.799 --> 00:11:16.200 I don't. 214 00:11:16.279 --> 00:11:18.039 I don't recall that she was well. 215 00:11:18.399 --> 00:11:20.200 She might have been, but she was. 216 00:11:20.759 --> 00:11:23.879 She was just a very confused young lady that her 217 00:11:23.919 --> 00:11:27.360 mother just kept, like I said, just kept things stirred up. 218 00:11:28.320 --> 00:11:31.679 Like Kelly's friend Michelle Amanda believes that Kelly might have 219 00:11:31.759 --> 00:11:33.440 been pregnant when she vanished. 220 00:11:34.000 --> 00:11:37.039 As I've continued to investigate and the more that I 221 00:11:37.080 --> 00:11:46.320 have found out, there were a lot of I'm just 222 00:11:46.320 --> 00:11:50.679 gonna say it, there was a lot of sexual payments 223 00:11:50.720 --> 00:11:58.600 made to Kelly by judges, lawyers, police officers. 224 00:11:59.320 --> 00:12:00.240 So that's where we. 225 00:12:00.200 --> 00:12:02.559 Get into the part where I told you that if 226 00:12:02.600 --> 00:12:06.799 we're not careful, we could have lives and danger. The 227 00:12:06.879 --> 00:12:11.519 FBI does investigate correction, and it's very possible at this 228 00:12:11.600 --> 00:12:14.759 point that it's all going to be linked together, and 229 00:12:14.799 --> 00:12:15.759 it's all tied together. 230 00:12:18.080 --> 00:12:21.320 We are pretty confident that she was pregnant. 231 00:12:21.879 --> 00:12:25.879 I don't know how far along she did lock older men. 232 00:12:26.399 --> 00:12:27.080 We do know that. 233 00:12:29.559 --> 00:12:31.039 We're looking at. 234 00:12:32.279 --> 00:12:34.960 We're looking at some bad people, I mean, with data doubt. 235 00:12:35.240 --> 00:12:38.080 Amanda and I talked so long the library closed for 236 00:12:38.120 --> 00:12:38.399 the day. 237 00:12:40.200 --> 00:12:40.960 Do you want to grab Sam? 238 00:12:42.840 --> 00:12:45.679 We reconvened in the parking lot. I shared a few 239 00:12:45.679 --> 00:12:49.919 things with Amanda that I'd heard things about Kathy. In 240 00:12:49.960 --> 00:12:53.440 the last episode, you heard Sergeant Brown allege that Kathy 241 00:12:53.519 --> 00:12:57.840 wanted to end the search for Kelly. But according to Amanda, 242 00:12:58.279 --> 00:12:59.679 Kathy said no such thing. 243 00:13:00.360 --> 00:13:02.960 The only person that she really truly did not like 244 00:13:03.240 --> 00:13:07.919 was James Brown, and that's because she felt like that 245 00:13:08.000 --> 00:13:11.559 he was covering things up and hiding things. What she 246 00:13:11.679 --> 00:13:14.080 told him was, you're gonna bring somebody else in here 247 00:13:14.840 --> 00:13:19.720 to help investigate this. I want my daughter found, she said. 248 00:13:19.919 --> 00:13:25.600 I remember saying something about that. She said, but I don't. 249 00:13:25.639 --> 00:13:29.679 She said, it's like half of half of things are 250 00:13:29.799 --> 00:13:32.159 a daze for me. And I said, like you were 251 00:13:32.159 --> 00:13:36.360 on autopilot. She said yes, And she said, but I don't. 252 00:13:36.639 --> 00:13:38.399 I never went in there and told him he's going 253 00:13:38.440 --> 00:13:40.120 to close this case. Why would I tell him to 254 00:13:40.159 --> 00:13:43.399 close the case on my daughter. Then they started, you know, 255 00:13:43.440 --> 00:13:46.720 pointing the finger at Kathy, and they went through separate 256 00:13:46.759 --> 00:13:48.759 ways because Kathy said, I'm not I'm not doing this. 257 00:13:49.559 --> 00:13:52.039 I'm not gonna deal with this. I'm looking for my daughter. 258 00:13:53.799 --> 00:13:55.360 You're not gonna sit here and tell me that I 259 00:13:55.440 --> 00:13:58.120 killed my daughter through Amanda. 260 00:13:58.320 --> 00:14:01.600 Cathy also rejected the claim that she was already talking 261 00:14:01.639 --> 00:14:05.159 about funeral arrangements the day after Kelly turned up missing. 