Prime Crime: Solved Murders - Solved or Unsolved? Murder at Lake Waco Pt. 1

Episode Date: July 5, 2022

In 1982, three teenagers were found murdered along Lake Waco. There was very little evidence, but Sergeant Truman Simons had a hunch. And he knew it would pay off. He just needed more time. This is a crossover series with Unsolved Murders, looking at two complicated cases where the conclusions are far from forgone. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Hi, listeners, it's Carter, here to tell you about an incredible event celebrating the launch of Parcast's first book, Colts. On July 13th, crime junkies Ashley Flowers and Parcast founder Max Cutler are coming together for a night of true crime to remember. And you can be part of it virtually on Spotify Live or in person. The evening will take place in Los Angeles and feature discussions about the book, a live Q&A, and so on. much more. All ticket sales up to $125,000 will be matched by Max Cutler and donated to Season of Justice, a nonprofit founded by Ashley Flowers that provides financial resources to help solve cold cases and support families impacted by unsolved violent crimes. It's a wonderful cause and an evening perfect for any true crime fan. But time is running out. Register for your spot today at

PARCAST.com slash Colts. All attendees will receive a special signed copy of PARCAST new book, Colts. So don't wait, sign up at Pardcast.com slash cults. Hello listeners, it's Carter. Wendy and I love to bring you stories about the many ways in which murder investigations can go horribly wrong or wonderfully right on our show's unsolved murders and solved murders. But every once in a while, we come across stories. that don't fit neatly into either category.

Sometimes a closed case gets blown wide open. Questions we thought had been answered get thrust back into the public eye. The ensuing controversy transforms what we believe to be a simple murder story into something else entirely. For the next four weeks, we'll tell you about two of these stories.

From a triple homicide in Waco, Texas, to an art dealer's bloody actions in Savannah, Georgia, we want you to join us in asking one very important question. Are these cases solved or unsolved? Due to the graphic nature of this murder case, listener discretion is advised. This episode includes discussions of rape, murder, and assault. We advise extreme caution for children under 13. For the residents of Waco, Texas, April 3, 1997, was a very important.

a day for justice, for retribution. Fifteen years earlier, a gruesome triple homicide had rocked their city, and they'd been waiting all that time to see the killer executed. The lawyers of the accused filed countless appeals and petitions begging for mercy, but at 5.45 p.m., Governor George W. Bush denied their final request for reprieve. The decades of stalling were over. And suddenly, everything moved at hyper speed. The inmate was escorted to a chamber with a large glass window. Outside, the families of the victims watched as he was strapped to a gurney.

Executioners inserted an IV in one of his arms and then the other. Just before they let the toxic chemicals flow, the man whispered a few last words. Looking at the gallery, he said, quote, I want you to understand, I speak the truth when I say I didn't kill your kids. Honestly, I have not killed anyone. Not a single mother or father believed him. They watched as he fell unconscious. His lungs collapsed.

His heart stopped beating. At 6.32 p.m., he was pronounced dead. Most people believed justice had been served. But they weren't certain. 25 years later, the question remains. Did Texas execute an innocent man? This is a special series presented by Unsolved Murders, True Crime Mysteries, Spotify Original from Parcast.

I'm your host, Carter Roy. And I'm your host, Wendy McKenzie. For the next four weeks, we're taking a deep dive into true crime's most perplexing murder cases. We'll cover stories where the line. between fact and fiction is blurred. And try to answer the question, was justice really served? You can find episodes of unsolved murders,

solved murders, and all other Spotify originals from Parcast for free exclusively on Spotify. This is our first episode on the Lake Waco murders. In 1982, three teenagers were killed in what appeared to be a senseless crime. Sergeant Truman Simon spearheaded the investigation and his determination in solving the mystery was unflinching. But in hindsight, his methods might have been questionable.

