The Devil Speaks (2018–…): Season 2, Episode 1 - Evil in East Texas - full transcript

Casteel: 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.

Gilbert: 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.

♪

narrator:
30 miles west of the gulf coast,

20-year-old stay-at-home mom
sherry wolf



is expecting a visit
from her cousin renda.

Ashley: 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?

Narrator:
Sherry is newly married

to local farmer paul wolf.

Ashley:
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?

[ slurps ]

they got along.
They laughed and they played.

Narrator: 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.

Narrator: Sherry's ex-husband
and melanie's biological father

is construction worker
billy staton.

Gilbert: Billy was a fun guy
to be around.

He was well-liked
by pretty much everybody.

Narrator: 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.

Oh, 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?

Armando: My sister lettie
loved melanie very much.

Lettie just had that natural
gift to... to care for kids.

Villegas: 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.

Gilbert: Billy was definitely
a little rebellious.

Billy needed somebody
to ground him.

And apparently she was
doing that quite well.

♪

narrator: With their wedding
only weeks away,

billy and leticia

are already planning
a family of their own.

Villegas: Oh, 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.

[ chuckles ]

are you guys ready
for the wedding?

Oh, 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.

♪

♪

narrator: Two weeks later,

it's billy's weekend
with melanie again

and sherry and renda
are going to church together.

Hey, girl!

Oh, 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.

Narrator: Late afternoon comes,
and billy hasn't been

in contact with
any of his family.

Gilbert: 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.

♪

armando: 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."

[ thunder rumbling ]

by Monday, when they didn't
show up to work,

then that's when it became
very clear

that something had happened.

Narrator: Armando and his
brother arturo

head over to billy
and leticia's home.

♪

armando: 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?

♪

narrator:
The house is empty.

There's no sign
of billy or leticia.

Armando:
We wanted to believe

that they had taken off
somewhere.

They had eloped
because their wedding

was about a month away
from then.

Narrator:
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.

Casteel:
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.

♪

narrator: 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.

Casteel:
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.
Uh, have a seat.

Thank you.

[ sighs ]

is paul around?

Uh, 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.

Oh, you ready
to come with daddy?

[ melanie crying ]

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.

Well, thanks for your time...
And the tea.

♪

narrator: It's 11 days
since anybody has heard

from billy or leticia

and investigators
have no new leads.

But as a crop duster flies
low over texas farmland,

something unusual
catches the pilot's eye.

♪

narrator: Police are looking

for billy staton
and leticia castro,

who have been missing
for 11 days.

Now a local pilot
has spotted an abandoned vehicle

in the middle of farmland.

We went out to where
this location was at.

Narrator: The car appears
to have run off the road.

Casteel: The license plate
registration was right,

and we knew immediately that
it was billy staton's vehicle.

Let's get it out of there.

♪

♪

when I looked inside...

♪

...There was no bodies
in the car.

But I found a large rock
on the accelerator,

which indicates that it was
intentionally run off

into the drainage canal.

Well, the car was
in really bad shape.

It had been burned inside.

And a lot of mud
spread all over the car

inside and outside.

I knew that whoever did this,

we're trying to destroy
any evidence

that may be there
inside the vehicle.

Narrator:
Gilbert hears on the radio

that his brother's car
has been found.

Gilbert, I'm sorry.
We can't have you here.

I drove out, and, um...

...Quite stressful.

Quite stressful.

Because at that point,
you... you knew for sure

that whatever the outcome
was gonna be

wasn't gonna be good.

That just cemented the...
you know, raised questions

but gave a lot of answers
already that weren't good.

♪

casteel:
After finding the vehicle,

we knew then that
this investigation

was taking a bad
left turn, so to speak.

Narrator: Authorities mount
a massive search operation.

We had well over 100 officers
searching...

cars, foot, horses...

any way that we could search.

It was probably
one of the biggest searches

I've ever been involved in
at that time.

Narrator: However, pinpointing
two people

in such a vast area
of dense countryside

is a huge challenge.