262 00:14:06.399 --> 00:14:10.200 Okay, squash funeral arrangement talk. I'm going to squash that. 263 00:14:11.399 --> 00:14:13.480 And it was not that day that they got there, 264 00:14:13.559 --> 00:14:17.200 she said. At one point, we did talk about a funeral, 265 00:14:18.720 --> 00:14:22.480 she said, and it's because we had not had. 266 00:14:23.840 --> 00:14:24.440 Where is she? 267 00:14:24.840 --> 00:14:26.200 We still don't know where she is. 268 00:14:26.399 --> 00:14:30.600 Months into this, Amanda had her own theory about what 269 00:14:30.679 --> 00:14:31.440 happened to Kelly. 270 00:14:32.200 --> 00:14:36.480 So basically, what I'm gathering is the abduction took place. 271 00:14:38.240 --> 00:14:43.759 Several men, up to four or five were out on 272 00:14:43.799 --> 00:14:44.840 this piece of land. 273 00:14:45.600 --> 00:14:47.320 They sexually assaulted her. 274 00:14:47.679 --> 00:14:48.679 And killed her. 275 00:14:49.960 --> 00:14:50.759 And buried. 276 00:14:53.279 --> 00:15:01.240 So that's what I have to prove. We have an opportunity, 277 00:15:02.000 --> 00:15:09.039 a true, true, opportunity to solve. God is working. God 278 00:15:09.120 --> 00:15:12.000 is working, and all of us are coming together in 279 00:15:12.039 --> 00:15:15.879 the right time. And I believe that that I am 280 00:15:15.879 --> 00:15:20.240 a very spiritual person, and I believe that if we 281 00:15:20.320 --> 00:15:23.159 play our cards right, and we do it the correct way, 282 00:15:23.200 --> 00:15:27.120 and we followed this path, We're going to find the answers. 283 00:15:31.879 --> 00:15:50.120 From Imperative Entertainment. I'm wes Ferguson. This is Deviltown. This 284 00:15:50.159 --> 00:15:56.320 is Chapter nine secrets. You know who probably has more 285 00:15:56.360 --> 00:16:00.320 information than anyone about the disappearance of Kelly Wilson. The 286 00:16:00.360 --> 00:16:04.279 cops in theory, at least when I started reporting on 287 00:16:04.399 --> 00:16:07.679 Kelly's story back in the spring, the Gilmer Police Department 288 00:16:07.799 --> 00:16:10.759 was among the first places I called. Then I emailed, 289 00:16:11.279 --> 00:16:15.399 dropped by, phoned, and emailed a few more times. I 290 00:16:15.480 --> 00:16:19.200 visited the station in person on two other occasions. The 291 00:16:19.240 --> 00:16:23.399 police chief was never around. No one ever responded to 292 00:16:23.519 --> 00:16:28.440 any of my interview requests. The Gilmer police froze me out. 293 00:16:28.600 --> 00:16:31.000 If they wouldn't comment, maybe I could look at their 294 00:16:31.039 --> 00:16:34.919 old reports see what they missed. I filed a request 295 00:16:34.960 --> 00:16:37.960 for public information relating to the case. The city of 296 00:16:38.000 --> 00:16:39.639 Gilmer fought my request. 297 00:16:40.360 --> 00:16:43.000 We feel this is the largest and most important unsolved 298 00:16:43.000 --> 00:16:46.240 case in the city, county, and possibly the state of Texas. 299 00:16:46.919 --> 00:16:49.120 That's from a letter the City of Gilmer wrote to 300 00:16:49.120 --> 00:16:53.039 the Texas Attorney General's Office asking to keep their records hidden. 301 00:16:53.600 --> 00:16:57.320 Their argument. To this day, police are still receiving and 302 00:16:57.399 --> 00:16:59.399 looking into leads about Kelly. 303 00:17:00.039 --> 00:17:02.120 It is the opinion of the department that any non 304 00:17:02.200 --> 00:17:07.200 law enforcement investigation may disrupt the ongoing investigation into the case. 305 00:17:08.039 --> 00:17:11.319 The Attorney General sided with the Gilmer police. They were 306 00:17:11.400 --> 00:17:14.519 allowed to withhold the information from me. I had also 307 00:17:14.559 --> 00:17:17.279 asked for police files that related to the case on 308 00:17:17.359 --> 00:17:21.559 Joe Henry, the former video store manager. I got back 309 00:17:21.720 --> 00:17:25.000 one page of information with basically nothing useful on it. 310 00:17:26.240 --> 00:17:29.200 On one hand, I get it, you're in law enforcement. 