48 Hours - Dangerous Reunion

Episode Date: September 14, 2023

This classic episode of “48 Hours" explores a series of 1981 sexual assaults targeting members of the Castleberry High cheerleading team that occurred in and around River Oaks, Texas. In January 1982, the body of Retha Stratton, a former Castleberry High cheerleader, was discovered by her roommate. Fort Worth Police Detective Dennis Timmons quickly focused his investigation on Wesley Wayne Miller, former captain of the Castleberry High football team. "48 Hours" correspondent Susan Spencer reports. This "48 Hours" episode last aired on 8/11/2007. Watch all-new episodes of “48 Hours” on Saturdays, and stream on demand on Paramount+.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Wondery Plus subscribers can listen to this podcast ad-free right now. Join Wondery Plus in the Wondery app today. Even if you love the thrill of true crime stories as much as I do, there are times when you want to mix it up. And that's where Audible comes in, with all the genres you love and new ones to discover. Explore thousands of audiobooks, podcasts, and originals, with more added all the time. thousands of audiobooks, podcasts, and originals, with more added all the time. Listening to Audible can lead to positive change in your mood, your habits,

and even your overall well-being. And you can enjoy Audible anytime, while doing household chores, exercising, commuting, you name it. There's more to imagine when you listen. Sign up for a free 30-day Audible trial and your first audiobook is free. Visit audible.ca. In 2014, Laura Heavlin was in her home in Tennessee when she received a call from California. Her daughter, Erin Corwin, was missing. The young wife of a Marine had moved to the California desert

to a remote base near Joshua Tree National Park. They have to alert the military. And when they do, the NCIS gets involved. From CBS Studios and CBS News, this is 48 Hours NCIS. Listen to 48 Hours NCIS ad-free starting October 29th on Amazon Music. This case began approximately 25 years ago, starting with the serial rapes of several young ladies. The picture of the Castleberry cheerleaders is chilling. several young ladies. The picture of the Castleberry cheerleaders is chilling. There's no way you can look at that picture

and not realize that he was targeting the cheerleaders in that photograph. My name is Lisa Tickner Gabbert, and I was raped on December 7th, 1981. The impact that rape has on your life is something that lasts for a lifetime. Throughout that year, there was a classic period of escalation in frequency and violence of the attacks.

The attacks ended in 1982 with the murder of Reetha Stratton. The attacks ended in 1982 with the murder of Aretha Stratton. The call came in on the evening of January 21st as a call for homicide detective. Immediately upon entering the house, you see a mass of blood on the carpet. I knew that there was a violent struggle that had ensued in that house, and one person lost that struggle and lost their life. She had 38 stab wounds. This was one of the bloodiest crime scenes that I'd ever been involved in. Reetha Stratton was a very good friend that I grew up with.

Reetha was a quite liked young lady. She had quite a following of cheerleader friends and people in the community. Everybody just loved her. My name is Dennis Timmons. I was the lead detective in the Aretha Stratton murder case. The way she was positioned, the way that body spoke to me, said this was not supposed to happen to me. I had a life to live.

Please help me. Wesley went to school with Reeth and I. He was handsome. He was friendly. Was fun to be around, laughed, smiled. He was just one of us. I never would have looked at him and said, you did that to me.

Wesley Miller is the person that raped all the individuals and eventually murdered Aretha Stratton. My name is Joey Robertson, and I am the lead prosecutor on this case. Wesley Miller received a 25 year sentence. When the realization came to me that 25 years is all that Wesley would get, I felt cheated, I felt betrayed.

Sometime in 2007, Wesley Miller is going to walk out of prison and there's nothing anyone can do to stop that. It is a guarantee that Wesley Miller will come and there's nothing anyone can do to stop that. Yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes within 30 days. Nobody sees the true Wesley Wayne Miller until you see the results of his actions. Dangerous Reunion 48 Hours Mystery In the Pacific Ocean, halfway between Peru and New Zealand, lies a tiny volcanic island.

