DNA SPEAKS: Death of a Yellow Rose

Summary

Cold Case Files: DNA SPEAKS – Death of a Yellow Rose

Hosted by Paula Barros

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Introduction

In the gripping episode titled "DNA SPEAKS: Death of a Yellow Rose," hosted by Paula Barros on the Cold Case Files podcast, listeners are taken on a harrowing journey through the unresolved murder of Susan Woods. This episode delves deep into the complexities of a cold case that remained unsolved for decades, highlighting the pivotal role of DNA evidence in finally bringing justice.

Background

July 28, 1987, marked a tragic day in Stephenville, Texas, when Susan Woods, a 30-year-old woman, was brutally murdered. Susan was widely regarded as sweet, shy, and possessing a hilarious sense of humor. Her close-knit relationships, particularly with her best friend Cindy Hayes and Cindy's boyfriend Roy Hayes, set the stage for the unfolding tragedy.

The Crime

On that fateful summer night, Cindy Hayes and her boyfriend Roy were en route to visit Susan when they discovered the horrifying scene:

Cindy Hayes [00:56]: "I felt like Susan and I were like sisters, very close."

Upon arriving, they were met with emergency vehicles and crime scene tape. Susan's father, Joe Atkins, delivered the devastating news:

Joe Atkins [03:13]: "I found her body. I knew this guy was a devil."

Detectives at the scene described the brutality of the crime, noting Susan's hands were tied, and she had been sexually assaulted before drowning in water that had turned a pinkish hue due to decomposition.

The Investigation

Initial suspicions naturally fell upon Susan's ex-husband, Michael Woods, due to his erratic behavior and unresolved issues post-divorce. Roy Hayes recounted his concerns:

Roy Hayes [01:07]: "I bought an extra gun and started leaving my porch light on."

The investigators meticulously processed the crime scene, uncovering six cigarette butts that hinted the perpetrator was someone Susan knew, as there was no forced entry.

Lieutenant [09:19]: "There was some items on it. A soft drink can and chips and cigarette ashtray. There was several cigarette butts in it."

Despite compelling circumstantial evidence pointing towards Michael Woods, including his fingerprints at the scene, DNA technology of the time was insufficient to make a definitive connection. Michael's non-cooperation and eventual unmatch with the DNA evidence led the case to go cold.

Key Individuals

• Dr. Don Miller: The investigator who took the lead on the case. His persistence became crucial when new evidence emerged years later.

• Cindy Hayes: Susan's best friend, whose unwavering support and determination to seek justice played a significant role.

• Roy Hayes: Cindy's boyfriend, whose initial suspicions and emotional recounts provided deep insights into the case dynamics.

• Michael Woods: Susan's ex-husband, initially a prime suspect, whose DNA did not match the evidence at the crime scene.

Breakthrough with DNA

After 15 years, in May 2002, breakthroughs in forensic technology reignited the investigation. Detective Miller revisited the evidence, particularly focusing on the cigarette butts. Remarkably, male DNA was successfully extracted from the cigarette butts, despite concerns about DNA preservation over time.

Investigator [22:12]: "With technology the way it was, I just wanted to look at it from a whole different perspective."

However, the DNA profile did not match Michael Woods, leading investigators to search the CODIS (Combined DNA Index System) database, which initially yielded no matches.

Unveiling the True Culprit

Persistence paid off in June 2006, when fingerprints from the crime scene were cross-referenced with the APHIS (Automatic Fingerprint Identification System) database, identifying Joseph Scott Hatley. Concurrently, DNA evidence confirmed his involvement:

Lieutenant [35:41]: "We had the confirmation that the fingerprints lifted at the crime scene were Hatley's. The palm prints on either side of Susan Wood's body were Hatley's. And the DNA that I extrapolated off the cigarette butts was indeed Hatley's."

Shannon Myers Barrientos' Testimony

Shannon Myers Barrientos played a pivotal role by bravely coming forward with her trauma:

Shannon Myers Barrientos [31:12]: "Scott did this to me. He raped me by the creek."

Her testimony provided crucial context and corroborated the evidence linking Hatley to the crime.

Resolution and Aftermath

Despite overwhelming evidence, Joseph Scott Hatley leveraged a plea deal in exchange for information on another case, resulting in a 30-year prison sentence—a decade shorter than warranted. Frustrations mounted when Hatley was released after 11 years due to parole, reigniting fears and memories of the case for those involved.

Roy Hayes [40:52]: "I had a pretty good cuss fit when they let Scott Hadley out. I also bought an extra gun and started leaving my porch light on because I didn't know that he wasn't going to come knocking on my door."

Tragically, Hatley died in December 2021, closing the chapter many years later but leaving emotional scars on the victims and their families.

Conclusions and Insights

The "Death of a Yellow Rose" episode underscores the transformative power of forensic science in solving cold cases. It highlights the resilience of investigators like Dr. Miller and the unwavering support of individuals like Cindy and Roy Hayes. The case emphasizes the importance of DNA evidence in delivering justice, even when initial investigations falter.

Notable reflections from the episode include:

Shannon Myers Barrientos [38:09]: "Lieutenant Miller called me. He told me, we have Joseph Scott Hatley behind bars. I took my first breath of air, of relief."

Michael Woods [43:08]: "She was the most beautiful thing in my life. And I made the mistake of choosing my music over my relationship in Texas. If I could do it all over again, I would never have left Susan."

