Redemption Song

Summary

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48 Hours – “Redemption Song” (June 10, 2026)

Podcast Summary

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Episode Overview

This episode of CBS News’ “48 Hours” delves into the decades-old murder of Natalie Antonetti, a vibrant figure in Austin's 1980s music scene and beloved mother of musician Johnny Gowdy. After 26 years, a cold case investigation reopens on a surprise tip, leading to a dramatic trial, contested conviction, and eventual exoneration. The episode thoughtfully explores themes of justice, the fallibility of memory, pain, redemption, and the profound effect one crime can have across generations.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Introducing the Main Characters and the Crime

• Assistant District Attorney Mark Pryor (01:17): Arrives from England, fascinated with crime, and takes on what becomes “the most challenging case I have ever handled.” He reflects on the search for truth and justice.
• Johnny Gowdy (02:02; 04:54): Recalls his mother Natalie – “Beautiful, vibrant, excited to be alive... Music was always playing.” The morning he found her bloodied in their home when he was just 16 is described as a moment that would haunt him for life.

“I tried to ask her what had happened... She couldn't talk. She just had a really, really frightened look in her eyes.”
— Johnny Gowdy (04:54)

• The initial investigation is stymied: “We had no DNA, no fingerprints, really, no physical evidence of any kind. This was a cold case.”
  — Assistant District Attorney Mark Pryor (03:27)

2. Life and Culture in Austin’s 1980s Music Scene

• Mark Hallman (06:12, 06:50): Reminisces about Austin’s legendary 6th Street, where music, friendship, and Natalie’s spirit flourished. He describes her: “Beautiful, incredible... almost hippy-ish, real savvy at the same time. And very Cuban.”

• Johnny Gowdy (07:49): “Growing up, I didn't have a TV, but we always had our records with us... cleaning the house, you didn't just clean the house. You put on your favorite record as loud as you could, and you just danced around.”

3. Early Investigation and a “Closed” Case

• Police focus initially on Marty Odom, the neighbor, after an eyewitness saw a “man holding a club or a small baseball bat” (09:43). Odom matches the witness description and is later convicted of an unrelated rape but not Natalie's murder (10:56).

“With the arrest and conviction of the rapist Marty Odom, the police were convinced they also had the man who killed Natalie. The case was seemingly closed... But that is just the beginning of this story.”
— Interviewer/Narration (10:56)

4. Johnny’s Grief and Search for Healing

• The lack of closure gnaws at Johnny: “I was just mad, you know, mad at the world. Mad at a faceless person...” (14:07)
• Music becomes therapy: “It saved my life... Being able to put that energy into something that's cathartic and not turn it on yourself, I think is pretty lucky.” (14:27)

5. The Case Reopens — An Anonymous Tip

• In 2007, police receive a pivotal, anonymous call from Becky Davis, the wife of Dennis Davis (15:31).
• Detective Tom Walsh (09:02; 16:12): Describes the thrill of “being in the hunt” and is motivated by the new lead.
• The suspect is now Dennis Davis—a music producer who dated Natalie and was viewed by everyone, including Johnny and Hallman, as “quiet and reserved” (16:57).

6. The Alibi Falls Apart

• Dennis’s long-time alibi (that he was with Amparo Garcia Crow, another musician, the night of the murder) collapses under scrutiny.
  Amparo, a meticulous journal-keeper:

“It would be so shocking if a phone call had come in the middle of the night. That never happened.”
— Amparo Garcia Crow (20:32)

• New witnesses (including Linda Bless) describe Dennis's volatility, especially regarding jealousy about women (22:14).

7. Building the Circumstantial Case

• Physical evidence remains absent, but circumstantial evidence mounts: the broken alibi, possession of baseball bats, an angry note Dennis wrote to Natalie (“Natalie, you can go to hell...”), and a confession to his ex-girlfriend Galinda (24:39, 25:10).

“[Dennis] told her that he had killed or he had murdered Natalie were the words that she said he used.”
— Detective Tom Walsh (25:10)

8. Arrest, Trial, and Conviction

• Dennis is arrested in 2009, 24 years after the murder (25:24). The trial hinges on testimonies and disputed confessions, not physical evidence.
• Assistant D.A. Mark Pryor (33:53): Paints a portrait of a jealous ex who “split her skull as she lay on the couch... [he] left a trail of breadcrumbs, small mistakes...”
• Defense Attorney Wade Russell points out the lack of evidence and the alternative suspect, Marty Odom, whom they were not allowed to present to the jury (35:04, 39:08).

“The jury, in essence, heard half a case. They didn't get the whole case. Does that sound like a fair trial to you?”
— Wade Russell (39:08)

• After less than four hours of deliberation, Dennis Davis is found guilty (36:03). He receives 36 years in prison (38:20).

9. The Aftermath — New Evidence, Appeal, and Exoneration

• Becky Davis, the tipster, astonishingly stands by Dennis during sentencing, claiming “I can't operate without him.” (38:04)
• In 2012, an appeals court overturns the verdict (44:12), ruling Dennis had ineffective counsel (his attorney failed to introduce evidence about Marty Odom).
• In 2014, Dennis Davis is released from prison (44:46–44:55).
• In 2018, the case is dismissed, and Davis is exonerated (45:06).