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Canva, the thing that makes anything a thing. For Sidney Smith and Joseph Chambers, July 14, 1982, started as a normal day by the water. They drove along the shore of Lake Waco, a man-made reservoir just northwest of Waco, Texas. Sydney and Joseph were looking for a good place to fish. They ventured past picnic tables, hiking trails, and camping areas, and finally turned down a dirt road at Spiegelville Park. As they approached a small intersection, they noticed a man leaned up against a tree sleeping.

According to journalist Michael Hall's reporting for Texas Monthly, Sydney and Joseph assumed the man had gotten drunk and passed out. The burning Texas sun threatened sunburn or heat stroke for any sleeping person, so they made their way towards the man, intending to wake him up. But when they got closer, they realized he wasn't napping. He was dead. His hands were bound behind his back, his mouth was gagged, and his shirt was drenched in blood. A pair of sunglasses rested on the bridge of his nose, seemingly undisturbed. Around 6.30 that evening, 39-year-old Waco Police Sergeant Truman Simons headed to the scene,

where a number of reporters were already milling about. Sergeant Simons met up with a group of other officers, and one pointed him towards the body. Simons was a 17-year veteran on the force, but he still had to fight the urge to recoil. The victim looked young. He couldn't have been more than 20. his t-shirt was full of thin rectangular slashes. Places where a knife had entered the fabric. Beneath his clothes, the boy's chest was covered in stab wounds. Simon's backed away from the body and rejoined his co-workers.

Another officer, Detective Ramon Salinas, showed him a photograph of a teenager with light hair. It was 18-year-old Kenneth Franks. Earlier that day, Kenneth's father had reported him missing to the Waco Police Department. Now they'd found him. To make matters worse, two 17-year-old girls, Jill Montgomery and Raylene Rice, were both with Kenneth when he'd vanished, and they had gone missing too. Salinas had a terrible feeling that there were more victims in Spiegelville Park. Officers fanned out to search the area, and in a matter of minutes, another detective came upon a second body.

This victim was a blonde teenage girl, Raylene Rice. Like Kenneth, Raylene had been bound, gagged with a cloth, and stabbed multiple times. She was naked except for a bra tied around her leg. Just a few yards away, Sergeant Simons noticed something poking up above some weeds. What looked like a person's knee? It was Jill Montgomery. A brunette, hands tied behind her back with a gag in her mouth. She was also naked and had been stabbed repeatedly.

Her throat was slashed open, and unlike the other two victims, she had cuts on her hands, defensive wounds. Right away, investigators developed a few theories. First, because the grass had been flattened in some areas, detectives believed a struggle took place at Spiegelville Park. Second, it seemed like Jill might have been the killer's main target, since her body was the most bloodied. And upon closer inspection, authorities saw that all three of the victims had both deep and shallow stab wounds. To detectives, this indicated they'd been tortured before they were killed.

It was a terrifying, senseless crime, and law enforcement's job was to make sense of it. They swept the area and found a couple of bud light cans near Raylene's body, which they sent to be dusted for fingerprints. They also discovered some hairs on the material used to bind all three teenagers' wrists. This was before the days of DNA testing, but they hoped they could examine the hairs and determine the culprit's ethnicity. And that's where the evidence ended. It wasn't much to go on, but Sergeant Truman Simons had a... knack for solving tough cases. He worked on instinct, and in his mind, his gut never led him astray. Before he left the scene, he knelt down beside each of the lifeless teenagers. One by one,

Simon swore to them that their murders would be solved and their killer would be brought to justice. Before authorities could even contact all the victim's families, news of the group gruesome crime spread. In his book about the case, careless whispers, author Carlton Stowers, writes that Jill's aunt learned about the murders on the 10 o'clock news. A few minutes after the broadcast, she got a call confirming that one of the victims was her niece. It was an utter nightmare for the teenagers' families and the entire city. People started locking their doors. They pushed the local government to institute park curfews. They put pressure on law enforcement. A crime like this was virtually unheard of in the city, so locals wanted answers, and they wanted them now.