Man on radio: Police are
appealing for any information

about the disappearance
of billy staton

and leticia castro,

who were last seen on Friday,
July 16th.

If anyone has any information,

they can call the dedicated
police tip hotline.

Ashley: It was big news.

We live in a small community
and people talk.

And everybody's going,
"where's lettie?

Where's... where's billy?
What happened to him?"

no one knew where they were.

We just kind of kept praying
and hoping

that they would surface, that
they would somehow reappear.

There was nothing we could do
but wait.

That was it.

Narrator: Calls pour in
to the police hotline,

including a tip
about a local resident.

Casteel: One day, an individual
called in and said

that he had information
on the disappearance

of billy staton
and lettie castro.

The informant said
that the man involved

was a glenn wayne henderson.

Narrator: 18-year-old
glenn wayne henderson

has no criminal record

and no obvious connection
to the missing couple.

But investigators
want to know more.

♪

while police look
into henderson,

ranger casteel
gets a surprising new lead

involving billy's ex-wife.

Casteel: I received a telephone
call from a lady

that was the manager of the home

where sherry and paul wolf
had been living.

And she said
that they had moved out.

That was something that set
off an alarm in my mind.

Why would these people all of
a sudden move out of that house?

I talked with a judge
and a district attorney

and we issued a search warrant
for the home.

♪

♪

when I went into the house,

there was a piece of carpet
in the living room.

And underneath...

[ camera shutter clicks ]

...There was a large
pooling of blood.

♪

and all on the walls...

...There was dried blood...

[ camera shutter clicks ]

...On the door frames...

Curtains...

Along the edge
of the trim of the floor.

By looking at the numerous
blood spatters

all over the living room...

[ camera shutter clicks ]

...This is not caused
by a gunshot

nor is it caused by a knife.

It's caused by someone
slinging something like a bat

or something and hitting someone
possibly in the head.

Narrator: While the scene
is being processed,

ranger casteel receives a call

from assistant district
attorney kirk brush.

Bruce casteel.

Kirk said that he had talked
to an attorney in harlingen

by the name of jim mardis.

Jim mardis had a client

that would confess
to the murders

of billy staton
and lettie castro.

Don't get him talking
till I'm there.

Narrator: It's over three weeks
since billy staton

and leticia castro disappeared.

And texas ranger bruce casteel
has discovered what looks like

the scene of a violent crime.

Meantime, a man has come forward

who claims to be involved.

- Kirk. How are you?
- Hey, sir.

You really telling me

we got someone that wants
to confess to this?

Yes, apparently.

Casteel: I was elated.

Well, I'll be.

To hear something like this
about a defense attorney

bringing in a client to confess
to a double homicide

is almost unheard of.

I mean, it's just difficult
to believe

that this is actually occurring.

Hi.

Bruce casteel.
Jim mardis.

How you doing?
Hey, kirk. You all right?

So are you guys ready for him?

- Sure.
- Yes.

Gentlemen,
mr. Paul wolf.

♪

♪

casteel:
Looking at paul wolf,

he was just a young,
clean-cut-looking individual.

Paul, my name is bruce casteel.
I'm a texas ranger.

Now, before we start,

I'd like to remind you
of your rights.

You have the right to remain
silent.

Anything you say can and will be
used against you in court.

After I had given
paul wolf his miranda warning,

I asked him to start telling me
what had occurred.

I understand you want
to tell us something

about these two missing people

we're talking about...

billy staton and leticia castro.

Um...

Mardis: Just start from
the very beginning, paul,

the very beginning.

Narrator: Paul begins to account
the events

of Friday, July 16th.

I got home at 6:00.

Sherry wasn't there.

She was waiting for billy
to come pick up melanie,

and he didn't show.

Casteel:
Paul started telling me

that billy came with lettie
to pick up melanie.

And when he did arrive,
he came storming up to the gate.

♪

I'm sorry. I'm sorry.
Sorry. I'm sorry.

Fine. I'm here.

Where is she?

I'm sorry, man.
She waited,

but melanie started
getting upset,

and then sherry decided

she's gonna take her
to her mother's.