311 00:17:29.279 --> 00:17:29.799 You're busy. 312 00:17:30.319 --> 00:17:31.960 You don't want to deal with some out of town 313 00:17:32.039 --> 00:17:35.559 journalists poking around. But come on, they've had thirty years 314 00:17:35.559 --> 00:17:38.559 to work the case. I tried a few retired cops. 315 00:17:39.119 --> 00:17:42.960 Most didn't respond or flat out decline to comment. There 316 00:17:43.079 --> 00:17:44.279 was an important exception. 317 00:17:44.920 --> 00:17:48.359 My name is Richard Sprul and I was a volunteer 318 00:17:48.440 --> 00:17:52.119 chaplain here and then I went full time police officer here. 319 00:17:52.920 --> 00:17:56.000 Richard Sprule still lives in Gilmer way back when I 320 00:17:56.039 --> 00:17:59.000 was a newspaper crime reporter. I interviewed him several times 321 00:17:59.039 --> 00:18:02.160 about a bunch of unrelated cases. That's why Richard's name 322 00:18:02.240 --> 00:18:04.119 jumped out to me when I was reading old news 323 00:18:04.119 --> 00:18:07.559 stories about Kelly Wilson and Sergeant James York Brown, the 324 00:18:07.599 --> 00:18:11.039 Gilmer caught falsely accused of killing her. It turns out 325 00:18:11.079 --> 00:18:12.799 Richard and James Brown were tight. 326 00:18:14.200 --> 00:18:16.640 We were pretty close. We're pretty good friends. He was 327 00:18:17.279 --> 00:18:20.400 a very good police officer. He watched out for a 328 00:18:20.400 --> 00:18:21.839 lot around town. 329 00:18:22.400 --> 00:18:25.319 Richard says he never doubted for a second that James 330 00:18:25.319 --> 00:18:27.400 Brown was innocent in Kelly's disappearance. 331 00:18:27.920 --> 00:18:29.400 There was no question in my mind. 332 00:18:29.599 --> 00:18:32.319 Some of the times that they were making accusations against him, 333 00:18:32.359 --> 00:18:34.799 I was actually with him during those times, so I 334 00:18:34.880 --> 00:18:36.640 knew that there was no truth to some of that, 335 00:18:37.680 --> 00:18:40.759 And so because there was no truth to some of them, 336 00:18:40.839 --> 00:18:43.359 I just assumed there's probably very little truth to any 337 00:18:43.400 --> 00:18:43.599 of it. 338 00:18:44.960 --> 00:18:47.240 When the indictments. 339 00:18:46.640 --> 00:18:50.640 Came down, I was on the city Council and they 340 00:18:50.640 --> 00:18:55.079 called a special meeting executive session. So I can't tell 341 00:18:55.079 --> 00:18:57.240 you everything that was said in there, but it was basically, 342 00:18:57.839 --> 00:18:58.720 we need to fire him. 343 00:18:59.039 --> 00:19:01.880 We don't need this. Uh, we don't need this kind 344 00:19:01.920 --> 00:19:02.759 of stuff on the city. 345 00:19:03.160 --> 00:19:03.279 Uh. 346 00:19:03.720 --> 00:19:06.759 I think it was decided that we would uh suspend 347 00:19:06.839 --> 00:19:10.519 him with pay uh until further investigation. 348 00:19:11.240 --> 00:19:14.519 Richard thought the decision to suspend James Brown was such 349 00:19:14.519 --> 00:19:18.480 a huge mistake he resigned his city council seat and protest. 350 00:19:19.200 --> 00:19:21.119 Richard went on to tell me a story about a 351 00:19:21.160 --> 00:19:24.240 member of the grand jury, this guy who later regretted 352 00:19:24.240 --> 00:19:28.400 indicting James Brown. When he said, suddenly, this. 353 00:19:28.359 --> 00:19:32.680 Friend, she's done these people wrong. A strong guy presented 354 00:19:32.720 --> 00:19:33.319 any evidence. 