But a case this big was going to take serious manpower. The Waco Police Department tasked seven officers with the investigation. Because he was technically a patrol sergeant, not a homicide detective, Truman Simons wasn't included. Simons was essentially asked to take the back seat while his co-workers were behind the wheel, and he wasn't happy about it. In his free time, Simons obsessed over the case. He'd given Kenneth, Raylene, and Jill his word,

and he wasn't the kind of man who broke his promises. He spent evenings searching Spiegelville Park for more clues. He conducted unofficial interviews, asking around town about the teenagers. It doesn't seem like this actually led to any breakthroughs. It was just a way for Simons to keep his mind busy, to feel like he was helping. To this end, Simons also kept tabs on the real investigation.

Through the case files, he learned about the teenagers and their lives leading up to the crime. Raylene and Jill were good friends who both lived in Waxahatchie, a smaller town about an hour north of Waco. On the afternoon of July 13th, the day of the murders, Raylene picked Jill up in her Ford Pinto. The pair drove to the Texas Ranger Hall of Fame Museum in Waco. Jill had been a tour guide there,

and she needed to pick up her last paycheck. Next, they stopped at a grocery store to cash the check. From there, they went to Kenneth's place. Jill and Kenneth had met at Methodist Home, a boarding school for troubled youths. Some of the kids dealt with substance abuse disorders, while others struggled academically. Kenneth and Jill probably fell into the second category. Kenneth lived with dyslexia and had trouble in school, while Jill had a speech impediment and a rebellious streak.

For the most part, all three victims seemed like regular teenagers. They likely drank alcohol, but their misbehaviors probably did. go any deeper than that. According to Kenneth's father, that afternoon the teenagers headed to Cone Park, another one of the public areas along the shore of Lake Waco. It's safe to assume they plan to drink a few beers and kick back by the water. And as far as police could tell, Kenneth, Raylene, and Jill did make it to Cone Park. Several witnesses said they saw them arrive, and early in the investigation, officers found Raylene's Ford Pinto still parked nearby. But nobody saw the teenagers leave.

This was odd because their bodies were found in Spiegelville Park, which was directly across the lake. The only way to get there was by driving all the way around or going through the water. But there weren't any tire tracks at the entrance to Spiegelville. It was way too far to swim, and nothing suggested a boat had been near. by. On top of that, no one who was around Lake Waco on June 13th heard any screaming. Considering the fact

that the victims likely fought their attacker before they were gagged and the possibility they were tortured, the silence was difficult to explain. At first, police thought this might be because the murders took place somewhere else, and the victim's bodies were left at Spiegelville Park. But even that didn't really add up. It seemed like a struggle. had taken place at Spiegelville, which would mean the teenagers were still alive while they were there. This became a central problem in the case. Detectives couldn't say where the teenagers were killed,

and they weren't sure how they got from one side of the lake to the other. The investigative team was optimistic the bud light cans and strands of hair founded the scene would be useful, but the cans didn't have any fingerprints on them and analysis of the hairs, was inconclusive. The medical examiner, Dr. Mary Gilliland, was their last hope. She determined Kenneth had exactly 20 stab wounds.

The blade was approximately five inches long with a single sharp edge, likely a buck knife. The wounds all faced slightly downwards, as if the killer had been standing over him. Jill had a total of 17 stab wounds. Raylene had 11. both teenagers had been raped, but no semen was found on their bodies. Over the month of August, investigators repeatedly combed the park surrounding Lake Waco and conducted over 150 interviews with potential witnesses.

