True Crime Vault: There is a Monster in Me

Hello everybody. It's Deborah Roberts. here with some news to share. The first. episode of The Scream Murder, a new. podcast from 2020, is out right now. But. if you wanted to get this early, all you. got to do is subscribe to 2020 True. Crime Plus on Apple. Our subscribers. already listened to that episode weeks. ago adree. And this week, they're going. to be able to listen to episodes 1. through 5. As always, our subscribers. have access to hundreds of 2020 episodes. going back years, completely adfree. So,

if you're interested, subscribe to 2020. true crime plus on Apple. Now, welcome back to the 2020 True Crime. Vault. >> It's not every day in a town of 12,000. that you get a violent murder. The body. was draped over the tub with the chest. and head submerged in water. >> There was the sense that there was rage. involved.

>> This was a young woman who put up quite. a struggle for her life. >> Could it have been a fantasy game that. got out of hand? >> I knew he had killed her. I told him I. said he killed her. >> He started screaming. Yes, he killed. her. >> I said he killed her. He killed her. Everybody in Stevenville was damn sure. they knew who did it. >> And who was that man? >> He had left terrible notes all over the. house. >> You'd open the microwave and there'd be. one in the door. >> You'd [music] open the drawer in the. kitchen. Another note. >> There'd be one in her coat pocket.

>> Lift the lid on the toilet. There's a. note. >> There would be one in the medicine. cabinet. >> You said no one ever got angry at Susan. >> You got angry at Susan. You know, as bad as we thought it was. then, I mean, it was going to get worse. >> He finds something much darker and much. more ominous. >> As soon as I got in the vehicle, I knew. I made the biggest mistake of my life. >> Sometimes there are monsters that live. in the hearts of other people. >> Cut under your nose.

>> Today is 66 of 06, the day we meet the. devil himself.

Deep in the heart of Texas, decades of. unanswered questions about emerging. murder found hidden in a trailer on the. outskirts of the woods. A voice from. beyond the grave. And a mystery that had. lingered over a town for years. was about to resurface. A friend of mine called me and he said, "Uh, hey, there's a guy out in Abalene.

who has u some writings he's very. concerned about that you might be. interested in.". He said, "It's some crazy stuff." And so. he gave me all of this. Of course, I had. no idea what it was. And I brought it. back and started reading it. It remained this mystery. Nobody ever. understood it. A killing that has.

preoccupied so many of us for so many. years. By God, I had become a monster. I was. the devil. [music]. Stevenville has always called itself the. cowboy capital world. >> Was real big on rodeos. There were a lot. of professional rodeo cowboys that. started here. So that was a big thing. famous round.

in Texas. >> People wear their cowboy hats and wear. their boots. And it's not kit. It's. real. This is who people are. This is an. authentic and enduring way of life. In. rural Texas, livestock and livestock. raising is a big part of the economy. >> And right there on a pedestal in the. town square, not a lawman or a local. hero, >> a cow. >> Oh yeah, the moola cow. It represented a. really booming milk industry.

>> It's a lot of moola. >> People go to church on Sundays and they. [music] go to lunch afterwards. A lot of. people were born here. They were raised. here and they never left. So, you had. generations of families who all knew. each other. >> All right. Author Brian Burrough grew up in a small. Texas town. He was drawn to this story. of a young woman from Stevenville named. Susan Janette Atkins.

>> She was [music] sincere and sweet and. humble and she was pretty much. everyone's idea of an ideal young woman. >> Susan was a very shy, quiet person until. you got to know her. She was hilarious. She didn't mind embarrassing you if she. thought of something funny that would. get your goat, but you couldn't stay mad. at her because she was so cute. >> Susan was no rebel. She was raised in a.

churchgoing family of four. And that. shyness meant that she only had a few. close friends. One of them had been in. band with her. >> Felma and Louise, we could finish each. other's sentence. We were best buddies. Yeah. She was a one in a million. >> Friday nights were for football. [bell] Sundays for church. and on Saturday night everybody cruised. Then in Stevenville it was called. cruising the drag.

>> All the kids would just drive from one. Dairy Queen to the other and you'd stop. at the parking lots and wait for people. you [music] knew to pull in and talk to. I spent a lot of time making the drag. with Susan and Cindy. When she got out of school at 18, she. took a job at a sandpaper factory. and her life started to change in ways. that she hadn't expected.

>> Susan was very beautiful. Every time. we'd go out, the guys would go for her. [laughter]. How did she first get a look at Michael. Woods? >> Uh, she was driving the drag one day. [music] and she's literally crossing the. railroad tracks and she looks down and. like an album cover, she sees this. long-haired guy coming out of the sun. And so she pulls [music] over and they. met. She fell for Michael and she fell. hard. [music].

Susan had a type and it was a kind of. roughl looking bad boy type and they. were older than her and very macho man. [music] type. >> It's easy to imagine that she found. Michael just a little bit exotic. You. know, the long hair, he played the. guitar, he played rock and roll. Michael. was her rebellion. >> So in a town of crew cuts and cowboys, Michael Woods was a rocker. To Susan, [music] he looked like Bob Seager. To.

everyone else, he looked like trouble. But that didn't deter Susan. They had. fallen in love. For a while there, every fiber of this. woman's being was dedicated to this man. I mean, she was allin. Then Susan tells. Michael, "It's time for them to get. married.". >> And Michael, with just this amount. [music] of thought, is like, "I'm free. tomorrow between 11 and 1.". At first, it was Susan and Michael. against everyone, even her family. Even.

after they [music] wed, Stevenville was. not the place for his rockstar dreams. And [music] at home, eventually the. power ballads faded out. Michael. couldn't find steady [music] work, and. they got to quarreling. >> He was a great guy until he wasn't when. they broke up. >> And it was bad. And it, of course, just. got worse. Are they arguing with each other at this. point? >> By that final year, yeah, they were. fighting. [music] He began to believe.

that he could have had a better life. without her. And then out of nowhere, he. leaves. And he doesn't go with a. whimper, he goes with a bang. >> She was devastated. >> And I can only imagine how that was. You. get home in a cold house, all the lights. are out, and you're wondering what. happened. He's taken the car. He's taken her for a. coat and vanished in a rage. Susan is. freaked out, so Cindy stays on her sofa.

Roy offers her a gun, but she gives it. back. Instead, he comes over and he. nails her window shut. >> She was afraid of Michael after they. broke up because he did have a little. bit of a jealous crazy streak. She was. scared. Susan asks for a divorce from Michael, [music] who skipped town. And later that. summer, it's as if she comes out of her. shell a little bit. She starts going out. with a new guy, a bartender.

>> She was really starting to become. happier, a whole new chapter going to. open up for her. >> And then there's this night in [music]. late July that everybody involved. remembers. Roy and Cindy take Susan to. the carnival and nobody enjoys. themselves for whatever reason. So Roy. says, "Let's all go back to Stevenville. and go Dairy Queen.". >> We both loved hot fudge Sundays too. much. And [music]. Susan does something she's never done. before. She looked at me and she goes,

"You know, I think I'm going to order me. another one." And uh she really got to. enjoy it. Two days later, her supervisor at the. factory called her dad and said, "We. haven't seen Susan for a couple of days, and it's totally not like Susan.". >> When we walked into the house, I just wasn't ready for what we were. going to see.