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• “No DNA, no fingerprints, really, no physical evidence of any kind. This was a cold case.”
  — Mark Pryor (03:27)

• “She just had a really, really frightened look in her eyes. And I just—it’s hard to see your mom in that situation.”
  — Johnny Gowdy (04:54)

• “I never thought that it would be solved. I thought it was just over.”
  — Johnny Gowdy (03:34)

• “You stop dating Dennis that Thursday before the assault.”
  — Interviewer (20:03)

• “I killed her. I killed Natalie Antonetti.”
  — Mark Pryor quoting Dennis Davis's statement, per Galinda (34:51)

• “You wrote a nasty note. Oh, you’re capable of murder. Everything gets blown out of proportion.”
  — Dennis Davis (31:44)

• “I was in shock. I’ll let you know as soon as I start feeling again.”
  — Dennis Davis (44:48)

• “The most important person in my life is never there, no matter what. All the time. My favorite person is never there.”
  — Johnny Gowdy (41:41)

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Important Timestamps

• 01:17 – Mark Pryor describes the case's difficulty and his move from England to Texas.
• 02:02/04:54 – Johnny recounts finding his mother after the attack.
• 06:08–07:34 – Austin’s music scene and Natalie’s personality.
• 09:02–10:56 – Focus on Marty Odom as suspect; crime and setup for the cold case.
• 13:21–14:27 – Johnny’s anger and music as therapy.
• 15:31 – Anonymous tip reopens the case; Dennis Davis becomes a suspect.
• 17:04–20:32 – Alibi crumbles; Amparo Garcia Crow’s journals.
• 22:14–24:05 – Linda Bless on Dennis’s volatility.
• 25:10 – Dennis’s confession reported by ex-girlfriend Galinda.
• 33:53–36:03 – Trial and conviction.
• 38:04–38:16 – Becky Davis's support at sentencing.
• 44:12–44:55 – Conviction reversed, Dennis Davis released.
• 45:06 – Prosecution ultimately dismisses the case.

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Conclusion

“Redemption Song” traces the twists and setbacks of a cold case—no DNA, years of silence, two prime suspects—with a focus on personal impact over nearly three decades. The episode highlights flaws in the criminal justice process: reliance on circumstantial evidence, the dangers of unreliable testimony, and the consequences of procedural mistakes. In the end, the conviction collapses, leaving both Johnny Gowdy and the Austin music community with answers unresolved, but a chapter closed.

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For Listeners Seeking More

This episode features raw testimony, deep dives into the role of memory and trauma, and thoughtful questions about truth and justice. It is informed, sensitive, and gripping—a prime example of “48 Hours” reporting at its best.

Transcript

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[Carvana Seller]

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[Police Officer]

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[Carvana Seller]

No, you don't understand. It went perfectly. Real offer down to the penny. They're picking it up tomorrow. Nothing went wrong.

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That is the problem. Nothing in my life goes as smoothly. I'm waiting for the catch.

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Maybe there's no catch.

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That's exactly what a catch would want me to think.

[Johnny Gowdy]

Wow.

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You need to relax.

[Carvana Seller]

I need to knock on wood. Do we have wood? Is this table wood?

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[Narrator]

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[Johnny Gowdy]

Pick up.

[Interviewer]

Fees may apply.

[Assistant District Attorney Mark Pryor]

Coming to Texas, I started a new tradition for myself. Wearing cowboy boots and trial. I've always been fascinated with crime. I've always been interested in what makes criminals do what they do. I came here from England 20 years ago. Now I prosecute felony cases here in Texas. I think it's a noble endeavor. There's always a search for the truth. There's a search for justice. This is, without a doubt, the most challenging case I have ever handled. A beautiful young woman who was murdered while she lay sleeping.

[Johnny Gowdy]

That's my mom, Natalie Antonetti. Beautiful, vibrant, excited to be alive. She was an amazing mom. She always tried to have a good time with everything.

[Singer]

You were mine the stars would shine

[Johnny Gowdy]

every single night My mom was a young mom. She was into, you know, rock and roll.

[Singer]

Time's on our side

[Johnny Gowdy]

Music was always playing.

[Singer]

Tomorrow comes My heart will numb within

[Assistant District Attorney Mark Pryor]

by all accounts, just one of those people that you just. You meet and you never forget.

[Johnny Gowdy]

Jumped down the stairs and there she was, just covered in blood. Her head was bleeding pretty bad. It was absolutely awful. Who did this? Who could have done this? That was also really scary, you know, like, who would have had this out for this wonderful woman that never really did anything to anyone? Well, it's 25 years ago, and it's like the one thing I've tried to get out of my Memory and I can't.

[Assistant District Attorney Mark Pryor]

We had no DNA, no fingerprints, really, no physical evidence of any kind. This was a cold case.

[Johnny Gowdy]

I never thought that it would be solved. I thought it was just over.

[Assistant District Attorney Mark Pryor]

The initial phone call was anonymous.