But even after all this, they had little to work with. They just couldn't make sense of the crime. By early September, two months later, the investigation was officially in Inactive. Sergeant Truman Simon's coworkers had been put behind the wheel, and they'd driven straight into a dead end. Deep in his bones, he knew he could do better. He just had to get into the driver's seat. So on September 9, 1982, Simons called his supervisor, Chief Larry Scott. He said he could solve the case within a week. It was a bold claim, but the chief didn't have anything to lose, he said okay. And Truman Simons stepped on the gas. Coming up, Simons takes over the investigation

and quickly identifies a suspect. Hi listeners, it's Carter with some truly exciting news. To commemorate the launch of Colts, Parcast's first book, Crime Junkies Ashley Flowers and Parcast founder Max Cutler are coming together on July 13th for an in-person and virtual experience you do not want to miss. The evening will take place in Los Angeles and feature a live Q&A about the book, an exclusive meet and greet, and a discussion on all things true crime. All ticket sales up to $125,000 will be matched by Max Cutler and donated to Season of Justice. A nonprofit founded by Ashley that provides funding to law enforcement agencies and families to help solve cold cases. It's an amazing organization near and dear to both Ashley and Max, and another great

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Terms apply. Now back to the story. On September 10, 1982, 39-year-old Waco police sergeant Truman Simons poured over a stack of case files. He was looking for anything the original detectives might have missed while investigating the Lake Waco murders. It didn't take long for Simons to find a lead.

Weeks prior, officers had interviewed a 17-year-old girl who will call Lauren. Lauren used to be a student at Waco's Methodist home. That's where she met Kenneth and Jill. In her statements to police, she claimed she knew a man who would have loved to see Kenneth dead. Apparently, there was a small convenience store right across the street from the boarding school called the Rainbow Drive Inn. It was owned by 23-year-old Manir Dieb, a Jordanian immigrant. Journalist Michael Hall reports that although Kenneth used to frequent the shop, he was never particularly respectful. He made racist comments towards Deeb and laughed at the fact that he

walked with a limp. According to Lauren, just hearing Kenneth's name could make Deeb see red. Plus, Deeb had at least one potentially violent friend. A man nicknamed Chili hung around the Rainbow Drive-in pretty often. And as far as Lorna knew, he had a criminal record. To Simons, it seemed promising. He asked around town and found out that Deeb's issues with Kenneth went even deeper. Kenneth was also friends with a 16-year-old Methodist home student named Gail Kelly. A number of witnesses said Deeb had a huge crush on Gail,

and he resented the fact that Kenneth was close to her. Simons knew exactly who to speak to next, Gail Kelly herself. She made it clear that she didn't reciprocate Deeb's romantic feelings, but she didn't necessarily dislike him. In fact, a few months prior, she started working at the Rainbow Drive-in. She needed the money, and it was easy to walk. there after school. But Gail probably wasn't as comfortable around Deeb as she initially appeared.

It seems likely he was still trying to convince her to date him. The same day that she talked to the police, Deeb invited her and her friend Patty to a science fiction movie about cattle mutilations. It was bloody and violent, and it put both of the girls on edge. After the film, Deeb took them to a drive-thru for dinner, as they were sitting in line, he suddenly turned to the pair. With his voice, barely above a whisper, he said, quote, I did it. I killed them.

Gail went white. She knew exactly what he was talking about, the murders at the lake. Deeb saw her expression and immediately backtracked. He was just kidding. But Gail didn't think it was funny. As soon as she got home, she called Sergeant. Simons. In an utter panic, she told him what had happened. Manir Deeb confessed. On the morning of September 11th, Simons passed all this information along to Chief Scott.

He told his superior they didn't have any time to waste. Gail had allegedly told him that the bank was going to foreclose on Deeb's store. He was reportedly about to flee the state, or possibly even the country, in an attempt to avoid financial losses. The chief quickly approved Simon's request to make an arrest. By the time the sunset, the shop owner was in an interrogation room. He sat across from Truman Simons and another sergeant, Robert Fortune. Looking at Deeb in person, Simons had to admit that he didn't look capable of overpowering three people all on his own. He was short, skinny, and walked with a limp.

Even with a weapon, he wasn't likely to cut an intimidating figure. But maybe Deeb had an accomplice. Simons asked him if he knew a man named Chili. Deeb said yes. His real name was David Wayne Spence, and he hung around the Rainbow Drive-In pretty often. Sergeant Fortune's ears perked up. David Spence had recently been arrested by the Waco PD.