[music]. It's late July 1987. Hot and quiet in. the small town of Stevenville, Texas. Joe Atkins is worried about his. 30-year-old daughter, Susan Woods. He'd. gotten a call from her boss that she. hadn't turned up for work in 2 days. No. one had seen or heard from her. >> He goes up to the front porch and the. front door is a jar. [music] And he.

walks in and he finds her in the. bathroom. Um, and she's dead. And when. the first cruisers start showing up in a. matter of minutes later, Joe's out in. the front yard waiting for him in tears. It's not every day in a town of 12,000. that you get a violent murder. This. isn't all hands. So, it was [music] in the late afternoon. We. heard on the police radio that there was.

a homicide. I walked in the front door and. immediately I noticed there was a TV. against that wall and then across from. it there was a little table and on the. table there was a bag of chips and a. Coke can and a cigarette tray with ashes. in it. >> In the bedroom there are signs of a. desperate struggle. >> When we walked into the house and saw. the carnage in the bedroom I just wasn't. ready for what we were going to see.

looked like where the bed had been. scooted about five or [music] six inches. towards the bathroom like there may have. been a struggle and trying to pull. somebody in the bathroom. There was a. single pillow they found and upon. studying it hit them. It was makeup from. Susan's face. You could see tears in the. makeup and it was the type of thing that. everyone involved well still remembers. This is a closeup of that pillow. You.

can see those smudge marks right there. That is mascara from her eyes. So, her. head would been smashed hard into the. pillow during this assault. >> That's like a death mask. >> Exactly. >> The scene in the bathroom is even more. disturbing. That's where Susan [music]. was found. >> She was completely nude, so it looked. like a sexual assault. The body was. draped over the tub with the chest and.

head submerged in water. Her hands were. tied behind her back with what looked. like a tank top that had been twisted. up. Her arms were pretty high up. My. initial thought was that somebody had. used that as leverage to keep her under. the water. And if that was the case, then there's probably going to be prints. on the bathtub [music] on either side. >> And sure enough, there were both. fingerprints and palm prints. But who's? So, we got good prints on both sides of. the body on the tub. We just had to. identify who it was.

>> It was pretty clear that the person who. killed her tried to kill her three. different ways. With a pillow across the face, clearly. with some type of looks like a. electrical cord with a liature mark. across her neck and then by drowning. her. >> The scene was beyond horrific. Detectives took a close look at one. detail. the six cigarette butts that. were in the ashtray. [music]. >> You know, the question is, what is going.

on with six cigarette butts? I knew it. was significant. >> Looked like somebody had been sitting. there watching TV and smoking cigarettes. and snacking and she wasn't the kind. that would let a person come in, especially a man. She was very. introverted and cautious that way. Well, Susan did not smoke, nor did she drink. caffeine. And so, the thought developed. early on that there was a good chance.

that the killer had stayed there long. enough to drink that coke and smoke. those cigarettes. >> Now, if we've identified who the. cigarette butts belong to and the Cokes. in the other room, they say, "Yeah, I. stopped by." And, you know, we watched. TV for a little bit and talked and I. left. She was okay. In the way I figure. it, those palm prints on each side of. the body are irrefutable. The handprints beside the body on the. tub, you can't explain those. So, I knew.

if we could find the palm prints, we had. to kill her. >> Well, there's a couple of theories going. around. As far as the detectives could. tell, robbery wasn't a motive. It was straight. up sex. From what anybody could tell, >> there was the sense that there was rage. involved. Something really violent had. happened. >> Well, for entirely different reasons, the police and the community were. thinking the [music] same thing, that. this was someone she knew.

>> As we drove down the road, we could see. strobing lights of emergency vehicles. and stuff. And we got up there close to. her house and we saw. >> the yellow tape, >> barrier tape, yellow policeard. >> I knew he had killed her. I told him I. said he killed. >> She started screaming. Yes, he killed. her. >> I said he killed her. He killed her. Um, and I [music] was talking about her. ex-husband, Mike. >> And of course, [music] everybody in. Stevenville was damn sure they knew who. did it. >> And who was that man? >> Michael Woods.

>> No doubt in our minds. All the pieces to. the puzzle led straight to Michael. She. would have let him in the house. He. smoked and he had a very volatile. personality. So the whole world blamed. Michael from the minute it happened. >> Let's just say as that impression and. that conclusion spread around town, you. didn't get a lot of push back. >> And when the police talked to us, and. that's what we tell them. >> There was no other enemy. >> You go from the victim and start working. your way out, spiraling out. So, [music].

you know, he was a a rightful. first suspect. But Detective Donnie. Hensley, who's taken the lead on the. case, he has no evidence to link Michael. to the scene. >> or even being back in the town or even. being back in the state of Texas. And so. he does what he has to do, which is he. starts to look at the other possible. suspects. >> And at one man in particular, a guy. who'd been spending a lot of time with. Susan after Michael had left. And some. of that time in that very same bathtub. >> She would [music] have a beer while I'd.

have two or three Coca-Cas. When you're. investigating a case like this, you. don't want to get tunnel vision and miss. the obvious. I want the person that. [music] did it and nobody else. If I was. them, I would be looking at me, too. As Stevenville residents wake up to the. news of the gruesome murder of Susan. Woods,

local police begin to canvas the. neighborhood. Turns out the man they want to talk to. is someone that Susan met 30 miles from. here. His name is JC Bowman. JC was a [music] bartender at a club in. Granberry that I had taken Susan to and. I had introduced them and they were. casually dating. >> He was basically [music] just seen as a. guy who had stumbled into Susan's life.

at a point. It was was one of the last. male relationships she had before she. was killed. I was bartending at Northfor. in Granberry. This cute little lady came in one night. wearing this shirt, Einstein [music]. sticking his tongue out. And I had the. poster at the time and she was wearing. this and I said, "I like that shirt.". That's how we broke the ice. And the. next time she came in, she gave me that. shirt. >> I don't think it was a real hot and. heavy romance, but uh they had fun.

together. It was kind of a distraction. for both of them. and JC Bowman was apparently passibly. cute and he started coming by her house. at night. >> Neither one of us wanted a serious. relationship. We just wanted friends. with [music] privileges. She would call. me when she was in the mood to have. company. We'd sit there and watch the. movie and snuggle and a lot of black and. white. We both like Tarzan, the original. Johnny Wise Mela Tarzan movies. I'd drink my Coca-Cas and she'd drink a.

beer. In the crime scene photographs, there was a picture of six cigarette. butts that were collected. Then there. was a beer can and a coke can. And. police learned that JC had made one of. those visits to Susan's house just days. before Susan was murdered. She and I had taken a bath in the. bathtub together. My fingerprints. [music] were all over the place and they. were already on file for possession of. marijuana. I was in the wrong place at. the wrong time. I had no alibi for where.