Paul told billy staton
that sherry and melanie

had already gone
to her mother's house.

Bill...

I'm about ready
to kick your ass.

Bill... Okay.

He just stormed past me
into the house.

Billy really want to be sure
that melanie wasn't there.

Just... please.
Get out of my way.

Sherry! Sherry,
where you at?!

Sherry?
Where you at?

Bill... bill... bill...
just relax. Okay?

I-I-I can try
to give her a call.

Call her.

And, um, I... I...
I tried calling.

[ stammering ]

just give me a sec.

I'm waiting.

Yeah.

[ line buzzing ]

I'm sorry, bill,
but the line's busy.

Okay?

He said that billy
became very angry

and... Attacked paul wolf.

Wait, bill. Bill.

He tried to, um, choke me.

I knocked him to the ground.

And, uh...

Casteel:
He picked up an iron bar

that he had near the front door.

I brought it down
and hit him on the head.

♪

he didn't get up.

Paul wolf
was claiming self-defense.

What happened with leticia?

She heard this.

She ran in.

He said that lettie apparently
had heard the struggle

and the fight going on
in the house.

And she attacked him.

What did you do?

What did you do?!
What did you do?!

Lettie! Lettie!

I was so scared.

I-I didn't know what to do.

And he had to defend himself
against lettie.

And he beat her with the bar.

♪

♪

wolf:
I drove down the highway

and my... my... my daddy
has some land.

Casteel: Paul wolf
was really panicking

about what had occurred here

and that he knew that he needed
to get rid of the bodies

because he...
he just couldn't imagine

being charged with murder
or his family

being involved
in something like this.

Now, if I took you out there,
would you remember the place?

Yes, sir.

Casteel: Paul wolf told us
that he would lead us

to the location of lettie castro
and billy staton's bodies.

And I said, "let's go."

narrator:
Paul leads investigators

to a remote spot

several miles from where
billy staton's car was found.

Casteel: When we arrived
at the location,

I walked from the edge
of the road

down to the drainage canal.

♪

you could see lettie's body

floating in the canal
facedown, badly decomposed.

The skull had been fractured

and a piece of the skull
was missing.

Narrator: Then something else
catches ranger casteel's eye.

Casteel:
Laying on the embankment

was a 20-gauge yellow shotgun
shell that had been fired.

We had heard nothing
from paul wolf

during our interview
with him concerning a shotgun

or a shotgun being used.

Then we were directed from the
location of lettie castro's body

to where billy staton's
body was located.

Narrator: Billy's body is
submerged in the drainage canal

and is badly decomposed.

♪

casteel:
As I'm looking at the body...

What's that?

...I can see an outline
of a square little box...

Underneath billy's shirt.

Taped to the body
was a tape recorder.

It was in pretty bad shape.

Looking at the recorder,

you could tell that the button
had been pushed down.

It looked like that the tape
had been recording

on billy staton's body.

♪

narrator: Deep in the east texas
marshland,

police have recovered
the bodies of billy staton

and leticia castro.

A tape recorder found
hidden underneath

billy's clothing
may have recorded his death.

Casteel: This tape recorder had
been on billy staton's body

in this canal
for about three weeks or more.

We sent the tape off
to the fbi laboratory

in quantico, virginia.

But I'm not sure
that we're gonna be able

to get any type
of evidence off of the tape.

Narrator: While investigators
wait to find out,

billy's lawyer explains
to police

why billy
was wearing the recorder.

Stapleton: Billy was having
post-divorce issues with sherry.

He was complaining
about problems

accessing his child.

Paul.
Hey, sherry.

Hello, little one.

Oh, you ready
to come with daddy?

[ crying ]

don't be like that.

Don't you want to go with daddy?

It was sort of a he said,
she said situation

because she would always say

that he was late or was abusive.

Maybe you should come back
in two weeks.

Oh, please, sherry.

I barely get enough time
as it is.

He would say, "no.

I got there on time
and I was polite."

she'll stay with me
if she wants to.

I suggested that he wear
a recording device of some type.