He and a friend, Gilbert Melendez, were accused of cutting a teenage boy and sexually assaulting him. Their weapon of choice was a buck knife. In Sergeant Simon's mind, the dots between this crime and the Lake Waco murders practically connected themselves. Both involved teenage victims who were either raped or sexually assaulted. In each case, the same type of knife was used to cut or stab. Simons felt certain that David Spence was Munir Deeb's accomplice. All he had to do was prove it.

This led him back to the question of motive. Based on witness statements, he knew Deeb didn't like Kenneth. He might have even hated him enough to kill him. But that didn't account for Raylene and Jill, and it didn't explain how Spence might have gotten involved. Simons molded over, until he came up with a theory. Simons believed the Lake Waco murders were more than a triple homicide. He thought they were a murder for hire plot,

combined with a case of mistaken identity. When he first interviewed Gail Kelly, Simons noticed she looked similar to Jill. They were around the same age, and they were both fairly slim with brunette hair. A number of witnesses said Munir Deeb had an unrequited crush on Gail. That was part of why he hated Kenneth so much. So Simons theorized that Gail and Kenneth were the intended murder victims.

But Simons also believed Dieb didn't want to commit the crime himself. Instead, he paid David Spence to do it for him. According to the sergeant's theory, on the night of the murders, Spence went out looking for the young couple. He thought he saw them down by Lake Waco, and he attacked. But clearly, it wasn't the right people. It was Jill and Kenneth. Then, Raylene Rice lost her life simply because she was there, and the killer didn't want to leave any witnesses.

Some of Simon's co-workers thought he was grasping at straws, but before long, he found another clue. As it turned out, just two weeks before the murders, Munir Deeb took out an insurance policy on Gail Kelly. In the event of her accidental death, he'd receive a $20,000 payout. According to author Carlton Stowers, per the terms of the contract, murder was considered an accident.

On its own, this wasn't particularly suspicious. It's pretty common for companies to have insurance on their employees, just in case. But on the paperwork, Deeb didn't just list himself as 16-year-old Gail's employer. He claimed he was her common-law husband. To Simons, it was clear Deeb hadn't given up on having a relationship with Gail. and now it appeared there was both an emotional and financial motive for the crime. The evidence was all circumstantial, but Simons felt like he had enough to make Deeb confess. He'd lay out his theory, and hopefully the shop owner would crack under the pressure.

But as much as the sergeant pressed him, Deeb wouldn't budge. He stayed in custody while his family hired a lawyer, who requested a lie detector to, test. At first, Simons was against the idea. Apparently, he believed that because Deeb was from a different country, he might be able to fool the American-made machine. It took him four days to acquiesce. Then, a polygraph expert spent three hours asking Deeb questions and recording his vital signs. Dieb repeatedly said he was innocent, and according to the test, he was telling the truth. Truman Simons was crushed. He went into an office in the station and collapsed onto the floor.

He stayed there, staring at the carpet. He had no idea where to go next. But many of his co-workers weren't surprised. They'd found Simon's methods dubious for years. In their eyes, Simons didn't like following evidence. He liked creating a story, then holding on to whatever clues, confirmed it. There were times when his instincts were right, but they feared that this wasn't one of them. Suddenly, Simons felt like the whole department turned on him. He'd made them look bad and set back the

investigation into one of the city's most heinous crimes. The backlash was so bad that Truman Simons decided to quit his job. But apparently he still wasn't ready to let his theory go. After his initial shock passed, he decided the polygraph results could be wrong. Perhaps Deeb had fooled the test like he thought. He just needed to keep digging to prove it. When he took a new job as a jailer at the McLennan County Penitentiary, it looked like a downgrade. It meant a pay cut and a drop in status, but it was exactly what Truman Simons wanted. Because it meant he could get close to the inmates, and one man in particular. David Wayne Spence.

Coming up of friendship forms and jailhouse informants reveal a third suspect. All right, class settled down. Today's lesson is on the Argo Rewards app. Try to stay with me. The fundamentals are simple. Earn at least five cents a gallon in rewards, then redeem them later for up to a dollar off every gallon.