[Johnny Gowdy]

An angry wife called the police to tell on her husband. It just blew the case wide open.

[Police Officer]

I need this.

[Narrator/Announcer]

Police.

[Police Officer]

This is the Austin police.

[Johnny Gowdy]

My friend is just sitting here.

[Narrator]

Ma', am, listen to me.

[Johnny Gowdy]

Calm down, okay?

[Police Officer]

We're gonna help your friend out.

[Johnny Gowdy]

There's no way to ever for. It was really, really a horrible scene

[Narrator]

in 1985. Johnny Gowdy was just 16. Before dawn that October morning, he heard something, rolled out of bed and stumbled down the stairs. It was his mom, Natalie Antonetti.

[Johnny Gowdy]

I was incoherent, kind of in shock, and, you know, completely, you know, just covered in blood. Her head was bleeding pretty bad. And I tried to ask her what had happened. You know, she knew he did this to her, and she couldn't talk. She just had a really, really frightened look in her eyes. And I just. You know, it's hard to see your mom in that situation.

[Interviewer]

I've been trying to imagine what it's like to see her covered in blood and try to talk to her, and she can't tell you what happened.

[Johnny Gowdy]

You could see in her eyes that she was scared. When the ambulance got there, they kind of took over and, you know, put her in the gurney and stuff. And then I rode to the hospital with her. Before she went in, I asked her to give me a kiss, and she was able to do that.

[Becky Davis]

Did you have any idea that you

[Interviewer]

were kissing her goodbye?

[Johnny Gowdy]

No.

[Narrator]

Natalie's murder would haunt Johnny gowdy for over 20 years. To start unraveling this mystery, we began on 6th street, the heart of Austin's music scene.

[Interviewer]

What role did 6th street play in the music scene back then?

[Mark Hallman]

Well, 6th street was where all of us musicians would play. There was a band in every club, on every corner. Still is.

[Narrator]

Natalie's dear friend Mark Hallman is a former guitarist for Carole King. He runs a studio now, but misses those days.

[Mark Hallman]

We'd go down here, we'd see our friends, we'd support our friends. I could walk in, and the bass player would hold up his bass like this, and I'd walk into the bass and I'd start jamming onto something.

[Interviewer]

You're kidding.

[Mark Hallman]

Back then, this was the only place to go.

[Interviewer]

Was Natalie a part of that scene?

[Mark Hallman]

Absolutely.

[Linda Bless]

What was Natalie like?

[Mark Hallman]

Beautiful. Incredible. She was a real light brown hair, beautiful eyes. She was almost hippy ish. Real savvy at the same time. And very Cuban. So she had a.

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Very Cuban.

[Mark Hallman]

Yeah, she had her roots.

[Narrator]

One of my favorite people, Natalie's son Johnny, dreamed of being a rock star, and Mark gave him the push.

[Interviewer]

His big dream was to kind of

[Mark Hallman]

do what you were doing, I guess so. In fact, I put him in my band in the 80s. I'd put him front and center, you know, and I always looked great, you

[Narrator]

know, so look, he was the front man.

[Interviewer]

He was the cutie.

[Mark Hallman]

He's the cutie, and he still is.

[Narrator]

And Johnny's music is inspired by memories of his mom, a single mother who worked full time but loved the music world. She and Johnny's dad split when he was little.

[Singer]

I don't know what to say.

[Johnny Gowdy]

Think about her every day. She was an amazing mom. Music was always playing. Growing up, I didn't have a tv, but we always had our records with us.

[Singer]

I scream but you don't listen. I cannot be forgiven.

[Johnny Gowdy]

You know, cleaning the house, you didn't just clean the house. You put on your favorite record as loud as you could, and you just danced around. And at the end of it, you know, the house was clean.

[Interviewer]

So even cleaning the house, she would rock out.

[Johnny Gowdy]

Yeah, yeah. Mom was like, hey, I just, you know, made some cookies. You want to get them and be like, I'll be there in a minute. And she'd sing back. Well, if you want it, here it is. Come and get. You know, everything was a song, you know, so that's great. It was very much like that growing up.

[Interviewer]

But the song ended suddenly for Johnny and for Natalie. After two weeks in a coma, Natalie died. It was a shocker for everyone in the tight knit Austin music scene and

[Narrator]

a confusing case for police.

[Detective Tom Walsh]

See this building right up here?

[Narrator]

Right here.

[Detective Tom Walsh]

Mm. That was Natalie's apartment.

[Narrator]

Austin police detective Tom Walsh picked up Natalie's homicide on the cold case squad in 2007.

[Interviewer]

How do you imagine that he would have done this?

[Detective Tom Walsh]

I think it was very quick. It was in and out.

[Narrator]

Police think Natalie was bashed in the head with a baseball bat. Over and over again. A crime so violent, Natalie's bloody handprints were left all over the house.

[Detective Tom Walsh]

Here's the downstairs porch and the upstairs porch of Natalie's apartment.

[Narrator]

At the time, there was a witness who reported seeing a shadowy figure nearby.

[Detective Tom Walsh]

He saw a man holding a club or a small baseball bat.