It's a little-known British territory called Pitcairn, and it harboured a deep, dark scandal. There wouldn't be a girl on Pitcairn once they reach the age of 10 that would still a virgin. It just happens to all of them. I'm journalist Luke Jones, and for almost two years, I've been investigating a shocking story that has left deep scars on generations of women and girls from Pitcairn. When there's nobody watching, nobody going to report it, people will get away with what they can get away with. In the Pitcairn trials, I'll be uncovering a story of abuse

and the fight for justice that has brought a unique, lonely Pacific island to the brink of extinction. Listen to the Pitcairn Trials exclusively on Wondery Plus. Join Wondery Plus in the Wondery app, Apple Podcasts or Spotify. Have you ever wondered who created that bottle of sriracha that's living in your fridge? Or why nearly every house in America has at least one game of Monopoly? Introducing the best idea yet, a brand new podcast from Wondery and T-Boy

about the surprising origin stories of the products you're obsessed with and the bolder risk-takers who brought them to life. Like, did you know that Super Mario, the best-selling video game character of all time, only exists because Nintendo couldn't get the rights to Popeye? Or Jack, that the idea for the McDonald's Happy Meal first came from a mom in Guatemala? From Pez dispensers to Levi's 501s to Air Jordans,

discover the surprising stories of the most viral products. Plus, we guarantee that after listening, you're going to dominate your next dinner party. So follow The Best Idea Yet on the Wondery app or wherever you get your podcasts. You can listen to The Best Idea Yet early and ad-free right now by joining Wondery Plus. It's just the best idea yet. In River Oaks, Texas in 1982, the only thing more shocking than Ritha Stratton's murder was the fact that Wesley Wayne Miller did it. Stratton's murder was the fact that Wesley Wayne Miller did it. He's not the kind of person that if you see him walking down the street, you're going to cross to the other side of the road for your safety. But you probably should, says prosecutor Joey Robertson, who at today's hearing will try

to convince a jury that if he's simply freed, Miller will kill again. A fear that's driven Ritha's sister, Ronna, and her best friend, Lisa Gabbert, to fight for two decades to keep Miller locked up. It's been about the justice system and about Wesley and Wesley's potential victims that he can have in the future. It all began when they were just two small-town girls. I look back and I think, wow, I didn't even know that there was a world outside of River Oaks. It was 1981. Lisa Gabbard was a senior at Castleberry High. It was just typical high school.

It was just typical high school. Wesley Wayne Miller was a pal and captain of the football team, voted best all around his senior year. He hung around with the same people we all hung around with and was just a part of the group. As always in high school, the cheerleaders were at the center of everything. Lisa and her good friend, Ritha Stratton, were both on the squad. Describe her for me. You were a very good friend, right? She was fun, and she just had a zest for life, and she seized it. Like Wesley Miller, Reetha Stratton is all over the yearbook. She's beaming in the cheerleaders official picture. A picture that over the next year would take on a grim significance. On January 23rd 1981, the girl seen just below Reetha, Susan Davis, was sexually assaulted. He walks in and with the stocking over his head, his face, no shirt on, jeans,

with you know his zipper open and at that point I realized that something really bad was about to happen. Susan, then 16, was home alone. My instincts took over, and I just ran, and he caught me. And at that point, he began to threaten me. It became physical, hitting me in the face, ripping my panties off. Going at that point, it was sexual. And I prayed through the whole thing. I prayed that God would, you know, watch over me.

At that point, he got up and walked away. I'm sorry. Having failed to actually rape her, her attacker fled. Did you have any idea who this person was? No. I mean, I had a build, i i didn't know who it was probably someone she knew police said but with no physical evidence or suspects the case stalled for them that was that but not for susan i had to go back into cheerleading and i was

paranoid all the time about is this person in the stands watching me? At Castleberry High, life went on. Lisa and Ritha graduated in May. Then, that November, in the nearby town of Saginaw, a man raped another young woman. Again, the victim was alone, and again, the rapist wore a mask. He left a fingerprint behind behind but police couldn't identify it and in river oaks the case got little attention it's just very much that that teenage mentality that doesn't that doesn't affect my world that's that can't happen to me but on december 7th, 1981, it did. And the attack is as vivid when she visits the vacant house today as it was back then.

