Crime Junkie
Crime Junkie
"The mission of course had been to book David Spence a one way ticket to the busiest execution chamber in the country, which mission accomplished." — Brit
"But zooming out to take an inventory of the scene, Price sees a purse on the floor with its contents all scattered around it. But it doesn't seem like much is missing." — Ashley Flowers
"The court finds that hearsay was improperly admitted in his original trials and the man is entitled to a doover." — Ashley Flowers
This episode continues the investigation into the Lake Waco murders, focusing on the efforts to exonerate David Spence and the subsequent investigation into the murder of his mother, Juanita White. Juanita was actively seeking evidence to prove her son's innocence, including a letter from a jailhouse informant recanting his testimony. Her murder, shortly after she claimed to have found a crucial witness, raised immediate suspicions. Investigator Jan Price noted unusual details at the crime scene, including a second break-in hours after the initial investigation, suggesting a targeted search for specific documents related to David's case.
The narrative then shifts to the broader systemic issues within the Waco legal system, highlighting the alleged manipulation of informants by individuals like Truman Simon's and D.A. Vic Fizzell, who are accused of orchestrating testimony in exchange for leniency in other cases. This alleged misconduct casts doubt on the convictions of Calvin Washington and Joe Sidney Williams, who were implicated in Juanita's murder, and parallels the concerns surrounding the original Lake Waco convictions. Investigator Price's independent investigation into these discrepancies was met with resistance from Fizzell, illustrating a pattern of obstruction.
The episode concludes by detailing the long and arduous fight for David Spence's exoneration, which was hampered by the unreliability of forensic evidence such as bite mark analysis and the continued dismissal of new evidence by the courts. Despite mounting evidence of misconduct and questionable testimony, David Spence was executed in 1997. The story also touches upon the unresolved nature of the original Lake Waco murders and the ongoing questions surrounding the evidence and potential alternate suspects, leaving a lingering sense of injustice.