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In his short life, he'd made a lot of mistakes. His marriage had ended in divorce, and he wasn't the greatest father to his. two children. He couldn't be, not from a jail cell. Spence had once served time for armed robbery, and now he was a waiting trial for aggravated sexual assault. He'd spent much of his adult life behind bars, and if he'd learned anything in that time, it was that jail was a cold and lonely place. As he laid awake at night with his future hanging in the balance, all he really wanted was a friend. David Spence immediately recognized Truman Simons when he started working at McLennan County Jail.

He knew Simons had been looking into the Lake Waco murders. Spence was fascinated by the case, so one night he asked the new jailer if there were any fresh leads in the investigation. Simons quickly changed the subject. Instead, Simons asked Spence how he was doing, if he missed his family, if he needed any The kindness, the simple decency, came as a surprise to the inmate. In his experience, jail was a uniquely dehumanizing place, but here was Truman Simons talking to him like an equal.

This marked the beginning of an unlikely friendship. Things were going well between the men until a few weeks later. For whatever reason, Simons came clean and told the inmate that he was a person of interest in the triple homicide. For Spence, it was a punch in the gut. He'd really trusted Simons, but now he realized the jailer was just using him. Surprisingly, Spence got over his betrayal pretty quickly. There are a few possible explanations for this. First, Spence said he was innocent. In his mind, it might not have mattered if Simons considered him a suspect because he didn't have anything to do with the crime. Furthermore, Spence wasn't in a good place mentally or emotionally.

His relationship with his girlfriend was growing strained. His aggravated sexual assault trial was looming. He desperately needed a friend. And from a jail cell, Truman's Simon still looked like a pretty good companion. So, the relationship just carried on as usual. Over the course of several months, Spence and Simons continued to bond. The jailer gained the inmates trust by giving him certain perks, like extra long calls with his girlfriend. By early 1983, the men had grown so close that Spence sometimes called Simons while he was at home, off work, just to talk. Journalist Michael Hall reports that Spence even offered to help with the Lake Waco investigation.

He said his girlfriend could ask around for information on the streets, and he could see if anyone in jail was hiding something, even though he knew. knew he was a person of interest, he still saw himself as Simon's ally. All the while, Simons continued mining him for information, trying to connect him to the crime. And it didn't stop there. The jailer was also talking to other prisoners, gaining their trust, and hoping they'd reveal their secrets. Before long, his efforts paid off. In January of 1983, another incident. inmate at McLennan County Jail, we'll call him Chris,

told Simons that Spence had been bragging about committing the Lake Waco murders. Apparently, Spence knew information that hadn't been released to the public yet, like the fact that Raylene had been found with a bra tied around her leg. This was a big deal. Spence appeared to have inside information about the crimes. That, above all else, made him look extremely guilty. Plus, other inmates said Spence had made even more bizarre claims, like that he'd been in a satanic cult, a foreign man paid him $6,000 to commit the murders at the lake,

and he'd messed up by killing the wrong victims. It seemed like the jailhouse rumors directly supported Simon's theory, except for one detail. Chris said there was another accomplice. According to him, David Spence was spread, rumors that Gilbert Melendez, his co-conspirator in the aggravated sexual assault case, had also been his partner in the Lake Waco murders. Feeling like he'd accumulated an impressive amount of information,

Simons brought his findings to the district attorney's office, but they shut him down immediately. Jailhouse testimony was considered hearsay, and it wouldn't be admissible in a court of law. So Simons went back to the court. the drawing board. As Spence's girlfriend would later tell Texas Monthly, she wasn't surprised that he'd allegedly been bragging about the murders, but she didn't think he was guilty. Apparently, Spence loved to showboat. He constantly looked for ways to impress people, even if it

meant lying. In his girlfriend's mind, Spence's claims could easily be explained away. He was just trying to look tough to intimidate his fellow prisoners. But if he was making everything up, how did Spence know specific details about the crime scene? And why did he implicate Gilbert Melendez? Simon still thought Spence knew more than he was letting on. So the jailer ratcheted up his tactics. Their friendly chats became more like interrogations. Spence swore he had no memory of the murders, but Simon thought back to Spence. his nickname, Chili, and came up with yet another theory. What if Chile wasn't just a name, but an alter ego?