355 00:19:33.319 --> 00:19:35.720 He had a big puppy with him. This really dogs 356 00:19:35.720 --> 00:19:37.599 scrambled over to the countain where I was sitting. 357 00:19:37.680 --> 00:19:38.880 That's why I pat him, he said. 358 00:19:38.880 --> 00:19:40.559 And then they gave us a list of names and 359 00:19:40.599 --> 00:19:42.240 said these are the people that did it. 360 00:19:42.480 --> 00:19:46.720 And his statement was it got a little loud for 361 00:19:46.759 --> 00:19:49.279 a second, would you mind? He said? Uh. 362 00:19:49.319 --> 00:19:53.000 He said, they presented all the information about a black mass, 363 00:19:53.240 --> 00:19:56.960 about a sacrifice, and that we were so amazed and 364 00:19:57.000 --> 00:19:59.640 disgusted by all of this that if he had told 365 00:19:59.640 --> 00:20:01.519 this Sam Claus had done it, we would have indicted 366 00:20:01.599 --> 00:20:04.480 Santa Claus. And the worst part about this, it could 367 00:20:04.480 --> 00:20:07.400 have been stopped at any time, and nobody was willing 368 00:20:07.440 --> 00:20:08.640 to stand up and say stop. 369 00:20:10.480 --> 00:20:11.920 Do you think anybody could have done that? 370 00:20:12.000 --> 00:20:12.160 Oh? 371 00:20:12.200 --> 00:20:17.599 Absolutely, I mean the county commissioners had appointed the special 372 00:20:17.599 --> 00:20:20.960 prosecutor and the special investigators. They could have said something. 373 00:20:21.000 --> 00:20:24.119 The district judge could have said something. There were several places, 374 00:20:24.359 --> 00:20:28.599 you know, the grand jury, if they had been instructed 375 00:20:28.640 --> 00:20:31.160 on how grand jury is supposed to operate and what 376 00:20:31.200 --> 00:20:34.880 they're looking for, they could have said something, but they weren't. 377 00:20:35.200 --> 00:20:40.359 So that's what led to this big miscarriage of justice. 378 00:20:40.480 --> 00:20:43.519 Richard was so outraged by the false charges against Sergeant 379 00:20:43.559 --> 00:20:47.319 Brown he actually joined the police department full time to 380 00:20:47.440 --> 00:20:49.759 do more see if he could make a difference. 381 00:20:50.640 --> 00:20:53.680 That was one of the reasons that I would decided 382 00:20:53.720 --> 00:20:56.480 to go full time into law enforcement. That there was 383 00:20:56.519 --> 00:20:59.440 no reason that think should that that type of a 384 00:20:59.480 --> 00:21:03.640 miscarrier justice should ever happen with people watching it happen. 385 00:21:05.319 --> 00:21:08.160 Do you remember what were the what was the most 386 00:21:08.200 --> 00:21:10.440 promising lead of what actually. 387 00:21:10.039 --> 00:21:11.519 Happened, Kelly? 388 00:21:12.880 --> 00:21:16.039 There were there were two or three rumors that were 389 00:21:16.039 --> 00:21:20.119 going around. Sergeant Brown had investigated these as leads. He 390 00:21:20.400 --> 00:21:25.000 could never get anything definitive, could never get probable calls 391 00:21:25.039 --> 00:21:27.079 on either one. One of them was that she had 392 00:21:27.119 --> 00:21:34.559 attended a rave basically had ended up because of overdose 393 00:21:34.680 --> 00:21:39.720 or whatever. That she died and the kids they're panicked, uh, 394 00:21:39.799 --> 00:21:43.359 and went and hit her body. And that was that 395 00:21:43.480 --> 00:21:46.480 was one of them. That was that he was really 396 00:21:46.599 --> 00:21:50.559 strongly supporting the other one. Well, I don't know if 397 00:21:50.559 --> 00:21:52.240 I want to get into that part or not, because 398 00:21:52.279 --> 00:21:54.480 it involves a whole lot of other people that really 399 00:21:54.559 --> 00:21:58.200 had nothing to do with it. Uh No, not not 400 00:21:58.319 --> 00:22:02.599 so much. The curs as it was kell boyfriend at 401 00:22:02.599 --> 00:22:03.240