Your bedroom door was closed? Yes, and when the door opened, it awakened me, and I looked over and saw that someone was standing in the doorway with a mask, a red ski mask and pantyhose over the mask. Lisa was just 18 years old at the time. He leapt on me, and we struggled. There was some choking, and then he tore back the covers, opened my robe, and we struggled some more.

So he proceeded to rape me. She was sure her attacker knew her because he didn't give a second thought to walking right past her ailing mother, who was an invalid. And you've always thought that that was important, that the person who did this to you knew that your mother, who's sitting here a few feet away, couldn't move. Absolutely, because anyone else would have seen her as a witness. Still, she had no idea who it was. Robert Lynn Hicks, then a rookie patrolman, interviewed Lisa that day, and he distinctly remembers

one telling detail. Towards the end of the interview, she stated, if you'll find someone that looks similar to Wesley Miller, that would be a good place to start as far as looking for a suspect. You said, basically, what? He's built like Wesley and has arms like Wesley. But I couldn't make the leap to think, oh, that was Wesley.

That was unthinkable. Wesley but I couldn't make the leap to think oh that was Wesley that was unthinkable then the very next day another rape just across the street from Lisa's house the circumstances were strikingly similar we're the same type shirt as best we could describe it to each other, red ski mask, both of us described. The victim was the sister of another cheerleader, Roxy McDonald, who just happened to be dating Wesley Miller. And we had just said to the dad, well, he's built like Wesley and has arms like Wesley's.

And he says, Wesley, come here. And he said, let me see your arm. And he pulls his arm over. He said, you mean it looks just like this? And we're like Wesley's. And he says, Wesley, come here. And he said, let me see your arm. And he pulls his arm over. He said, you mean it looks just like this? And we're like, yeah. And Wesley yanked his arm back and went upstairs without saying a word. Even Roxy had doubts. And she asked me, do you think Wesley could have done that? And both of us were like, no. And both of us were like, no. Officer Hicks had reported what Lisa had said, but no one connected the dots. It was a situation where I think if we ignore it, it'll go away.

That was the impression that I got. They even had a sketch of a man seen fleeing the neighborhood after attacking Lisa. Inexplicably, the police never showed the composite to the victims, even though Officer Hicks at some point had made a telltale notation at the bottom. So you're the person who wrote believed to be Wesley Miller on that composite? Yes, I am. And does anybody question Wesley Miller?

Not to my knowledge. And do you know why? The only thing I can chalk that up to is inexperience. Then again, not Wesley's friends, not even his victims, could imagine that he had had anything to do with these crimes. Hotshot Australian attorney Nicola Gaba was born into legal royalty. Her specialty? Representing some of the city's most infamous gangland criminals. However, while Nicola held the underworld's darkest secrets,

the most dangerous secret was her own. She's going to all the major groups within Melbourne's underworld, and she's informing on them all. I'm Marsha Clark, host of the new podcast, Informants Lawyer X. In my long career in criminal justice as a prosecutor and defense attorney, I've seen some crazy cases, and this one belongs right at the top of the list. She was addicted to the game she had created. She just didn't know how to stop. Now, through dramatic interviews and access, I'll reveal the truth behind one of the world's most shocking legal scandals. Listen to Informant's Lawyer X exclusively on Wondery Plus. Join Wondery Plus in the Wondery app, Apple Podcasts, or Spotify, and listen to more Exhibit C true crime shows

early and ad-free right now. Did you know that the movie Candyman was partly inspired by an actual murder? Listen to Candyman, the true story behind the bathroom mirror murder, early and ad-free on Wondery Plus and the Wondery app. She was very beautiful. A lot of the guys probably would have loved to have gone out with Reetha.