And if sherry comes up with
a different version

and says
that if you were abusive,

then you've got proof
that you were not.

I think you should go.

See you around.

[ melanie crying ]

have a good day.

♪

casteel:
About a week after the tape

was sent to the fbi laboratory
in quantico...

...I received a telephone call
from the technician

that was working on the tape.

And he said, "mister,
you better sit down.

You're not gonna believe
what's on the tape."

narrator: Ranger casteel
cues up a copy

of the fbi restored recording.

Casteel: The first sounds
you hear are in a car

and you hear billy staton
say to lettie castro...

Narrator:
The tape has recorded billy

going to pick up
his daughter, melanie.

Casteel: He then walks across
up on to a wooden porch.

[ knocking ]

knocking on the door
and paul wolf says...

Narrator:
Hearing melanie on the recording

immediately contradicts
paul's account of that day.

Paul was saying that sherry
and melanie had already gone

to her mother's house.

But a lot of that statement
he gave us

said that was not truthful.

[ melanie crying ]

casteel: Well, it was obvious
from the tape

that melanie does not want to go
with billy.

It does sound like
sherry was right.

Billy: Hmm?

[ melanie babbles ]

narrator:
As the recording continues,

billy doesn't lose his temper

and melanie seems
to be coming around.

[ melanie babbles ]

[ thudding ]

all of a sudden,
you hear this sound.

And I played that back,

trying to understand what
in the world is that sound?

[ thudding ]

it was billy staton
being struck in the head.

[ thudding ]

you can hear melanie screaming,
sitting there witnessing

what's going on with her father.

[ melanie crying ]

paul wolf is claiming
self-defense

on what occurred
with billy staton,

that he was defending himself

and he ended up
killing billy staton.

Narrator:
But the audio recording

tells a different story.

Casteel: There was no struggle
or a fight.

The recording contradicted

most everything
that paul has said.

[ indistinct voice ]

suddenly you can hear
male voices

and one of them says...

When I heard that, I knew
that there was another man

in the room also,
not just paul wolf.

Someone else was there
with paul.

Narrator: And it's a name ranger
casteel has heard before.

♪

narrator: Police have discovered
the bodies of billy staton

and leticia castro.

Billy's ex-wife's husband,
paul wolf,

has admitted to killing them
but claims self-defense.

The statement was that he was
attacked by both victims.

And during the course
of the attack,

he had to kill both victims
to keep them from hurting him.

Narrator: However, an audio
recording of the incident

reveals
that another man was there.

Glenn wayne henderson's name
was generated

through the police tip hotline.

Ranger casteel questions him

about his relationship with paul
and sherry wolf.

Tell me, how long
have you known paul wolf?

I-I have a sister
that went to school with him.

I know his dad and his brothers.

You know his wife, sherry?

I met her about three weeks
after they got married.

Casteel: Glenn was
obviously someone

that could be easily used.

He was not the most intelligent,

well-educated young man
I've ever seen.

Why don't you tell me
about the first conversation

you had with paul
about the trouble

he was having with billy
regarding melanie.

One time he told me
that he didn't like the boy.

And that he was causing...
causing him a lot of trouble

and that he wanted
to get rid of him,

that he wanted to kill him.

Casteel: He told me paul wolf

was getting tired
of billy staton,

and they were planning

on just absolutely
taking billy staton's life.

He... he told me he wanted
to get rid of the boy

and take him and put them
in the canal.

And then take his car

and then ride it into the canal
and burn it up.

And was this
quite a few months before

that he said this?

Yes, sir.

Casteel: What glenn henderson
was saying

was absolutely
premeditated murder.

There is no doubt about that.

He... he asked me if I would,
you know...

Help... help get rid of him.

Narrator: Glenn's confession
helps explain

what is in the audio recording.

However...

The tape reveals
one more shocking truth.

I heard this voice
on the tape saying...

Narrator: It's a voice
that ranger casteel recognizes.

Casteel: I knew that that
was sherry wolf.

I knew that sherry wolf then
was not at her mother's house.