[Interviewer]

A baseball bat?

[Detective Tom Walsh]

Yes.

[Narrator]

The witness described a man, 510 or 511 with sandy hair. Police focused on a restaurant manager and sometime male stripper named Marty Odom. With blonde hair and a sturdy build, he seemed to match the witness description and shortly after Natalie's murder, he was arrested for another very serious crime.

[Detective Tom Walsh]

He raped a woman in North Austin. And then investigators found out that he lived in the apartment complex that Natalie lived in.

[Narrator]

Odom had a track record of violence. He was known to keep a baseball bat around. His ex wife said he was abusive and sexually violent, and his roommate claimed he bragged that he once slept with Natalie. Police questioned Odom, even gave him a lie detector test, which he reportedly failed. But he always denied killing Natalie. Police didn't have enough evidence, so he was never charged with her murder. But he was convicted for the unrelated rape and sent to prison.

[Interviewer]

With the arrest and conviction of the rapist Marty Odom, the police were convinced they also had the man who killed Natalie. The case was seemingly closed, that is, at least for the next 20 years. But that is just the beginning of this story.

[Detective Tom Walsh]

In 2006, there was a tip called in. This woman said that her husband made a statement that he had sinned against God and sinned against man.

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[Johnny Gowdy]

When they told me about the rapist, I thought it was the rapist because I was 17 and I wanted to know who killed my mom. So I was like, okay, well then the cops say it, you know, that's who it is. You kind of have to trust the trust in the police. And so I did. I believed that that was the guy.

[Narrator]

But Johnny was never fully satisfied. Police had arrested Marty Odom for the unrelated rape and he went to prison for that crime. But it wasn't enough. No one was officially accused or punished for Natalie's murder. And that began to eat at Johnny.

[Johnny Gowdy]

I was just mad, you know, mad at the world. Mad at a faceless person that came in and murdered my mom and split. No one ever caught.

[Narrator]

Therapy helped, but music helped even more. I'm a flame throwing black eyed bitch.

[Johnny Gowdy]

It saved my life, you know, It's a life saving thing, the music. Yeah, yeah. Being able to make that music, being able to put that energy into something that's cathartic and not turn it on yourself, I think is pretty lucky. I never really wrote songs before she died. And then after she died, I wrote pretty much like 150 songs in like four months.

[Singer]

Something incandescent,

[Johnny Gowdy]

radiant and secure.

[Interviewer]

What do you think she would think?

[Narrator]

I mean, she was so into music. What would she think of this little.

[Johnny Gowdy]

She would like this band a lot. She wouldn't like you, though. No, I'm kidding.

[Narrator]

Johnny's been working on and off the road as a musician ever since, trying to put the past behind him with his band Liars and Saints.

[Interviewer]

Then in 2007, more than 20 years after Natalie Antonio, an angry wife, called the Austin Police Department. It was an anonymous call, but she had a tip, a tip that would crack this old homicide case wide open.

[Johnny Gowdy]

I was on tour. My phone rang from a number I didn't know and I answered it. This guy said, hi, my name is Detective Tom Wallace from the Austin Police Department. Don't worry, you're not in trouble.

[Narrator]

Detective Walsh had news.

[Johnny Gowdy]

I was like, wow, they're reopening my mom's case. And this guy that's got it. It is amazing.

[Interviewer]

What do you like about being a cop?

[Detective Tom Walsh]

When I became a detective, I loved being in the hunt.

[Interviewer]

What is it about a mystery that

[Johnny Gowdy]

you like solving it?

[Narrator]

And thanks to that phone call, Walsh felt he was on a fast Track to solving this one.

[Johnny Gowdy]

He was like, I know who did this.

[Narrator]

The suspect was a man named Dennis Davis.

[Mark Hallman]

I did know Dennis very well. You know, he was a friend of mine.

[Narrator]

Dennis Davis was a well known name in the Austin music scene. A studio owner and engineer who later moved to Nashville to work with big stars like Tim McGraw and Faith Hill.

[Interviewer]

How did he come across to you? Was he a player, a ladies man?

[Mark Hallman]

No, no, not at all. I didn't see him that way. I saw him just really quiet and reserved.

[Johnny Gowdy]

I never thought of him as someone that had the capacity really to hurt another person.

[Narrator]

Johnny knew Dennis too, because Dennis had dated his mom and he was good to Johnny.

[Johnny Gowdy]

He just had this amazing studio, had like the best studio in town. And I was like the only 16 year old kid that could go by there anytime. I thought he was a nice guy.

[Interviewer]

Dennis Davis was not an obvious suspect. For one thing, he had what sounded like a solid alibi. He said he was with a girlfriend at his house on the night of the murder.

[Narrator]

Dennis told police he got a phone call from a friend and rushed to the crime scene just in time to see Natalie being loaded into an ambulance. Seventeen years after Natalie's murder, it was Dennis Davis wife who made that call to police. Becky Davis had a feeling for years that her husband may have murdered Natalie, but never said anything until now.

[Detective Tom Walsh]

She was in therapy because her and her husband were going through a divorce. And the therapist said, you need to call the police.