I was that night. I was at home alone. watching TV by myself. Yeah. If I was. them, I would be looking at me, too. >> The lead detective, Johnny Hensley, brought in JC Bowman for a lie detector. test uh and fingerprints. >> Can you remember precisely what she was. doing on Sunday the 26th of July? >> No, I sure can't. I'm not going to lie. to you. I realize you are a suspect and. you're going to be a suspect till I. resolve the fact that you're not a. suspect. >> Indeed, I did. I couldn't do something.

like that. I couldn't do something like. that and leave with myself. Well, that's. between you and your guy. >> I said, am I clear now? Did it Did the. lie detector chest test come out. positive of how to do? He said, well, it. was inconclusive. He said, you're still. on the list, but you're not on the top. of the list. Police then turned their. attention to the report of a man who was. seen lurking outside Susan's home around. the time she was murdered. So after JC. though, things get a little bit. interesting because first off, one of. the neighbors did think that they saw a.

large guy in the neighborhood that. night, maybe near Susan's house. >> There was a red pickup truck and a guy, a large frame man, probably at 9 or 10. or 11:00 at night was seen leaving our. house, got in that truck and they took. off. So based on that, the suspect would. have been a large frame big guy. That's. Roy Hayes. And you know, Roy was a. friend. So, you know, Hinsley zeroed in. on him. >> When Susan was by herself in those days.

and weeks after Michael left, she feared. for her safety. It was Roy who came in. and nailed the windows shut. It was Roy. who briefed him to lend her a [music]. pistol. So, Roy had access. >> I got a call from the police department. asking me to come in and they wanted. [music] to ask me about, you know, Susan. Wood's death. My fingerprints were all. over the house because I nailed all the. windows shut. So, I mean that pretty. much a given. What. >> was your relationship with Susan? Just.

mainly through Sydney, but I did know. her. She sat down there and drank a. couple beers with her. No, she wouldn't. have felt comfortable. You don't think. she'd been comfortable sitting on couch. with you? You drank Coke? No, I'm sure. she wouldn't have. But the thing that. really made him. odd was that Roy played Dungeons and. Dragons. It, you know, it's it's a game where you. have a bunch of characters, elves and. mystics and [music] things. And, you.

know, in a Bible fearing place like. Stevenville, it did bear a whiff of the. satanic. So, back in the late 70s and. early 80s, Dungeons and Dragons set off. a moral panic around the country, thanks. in [music] part to shows like The 700. Club. Dungeons and Dragons creates a. world of fear and death. The most. thoroughly researched introduction to. the occult in man's recorded history. >> And some critics went on to make false. claims that the game [music] caused. players to take their own lives or even. commit murder.

>> A lot of people here thought it would. have satanic overtures. The question. was, could it have been a fantasy game. that got out of hand? >> Cuz I play Dungeons and Dragons and that. maybe under my sway or me under their. sway or whatever that [music] we as a. group had gotten together and done this. >> So Donnie takes Roy down to the Texas. Ranger office down in Waco to give him. the lie detector test. >> And he asked me a whole bunch of.

questions. Then when I got out and got. done, they came in there and finally. [music] strapped me. >> Roy gets up, takes a deep breath, and. Donnie meets him at the door, and Donnie. says, "You did it." And Royy's like, "What? You flunk you flunk the test.". >> He said, "You might as well go ahead and. confess. [snorts] You You failed this. test. You killed this girl.". >> And Roy turns around with this look of. horror, thinking that he's about to go. to jail. When the guy, the ranger who. administered it came out and says, "You. passed. You're fine." He it was a.

misunderstanding. >> He [snorts] accused me three times on it. when he knew I'd passed the test. But I. guess, you know, in his mind, anything. justified his actions to try to get. somebody. >> It didn't just put his heart in his. throat. It stayed in his throat for. days, weeks, months, and maybe years. >> Although JC Bowman and Roy Hayes were. both eventually cleared, for both of. them, it was a real white knuckle. experience. Well, I was worried that I'd. end up being convicted and being sent to.

prison for a crime that I didn't commit. That, you know, [music] the guy who. actually did it that I felt did it was. Mike Woods. And Roy wasn't the only one. 5 months. after Susan's murder, it's Christmas. time. And Stevenville is convinced that. no more investigation is even needed. Many didn't want to hear any other. names. >> At the end of the day, everybody in town. thought that it was Michael. Those close. to Susan know even [music] more about. the couple's breakup and angry messages.

Michael had left for Susan to find. >> The cassette tapes and these little. notes change everything. He's all but. threatening her. She feared Michael. Days after the murder of Susan Woods, Stevenville turns out to mourn the. unfathomable loss of one of their own.

And for investigators, it wasn't so much. about who showed up. It was about who. didn't. And one man's striking absence. would inflame suspicions that of Susan's. ex-husband, Michael Woods. >> A whole lot of people showed up. She had. a lot of friends in the community and. everything. and Mike doesn't show up at. all. >> Police were everywhere. >> So, it's said that suspicions about. Michael Woods dated back to the late.

'7s. Remember, Stevenville was 10gon. hats and country music to its core. [music]. Michael had long hair, he had a. motorcycle, and he had an anti- athority. chip on his shoulder. Kind of like a. rebel out of the ' 60s movie Easy Rider. Michael came to Stevenville in 78 or 79. when a family friend in El Paso was. moving here and asked him could he move. her things in a truck and he stayed. >> More than 40 years after he first came.

to town, Michael Woods returned to. Stevenville for [music] 2020. It. >> was a drastic switch. Anytime I ran into. somebody new, they were like, "Well, you're kind of odd.". I think people very much looked at me. like an outsider because I didn't sound. the [music] same. I didn't look the. same. I certainly didn't act the same. >> What made him stand out in this town? [music]. >> What didn't Everything about Michael. Woods not only stood out in Stevenville,

he was the [music] anti- Stevenville. But more than anything, Michael had an. attitude. I was a child of the 60s [music] and I. wasn't about to cut my hair just to get. along with a bunch of stuff shirts. >> He presented as a very tough front such. that people were a little scared of him. [music] When inevitably he would get. insulted by somebody making a comment, he just popped [music] him in the mouth.

>> So the police would pull me over and. like, you know, who are you? You know, what are you doing in our town? Michael Woods. When I first met him, he. was a pretty cool guy, very confident. Michael was a live wire. And I think. that's what Susan [music] saw in him is. there was never a dull moment. >> Susan was a bit of an outsider herself. She didn't [music] like cowboys and. pickup trucks. And I clung to her. I was. different than them, and she clung to.

me. We just kind of became our own unit. Michael Woods brought a defiant attitude. to everything he did, including when he. met Susan's parents. Let's just say good. first impressions were not Michael's. strong suit. When I went to Susan's. house the first time, it was hot. So, I. [music] was wearing a pair of cut offs. and that was all. And her mother. answered the door and just about had a. heart attack because here's this half-. naked man at the door [music] asking for.

my daughter. I was raised in the small southern town. and [music] when you went over to meet. the girl's parents, let's just say you. wore something nice. [music]. >> He's feral on the doorstep. >> I would say he had a feral quality. [music]. Michael just can't stand Stevenville. Out of nowhere, he tells Susan that he's. got a job offer back in El Paso where he. grew up in an auto repair shop. And she takes a deep breath and says, "Sure, it's an adventure. She's never.

lived any place [music] else. She was. all in. >> These pictures were made the day that. she left Stevenville. Her green Lagona. is right there and she was pulling a. little U-Haul small trailer with her. stuff in it. Her mom told us to do. something silly, so we we did that with. the legs. We didn't know what else to. do.