Reetha, I'm glad I got to know you better this year. I hope that we can be together more often. You're the best looking girl in our school and I hope to see a lot of you this summer. Love always, Wesley. It was all about the moment. You know, we were 18, you know, so it was all fun. Amy Moody went to Castleberry High with Ritha Stratton, a pal since childhood. I met Ritha in the first grade. She loved to have fun. She loved people.

The longtime friends graduated in 1981, ready to take on the world. We couldn't wait for that day that we graduated so that we could be on our own. They moved into this small house, blissfully unaware that a rapist in the area was targeting one-time cheerleaders. Although they had heard some rumors about the rapes. Well, we definitely got nervous, and we were scared enough that we wouldn't come home alone. They changed the locks on their new place. But six weeks had passed since Lisa and her neighbor were raped.

Nothing happened, and fears faded. Everything got quiet again, and that week was the first time that she had started coming back home by herself. It was January 21, 1982. I got home at 5.55, and her car was there, and the door was wide open, which was all very, you know, strange. We had a little lamp by the door, and I turned on that lamp, and there was just blood everywhere. I went straight to Ritha's bedroom and she was

she was on the floor like maybe he had pushed her in the closet and the closet door opened so she fell out. She was completely bloody. The knife was still... He had left the knife sticking in her chest. He had slit her wrist and her panties were wadded up in her mouth. I got the call a little after 6 p.m.

Fort Worth Police Detective Dennis Timmons was first on the scene. I entered that house, 1808 Brook Hollow. You could follow the blood trail easily out of the living room into the closet where her body was found. Reetha had been stabbed 38 times with this kitchen knife. The way she was laying there in that closet, she had a look on her face as if to say, you know, vindicate me. I wasn't supposed to die this way.

And I'll never forget that. to die this way. And I'll never forget that. It took Timmons only five hours to zero in on his one and only suspect. It's about 11 o'clock at night. It was the first time I'd heard Wesley Miller's name mentioned. A neighbor had seen Wesley's pickup

near Reetha's house at the time of the murder. So that's where he parked. And her house is here. Doesn't have very far to run. No, not at all. You can be there in a matter of seconds. Police determined that Aretha was killed in the late afternoon between 5.15 and 5.30. Shortly after that, Wesley showed up at his girlfriend Roxy's house nearby.

She lets him in. He goes to the bathroom, and she can hear him lock the door. And she said that was unusual for him to lock the door. Even more unusual, he asked Roxy to wash his jeans, which had blood on them. These are the actual blue jeans that his girlfriend washed. He told her that he had been playing football and one of the boys had gotten a nosebleed and bled on him. But after they heard of Ritha's murder, Roxy's parents turned the jeans over to the police. That's where

they cut out the stain in the blue jeans and they were able to get Ritha Stratton's blood off of his blue jeans, even though they had been washed. Within 48 hours, police charged 19-year-old Wesley Miller with the murder of Reetha Stratton. At first, Wesley denied everything. Then, when confronted with the evidence, he abruptly confessed. When I talked to him about Ritha, it was like talking to a piece of plastic. He had no emotion about that whatsoever.

Just didn't respond at all? Didn't respond at all to that. I said, why did you cut her wrist so bad? Oh, I want to make sure she's dead. There was no evidence Ritha had been raped, but within days of his arrest, police matched Wesley's fingerprint to one from the unsolved rape case in Saginaw. Horrified, Lisa and the other victims began putting two and two together. And our high

school cheerleading sponsor pulled out our cheerleading picture and said, look at this, here's his lineup. And it was all the cheerleaders on the left side. Miller was suspected of committing five rapes, but prosecutors only charged him with two while they investigated the others. Their immediate concern was Ritha's murder. The trial began in October of 1982. He looked more like a scared 15-year-old kid than a savage murderer. Wesley's attorney, Jack Strickland. And he looked like he should have been on his way to soccer practice. But Wesley faced the possibility of life in prison. The trial lasted less than two weeks.