[Narrator]

It was a tantalizing lead, but not nearly enough to make an arrest. So Walsh hit the road. And tracked down this woman, Emparo Garcia Crow, who was Dennis Davis alibi.

[Interviewer]

Come on in.

[Amparo Garcia Crow]

Thank you.

[Interviewer]

You come bearing journals? My goodness, yes.

[Narrator]

Amparo Garcia Crow is a writer and performer.

[Interviewer]

Here, let me help you.

[Narrator]

At the time, the cops never questioned her, but if they had, she would have told them there's no way she was with Dennis that night and she can prove it.

[Interviewer]

These are all your journals?

[Amparo Garcia Crow]

Not all of them. That's just one box of probably about four years and I've had them for

[Narrator]

30 years because she's kept detailed journals since the late 70s.

[Amparo Garcia Crow]

At this time in my life, I was writing every day. I kind of really wanted to get in a way, a psychological picture of myself because the mind likes to change things.

[Narrator]

If you don't, you know, it's clear from her journals. Amparo knew both Dennis and Natalie.

[Amparo Garcia Crow]

Dennis had a party recently and I met the woman that he's seen. Who was Natalie.

[Interviewer]

Who was Natalie.

[Narrator]

In fact, around the Time of Natalie's murder, Amparo had also been dating Dennis Davis.

[Amparo Garcia Crow]

There was kind of a shyness to him.

[Narrator]

But Amparo says, according to her journal, she ended up dating Dennis for only about three weeks before going back to an old boyfriend named Hal.

[Amparo Garcia Crow]

I had gone back to Hal, and that's what I'm writing here. We're kind of in a honeymoon stage.

[Narrator]

That was the week before Natalie was killed.

[Interviewer]

You stopped dating Dennis the Thursday.

[Amparo Garcia Crow]

That Thursday before the assault, Dennis had

[Narrator]

told police he and Amparo had been in bed together when the dramatic phone call came telling him that Natalie had been assaulted. But there's no mention of any of this in Amparo's diary.

[Amparo Garcia Crow]

You know, I'm a writer, I'm a dramatist. I know if I'm impacted by something, I log would be in here if

[Interviewer]

you were with Dennis that night.

[Amparo Garcia Crow]

Absolutely. I'd be working it out. It would be so shocking if a phone call had come in the middle of the night. I would remember that phone call and being woken up at his house in the middle of the night. That never happened.

[Narrator]

It wasn't exactly a smoking gun. But if Amparo's story is true, then Dennis is lying and his alibi is worthless. Detective Walsh was energized by this new information, and it opened new doors. Walsh discovered another woman who revealed a very different side of the supposedly mild mannered Dennis Davis.

[Linda Bless]

The first sign was he would just get beet red. His eyes would bulge out. That's when you knew time to go.

[Narrator]

Austin, Texas, 1985. Rock and roll reigns supreme. The party was fueled by the warm Texas sun and plenty of beer and booze.

[Interviewer]

You guys were all into the music scene. What was that like?

[Linda Bless]

There was just so many, you know, people that were up and coming, and everybody would go to so many clubs here and watch them play and then watch them grow.

[Narrator]

Linda Bless moved to Austin in 1984. She worked on tours with major rock acts. And Linda would turn out to be a key witness in the investigation into her friend Dennis Davis.

[Linda Bless]

There were two different sides of Dennis. One was the very sweet, caring side. The other side, you didn't know when it was going to come out.

[Narrator]

Linda says she saw glimpses of this darker side, a Dennis Davis who was jealous, angry, even violent.

[Linda Bless]

It was almost like a screaming inside, you know, like

[Interviewer]

what would set him off.

[Linda Bless]

It always seemed to pertain to women.

[Detective Tom Walsh]

His previous best friend told me one time that the only time that he ever saw Dennis get angry was when another man would be paying attention to a woman that he was with. And the rage would come.

[Narrator]

In 2008, Detective Walsh went looking for Dennis to question him about Natalie's murder, and he found him in a jail cell in Pennsylvania serving two months on a dui. The interview starts out friendly.

[Police Officer]

You were like a king. Yeah, it's good to be a king.

[Interviewer]

Looks like he's your pal.

[Detective Tom Walsh]

Yeah, he was my pal.

[Narrator]

But not for long. Walsh wants to tie Dennis to Natalie's murder and the likely murder weapon, a baseball bat.

[Police Officer]

Did you have a small bat?

[Interviewer]

Dennis says he never had a baseball bat.

[Linda Bless]

He never had one. He had not just one, but he had a couple of them.

[Narrator]

In fact. Linda says one night at a party at Dennis house, all of a sudden,

[Linda Bless]

Dennis showed up in the doorway with this bat in his hand.

[Narrator]

Linda says Dennis was heading for his girlfriend.

[Linda Bless]

I just got up and pushed him into the bedroom, or, you know, had him go into the bedroom and put the bat down and come on, let's go outside.

[Narrator]

And Walsh found tangible evidence of this angry side.

[Police Officer]

You think you were jealous?

[Dennis Davis]

I think I was starting to get a little bit.