Another whole personality. Perhaps the inmate couldn't remember committing the crime because Chile had taken over his mind and body. This sounds a bit off the wall, but this psychological switch isn't totally unheard of. Joseph DiAngelo, better known as the Golden State Killer, claimed an alter ego named Jerry drove him to commit murder. Ted Bundy also described an evil entity who lived inside him

and often talked about his crimes in the third person, as if they'd been perpetrated by someone else. The idea shook Spence to his core. Maybe he had the impulse to brag about the crime because he really had done it, and there was some part of his subconscious that wanted the truth to be known. Suddenly, it wasn't just the Waco police who weren't sure about the truth. It was also their main suspect. Simons returned to the district attorney, Vic Faisel.

He seemed impressed with the headway Simons had made and considered Munir Dib, David Spence, and Gilbert Melendez to all be viable suspects. In March, D.A. Fizzle put together a new task force to re-examine the Lake Waco case. Simons was added to the team. It was an awkward situation. Simons hadn't left the department on good terms, and his coworkers weren't exactly excited to have him back. But Simons ignored the controversy.

In his mind, things were progressing well. In late March, Spence went to trial for aggravated sexual assault. He was found guilty and sentenced to 90 years in prison. He'd be locked up for the first of the first of his life. foreseeable future, maybe even the rest of his life. But his accomplice, 28-year-old Gilbert Melendez, only received a seven-year punishment. Maybe that was why Spence named Gilbert in the Lake Waco murders. If they'd both participated in both crimes, maybe Spence wanted to make sure they were facing equal consequences this time around. In truth, Gilbert had made a deal

in exchange for his later sentence. He'd pleaded guilty to aggravated sexual assault. He talked in order to save himself. And Simons hoped he'd be willing to do it again. Simons brought Gilbert in for questioning and told him that he'd been implicated in the Lake Waco murders. The deputy didn't mention that the only evidence against him was the testimony of jailhouse informants,

which wouldn't hold up in court. At first, Gilbert didn't say, seem shaken. Up until now, he'd always told investigators he didn't have anything to do with the crime, and he had no idea why the evidence suggested otherwise. Simons kept pushing him. He told Gilbert that they had a lot of clues. The whole case was about to break wide open. His current seven-year sentence would seem like nothing compared to the punishment for the Lake Waco murders. For a triple homicide, a Texas judge wouldn't even consider life in prison. The killers were going to get the death penalty. According to Simons, the only way Gilbert could save himself was by helping the

police. If he told Simons exactly what had gone down, the deputy might be able to help him out, keep him off death row. Gilbert said he needed to think about it. Simons just shrugged. He'd come back later that day. If Gilbert decided to talk, he would be ready to listen. Gilbert went back to his cell. He watched the clock tick, and with every passing minutes, he grew more and more uneasy. He had no idea how much of a case the police had against him, but the word's death penalty kept running through his mind. He planned to leave jail in seven years. He wasn't supposed to die there. When Simons returned a few hours later, Gilbert told him that he was ready to talk.

The deputy took him back to the interrogation room and started up a voice recorder. Gilbert took a deep breath, staring down at the table. He said that on July 13, 1982, he and David Spence had gone out for a drive. They rode around in Spence's station wagon, drinking beer and smoking joints. Eventually they wound up at Cone Park where they found Kenneth, Raylene, and Jill. Apparently, Spence recognized the kids. He said they'd conned one of his friends in a drug deal. Already drunk and high, the pair slowed to a stop beside the teenagers.