Assistant DA Pam Licatos wasn't worried for a second. Did you consider, we could lose and he could walk out of here with nothing? Or he could walk out of here with a very, very minimal sentence? No. We were pretty arrogant. After all, Wesley Miller had confessed. And in fact, it took the jury less than an hour to find him guilty. They then spent more than twice that time deliberating his sentence. Because he'd been on trial only for the murder,

the jury never was allowed to hear anything about the rape charges. I think the jury's taking the responsibility seriously. And to tell you the truth, I would not have been surprised at a life sentence. I asked him for life. I thought they were going to give him life. The sentence was a shocker. Miller got just 25 years. You must have just not even been able to believe. No. Not even a year for every time he stabbed her. Apparently, the jury decided Wesley Miller, football star and best all-around student, deserved a second chance. He came across as this boy with a future, all-American type.

Something went awry. Like, this must have just been an accident. Did the DA assure your family that, okay, we didn't get the sentence that we thought on the murder, but there's still these rape charges? We will take him to trial to get additional time. It didn't happen. Back then, there was no DNA testing.

And in the end, prosecutors only went forward with the most airtight case, the Saginaw case, where police found his fingerprint. All the other cases, including those involving the girls from Castleberry High, never went anywhere. It completely devastated me to find out that they wouldn't make a case out of this, that they didn't do something. Not only that, prosecutors agreed to a plea deal, 20 years to be served concurrently with the murder sentence.

Bottom line, Miller got no additional prison time. I guess because they felt like, okay, he's been convicted, he's going to prison, we'll just get rid of everything. Easier just to close the books. That decision has had enormous ramifications, hasn't it? Yes. Yes, it has. But I don't think anybody could have foreseen it back then. Especially not Reetha's grieving family,

who would be devastated to discover how soon Wesley Wayne Miller would be up for parole. Except there's no way in the world he's up for parole. He's not going to come up for parole for eight and a half years. In fact, Wesley Miller, sentenced to 25 years for murder, was up for parole after only two years. His request was denied before Ronna and Lisa even knew about it. I found out accidentally a year later when he was up for the second time. They were only in their 20s they couldn't imagine back then that this would become their life's

work but when they found out Wesley Miller now would be up for parole every year they had to do something so I started writing letters mom wrote a letter my dad read a letter and we started writing letters they bombarded the parole board with petitions. I think we ended up with probably about 5,000 signatures before we were done. With packets of information about who Ritha was. So you have Ritha here. Ritha is a cheerleader. And what Wesley Miller had done to her.

Included the crime scene pictures. Exactly. But I wanted them to see this is what this person is capable of doing. That worked for a while, but soon Ronna and Lisa had a new problem. Texas, it turned out, had a mandatory release law passed to ease prison overcrowding. With enough credit for good behavior, inmates would be released early. By 1991, Wesley Miller qualified. Which meant it didn't matter whether they saw that he wasn't really a good candidate to be released on parole or not. He was getting out. When the time came, they did manage to make sure he didn't get out in River Oaks,

make sure he didn't get out in River Oaks, then got him banned from 13 other counties. His release finally was to a halfway house in Houston, 260 miles away. But for Ronna and Lisa, not far enough. I don't want to look the person in the face that's Wesley's next victim and say, I didn't do everything that I possibly could. Their protests forced the board

to move Miller three times, finally to Wichita Falls. But his adversaries got there first. D.A. Barry Maka. They just wanted me to know that that was the kind of individual was coming to our community on parole. Maka filed that away and and then one summer night, about a year later, a woman named Laura Bernard was startled by a stranger running toward her as she was unloading her groceries. He was just literally charging across the street at her? But I never looked back. I just saw him coming toward me, and I just took off and went into the house and locked the door.