They'd get themselves [music] to El Paso. and they'd wed there. But for Michael. and Susan Woods, there would be no. honeymoon of any kind. >> When they moved to El Paso, they didn't. last but a few months. They were. starving to death. >> It wasn't working anywhere [music]. towards the dream that Susan had. >> She was pretty miserable. >> She was had to eat bacon bit sandwiches. Bakos in a jar, [laughter]. >> sprinkled on bread.

>> My family grew up really poor. Susan. didn't grow up poor. She just couldn't. stand living like that. >> And before long, she drew the line and. said, "This isn't working. I have to go. [music] back. We're going back.". >> They come back to Stevenville. >> Yeah. >> She got her job back at the sandpaper. factory and even working overtime. and. he's at home watching TV, >> sunbathing, >> sunbathing outside, uh, playing his. guitar. >> People would see you, as you remember,

sort of outside sunning, and they. thought he doesn't want to work. What. was the story? >> Well, I wanted to work, but I couldn't. find places that would hire me or keep. me. And I had a bit of an attitude. What. does that feel like to come back to a. place where you can you can just sense. the hostility and the rejection? >> I felt trapped. No way out. [music]. >> And then one day, Michael just ups and. leaves. He vanishes. [music].

Susan was at work, but she comes back. and the car is gone. The yellow Mustang. He's gone back to Indianapolis. >> Susan was a basket case crying. couldn't. stop crying. [music] He had left taken. things that belong to her, crystal. prisms [music] that she collected, just. what he considered his half of. everything they've got. >> He takes the Mustang. He takes the only. car they have. [music]. >> Yes. It's one thing to take a Mustang. We all like Mustangs. It's another thing. to take the one in which the only one of.

them that works drives to work. >> Michael leaves without ever saying a. word to Susan's face. And yet he gets. the last word in anyway. Why? Because he. tape recorded a 30inute angry diet. tribe. It's laced with profanity and he. leaves the tape for Susan on her kitchen. counter. >> The b- word. A lot of bad words. He. tells her that everything is her fault. The fact that they have no friends, the. fact that he couldn't get a job,

everything. >> And to add insult to injury, he had left. terrible notes all over the house. You'd. open the microwave and there'd be one in. the door of the microwave. >> You're a You know it's all your. fault. >> You'd open the drawer in the kitchen, there'd be another note. You'd lift the. lid on the toilet, there's a note. She. found them for weeks. >> There'd be one in her coat pocket. >> There would be one in the medicine. cabinet in the bathroom. >> You know, all these little surprise. traps or minefields.

>> to to destroy your self-esteem. The. cassette tapes and these little notes. change everything. They take a nasty. breakup in which one spouse took [music]. some stuff to, "Oh my god, he's all but. threatening her. She feared Michael.". >> That seething rage in Michael's words to. Susan. It's not lost on police. investigators. >> I'm sorry. Any detective in the world. identifies Michael Wood as the prime.

suspect. >> A lot of things didn't help him. He. didn't fit in. Nobody liked him. He left. in a huff. He has become a number one. suspect. >> He was a suspect, a good suspect, and he. wouldn't cooperate. So, we had to keep going after him. >> Now, detectives would track him down to. Indiana, and they were about to pay him. a visit.

The investigation into the murder of. Susan Woods starts to reveal new leads. Police learn of that angry profanity. lace tape and notes that Michael left. for Susan before hightailing it out of. town. Michael Woods had taken a a Mustang that. she had bought.

and gone to Indianapolis, Indiana. At. the end of the day, everybody in town. thought that it was Michael. That's what. all the family thought. That's what her. friends thought. They were afraid that. he was going to come back and and hurt. her. >> Any detective in the world identifies. Michael Wood as the prime suspect. >> He's the focus right now. Stevenville investigators reach out to.

the Indianapolis Metropolitan Police. Department, [music] asking them to find. Michael Woods and bring him in for. questioning. >> On a Wednesday morning, the day after. Susan's killed. He's in his front yard. Police drive up. >> And I said, "Well, is this about the. parking dispute?" Because there was a. parking dispute at the house. And they. said, "Yes, if you'll come downtown, we. can [music] wrap this up." So Michael. goes on downtown. He's led into a. conference room and there's a bunch of. cops in there. >> As a matter of routine, it's necessary.

for us to establish an alibi for you. where you were at and so forth. >> I'll assist you anywhere I can. >> And as Michael tells the story, they. began to accuse him, saying, "We knew. you did it." They said, "Well, your. wife's dead and we know you killed her, so you might as well confess now so you. don't get the gas chamber." [music]. And that's how I found out my wife was. dead. I had to take a break from that. I went. to the restroom and threw [music] up.

It was such a shock. In the back of my. mind was thinking they they must have. made a mistake. It must be somebody. [music] else. Michael also tells police. that he was in Indiana when the murder. was committed and that the last time he. spoke with Susan was a couple of weeks. before she died. >> When was the last time you spoke with. your wife? I spoke to her I think a. couple weeks ago. Would you say that was. a friendly conversation on both ends? >> It was friendly but not as friendly as I.

would have liked. Did she indicate she. was seeing anybody? She indicated that. she was seeing other men and was glad to. see men that didn't have my problems. It. was refreshing. At one point, the police officer wrote. out a confession and asked me to sign. it. And I said, "No, I'm not going to. sign that. I think I want a lawyer." And. so, they let me go and I had to walk. home. Michael would say later that he took the. yellow Mustang and some of the stuff in.

the house because he and Susan shared. ownership of those things. And as for. that ragefilled tape and those notes he. left for Susan, well, Michael says he. was angry, but he never intended to. threaten her. You said no one ever got. angry at Susan. You got angry at Susan? >> Yeah. Do you regret that now? >> Of course I regret it now. But if I had. known something was going to happen to. her, I would have never left. >> What do you mean by that?

>> After I left, I kind of felt like she. got murdered because I wasn't there to. take care of her. I couldn't even come to her funeral. because I didn't trust the police not to. shoot me. >> You thought you'd be gunned down as you. tried to attend her funeral? >> I thought they would arrest me and find. some excuse for shooting me. Michael is in the crosshairs of the. Stevenville police investigation. They. suspect that Michael drove back to. Texas, committed the murder, and.

returned to Indianapolis. Lead investigator Donnie Hensley just. needs Michael's fingerprints and palm. print to connect him to the crime scene. So, they got on a plane and head to. Indianapolis. Sergeant Hensley and I drove by the. house where Michael Wood was staying. just to get the lay of the land. Later. on, we came back with the surveillance. van. You drive by vans like that all the. time and you don't pay any attention. [music] to them. So, inoculous just. sitting there.

>> As luck would have it, they actually. [music] spy Michael and his brother in. the front yard and they're starting to. put out items for what looks like a yard. sale. [music]. And Donnie notices a number of crystal. figurines being sold in this yard sale. and says, "Aha, those have got to be. crystal figurines that he stole, took. perloined from the house. I bet you we. could swoop in and get him for [music]. theft.".