Gilbert and Spence offered the kids alcohol and cannabis, lured by the promise of a good time, all three kids hopped into the car. According to Gilbert, Spence immediately turned violent. He raped, stabbed, and killed Raylene and Jill, and then murdered Kenneth. Gilbert sat in shock as Spence drove to Spiegelville Park and dumped the bodies. After that, the men simply went home and carried on, as if they hadn't just committed one of the most sickening crimes the city had ever seen. Simons was ecstatic to have a confession on tape.

Almost nine months had passed since the crime, and he was finally getting answers. He was one step closer to giving Kenneth, Raylene, and Jill the justice they deserved. But one of Simon's fellow investigators, Officer Dennis Bayer, wasn't so sure. There were many aspects of Gilbert's confession that didn't add up. Gilbert said that he and Spence had been riding around in his station wagon, but Spence didn't buy that car until two weeks. after the murders. Plus, Gilbert never mentioned

Munir Deeb or Gail Kelly at all. Simon's theory hinged on the idea that Deeb paid Spence and Gilbert to murder Gail, but that storyline was totally absent from Gilbert's confession. On top of that, Gilbert blamed all of the violence on Spence. That alone was enough to raise suspicion.

It was almost impossible to imagine Gilbert just sat in the front seat while Spence killed three people. Unsure what to believe, the investigative team collected three more official statements from Gilbert, but each one was more convoluted than the last. At one point, investigators took Gilbert to Spiegelville Park and asked him to point out where he and Spence dumped the bodies. According to author Carlton Stowers, Gilbert couldn't do it. Eventually, he retracted his confession altogether and again insisted he had nothing to do.

with the killings. Hoping to get to the bottom of this, detectives ordered a polygraph. During two separate exams, Gilbert's results suggested he'd participated in the murders. Of course, Truman Simons was delighted by the news. All along, he felt sure Gilbert was guilty. He chalked the inconsistencies up to the fact that Gilbert had been drunken high on the night of the crime. But other detectives didn't know what to believe.

The evidence all felt confusing and contradictory, and they couldn't separate fact from fiction. Then a man named Ned Butler came forward. He was an assistant district attorney who focused on capital cases, meaning crimes punishable by death. Butler told the investigators to sit tight. He had a new forensic method, and soon enough, he'd be able to tell them exactly

who committed the murder. at the lake. Thanks again for tuning into this special series presented by Unsolved Murders. We'll be back next time with part two of the Lake Waco murders. We'll dive into Ned Butler's forensic breakthrough and discuss whether or not justice

was ever truly served. For more information on the murders of Kenneth Franks, Raylene Rice, and Jill Montgomery, amongst the many sources we used, we found Michael Hall's Texas Monthly article The Murders at the Lake, and Carlton Stowers' Careless Whisper's, extremely helpful to our research. You can find all episodes of Unsolved Murders,

Solved Murders, and all other Spotify originals from Parcast for free on Spotify. We'll see you next time. Yeah, if we live till next time. Until then, keep following the evidence. Unsolved Murders is a Spotify original from Parcast. executive producers include Max and Ron Cutler, sound designed by Michael Langsner,

with production assistance by Ron Shapiro, Trent Williamson, and Carly Madden. This episode of Unsolved Murders was written by Karris Allen, edited by Abigail Cannon and Giles Hofseth, fact-checked by Anya Barely, researched by Mickey Taylor, and produced by Freddie Beckley. Unsolved Murder stars Wendy McKenzie and Carter Roy.

Hi, it's Carter. to remind you that a very special evening with crime junkies Ashley Flowers and Parcast founder Max Cutler is just days away. It's an event celebrating the release of Parcast's first book, Colts, and you can be a part of it virtually on Spotify Live or in person. The evening will take place in Los Angeles on July 13th and feature discussions about the book, a live Q&A, and more. Plus, all ticket sales up to $125,000 will be matched by Max Cutler and donated to Season of Justice. A nonprofit founded by Ashley Flowers that provides financial resources to help solve cold cases and support families impacted by unsolved violent crimes. This has all the makings of being the true crime event of the year.

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