Laura's husband, Charlie, raced outside to confront the guy. He's not answering. He just keeps walking. I told Laura to go get the keys to the car. The stranger headed for his truck. And so I run and jump in the car, and we take off down the street. You must have been absolutely scared out of your mind. He said, I said, I can't look at him. I don't want to look at him. I'm so scared. And he said, you just get the license plate. The man got away, but Laura got

his plate number and wrote it on her grocery list. The next morning, Charlie, an attorney, called his pal, the DA. He said, we have problems. You need to come by my office. He said, we have problems. You need to come by my office. The pickup was registered to a Morris Miller, Wesley's father. But after looking at the photo lineup, Charlie Bernard had no question who was driving. It took me three or four seconds to ID him. And I'll never forget his eyes. He had very piercing, evil eyes. The district attorney charged Miller with attempted assault and even prosecuted the case himself.

How many class B misdemeanors did the DA prosecute? But I haven't prosecuted very many people like Wesley Miller. He's special and he needs to be treated special. A guilty verdict in the Bernard case landed Miller back in prison for five more years. But in 1998, same old story. He was released again. This time, thanks to Ronna and Lisa, it wasn't much of a release. They got officials to force him to wear a GPS monitor 24 hours a day.

officials to force him to wear a GPS monitor 24 hours a day even though he was housed in the most secure location they possibly could come up with. And that ended up being that ended up being the Tarrant County Jail. Having someone paroled from state prison to a county jail was a first for Sheriff D Anderson. And how many hours a day is he in this cell? This is a 23-hour-a-day cell. That's pretty grim. It is grim. So grim, Miller even held a press conference

claiming he was being treated unfairly. No, I don't think they've been fair at all. I think that what's wrong with them is that they're too severe and too strict. I don't feel I'm a danger to society. Not only did the parole board disagree, it ordered him to take sex offender counseling, which for Miller was the most unfair requirement of all. I refuse because I've never been convicted of a sex crime. True, no jury convicted him.

But remember, after his murder trial, Miller did plead guilty to that one rape, the one where police found his fingerprint. It's right there in black and white. Why do you think he refuses? That acknowledges that all of those crimes that he thinks he got away with, like Lisa's and the rest, that he was never even charged with, that it associates him back with those. arrest that he was never even charged with that it associates him back with us. Over the years his steadfast refusal to go to sex offender classes has cost him dearly since it always means returning to prison where he insists he doesn't

belong. I've done my time and there's no reason to be afraid of me. I would hope to just be able to get out and just to live a normal life and spend some time with my family. Ronna and Lisa concede they have taken great satisfaction in thwarting that homecoming. He was the one that was being escorted down the hall knowing that we were the ones doing this to him. That was sweet. That was the best thing ever. But now the clock is ticking.

Soon Wesley Miller will have served every day of his sentence. The state will have to set him free, no strings attached. Unless his two adversaries succeed in a last extraordinary move to stop it. Wesley Miller's 25-year sentence is about to end, but Chief Prosecutor Joey Robertson is determined he won't simply walk out of prison. My job is to prove that Wesley Miller is a sexually violent predator. Because if Miller meets that legal definition, the state can put him under what's called civil commitment

so that when he is finally released, he'll be subject to the same intense monitoring as the worst sex offenders. You were instrumental in getting this law passed? Yes. The law they helped pass requires convictions for two sex crimes before someone can be civilly committed. Miller's rape plea counts as one, and now prosecutors have to convince the jury

that even though Aretha wasn't raped, her murder was a sex crime. If they succeed, Miller would become the first murderer ever civilly committed. If they fail, they say, he could soon simply walk out of prison and strike again. What's at stake in your mind in this hearing? The safety of innocent people. Miller's lawyer Bob Mabry refused to discuss his strategy, in fact went to extraordinary lengths to refuse. He even convinced the judge to close the actual hearing to cameras.

