Photo Courtesy Texas Department of Corrections
I think it’s only fitting that my first blog post here be written about the one who started my whole obsession with true crime, Henry Lee Lucas. While Henry traveled from one end of the United States to the other, a big part of his story is centered in my hometown, Waco.
I can’t remember the exact year, but I believe I was about 8 years old, so 1984-ish, our local dogcatcher-turned-police-chief came knocking on my babysitter’s door telling her to stay inside because they were bringing a “very bad man” into the neighborhood. That man was Henry and he was “leading” detectives to the house next door where the 1977 murder of Glen Parks had occurred.
I had heard my babysitter, Pearl, tell the story many times of how she had been out to eat with her family that night and returned to a blackbird in her house. She was very superstitious and believed this to be a bad omen. It was a very stormy night and she awoke the next morning to find out her neighbor had been murdered. If I remember correctly, his son was a possible suspect but no one was ever charged. It was a cold case – until Henry.
And so began my fascination with crime.
The Early Years
Henry Lee Lucas was a notorious American serial killer born on August 23, 1936, in Blacksburg, Virginia. He gained infamy for his involvement in numerous murders, although the exact extent of his crimes remains debated.
Lucas grew up in a troubled household, with abusive and alcoholic parents. His mother, Viola Lucas, was particularly influential in his life, often subjecting him to physical and emotional abuse. Once, hitting him so hard with a metal object that it was thought to have caused brain damage. She was also known to engage in prostitution, contributing to the dysfunctional environment in which Lucas was raised.
A Criminal Emerges
Lucas’s criminal history began at a young age, marked by acts of violence and deviant behavior. In 1960, he was convicted of murdering his own mother, resulting in a prison sentence. However, he was paroled in 1970 after serving a portion of his term.
Following his release, Lucas continued to engage in criminal activities, including attempted kidnapping and burglary. In 1975, he formed a partnership with Ottis Toole, another notorious criminal, and together they embarked on a spree of violence and murder.
The Confessions
Lucas and Toole claimed responsibility for numerous killings across multiple states, with Lucas confessing to hundreds of murders. However, the validity of many of these confessions has been called into question, with evidence only confirming a fraction of the reported crimes.
In 1983, Lucas was arrested on weapons charges, leading to further investigations into his alleged murders. It was during this incarceration that he gained notoriety as an alleged serial killer, in which he falsely admitted to around six hundred additional murders to Texas Rangers and various law enforcement authorities.
Working with Sheriff Jim Boutwell, Henry met with law enforcement officers from all across the United States regarding unsolved cases in their respective jurisdictions. It seems for a pack of cigarettes and strawberry shake Henry would give them all the details needed to close the case. Not so fast…
The DA Has Doubts
When Henry Lee Lucas was brought to Waco to meet with local police in regard to the murder of Glen Parks and two other local murder victims, McLennan County District Attorney Vic Feazell became suspicious. At the same time, reporters Hugh Aynesworth and Jim Henderson had their own suspicions about many of the confessions and were investigating.
All three came to the same conclusion, Henry did not commit all those murders. Sheriff Boutwell was intentionally given false information by McLennan County detectives about the unsolved crimes and just as expected, Henry repeated that same incorrect information when being interrogated. Proof that he was being fed information.
Feazell was steadfast and was very vocal in his belief that Henry was being coached by law enforcement on what to say when being questioned on what seemed to be an endless list of unsolved murders. His controversial prosecution of the Lake Waco murders was still fresh and he wanted to ensure this case was handled properly.
Unfortunately, Feazell faced public scrutiny by the Texas Rangers and soon found himself being arrested and on trial for supposedly accepting bribes from local attorneys. He was acquitted and ultimately won a multi-million dollar libel suit. Justified if you ask me. Today, he is still practicing law in Waco and has taken up hot yoga. If you haven’t already, I highly recommend watching The Confession Killer on Netflix.
End to the Madness
Henry Lee Lucas was eventually convicted of eleven murders. Although evidence only linked him to three: his mother, Becky Powell, and Katharine Rich.
Despite initially being sentenced to death, Lucas’s sentence was later commuted to life imprisonment by Texas Governor George W. Bush. He spent his remaining years in prison, where he reportedly became a born-again Christian and exhibited model behavior.
Henry Lee Lucas died in prison from natural causes on March 12, 2001, at the age of 64. He is buried at the Captain Joe Byrd Prison Cemetery in Huntsville, Texas. His life and crimes continue to fascinate and horrify people, with his case serving as a chilling reminder of the complexities of criminal psychology and the limitations of the criminal justice system.
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