The Devil Speaks - Second Season

LISTENING TO THE TAPE, YOU DO REALIZE

THAT HE REALLY WILL NOT BE BACK IN A MINUTE.

IT BECAME VERY CLEAR THAT SOMETHING HAD HAPPENED.

YOU KNEW FOR SURE

THAT WHATEVER THE OUTCOME WAS GONNA BE

WASN'T GONNA BE GOOD.

I HAVE NEVER IN MY CAREER HEARD ANYONE MURDERED LIKE THAT.

COLD-BLOODED, VERY, VERY COLD-BLOODED.

30 MILES WEST OF THE GULF COAST,

20-YEAR-OLD STAY-AT-HOME MOM SHERRY WOLF

IS EXPECTING A VISIT FROM HER COUSIN RENDA.

SHERRY WAS A FUN PERSON TO BE AROUND.

IT SMELLS DELICIOUS.

HERE YOU GO, MELLY.

AND SHE HAD A LITTLE GIRL.

HER NAME WAS MELANIE, AND MELANIE WAS 2 YEARS OLD.

SHE VERY MUCH WAS A VERY GOOD MOTHER,

AND SHE WAS VERY PROTECTIVE OF HER.

HEY, RENDA.

WOULD YOU LIKE SOME LEMONADE?

SHERRY IS NEWLY MARRIED

TO LOCAL FARMER PAUL WOLF.

PAUL WAS A SWEET GUY.

WANT A LITTLE TOP-OFF?

SHERRY WAS HIS WORLD AND HIS LIFE.

AND MELANIE WAS HIS RESPONSIBILITY,

AND HE DOTED ON HER AS WELL.

YOU THIRSTY, PRINCESS?

WHAT ABOUT MR. BEAR?

THEY GOT ALONG. THEY LAUGHED AND THEY PLAYED.

AND THE COUPLE ARE EXPECTING A BABY.

AND HOW IS MY LITTLE MAN?

SHERRY WAS EXCITED ABOUT BECOMING A MOTHER AGAIN.

AND THIS WOULD BE HERS AND PAUL'S FIRST BABY TOGETHER,

SO THIS WAS UNIFYING HER WITH PAUL

BECAUSE THEY WERE GONNA HAVE A CHILD TOGETHER NOW.

SHERRY'S EX-HUSBAND AND MELANIE'S BIOLOGICAL FATHER

IS CONSTRUCTION WORKER BILLY STATON.

BILLY WAS A FUN GUY TO BE AROUND.

HE WAS WELL-LIKED BY PRETTY MUCH EVERYBODY.

BILLY AND SHERRY'S MARRIAGE DIDN'T LAST A YEAR,

AND THEY DIVORCED BEFORE MELANIE CAME ALONG.

BILLY HAS VISITATION EVERY OTHER WEEKEND.

PAUL. HEY, SHERRY. HOW YOU DOING?

HELLO, LITTLE ONE.

YOU READY TO COME WITH DADDY?

WHEN MELANIE WAS BORN, BILLY WAS VERY EXCITED ABOUT IT.

HE DID EVERYTHING HE COULD TO BE A GOOD FATHER

AND TAKE CARE OF HIS RESPONSIBILITIES.

BUT EVEN MORE THAN THAT,

HE WANTED A RELATIONSHIP WITH MELANIE.

WE'RE GONNA GO TO THE BEACH. WE'RE GONNA GO ON THE BOAT.

BILLY'S NEW FIANCéE IS 26-YEAR-OLD SCHOOLTEACHER

LETICIA CASTRO.

THERE WE GO. WHO'S THIS?

WHO IS THIS?

MY SISTER LETTIE LOVED MELANIE VERY MUCH.

LETTIE JUST HAD THAT NATURAL GIFT TO... TO CARE FOR KIDS.

SHE WAS SWEET. SHE WAS LOVELY. SHE WAS JOYFUL.

SHE HAD, LIKE, MUSIC AND LAUGHTER IN HER EYES

AND SHE WAS JUST A BEAUTIFUL, BEAUTIFUL PERSON.

BILLY WAS DEFINITELY A LITTLE REBELLIOUS.