>> They used that to get a search warrant. to go grab Michael. The Indianapolis police not only saw the. figurines, >> they found some marijuana and they. arrested him and that's how they got his. fingerprints [music] and palm prints. Michael is never charged with marijuana. possession. But the lawman from Texas. get what they came for. >> Donnie walked back to the Indianapolis. airport the next day going, "Aha, on. these cards, I've got his princ. We've. got the bastard.".

>> So they're thinking, "Okay, we nailed. him. Donnie was so confident that they had. now broken the case. They're on the. airplane back to Texas. He's already. filing out the extradition papers for. Michael to come back to Stevenville. >> But what happened then? >> They sit down and they compare those. fingerprints to the fingerprints at the. crime scene. [music] And Donnie told me. he has never been more surprised in his.

entire adult life. they find something much darker and much. more ominous. >> No one could have imagined is that here. at this secluded rest stop just off. [music] the highway, a hideous crime had. taken place that would cast new light. onto the murder of Susan Woods. >> I couldn't scream because it would make. the beating worse. >> This is the same person who killed Susan. Woods. He told me, he goes, "I've killed before.

and I'm [music] not afraid to kill. again.". >> This was a young woman who put up quite. a struggle for her life. It's like a. death mask. >> I needed a case solved and and I owed it. to Susan to find her killer. >> I think this might be it. As soon as I got in the vehicle, I knew.

I made the biggest mistake of my life. >> And in Shannon's telling, suddenly Dr. Jackal turned into Mr. Hyde. >> Why were you leaving items of clothing. around the camp ground here? >> Because no one knew I was down here. He. got on top of me and he pushed my head. into the into the water. [music]. He said, "I've killed before and I'm not. afraid to kill again.". >> Was like hearing that Beaver Clever had.

killed Susan. [music]. >> Nobody ever suspected him. Nobody. Once. you hear Shannon's story, each one of. these pictures connects somehow to what. happened to Susan Woods. >> Susan let him in her house because she. felt he was as harmless as [music] we. did. >> I was without any doubt evil to my. entire core. A monster if one was. [music] ever born. Gotcha.

>> It's July 1987, and in the small town of. Stevenville, Texas, 30-year-old Susan. Woods is found brutally murdered in her. bathtub. >> She didn't deserve what she got. That was pure torture and hell on earth. As they investigate, police zero in on. her aranged [music] husband, Michael. Woods, whose bad boy biker attitude had. made him a town pariah and who'd had an. angry bust up with Susan just weeks. [music] earlier. >> She was afraid of Michael after they.

broke up. Every [music] window was nailed shut. Every door was deadbolted. She was. scared. But when detectives in Stevenville. obtain Michael [music] Wood's. fingerprints and compare them to those. at the crime scene, they get a. Texas-sized surprise. >> The prints didn't match Michael Woods. [music] His prints and palm prints did. not match the ones that are lifted from. the tub inside the body.

>> No match, no murder charge. Yet, Michael. Woods [music] knows he's not off the. hook. >> They were still after me. They didn't. care if the prince matched. That was a. minor detail to be dealt with in court. >> Susan's parents learned that their. murdered daughter had an $11,000 life. insurance policy. [music] And guess. who's the beneficiary? Michael. When they became aware of this life.

insurance situation, they were just so. brought suit [music] against him to. eliminate the payment, but also to have. him declared legally responsible for. [music]. uh Susan's death. Susan's parents said that I had killed. her and it was a wrongful death. I had. no way to fight it. I couldn't afford. lawyers and they sued me for $700,000. plus interest. The court decided in favor of Susan's. [music]. parents. But up in Indiana, Michael.

doesn't have $700,000 or anything like. it. >> So long as he didn't go back to Texas, which he was never going to do, they. could not uh, you know, seize any of his. meager assets. But that cloud of suspicion over. Michael's head never goes away. >> And it's not just Susan's [music]. parents. Even complete strangers seem to. believe that Michael had killed her. Everybody in town thought that it was. Michael. At at an actual performance [music]. while we were on break, I had a guy came.

up and say, "Hey man, didn't you kill. your wife?". It's like, [laughter]. "No, I didn't kill my wife. Why are you. asking me this? I tried to put it out of my mind as much. as possible, but it it weighed heavy on. my mind. >> Can anybody who hasn't gone through what. you went through understand what you. felt like in those days? >> When I should have been grieving for my. wife, I was trying to fight for my.

freedom. You know, I had to constantly watch over. my shoulder. My life just fell apart. I guess the music was the only thing I. had left. >> Meanwhile, the criminal investigation. into Susan's murder is at a standstill. And the years went by, 88, 89, 90, all. the way through to the year 2000.

And everyone knew it would never be. solved. We'd learned to live with that. After a gig [music] in 2005, Michael. pours out his heart to a friend about. Susan, about her murder, and about his. life in the shadow of suspicion. >> It was around the time of [music] year. that Susan had died, and I kind of broke. down after we played. >> That single conversation changes. everything. [music] His friend emails.

the Stevenville police and begs them to. help. Michael says he's been really. suffering about all this. >> Thought, well, this is interesting. So, I called her. and I said, "Okay, have Michael call me. because if he'll cooperate with the. police, then we'll reopen the case.". I didn't hear anything for 6 months. >> Still, Detective Miller sees an. opportunity here thanks to DNA testing, which was not available when Susan's. murder was first investigated. Remember.

those six cigarette butts from the crime. scene? They had a male's DNA on them, but whose? >> Don Miller wanted to get my DNA [music]. and I was pretty weary of cops. >> And at first he said yes, and then he. called back and said, "No, don't come.". So, I went up there anyway. [music]. >> Suddenly, after 19 years, Michael Woods. is face [music] to face with a. Stevenville police officer.

What did he say that caused you to open. the door? You could have shut that door. and never seen him again. >> I needed the case solved and he was at. the door and I owed it to Susan to find. her killer. We stood out on the porch. while him and his partner got my DNA. The DNA came back. It's not his DNA. So 100% now there's no question in my.

mind Michael Woods is cleared. and I call him he just started crying. and he said thank you and he hung up. I don't think any of us can know what. it's like to get the phone call you got. that you had been cleared in the murder. of the woman you loved. What does that. feel like? >> I couldn't think clearly for a few days. It's like it's finally over. you know, they they're not going to put me in. jail. I'm not going to die in prison.

All of this kind of put Don Miller in a. tough position. You know, good news for. Michael Woods that you're not a murder. suspect, but bad news for Don Miller, he's just freed up his only suspect. That leaves Don Miller with almost no. remaining leads except for those. original fingerprints from the crime. scene. >> I take them to DPS in Austin. I ask them.

to run these fingerprints through the. automatic fingerprint identification. system. So a few days later, there's a a call. from a trooper down in Austin. He says, "Got a match on those prints for you.". When Don reads the DA's file, he finds. something much darker and much more. ominous. >> He told me, "I've killed before and I'm. not afraid to kill again.". >> It's 2006 now, and Stevenville detective.