During questioning
of glenn wayne henderson,

I asked him
about sherry being present.

She was sitting on the couch.

He said she was sitting there
with melanie,

and she knew what was coming.

She knew what was
about to happen.

Did she see paul hit billy?

Yes, sir.

Casteel:
We know now who are responsible

for the murders of billy staton
and lettie castro.

The murder of billy staton
had been planned for months.

Sherry wolf despised him,
hated him, in fact.

Sherry decided
to kill billy staton

to have full custody of melanie.

Narrator: Sherry wolf,
paul wolf,

and glenn wayne henderson

are arrested and charged
with first-degree murder.

In court,
the prosecution combines

the evidence on the tape
and glenn's confession

to map out in brutal detail

billy and leticia's
final moments.

Casteel: The day that
billy staton was murdered,

he arrives at paul wolf
and sherry wolf's home.

You do realize
listening to him say...

...That he really
will not be back in a minute.

Go hide in the bedroom.

A lot of wind blowing that day.

[ wind blowing ]

narrator: Billy comes as usual
to pick up his daughter...

...Not suspecting anything.

Casteel:
Sitting there with sherry wolf

and the child was being used
as bait

to get billy to sit down
and talk to her.

At the time,

glenn wayne henderson
is in a bedroom

behind where billy is sitting.

Hmm?

[ melanie babbles ]

[ crying ]

narrator: With billy down,

paul heads outside
to kill leticia.

Brush:
He walks up to the car,

which would not necessarily
be of concern to leticia

since she's been
to the house before.

Narrator:
Glenn follows close behind,

picking up a hammer
paul had hidden earlier.

Brush: He proceeds through
the car window

to beat her to death
with a hammer.

Narrator: Paul and glenn head
back into the house

to deal with billy

casteel: You can hear sherry

coming back
into the room, then says...

Sherry wolf
was really the instigator

of this entire murder.

This would have never happened
had it not been for sherry wolf.

With lettie still
in the front seat,

billy staton's body
is placed in the trunk.

Brush:
Paul drives billy stanton's car.

Glenn henderson gets in his car
to follow

and dispose
of the bodies in the car.

♪

narrator: From the recording,

investigators know
that billy is still alive

in the trunk of the car.

[ billy breathing ]

hmm.

A lot of tears flowed
from jurors

when they heard that.

Narrator:
As paul and glenn drive out

to dispose of their victims,

it's believed that billy finally
succumbs to his injuries.

However,
the tape is still recording,

and it reveals
one more grisly detail.

Brush:
They discover that leticia,

while gravely wounded,
is not dead.

Narrator: In his confession,

henderson admits
that he was the one

to take leticia's life.

Glenn shot lettie in the back
of the head with a shotgun.

Listen to that tape.

You can hear the shotgun go off.

[ gunshot ]

♪

narrator:
The coroner's report

confirms that the gunshot wound
in leticia's head

is consistent
with a 20-gauge shotgun.

A firearm matching that
description is recovered

from the trunk
of henderson's car.

That tape... there was no doubt.

It was just an astounding
piece of evidence.

♪

paul wolf...

Sherry wolf...

And glenn wayne henderson

are found guilty of murder.

They are all sentenced
to life imprisonment.

Brush: It would have been
amazing if they had come back

with anything other than
first-degree murder

because the tape...
Is so clear

as to what's going on at the
time the murders happened.

The family
has suffered so much...

...Especially mother.

We've all stood by

and prayed so hard.

Thank god
that justice has been done.

But it's still painful

that our sister
is no longer with us.

♪

it was just totally unnecessary.

It affected more... more people
than they can imagine.

Yeah.

Villegas: Lettie still lives
in our minds,

in our memories, in our hearts.

She may be gone,
but she's very much present.

All the time, we think of her.

♪

we love her.

♪

gilbert:
If my brother was alive today,

I think he would have had
a lot of kids

probably with lettie.

I kind of think that would have
probably happened.

But, uh...

You know, we'll never know.

Uh, you never forget.
You never...

No. Uh...

[ sighs ]

I'm done.