BILLY NEEDED SOMEBODY TO GROUND HIM.

AND APPARENTLY SHE WAS DOING THAT QUITE WELL.

WITH THEIR WEDDING ONLY WEEKS AWAY,

BILLY AND LETICIA

ARE ALREADY PLANNING A FAMILY OF THEIR OWN.

LETICIA WAS LOOKING FORWARD

TO HAVING HER OWN CHILDREN

BECAUSE THAT WAS THE LOVE AND JOY OF HER LIFE

AND SHE COULDN'T WAIT TO MARRY BILLY.

ARE YOU GUYS READY FOR THE WEDDING?

YEAH.

THEY HAD PLANNED FOR A SUMMER WEDDING.

I DON'T THINK I CAN WAIT THIS LONG, I'LL BE HONEST.

AND WE WERE ALL SUPPORTIVE THAT THIS WAS THE RIGHT TIME

AND THAT BILLY WAS THE RIGHT GUY

AND THAT LETTIE HAD FOUND HER SOUL MATE

AND WANTED TO SPEND TIME WITH HIM AND VICE VERSA.

TWO WEEKS LATER,

IT'S BILLY'S WEEKEND WITH MELANIE AGAIN

AND SHERRY AND RENDA ARE GOING TO CHURCH TOGETHER.

HEY, GIRL!

I THOUGHT THE EX HAD HER THIS WEEKEND.

ME TOO.

WHEN BILLY AND LETTIE DIDN'T SHOW UP TO PICK UP MELANIE,

I DIDN'T REALLY KNOW WHAT HAD HAPPENED,

BUT I THOUGHT,

"MAYBE BILLY'S GETTING TIRED OF TAKING CARE OF A 2-YEAR-OLD."

WELL, THAT SUCKS.

I KNOW, ESPECIALLY FOR MELANIE

BECAUSE SHE DOESN'T KNOW WHAT'S GOING ON.

LATE AFTERNOON COMES, AND BILLY HASN'T BEEN

IN CONTACT WITH ANY OF HIS FAMILY.

THAT EVENING, WE STARTED GETTING WORRIED

AS TO WHERE BILLY WAS.

WE HADN'T HEARD FROM HIM, WHICH WAS OUT OF CHARACTER

BECAUSE OF KNOWING THAT IT WAS A VISITATION WEEKEND,

HE WOULD NORMALLY BE REACHING OUT TO THE FAMILY,

PLANNING SOMETHING TO DO WITH MELANIE.

LETTIE WOULD ALWAYS KEEP IN TOUCH

ON A DAILY BASIS WITH MY MOM.

AND WHEN SHE DIDN'T HEAR FROM HER THAT SATURDAY

AND EVEN SUNDAY, SHE WAS REAL CONCERNED.

WE SOMEWHAT DISMISSED IT, THINKING THAT,

"WELL, MAYBE THEY TOOK OFF TO THE BEACH.

NOT TO WORRY THAT THEY WOULD PROBABLY SHOW UP HERE

BY SUNDAY OR MONDAY, NO LATER,

BECAUSE LETTIE WOULD HAVE TO BE BACK TO WORK BY MONDAY."

BY MONDAY, WHEN THEY DIDN'T SHOW UP TO WORK,

THEN THAT'S WHEN IT BECAME VERY CLEAR

THAT SOMETHING HAD HAPPENED.

ARMANDO AND HIS BROTHER ARTURO

HEAD OVER TO BILLY AND LETICIA'S HOME.

THE DOOR HAD NOT BEEN LOCKED.

BILLY?

WE WALKED IN.

BILLY?

BILLY?

WE WERE KIND OF MINDFUL

OF NOT TRYING TO DISTURB ANYTHING, TOUCH ANYTHING,

BUT WE JUST LOOKED AROUND,

TRYING TO FIND SOME KIND OF A NOTE OR A CLUE

AS TO WHAT HAD HAPPENED TO THEM.

BILLY?

THE HOUSE IS EMPTY.

THERE'S NO SIGN OF BILLY OR LETICIA.

WE WANTED TO BELIEVE

THAT THEY HAD TAKEN OFF SOMEWHERE.