Don Miller is back to square one after. finally clearing Michael Woods in the. murder of his wife Susan. So he takes. the existing fingerprints, you know, from the crime scene, and he runs them. in an FBI database system, one that did. not exist back in 1987. And finally, after all this time, there. is a match. The fingerprints belong to a man named. Joseph Scott Hatley, who's arrested for. armed robbery in 1988 in Las Vegas,

Nevada. >> So he calls the district attorney and. says, "Do we know a Joseph Scott. Halley?" and he says, "We sure do. Want. to come read the file?". >> And so I opened the file and I started. reading this report about a 16-year-old. girl who had been sexually assaulted. >> She is Shannon Meyers. And in 1988, one. year after Susan Wood's murder, Shannon. told police that she'd been sexually. assaulted by Scott Hatley.

So what's Hatley's story? He comes from. a well-known family in town. and he'd. gone to Stevenville High and his sister. Regina lived next door to Shana. >> In 1987, I met Scott Hatley when I was. ever there visiting Regina. >> And he began to ask her questions and. express an interest. >> One night I [music] was over at Regina's. and Scott and I had already been heavy. flirting and he reached [music] over and.

kissed me. We started, you know, having. sex. I was a teenager and I just wanted. to have fun. I'd go out party with my. friends, come home and [music] meet up. with Scott. >> But Shannon says 20-year-old Scott grew. increasingly testy and aggressive. >> He became very controlling. He wanted to. know exactly who I was with, where we. were going, how long we're going to stay. there. Anytime he and I would have intercourse,

it was always by water. was always. [music] in the bathroom. >> One night, Shannon recalls Scott. demanded sex. She said no. >> And in Shannon's telling, "No, stop.". Suddenly, Dr. Jackal turned into Mr. Hyde. >> and he pulled out a knife and he held. the knife to my throat and um he raped. me. After the assault, Shannon and her. mother go to the police, but Hatley is. never charged and Shannon ends the.

relationship. 10 months later, Hatley asks her to meet. to explain himself. And. >> I wanted to know why did he betray the. trust that [music] I I instilled in him. As soon as I got in the vehicle, I knew. I made the biggest mistake of my [music]. life. And ultimately he pulls up in this. roadside park in the middle of nowhere. about 3 milesi south of town.

>> It was like a little bitty picnic area. park [music] and it was pitch black. >> and she knew she was in trouble. >> So did you come over here? Is that what. happened? You walked. >> We got out of the vehicle. We came over. here and sat down. He kissed me. passionately and he wanted to have sex. immediately and I told him no. And then. that's that's when he released his rage. on me.

As the car is going by, I'm thinking, "Help! Somebody help me." And I couldn't. scream. I was screaming inside, but I. couldn't I couldn't scream because it. would make the rape worse. It would make. the beating worse. I always had to stay naked. I couldn't. put my clothes back on. and he would drink. and he would smoke a [music] cigarette.

and then the cycle of abuse would happen. again. >> They were out there all night long and. the violence nearly really let up. At. some point, she got up and ran. Go ahead and show us if you'd like. >> Okay. I ran this way and I got right along. where the where the creek was at.

That's when he caught me. He got on top of me and he pushed my. head into the into the um into the. water. He said, "I've killed before and I'm not. afraid to kill again.". When Scott said, "I've killed before," I. really thought that I I was going to be.

[music] his next victim. I started leaving pieces of me behind, clues. I left my bra behind, [music] my. hair clip. >> Why were you leaving items of clothing. around the campground here? because no. one knew I was down here. I ended up I stopped fighting him. I. started manipulating him. >> What sort of things did you say to him.

then? >> That I loved him. That. I want a future together. that still it just sends shivers to. through [music] my spine even seeing it. today. It was probably around 2 or 3 in the. morning when we started getting into the. vehicle. and Scott turned on the light. and I believed what saved [music] me was. because I I did like this and I hid my.

face. He really could not [music] see the. bruises. And he goes, "Okay, I'm going. to take you back home." He goes, "Don't. you tell or I'll come back and I'll. finish." And I believed him. As soon as I got home, my stepfather. walked out of the bedroom and I fell. into his arms and I said, "Scott did. this.". >> Her parents take her to the hospital and. once again, Shannon reports a sexual.

assault at the hands of Scott Hatley to. the police. And with photos of her. injuries and rape test kits to support. her account, Shannon is convinced that. this time Hatley will be charged with. rape. Hatley is so sure he'll be arrested that. [music] he flees to Vegas and there he. gets picked up for armed robbery where. those crucial fingerprints are taken. >> The case went to a grand jury and that. went on deaf ears. The grand jury didn't. indict Scott [music] because of lack of.

evidence. This was back in the day in. the state of Texas where if you could. show a young woman was promiscuous, you. could undercut a rape charge. That's. exactly what happened. >> I'm still mind blown by that. You had. pictures of bruises of him choking me. You had the rape kit. You had. everything. To me, the justice system that day raped. me. It was a lot worth a 16-year-old me to.

take. For Detective Miller, Shannon's story is. a road map that leads directly to Susan. Wood's killing. Now, time to put the heat on Scott. Hatman. >> Why are they going to straight up and. ask you, "Did you kill him?". So Don is going down into the reports. and there in Shannon's report she talks.

about being raped violently. And Hadley said, "You mind me because if. you don't, I'm going to kill you." And. then Don read the words that changed. everything. This Hatley said, "I've. killed before.". And Don leaned back. He thought, "Gotcha.".

>> So to make it clear, this all took place. in 1988. And you're looking at these. pictures in 2006, isn't that correct? >> Yes. Once you hear Shannon's story, each one. of these pictures connects somehow to. what happened to Susan Woods. My mind is. going back to Susan Woods crime scene. cuz everything is matching now. up to and including the cigarette butts. [music].

just the sheer violence, the manner in. which she was sexually assaulted, the. fact of he would, you know, beat her. senseless and she'd come back around and. he'd do it again and in the meantime be. smoking and drinking. That explained why. I had six cigarette butts [music] in the. ashtray. >> Here's another shot of that creek you. were talking about. And this is a this. is an important moment in in Shannon's. narrative, isn't it? They're very. important in in Shannon's narrative when. she said, "There's the indention of my.

body. There's the creek that my head was. held under as I was being assaulted.". Then I knew that this crime scene is the. same as Susan Wood's crime scene. >> because that's exactly what happened. >> That's exactly what happened to Susan. Yes, sir. >> Shannon's assault took place in 1988, a. year after Susan Wood's murder. No one. thought about connecting the two cases. back then. And had Hatley's fingerprints from his. arrest in Vegas been available on a.

database, detectives might have put the. pieces together. [music]. I mean, Shannon was the key all along. >> You know, so at this point, things begin. to move really fast. Hatley turns out. not to be hard to find at all. He's in. the phone book down in Round Rock, Texas, just outside Austin, where he. worked as a supervisor at a warehouse. So, my partner and I, Russell Ford, um. we get in the car and as we're headed. down the Round Rock, Texas, I looked at.

Russell and I said, "Today is 660 of 06, the day we meet the devil himself.". [music]. And. we did. So, the Round Rock police have brought. him in for questioning. and Don. is absolutely convinced that he's the. guy. >> Did the police ever interview you back. then? >> No, they didn't back then. Okay.