[Narrator]

This is about the note sitting in the case file. A note left for Natalie from a jealous Dennis about her new boyfriend.

[Police Officer]

Natalie, you can go to hell. Take Doug with you. If you don't have the brains and self respect to see through his, then you. Dee Dee.

[Narrator]

The case against Dennis is getting stronger. The broken alibi, the baseball bat, the angry note. Next, Walsh tracks down an ex girlfriend named Galinda who tells the most damning story of them all.

[Detective Tom Walsh]

Dennis had been in a rage and was crying, and he was laying down in the fetal position, and he told her that he had killed or he had murdered Natalie were the words that she said he used.

[Interviewer]

He confessed to her.

[Narrator]

He confessed to her, and that was enough. In 2009, 24 years after Natalie Antonetti's murder, Austin police arrested Dennis Davis. Johnny had never imagined that Dennis was capable of killing his mom.

[Johnny Gowdy]

People around town that knew me at times might have said, you know, I think Dennis did this. And I would always be like, really like, he's such a. Like a nondescript kind of dude.

[Interviewer]

You thought he was a wimp?

[Johnny Gowdy]

I thought he was kind of wimpy, yeah.

[Narrator]

But to Johnny, Detective Walsh was no wimp.

[Johnny Gowdy]

When I first met Tom Walsh, it was like this guy was actively, you know, working on this case. From the moment I met him. I never doubted that he was going to do this.

[Narrator/Announcer]

I know that.

[Police Officer]

You remind me.

[Detective Tom Walsh]

He would never out and out say that he murdered Natalie towards the end of the whole interrogation. He, I said, I said to him, what do you think? And he said, you think I did it?

[Interviewer]

What was your reaction when you were told that he was going to be arrested for your mom's murder?

[Johnny Gowdy]

Everything made sense. All the weird, cryptic questions that Tom Walsh was calling me every once in a while asking, do you remember Chevy Malibu? Like, no. Do you remember this? Like, do you remember this guy saying this? Like, nope. And it all made sense.

[Narrator]

And Johnny suddenly looked at Dennis in a new light.

[Johnny Gowdy]

He was a bad, jealous, violent guy.

[Narrator]

Dennis Davis says he didn't murder Natalie and can't believe that Johnny thinks he did.

[Dennis Davis]

Johnny should know better. He knew me. I didn't do this horrible crime.

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[Attorney Wade Russell]

Everybody wants to get on this train. It's a cold case. Everybody wants to solve this case.

[Narrator]

Wade Russell is a Texas attorney. He's been a lawyer for 30 years and riding motorcycles more than 40. And he began working for Dennis Davis when he was arrested in 2009.

[Attorney Wade Russell]

Investigator wants to solve this case. Everybody wants to be a hero.

[Narrator]

The problem is, Wade says, there just isn't enough evidence against Dennis to convict. His client he says is an innocent man.

[Attorney Wade Russell]

The detective in this case knew that the neighbor identified someone who didn't look like Dennis Davis.

[Narrator]

And that neighbor is the only eyewitness. The man who called minutes after Natalie's attack to report a prowler carrying a baseball bat.

[Attorney Wade Russell]

This neighbor identified a person. A tall blond man. My client's about 5, 6, 5 7, slight build, curly dark hair. He is not the person the neighbor identified.

[Interviewer]

So if Dennis Davis didn't kill Natalie, who did?

[Attorney Wade Russell]

I think it's very possible that Marty Odom committed the offense.

[Narrator]

That's Marty Odom, the rapist who was living near Natalie at the time of her murder. The man cops once thought was their best suspect.

[Attorney Wade Russell]

He claimed to know the victim in this case. And we also know he's very violent. He was violent with his girlfriend, he was violent with his ex wife. He took a polygraph, and he flunked the polygraph. The polygraph operator said, I'm 100% sure he committed the offense.

[Interviewer]

The guy who ran the lie detector test said he was 100% sure. That Marty Odom killed Natalie.

[Dennis Davis]

Yes, that I'm innocent. That I didn't do it.

[Narrator]

Dennis Davis, the man in hot water for this once cold case, in his only TV interview.

[Interviewer]

Through your eyes, who was Natalie Antonetti?

[Dennis Davis]

She was a very vivacious, lively, energetic young woman. When she answered the phone, she went, hello. Just like that.

[Narrator]

Dennis told us he truly cared for Natalie, and that's why he wrote that angry note about her new boyfriend, a musician.

[Dennis Davis]

One of my pet peeves in this world is, is when I see young women get involved with musicians who just drag them down.

[Narrator]

In the note, Dennis told Natalie to go to hell.

[Interviewer]

That was a pretty angry note.

[Dennis Davis]

Yes, it was.

[Interviewer]

Doesn't it sound like the guy that wrote that note would be capable of harming Natalie?

[Dennis Davis]

The guy who's angry getting mad writing a note is a far cry from killing somebody. You wrote a nasty note. Oh, you're capable of murder. Everything gets blown out of proportion.

[Narrator]

But how does he answer Galinda's story about his confession?

[Dennis Davis]

She exaggerated.