THEY HAD ELOPED BECAUSE THEIR WEDDING

WAS ABOUT A MONTH AWAY FROM THEN.

OVER THE NEXT FEW DAYS,

NO ONE HEARS FROM BILLY OR LETICIA.

THEIR FAMILIES CONTACT LAW ENFORCEMENT.

TEXAS RANGER BRUCE CASTEEL IS ASSIGNED TO THE CASE.

I WENT OVER TO THE HOUSE

AND CHECKED THE TRAILER

WHERE BILLY AND LETTIE HAD BEEN LIVING.

THERE WAS NO FORCED ENTRY.

THERE WAS NOTHING TO INDICATE

THAT ANYTHING WAS WRONG AT THAT TIME.

BUT THEY WAS JUST SOMETHING ABOUT THE WAY

THE TRAILER WAS LEFT THAT DOES NOT SEEM TO FIT.

THEY WAS FOOD ON THE TABLE,

CLOTHING LAYING AROUND.

THERE WAS NO EVIDENCE

THAT THERE HAD BEEN ANY SORT OF A DISTURBANCE IN THE HOME.

THERE WAS NO BLOOD FOUND.

THERE WAS NOTHING TO INDICATE THAT ANYTHING WAS WRONG AT ALL.

THERE WAS JUST SOMETHING ABOUT THE WAY IT WAS LEFT

THAT ALWAYS INDICATED TO ME

THAT THEY WERE PLANNING ON COMING BACK TO THE TRAILER.

RANGER CASTEEL HAS LEARNED FROM BILLY'S FAMILY

THAT ON THE WEEKEND OF HIS DISAPPEARANCE,

BILLY WAS SUPPOSED TO PICK UP HIS DAUGHTER, MELANIE,

FROM HIS EX-WIFE, SHERRY.

I WENT TO SEE SHERRY AND PAUL,

AND I WANTED TO FIND OUT

IF THEY KNEW ANYTHING ABOUT BILLY

AND LETTIE NOT SHOWING UP.

CAN I HELP YOU?

BRUCE CASTEEL, TEXAS RANGER.

MAY I HAVE A WORD?

SURE. HAVE A SEAT.

THANK YOU.

IS PAUL AROUND?

YEAH. HE'S IN THE FIELD WITH HIS PA.

I UNDERSTAND BILLY STANTON WAS SUPPOSED TO COME PAST HERE

LAST FRIDAY TO PICK UP THE CHILD.

SHE SAID, "NO, THEY DID NOT SHOW UP AT ALL.

NO ONE CAME."

I DON'T KNOW WHAT HAPPENED.

TO BE HONEST, I'M KIND OF GLAD

TO SAY THEY DIDN'T COME.

WHY'S THAT?

BECAUSE IT UPSETS HER.

SHE SAID THERE WAS A LOT OF CONFLICT

BETWEEN SHE AND BILLY STATON OVER MELANIE.

PAUL. HEY, SHERRY.

HELLO, LITTLE ONE.

YOU READY TO COME WITH DADDY?

DON'T BE LIKE THAT.

DON'T YOU WANT TO GO WITH DADDY?

SHERRY TOLD ME THAT MELANIE DIDN'T WANT TO GO WITH HIM

EACH TIME HE WOULD COME OVER TO PICK HER UP.

AND THEY WOULD GET INTO A TERRIBLE ARGUMENT.

YOU PUT HER UP TO THIS.

COVER YOUR EARS, SWEETHEART. YOU DID THIS!!

LOOK WHAT YOU'VE DONE.

WHAT DO YOU MEAN, LOOK WHAT I'VE DONE?

COVER YOUR EARS.

AND IT JUST ESCALATED EACH TIME.

WE'VE TRIED GETTING THE COURTS TO INTERVENE.

SHE'S SCARED OF BILLY.

SO HE NEVER TURNED UP?

NO.

WE WAITED,

AND THEN WE TOOK MELANIE TO MY MOM'S.

SHE WAS VERY OPEN.

SHE SEEMED VERY STRAIGHTFORWARD ABOUT HER ANSWERS.