Kaufman County

No Oral Arguments in Case that May Have Driven Eric Williams to Kill in Kaufman County

It was always one of the pieces in Eric Williams' story that didn't quite fit a narrative with an otherwise tidy motive for murder. The disgraced former justice of the peace had appealed his April 2012 conviction on burglary charges, prosecuted vigorously by slain Kaufman County District Attorney Mi ... More >>

The Killings in Kaufman

Two public officials dead and a third behind bars: Politics turn bloody in a small town.

Turns Out, Cops Couldn't Find Eric Williams' Missing Getaway Car Because It'd Been Towed

When police officers raided former Kaufman County Justice of the Peace Eric Williams' Seagoville storage shed earlier this month, amongst the guns and other items they found a white, four-door Ford Crown Victoria that they were pretty sure had been the getaway car in the March 30 murder of District ... More >>

Former Justice of the Peace Eric Williams Now Charged with Capital Murder in Kaufman County Slayings

Two days ago, few people foresaw that Kim Williams, the ailing wife of a former Kaufman County official, would be arrested and charged with capital murder. But everyone's been expecting this: law enforcement officials announced today that former Justice of the Peace Eric Williams has been charged wi ... More >>

The Wife of Eric Williams, Lead Suspect in Kaufman County Slayings, Has Been Charged with Murder [Updated]

Update, 1:05 p.m.: Authorities say Kim Williams has confessed. See update and the affidavit below. Since he was arrested over the weekend, speculation has been that former Kaufman County Justice of the Peace Eric Williams would be indicted on capital murder charges at any second in the slayings of ... More >>

Eric Williams, Suspect in Kaufman County Killings: "My Life has Taken a Drastic Turn"

When Kaufman County Assistant District Attorney Mark Hasse convinced a jury to convict a former Justice of the Peace on felony theft charges, Eric Lyle Williams said his life was effectively ruined over a "misunderstanding" and a "political grudge." County information technology personnel came into ... More >>

Kaufman County Murders: Eric Williams, a Segway-Riding Justice of the Peace, is the Top Suspect

After Kaufman County District Attorney Mike McLelland and his wife were gunned down in their home last month, just two months after McLelland's deputy, assistant DA Mark Hasse, was murdered in broad daylight, law enforcement officials pledged to search far and wide to bring the killer, or killers, t ... More >>

Touching Eulogies (and a Bomb Threat) as Kaufman County Mourned its DA and His Wife

Inside First Baptist of Sunnyvale, Kaufman County District Attorney Mike McLelland lay in a flag-draped coffin alongside the ashes of his wife, Cynthia. That was fitting in a sad way, their friends said, because they knew one wouldn't want to go on without the other. Hundreds of friends, colleagues ... More >>

Slain Kaufman County District Attorney Mike McLelland and wife Cynthia Laid to Rest

In tiny Wortham, just a ways northwest of Mexia, the fire ladders on two engines from the Teague and Fairfield fire departments were crossed over 3rd and Main street. A flag hung from between them, to honor a hometown son on the way to his final rest. Slain Kaufman County District Attorney Mike McLe ... More >>

The Aryan Brotherhood of Texas Just Can't Seem To Stop Killing Each Other

This week, we've given you a little background on the Aryan Brotherhood of Texas, and some reasons why two experts familiar with the gang are skeptical that they could be behind the murders of Kaufman County DA Mark McLelland, his wife Cynthia, and ADA Mark Hasse. In short: because while the ABT are ... More >>

Expert: Aryan Brotherhood of Texas are "Dumb Ol' White Boys" Who Wouldn't Kill a D.A.

When I spoke to Terry Pelz late yesterday afternoon, he sounded hoarse and exhausted. "I'm just about talked out," he said. Pelz is a former prison warden at the Darrington Unit who now runs a criminal justice consulting firm in Missouri City, about 20 miles southwest of Houston. He's been in high ... More >>

Days After Slaying of Kaufman County DA and His Wife, Terrell Man Arrested For Threatening a County Official

Nick Morale, a 56-year-old man from Terrell, was arrested Tuesday on suspicion of making "terroristic threats" against the life of an unnamed county official. Lieutenant Justin Lewis of the Kaufman County Sheriff's Office told reporters Wednesday that the threat was left on a Crime Stoppers tip line ... More >>

In Kaufman County, Authorities Hunt for Killers as a Neighborhood Remains in Shock

Police had only just opened Blarney Stone Way in Forney Monday afternoon when this picture was taken. Satellite trucks were already stacked fender to fender for 100 yards or more, and cameramen were trained on the house ringed with yellow police tape, shooting B roll for the evening newscasts. See ... More >>

Craig Watkins' Contempt Battle a Silly Distraction in Scary Times

I'm scared. One, I'm scared because of what's going on in Kaufman County. Two, I'm even more scared because of what's going on here, which seems to be one big stupid-fest. You will remember, perhaps, that Dallas County District Attorney Craig Watkins brought criminal charges last year against Al H ... More >>

Aryan Brotherhood of Texas Membership Is Climbing In North Texas, Law Enforcement Officials Say

Every law enforcement agency in North Texas has descended on Kaufman County in the past several days following the murder of District Attorney Mike McLelland and his wife, Cynthia, at their home. The couple was found by a concerned friend around 6:45 p.m. on Saturday night, according to a search war ... More >>

Life-Sized, Wax 'Last Supper' is the Exceedingly Creepy Centerpiece of Fort Worth Museum