[Interviewer]

So what's the real story?

[Dennis Davis]

I just told her. I told her some things. I said, it's my fault that Natalie died. If I hadn't upset her that night, that day, she'd still be alive today.

[Narrator]

The night she was attacked, Natalie went out for a short walk by the pool near her apartment.

[Dennis Davis]

I think someone spotted her or followed her, or she ran into someone out the pool, and then they came back later.

[Interviewer]

And then killed her.

[Dennis Davis]

Yeah.

[Interviewer]

Did you ever hurt Natalie?

[Dennis Davis]

No, never.

[Interviewer]

Did you kill Natalie?

[Dennis Davis]

No, I did not. I'M absolutely sure I wouldn't do something like that.

[Assistant District Attorney Mark Pryor]

You have a victim who has no defensive wounds. It's not a burglar, it's not a rapist. Somebody who's exceptionally angry at her. There's one candidate for that. Dennis Davis.

[Narrator]

Austin Assistant District Attorney Mark Pryor.

[Assistant District Attorney Mark Pryor]

This is the first case I've ever lost. Sleepover.

[Mark Hallman]

This was a very tough case.

[Narrator]

Mark Pryor's co counsel was Efrain de la Fuente.

[Mark Hallman]

Being a cold case, a 1985 case, and here you are trying it in the year 2011.

[Narrator]

The prosecution's case wasn't just cold, it was almost entirely circumstantial.

[Assistant District Attorney Mark Pryor]

Yeah, I just wake up at night and I'd wonder about, could we do this? Could we bring Johnny justice?

[Johnny Gowdy]

When I went in and met with Efrain Delafuentes and with Mark Pryor, they never said, don't get your hopes up. I think Efrain said,

[Police Officer]

I don't know.

[Johnny Gowdy]

Johnny, brother, this is gonna be tough.

[Narrator]

April 2011. Natalie Antonetti's brutal and unexplained murder, unsolved for 26 years, is finally going to trial.

[Assistant District Attorney Mark Pryor]

The evidence is going to show that this man, Dennis Davis, split her skull as she lay on the couch in her apartment. The evidence is going to show that this man, Dennis Davis, left a trail of breadcrumbs, small mistakes that eventually, after two decades, led the police to his door.

[Narrator]

The prosecution's case may be circumstantial, but they do have that phone call that started it all.

[Assistant District Attorney Mark Pryor]

The statement that the defendant had made was that he had sinned against God and man. The woman who made that call is Rebecca Davis, the defendant's wife.

[Narrator]

And they have Amparo, who denies being with Dennis on the night of the murder. Linda Bless, who remembers him carrying a baseball bat, and Galinda, his ex girlfriend who says he confessed to murder.

[Assistant District Attorney Mark Pryor]

He told her. He flat out told her, I killed her. I killed Natalie Antonetti.

[Narrator]

Attorney Wade Russell reminds the jury there was no physical evidence against Dennis at all.

[Attorney Wade Russell]

You're not going to hear any DNA evidence, you're not going to find any hair samples. You are not going to hear from any eyewitnesses that saw Dennis Davis at the crime scene.

[Narrator]

Dennis would choose not to take the stand.

[Attorney Wade Russell]

There is not proof beyond reasonable doubt. And every one of you knows that is just sitting.

[Narrator]

This case would be all about truth and lies.

[Police Officer]

Did you have a small bat?

[Assistant District Attorney Mark Pryor]

He lied in the interview. Didn't have a bat. Says it twice. His ex girlfriend was beaten to death with a bat. He owned a bat. He knew he had one. He just lied.

[Attorney Wade Russell]

This is ludicrous. It's ludicrous. It's reasonable doubt after reasonable doubt.

[Judge]

All right, ladies and gentlemen, jury, you may retire to the jury room.

[Narrator]

At this time in less than four hours,

[Judge]

the defendant, please rise.

[Narrator]

The jury was back with their verdict.

[Judge]

The State of Texas vs Dennis Davis and the 167th District Court, Travis County, Texas. Verdict the jury. We, the jury, find the defendant. The defendant, please rise. We, the jury, find the defendant, Dennis Davis, guilty of the offense of murder as alleged in the indictment signed by

[Narrator]

the foreperson, guilty of Natalie Antonetti's murder. It was 26 years since Natalie was killed. But it was not too late for Johnny.

[Johnny Gowdy]

I was so grateful. I mean, I was overcome and it was hard to hold in. My aunts and I were squeezing each other's hands so hard. It was unbelievable.

[Narrator]

The next day was Davis sentencing hearing, and the star witness was a shocker.

[Becky Davis]

I am begging the mercy of the court.

[Narrator]

It was his ex wife, Becky Davis, the woman who started it all with her phone call to police.

[Attorney Wade Russell]

Now, you're aware, of course, a call that you made to the police got this investigation straight.

[Narrator]

Amazingly, Becky, who once turned her husband into police, is now standing by her man.

[Becky Davis]

I don't understand that. He forgave me. He just said, becky, why didn't you ask me? I could have told you what happened. He not once got mad at me.