Before it starts, Lisa and Ronna take seats just a few feet from Miller, who certainly knows that they are the main reason his freedom may be denied. Have you locked eyes since this has started? We think so, but how can you see into the eyes of someone that doesn't really see? Yeah, I mean, I've looked at him, and I've caught him looking at me, and I've looked back. Wesley Miller never was charged with assaulting Susan Davis, but she is sure he did it and has come to face him for the first time since high school. When I saw him, I looked him straight in the eye and just thought, you know,

what an awful person you are for all these things that you've done. What an awful person you are for all these things that you've done. Robertson argues that Ritha's murder was simply the last barbaric act of a serial rapist, one who, as the famous photo shows, picked his victims carefully. By the time this trial is over, I will have connected Wesley Miller sexually to some degree to over half of the cheerleaders in that picture. But Miller denies it, both in his testimony and in this earlier deposition shot by the state. Do you recall being a suspect in the January 1981 rape case involving Susan Brown?

No. Lisa Tickman? No. Reitha's murder, Robertson continues, is the very definition of a sex crime. Some of the worst crime scene photographs I've ever seen. I'll never forget those pictures. Oh, you blew them up into huge size and showed them to the jury. I had to. It's important.

Those are her own blood-soaked panties that are stuck into her mouth. Were you sexually attracted to Aretha? Yes. Miller claims that yes, he went to Reetha's house for sex, but that when they fought, she attacked him. We argued and it just led to her going to open grad tonight. But when it comes to the details of the actual murder, Miller's memory fails him. You don't recall ever stabbing Ruth Estrada?

Objection. No, I don't recall that. The next thing I remember is I was kneeling over her on the ground. Where was the knife? The knife was in my hand. I refer to it as a very convenient amnesia. Dr. Randall Price is a forensic psychologist hired by the state to evaluate Wesley Miller. He can remember the details up until the point that the details become those that would add to his culpability.

And then he blacks out. You did not buy this story at all? Not at all. I think he was there to commit a sexual assault on her, to rape her, and he lost control of the situation. And he says Wesley wasn't used to that. He was Mr. Castleberry High. He was a football star. I think that he thought that he was, you know, in some way entitled to have sex with the popular cheerleaders of the school. Doctor, what is wrong with Wesley Wayne Miller? I think he's a psychopath. I think he's a sexual psychopath. And how does a popular high school football star morph into a sexual psychopath?

Are there clues, perhaps, in his childhood? That's Wes right here at a birthday party, having a good time with all the other kids. The oldest of three, his father Morris says he was athletic and a good kid. He also idolized his dad, who worked for the railroad. I was proud of Wes because he was a go-getter and he tried to be number one at all times. Morris says when he was injured in a terrible train accident during Wesley's junior year, Wesley took it very hard. I had my right leg cut off. Extensive brain damage. They say I'm lucky to be even talking to you right now. How did that accident affect your home life? It affected it drastically.

Mentally, it hurt my son Wes as much as it did me, if you know what I mean. It seemed like he cried a lot. The accident also took a toll on the Millers' marriage. It seemed like my family, slowly, started drifting away. But Morris has no idea if the resulting family chaos somehow led to murder. No matter what he's done, he's still my son, and I'll love him forever.

I feel like Wes has paid his debt to society, and I believe he should get out. Back at the hearing, the defense argues just that, bringing in an expert witness, Dr. Jason Dunham, who tells the court that he finds nothing, including those photos, to prove that this was a sexual crime. I don't see how anyone could say one way or another that this was based on sexually motivated conduct. Wesley Miller surprisingly agrees with the prosecution

on one thing. His 25-year sentence, he says, was too light. It wasn't fair because I was guilty and it's a very bad crime. You think it should have been more? Yes, I do. And only when prompted, says he is sorry. Do you have anything to say to Rita's family? Yes. What's that?

That I apologize and ask for their forgiveness. He's had 25 years to do that. He's never felt compelled to say that before. Testimony has lasted four days. Mr. Miller, do you feel like this has been a fair trial? You can ask that to my attorneys. Wesley Miller walked by here. If he were to walk by here again, what would, what do you have to say to him? We spoke volumes without ever saying a word in there. We don't have to say a thing to him. He heard us speaking.