Before news broke of the brazen murder of Kaufman County District Attorney Mike McLelland and his wife at their home, reporters were doing what they do every agonizingly news-less Easter weekend: scrounging for something to report on, preferably, given the season, religiously oriented. That's must ... More >>

In the Wake of Kaufman Slayings, Dallas County Prosecutors Encouraged to Ammo Up

The murder this weekend of Kaufman County District Attorney Mike McLelland and his wife, two months after assistant DA Mark Hasse was gunned down in broad daylight, has Texas prosecutors on high alert. The Associated Press reports today that district attorneys throughout the state are taking extra ... More >>

A Kaufman County Prosecutor Was Murdered as he Walked to Work This Morning

Just before 9 a.m., as a Kaufman County prosecutor got out of his car in a parking lot outside the county courthouse, he was ambushed by two gunmen who shot him five times. That's according to a report from Fox 4. The prosecutor's name has yet to be publicly released pending notification of family ... More >>

Kaufman County Officials Vow to Pull Prosecutor's Killer "Out of Whatever Hole You're In"

Kaufman County District Attorney Mike McLellan didn't mince words when he addressed reporters about the murder this morning of Mark Hasse, one of his prosecutors. "I hope that the people that did this are watching, because we're very confident that we're going to find you, we're going to pull you o ... More >>

Former Ellis County Observer Publisher Joey Dauben Gets Three Ten-Year Sentences For Sexual Assault and Indecency With a Child

Two years ago, Joey Dauben was full-time small-town muckraker, publishing the Ellis County Observer and a string of other small papers, blending investigative stories with vicious gossip and baseless speculation at a rate of speed that thrilled and enraged his target audience. He focused intensely o ... More >>

More Than 150 Texas School Districts Sue State Over Billions in "Unconstitutional" Cuts

​While we await official confirmation from the Dallas Independent School District concerning a well-respected higher-up who was let go yesterday, there's this. As expected, the Austin-based nonprofit The Equity Center ("founded in 1982 by 55 school districts as a response to the gross inequities t ... More >>

Watch As Dallas Animal Services and Sanitation Crews Free Deer From a Fence Near White Rock

As you'll see in this video just posted by Dallas City Hall, a six-point buck got stuck, then put in a truck. At the end, a Texas Parks and Wildlife game warden explains what happened, but long story short: The city was called out after TPWD received reports of two deer seen fighting in a street wit ... More >>

So Far, So Good for Warrior Dash, or: Day Three of Unfair Park Held Hostage

​Surely this will be the last item about will-they-or-won't-they Warrior Dash this weekend. From the sound of officials with whom I spoke this morning -- including Dallas County Commissioners Courts Adminstrator Darryl Martin and Kaufman County Fire Marshal Larry Ewing -- things are looking so far ... More >>

Dallas County to Decide This Morning If It'll Try to Put a Stop to Warrior Dash

​[Update at 11:49.: I just spoke again with Darryl Martin, who says that Warrior Dash organizers have requested a meeting with Dallas County officials, which will take place at 1 p.m. "I'll call you before we file anything," he says. Martin wanted to hear from Red Frog reps and attorney Michael Cr ... More >>

Warrior Dash to the Kaufman County Courthouse: Hold On to Your Helmets

​[Update at 11:14 a.m.: Cramer sends word that the hearing's still going on and is expected to wrap between noon and 12:30 p.m. He will call afterward with an update, which I will promptly post.]Dallas attorney Michael Cramer is in his car at this very moment, heading toward the Kaufman County Cou ... More >>

Grading on a Curve, or: How Old Do Those State Board of Education Candidates Think the Earth Is, Anyway? Let's Ask!

State Board of Education candidate Thomas Ratliff (and family), who thinks the earth is plenty old​Well, who knew? The eyes of Texas have been focused on the GOP primary race between Governor Rick Perry and challenger Senator Kay Bailey Hutchison as the ultimate throwdown between far right and ... More >>

Like Many Before and Most To Follow, Tiger Woods Dramatically Joins The Human Race

A Horse is Not a Course

Premature Election

Allegations of early voting fraud tear up Forney

Cell Disease

Being sick in Dallas County's troubled jail can be a death sentence

The Hulk

Oh, no, this isn't just about a strong mayor

The Naked Truth

When it comes to Dallas' practice of prosecuting low-level porn clerks, jurors know hypocrisy when they see it

Road Rage

Homeowners in a Denton County neighborhood wage battle against "taxation without representation"

Beggars' banquet

Dallas' matrons of charity find that ostentation is out and value is in when it comes to raising money

Low-octane litigation

A conservative court and a hardball corporation have gutted plaintiffs' claims in the Kaufman County pipeline explosion case

Buzz

Letters

Raw deal

If John Ware, Ray Hunt, and Bill Clements have their way, Dallas taxpayers may foot the bill for turning 2,200 acres of Kaufman County lakefront property into a golf course

What makes Sammy run?

Huge and helpless, schizophrenic and hypertensive, Sammy Allen has fallen between the administrative cracks of a local mental health system that can't seem to get its ACT together

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Buzz

Wish Woman

She hasn't got money or connections. But straight-shooting Linda Terrell is helping dying grownups live their dreams.

The Unbearable Lightness of Victor

He's a nice guy. He drives a pickup truck. But Victor Morales doesn't belong in the U.S. Senate.

Events for the week

Death Row Granny

Bettie Beets killed two husbands. Now she's likely to become the first woman the state of Texas has ever executed