[Narrator]

Sometime after she made that fateful phone call, Becky reconciled with Dennis. Now they're back together and she says she can't live without him.

[Becky Davis]

I can't do things. I can't pay my bills. I can't lift anything. I can't. I can't operate without him. I don't know what I'm going to do now.

[Narrator]

The judge was not persuaded.

[Judge]

Defendant would please rise. At this time, the court assesses your punishment at a term of 36 years.

[Narrator]

After court Wade Russell says the defense was gutted they weren't allowed to present evidence of Marty Odom as an alternative suspect.

[Attorney Wade Russell]

We had a strong, very strong circumstantial case against Marty Odom.

[Narrator]

Marty Odom is the rapist who seemed to match the eyewitness description.

[Attorney Wade Russell]

Thank you very much.

[Narrator]

But Wade never got to tell that story in court.

[Interviewer]

You had this other guy that you

[Narrator]

think killed Natalie, but you couldn't tell the jury.

[Attorney Wade Russell]

I was not allowed to tell the jury that. It's like trying a case with your hand behind your back. The jury, in essence, heard half a case. They didn't get the whole case. Does that sound like a fair trial to you? It does. Not to me.

[Interviewer]

If you have a guy at the scene who says he saw somebody with a baseball bat, that's a pretty strong witness.

[Assistant District Attorney Mark Pryor]

At face value, it is. But he changed the description of the guy that he'd seen. First of all, he said he was 6ft tall. And then we had a month later that same witness picking out somebody who was Dennis Davis size.

[Narrator]

And there was never any evidence that Marty Odom actually knew Natalie. To Mark Pryor, Dennis Davis all but convicted himself.

[Assistant District Attorney Mark Pryor]

Occurred to me very early on that we had a defendant who in many ways always wanted to confess to this. He gave an alibi that could have easily been broken. We had him making admissions to his wife, Becky Davis, and then basically a flat out confession to Galinda Mudgett. The guilty conscience needs to confess, and I think that's what we had here.

[Narrator]

Even after the verdict, Dennis Davis says he's innocent of this crime, and he can't believe he ended up here in a Texas state prison for the next 36 years.

[Dennis Davis]

I was shocked. I was completely shocked.

[Interviewer]

Let's go back to how this all started. How do you feel about Becky calling police?

[Dennis Davis]

Back in 2006, I couldn't understand why she would do something like that. She told me that I scared her.

[Narrator]

One night in 2006, Dennis and Becky had a huge fight in their backyard.

[Dennis Davis]

I was swinging a swage that I used to chop wood. It's a big, heavy thing. And I was swinging it around the backyard, and I was angry, and I scared her.

[Narrator]

Soon after that fight, Becky made her phone call to police about the statement Dennis made almost 17 years earlier. He had said, quote, I've sinned against God and man.

[Interviewer]

And when you heard that, your wife essentially saying, I think he's capable of murder.

[Dennis Davis]

Well, she didn't say murder, but I guess that's what it is.

[Narrator]

Johnny says he's satisfied now, even though his mother's case could have been solved years earlier.

[Johnny Gowdy]

I think that definitely those women, Glinda, namely, and his wife Rebecca, were scared. I think they were scared of it.

[Interviewer]

They could have solved your mom's murder 25 years ago. Somebody would have spoken up.

[Johnny Gowdy]

They could have. And then they also could have not talked. I'm just grateful that they did come forward when they did. Really lucky. We're lucky we got that call. The most important person in my life is never there, no matter what. All the time. My favorite person is never there. I have this great photograph of us when we went to Memorial Day bar. I was like 14 years old and they had asked us to get involved in a softball game and we were the ones that were barefooted running on, you know, gravel. She was so excited that she and I had won. And so there's a picture of us after the game together with kind of these big, you know, smirks on our faces like you couldn't have done it without the barefooted Cubans.

[Narrator/Announcer]

But.

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[Narrator]

Your pet won't.

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[Narrator]

Two years after Dennis Davis was sent to prison, an appeals court overturned his conviction and ordered a new trial. The reason? Davis lawyer was ineffective, especially in failing to submit more evidence to the trial judge about the alternate suspect. If Russell had done that, the jury might have been able to hear about Marty Odom. After all, In April 2014, Davis walked out of prison, a man with a second chance at freedom.

[Detective Tom Walsh]

Dennis, how do you feel right now?

[Dennis Davis]

I'm in shock. I'll let you know as soon as I start feeling again.

[Narrator]

As for Johnny Gowdy's reaction, he thinks the jury got it right the first time that Dennis Davis killed his mother.

[Narrator/Announcer]

In 2018, the prosecution dismissed the case against Dennis Davis. Sunday, June 14, Paramount plus presents A Night for the Ages live at the White House. UFC stars don't come bigger than this. The world's greatest biggest fighters on America's biggest stage. This is the moment we have all been waiting for. Featuring two UFC title fights with Ilya Taforia versus Justin Gaethje. The hype is real. Plus Alex Pereira versus Cyril Gar and so much more. Let's go, baby. UFC at the White House, Sunday, June 14th at 8 Eastern, only on Paramount. Plus.