Soon, the jury will speak. 25 years ago, sympathetic jurors gave Wesley Miller the break of his life. This jury could set him free. The jury is deliberating Wesley Miller's future, and prosecutor Joey Robertson is tense. What concerns you the most? The burden that is put on us to prove the motivation of a murder that happened 25 years ago. And he says that with Miller's sentence about to end, the stakes are huge. If Wesley Miller is walking around unsupervised, Texas is a little more dangerous place to live.

Pam Licato's helped prosecute Miller for Reetha's murder 25 years ago, but she is now a defense attorney, and generally not happy with civil commitment. What do you say to the idea that this guy served every minute of what a jury of his peers said he should? Leave him alone. I would agree with that.

I use that argument quite frequently. But not even she hastens to add when it comes to Wesley Wayne Miller. If you were talking to me about somebody else besides Miller, it'd be different. Win or lose, Ronna and Lisa say they're grateful this trial finally showed the world the real Wesley Miller and all he did. Are you mentally and emotionally prepared for the possibility that, you know, you might not win this? We might not win it, but you know what?

It was all said in court. It was all wrapped up. And it's up to that jury to decide that. And in a little under two hours, the jury has decided. What are you expecting, Mr. Miller? What are you expecting? I'm expecting for him never to own up to anything and for us to feel very satisfied with what just happened. Anxious to hear the verdict, Lisa and Ronna join Susan Davis in court. Question one. You find that beyond a reasonable doubt, Wesley Miller is a repeat sexist, violent offender. The answer is yes.

And there is more vindication to come for these three women whose lives Miller altered forever 25 years ago. Question two. five years ago. The jury has made it official. It's ruling that Miller is a sexual predator means that the minute he walks out of prison, he'll be subject to strict supervision. This moment, anything like you imagined? It's the relief. It's such validation.

We won. I mean, it's his. We won. He really, it says here. He really was there to sex with us all the time. Bye. And murder her. She didn't ask for that. And I was raped.

And I did know it was him. And now he has to answer for that. This is as good as it gets. Through it all, Wesley Miller remains apparently unfazed. He's fingerprinted in Don's prison garb for his return to his cell. Mr. Miller, do you have a reaction to the verdict? I have nothing to say right now, ma'am. Any reaction at all? Are you prepared to follow the rules of civil commitment?

What is life like under civil commitment? He is, when he is released, he'll be released to a halfway house. He will have GPS monitoring. He will have required counseling sessions that he's to attend. He'll be monitored 24-7 and have to abide by more than 40 restrictions. No alcohol. No driving a car. Random drug tests. And polygraph exams.

Is civil commitment enough? I don't know, but that's what we're given. What else can I do? I can't just put him in prison for the rest of his life because I don't like Wesley Miller. Under the new rules, Miller will be re-evaluated every two years. But one violation, like again refusing sex offender treatment, and he could be back in prison for life. And that would be fine with Ronna and Lisa.

Does a day go by when Wesley Wayne Miller doesn't cross your mind? No, not mine. Probably not many. And the sad thing is, the really sad thing about all of that is maybe a day goes by that Aretha doesn't. But it is the memory of what happened to Aretha Stratton and all the others that has made this decades-long struggle worth it. Are you ready to go home?

I guess we'll take care of her. I am. It's going to be weird. Go back to her real life. I know. It's a good thing. What a relief. In 2008, Wesley Miller was charged with violating the terms of his civil commitment for having a relationship with a female jailer. He was sentenced to 10 years in jail.

He completed that sentence in 2018 and remains under civil commitment at an inpatient facility. If you like this podcast, you can listen ad-free right now by joining Wondery Plus in the Wondery app. Before you go, tell us about yourself by filling out a quick survey at wondery.com slash survey.