>> In my mind, it's not alleged. It's not a. matter of I wonder if Hatley really did. this murder. He did it. >> Can you think of any reason why someone. would would say that you were. responsible for this? >> Somebody's saying I'm responsible. Well, I just want to know if you can think of. any reason why somebody would say that. you that you killed Susan search. Certainly wouldn't. There would be no reason I would. He's calm, cool, and collected, you. know. I mean, an innocent person would.

be pinging off the walls. He knows why. we're there. Stevenville PD. And I know. that he knows. >> How do you feel about being interviewed. about this? Well, it's just 25 years too. late probably. But I mean, personally, I. had nothing to do with it. >> What I'm hoping for is him to say, "Oh, I was never in the house." But. unfortunately, that's not what we got. >> Did you ever go into the house yet? A.

bunch or. I I don't know. A bunch, you know. It was a a place we'd party. sometimes. >> Did you ever have sex with Susan at any. time? >> No. >> So, there wouldn't be any reason why. your DNA would be anywhere around her. body? I would think so. Okay. >> So, I've got palm prints on either side.

of a dead body that I know is going to. be Hatley's. In my mind, it was a. formality. >> Would you mind if we took a sample of. your DNA. today? cuz I don't know. if I should talk to an attorney. >> Then Detective Miller cuts to the chase. >> I'm just going to straight up ask you, did you kill her? >> I didn't kill her. >> But then Hatley starts to change his. story. He backtracks a little bit and. reveals that he knew Susan a little more.

than he first let on. All while keeping. his cool. >> Okay. Did you have sex with her? Um, you. know, like. like I say, a lot of that time is just a. mirror and we all hung out. >> Do you think you might have had sex with. her? >> It's possible. I had sex with a lot of. people. Not. >> Yeah, I would say we we might have fooled. around, but it wasn't nothing. nothing heavy.

It was usually too high to be anything. real heavy. So, at the same time Hatley is being. interrogated, there's this startling new. development, Round Rock police are simultaneously. interviewing Hatley's wife, and she's. alleging a harrowing story of domestic. abuse. [music]. >> She describes an event that happened on. Christmas Eve of '05 where she was uh. physically assaulted. Atley's spouse, who is disabled and uses a wheelchair,

says he pulled her hands behind her back. and sexually assaulted her. [music]. It's a vicious attack. And she even. notes it on her calendar for that night. It reads, "Scott beat the hell out of. me. Nose bleed, black eye, could barely. breathe." And she claims he did this on. a number of occasions. >> All right, sir. We'll have a go ahead. and come with us. >> Back at the Round Rock Police Station,

Atley consents to giving a DNA sample. and he's sent home. So, will those DNA test results finally. confirm the identity of Susan's killer? Or will Scott Hatley walk away again? >> It was very, very hard to take, but the. evidence was there. 18 years after the town of Stevenville, Texas, was rocked with the news of the. brutal death of Susan Woods, her murder.

has remained unsolved. Susan's family, they'd started to lose hope that they. would ever get justice. Then a dramatic. development while Joseph Scott Hatley. and his family are out to dinner. They. went to eat supper and when they left. the restaurant, the SWAT team arrested. Hatley. Hatley was arrested for domestic. violence charges tied to his wife's. graphic allegations of abuse. And that. gave detective Don Miller time to run. Hatley's DNA for the murder of Susan.

Woods. The DNA from the cigarette butts. are a match for Joseph Scott Hatley. The first person Detective Don Miller. tells is Susan Wood's father, Joe. Atkins. >> I said, "Mr. Atkins, the guy who. murdered your daughter has been. arrested." and he said, "Well, I'm glad. you finally got old Michael. I thought. he was going to get away with it." And I. said, "No, sir, Mr. Atkins. Uh, it was a. guy named Joseph Scott Hatley.". And he looked at me and he said, "Well,

I don't believe it." [music]. >> To hear that Scott Hatley was who had. killed Susan was like hearing that. Beaver Clever had killed Susan. [music]. >> For Susan's friends Cindy and Roy, the. news is even more shocking. They know. Scott Hadley. They're related to him. >> My initial. reaction was, >> "Oh boy, >> there's no way he did.". >> He was my first cousin that I was raised. with. He was like a brother to me. It.

was very, very hard to [music] take, but. it the evidence was there. And I did. believe Don. [music] I did believe him. >> Hatley was a chameleon. Nobody ever. suspected him. Nobody. It gets even. worse. Hatley would talk with Susan's. unsuspecting friends about her murder. He even attended a birthday party with. Susan's friends just weeks after her. death.

Susan was the main topic of conversation. at this birthday party. It's all anyone. talked about, including Scott wanted to. discuss it. He did have a fascination. with the case, but we all did at that. time. >> Michael Woods, he'd spent decades as an. outcast, scorned, under constant. suspicion for his wife's murder. Now, her real killer had been found. >> I was shocked. It was her best friend's.

cousin, a monster, if one was ever born. And I can't imagine what Michael went. through all those years knowing that. everybody blamed him for something he. didn't do. [music] There was a lot of. hatred toward him. >> DNA tells a story. and it doesn't lie. The [music] proof is. there that I didn't do it and I would. have never hurt Susan for anything.

When they arrested Hatley, I felt like, you know, he's going to go to jail. [music] for what he's done now and. that Susan's going to be able to rest a. little easier in her grave. Everybody saw that they got Scott. Hatley. Cool. Great. Go justice. But there was no concurrent. announcement that Michael Woods is free. and that we wronged him. There is no.

concurrent announcement that by the way. that crazy 16-year-old girl that by the. way oh she was right too. Sorry I get a little angry about it. In retrospect just like Michael she was. a total victim. Everyone rallied around. Scott while this poor girl suffered. There was a lot of injustice in this. case. After Scott Hatley was charged with the. murder of Susan Woods, [music] Shannon.

says she was looking forward to facing. her attacker in court. But Susan's parents, they don't want a. public trial. So instead, Joseph Scott. Hatley plead guilty to murder. >> I was hoping to go to trial and to stand. before him and and say, "Look at [music]. me now." And to show him that I don't. fear you anymore. >> Scott Hadley never actually goes on. trial. I think there are a lot of people. that followed [music] this story that. would like to have seen justice.

disclosed. >> Hatley is sentenced to 30 years in. prison and the deal was only for the. murder. [music] Um he was never. prosecuted for the domestic charges in. Roundrock or the rapes of Shannon Myers. The reason he let Shannon live. is he knew no one would believe her. He. knew the town. If Susan talked, she was. a Stevenville girl. People would listen. They would know. Shannon is only alive.

today because Scott Hatley knew no. [music] one would believe. And the awful. truth is he was right. >> Stevenville was a town that kept its. secrets well hidden. But there was one. more shock still to come to light. A. discovery that would shed light on how. Hatley became a monster. Susan led him. in her house because she felt he was as. harmless as we did. There's [music] no. way he could be dangerous.

>> Secrets revealed in Joseph Scott. Hatley's own words. >> I had become a walking demon. I was his. servant, his slave. I was the devil. [music]. For all of Joseph Scott Hatley's evil. deeds, he only spent 11 years in prison. when I found out he was being released. for killing my best friend. And I'm. thinking, gosh, drug dealers get more. prison time than that.

>> Uh he moved into a trailer near his. [music] daughter uh outside of Abalene, Texas, was diagnosed with cancer, and in. December of 2021, his landlord found him. on the uh floor of his trailer dead. >> There is a God. Thank you, Lord Jesus. Unknown to all, in that trailer on the. outskirts of the woods where he'd spent. his final days, there were answers to. the mystery of his depravity, just. waiting to be found. So, not long after.

Hatley was found dead. Detective Don. Miller gets this call, somebody had just. bought the trailer where Hatley died, and while cleaning it out, found all. sorts of disturbing stuff that really. creeped him out. pages and pages of a handwritten account. of a life of crime and murder. He shares. those surprising findings with writer. Brian Burrow. The killer in his own. words. It answers all the things that. nobody ever knew. The wise and the hows.

and the insight into the mind of Joseph. Scott Hatley. >> Scotty was just a goofy kind of chubby. kid that didn't quite fit in at school. He seemed utterly harmless. [music]. >> There's another story of Scott Hatley, though. It's a story of a kid who was. able to keep those violent fantasies at. bay with the help of booze and. pornography until he couldn't anymore. His violent fantasies kicked in as early.

as age 8. He writes he thinks about how. cool it would be to shoot up his school, but how he'd have to kill his parents. first. You know what I was struck by in this. was his description of what he said his. mother did to him. >> His mom would hit him upside the head. and it would make his ears ring. And. every time that he got mad, his ears. would ring. You right. >> I grabbed my mom, wrapped my hands. around her throat and whispered to her I. would kill her. I saw it in her eyes. Fear. I had found a new drug. Fear.

>> That slap of his mother's and what it. triggered in him. It would reverberate. for years. After we graduated, I didn't. see him until he had kind of got out of. the air force and come back and he was. drinking a whole lot. >> He writes, "Smoking and drinking beer. out on the drag, man, I felt like a rock. star.". >> He writes about how from the age of 13. onward, he craved the feeling of being. intoxicated. [music]. But it was with a cold, clear mind that.

he began to plot his hideous crimes. He said, "Everything that I ever did, I. thought about doing when I was sober.". >> Hatley writes that it was at a weekly. roundt gathering of friends organized by. his sister Regina that [music] he got. his first look at Susan Woods. He'd come. to drink and play cards that summer. night. In his drunken state, he thought. Susan was flirting [music] with him. A. week later, he was still thinking about. her. >> You must understand, I did not set out. that night to hunt anyone. I was lonely,

drunk, high, and looking for a good. time. >> There was no reason for him to go to her. house. She probably let him in because. of me because she knew he was my cousin. That's it. >> She let him drink a coke [music] and. they talked. At one point, I overstepped. my bounds and Susan slapped me. What. happened next is a blur. By the time I. came out of the fog, I had brutalized. her. She was alive. I could have.

stopped, [music] but I didn't. She said. she would not tell anyone if I just let. her go. I found it interesting that she. [music] thought any of that mattered. I. asked her if she believed in God. She. said she did. I told her then, "You need. to pray." He actually writes, "By God, I. had become a monster.". >> Given the state Susan's body had been. found in, police were never able to. discern exactly how Susan [music] had. been killed. But Scott Hatley knew and.

he wrote about it. >> It was not death by drowning in the. bathtub, but suffocation by [music] a. pillow that would tell the tale of. murder. >> Immediately after killing Susan [music]. and leaving her house, Hatley drives. past the police department. Andy claims. in his writings thinks about turning. himself in. What he actually did days. later was go to Susan's funeral, sign. the guest book, and silently taunt the. police as they watch the crowd. I did.

not cry. I did not grieve. [music] I was. without any doubt evil to my entire. core. And then he finishes, [music] I. wish with all my heart that I could tell. you I've mourned for what I'd done, but. that would be a lie. >> No one suspects him. And Hatley writes. that when he sees his crimes in the. paper, he experienced an unbelievable. thrill. My sister had a round oak table. in her kitchen. That for years, our. group would sit around, drink, [music]. and talk the nights away. We spent many.

hours discussing Susan's murder. My. cousin's boyfriend was a suspect, so she. had [music] inside information. >> Scott, we sit at the table. We would. build him in. Scott had no serious uh. concern that they were any longer going. to get him because they were so fixated. on Michael Woods, who Hatley actually. calls my other victim. He was right. there. Nobody ever suspected him. Nobody. >> How could they know that the answers to. the question sat right [music] across. the table?

>> You don't realize that sometimes there. are monsters that live in the hearts of. other people. >> Right under your nose. right under your. nose. >> Towards the end, Hatley sums up his life. with another final chilling realization. >> I've spent hundreds of pages writing. about my two sides, Dr. Jackekal and Mr. Hyde. Those men in the mirror. Are they. still there? Can I see them? To say I. don't would be a lie. They have always. been there and always will. But what.

about Shannon? What words did Hatley. have for her from beyond the grave? And. what was her message back? >> [music]. >> When Joseph Scott Hatley's handwritten. autobiography was revealed after his. death, the murder of Susan Woods was not. the only thing he wrote about. He also. wrote about Shannon. >> Shannon had no idea who I was, what I. was. I told her I would give her. something [music] to file charges on.

Once I was done humiliating her, I drove. her back to her neighborhood. I had. become a walking demon. >> I know Scott knew that he was guilty. I. know Scott knew that what he did to me. was terribly wrong. >> That night in the park has haunted. Shannon for 35 years. >> When I first met her, her eyes were. sunken. Anytime a pickup pulled up next. to her with loud pipe, she would have a. panic attack. Anytime she took a shower,

she'd have a panic attack. anytime any. water got around her, she had a panic. attack. [music]. >> The fear ended one day while I was at. work. I get this phone call from from. Donnie. [music]. >> When Don Miller told Shannon that Scott. Hatley had died, the news changed. everything for her. >> I felt happiness. that I could, you know, that I could. live again. I had to learn how to live.

again without fear. >> We were more. up in this way. >> Shannon felt compelled to face her. demons and to revisit that park decades. later. Could [music] you ever have imagined. that you would survive this and stand. here today as someone who had endured. and prevailed what was done to you?

>> Never. I never thought that I could be. strong enough to stand here today. and tell my story. >> You're a hero, Shim. >> I don't see myself as a hero hero. I also don't see myself as a victim. [music]. I do feel a connection with Susan. because she lost her life and I'm here. I still feel [music] like, you know, we're we're bonded by that strangely.

Michael Woods, [music] he's still. writing and performing his music today, but he remains haunted by his memories. of Susan. >> I love Susan. I love her to this day. I think about times with her driving. around laughing, having a good time. She had quite the sense of humor. I just miss her. [music].

I [music] miss her every day. I do. But. she did come to me in a dream. >> [music]. >> She was walking along the road. and. I put my hand on the glass and she put. her hand on the other side of the glass. [music]. and she looked at me and she had the. most angelic smile on her face.

I never will forget it. [music]. But I'm going to see her one day. [laughter]. I will see her. Hopefully, even with Susan Wood's case closed, Detective Don Miller thinks that Joseph. Hatley likely had other victims based on. his writings. >> In fact, Miller now plans to look at. other unsolved cases with similarities. to Susan Woods.

>> You've [music] been listening to the. 2020 True Crime Vault. Friday nights at. 9 on ABC. You can also find all new. broadcast [music] episodes of 2020. Thanks for listening.