The episode serves as a poignant reminder that justice can be delayed but not denied, provided there is unwavering dedication and advancements in technology.

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Cold Case Files continues to shed light on unsolved mysteries, offering solace and closure to victims' families and inspiring hope that no case is too cold to be solved.

Transcript

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[Cindy Hayes]

I felt like Susan and I were like sisters, very close.

[Roy Hayes]

Susan would be the first person you would want to talk to if something bad happened.

[Detective]

It was really tragic. How can something this bad happen in our lives?

[Investigator]

Just by the carnage he left in Susan Wood's house. I knew this guy was a devil.

[Roy Hayes]

I bought an extra gun and started leaving my porch light on.

[Lieutenant]

We knew that DNA was getting started. Didn't know where it was going to go.

[Cindy Hayes]

It just eats at you day in and day out. Eats at your soul.

[Roy Hayes]

I had virtually no hope that it would be solved.

[Narrator]

There are over 100,000 cold cases in America. Only 1% are ever solved. This is one of those rare stories.

[Shannon Myers Barrientos]

My name is Shannon Myers Barrientos. I look back and I'm like, how did I survive? When I got into the vehicle, I knew I messed up immediately. He had a cold look in his eyes. My gut was telling me this isn't right. I did not know where we were going. It was excluded roadside park. And that's when the rape started happening. Immediately. He would hit me and shove my head into the ground and would stop and then smoke a cigarette. When he was sitting there smoking a cigarette, he made the comment, I've killed before and I'm not afraid to kill again.

[Narrator]

It's July 28, 1987 in Stephenville, Texas, one year before Shannon Myers is sexually assaulted. It's a hot summer night in Stephenville, Texas. Cindy Hayes and her boyfriend Roy are heading to visit Cindy's best friend, 30 year old Susan Woods.

[Cindy Hayes]

I said, go by Susan's house. I said, I haven't heard from her in, you know, in a little while.

[Narrator]

As they approach Susan's home, the couple sees that something is very wrong. This is Roy Hayes.

[Detective]

We could see the strobes from emergency vehicles up ahead, and we're like, what's going on? And then we see the crime tape.

[Cindy Hayes]

There was police on Susan's porch inside her house. I saw her dad and he said, she's dead, Cindy. She's dead. And I'm like, oh, no, no, no, she can't be. He said, I found her body. I found her in the house, and she's dead. He was just hysterical.

[Narrator]

Richard Pringle is a former sergeant with the Stephenville Police Department.

[Lieutenant]

I can still see it. Her hands were tied probably about that far apart, and it looked like it was maybe a tank top or a knit shirt or something that had been twisted up. The upper part of her chest and her head were under the water. The water was kind of pinkish color, probably due to the decomposition. It's a smell that is hard to get out of your mind. She'd been there a day or two.

[Narrator]

Dawn Miller is a former lieutenant, by.

[Investigator]

The looks of that scene, that she had been sexually assaulted. Obviously, it was a murder. Immediately to the left of the bathroom was her bedroom, and the bedroom was in total disarray. Something horrible had happened in the bedroom and eventually culminated into the bathroom.

[Narrator]

As police process the scene inside, outside, Susan's distraught father, Joe Atkins, faces a difficult task. Gloria Martin is Susan's close friend.

[Cindy Hayes]

Joe looked at me and he said, cindy, you're going to have to go with me and tell her mother. And I said, joe, I can't. There's no way I can. And he's like, cindy, I can't go by myself. You're going to have to go with me. Joe went in the door ahead of me and told his wife that she was dead. I remember her saying, no, Joe, no. And she looked at me and she goes, is that right, Cindy? And I said, that's what they tell me, Irma. They tell me she's not here. She started just bawling and crying and just beside herself. She ran to her bedroom, shut the door, and cried and cried. That was her only daughter. Me and Susan met in band in high school. We both played clarinet, and our band director had made a booklet of everybody's names and birthdays. I saw the name Susan Atkins and I went up to her and I said, I believe me, and you have the same birthday. And she said, yes, we do. And then, you know, we fast became friends. She was just very, very honest, sincere person.

[Roy Hayes]

Susan was sweet, shy, quiet, and had a hilarious sense of humor. Stephenville is full of cowboy types. It's now known as the cowboy capital of the world. But we called them goat ropers back then. There wasn't a whole lot to do in Stephenville back in the old days. But we were very happy with just going to the Dairy Queen. My favorite memory of Susan would be making the drag. You would go from one Dairy Queen to the next Dairy Queen, back and forth. There were no cell phones so if you wanted to know who was out, you had to ride up and down the road. I don't think I ever saw her any happier.

[Cindy Hayes]

Susan didn't date a whole lot. She was leery of guys. She'd have to get to know them a while before she'd go out with them.

[Narrator]

That changes in 1980 when 23 year old Susan meets a young musician new to Stephenville.

[Roy Hayes]

Michael woods was a free spirit, kind of a hippie type. Loved to play his guitar. When Susan and Mike met, it seemed to me they were head over heels almost immediately. They were never apart.

[Narrator]

After a few short months, Susan and Michael get married that June. Yet the couple's happiness is fleeting.

[Detective]

My only downside really on Mike was that he didn't seem to want to work. I think he was looking more to try to find a job where he could play music. That's probably what caused a lot of conflict in Susan and Mike's lives.

[Roy Hayes]

It made me sorry for Susan because she did pretty much all the housework. She worked long, long hours at the sandpaper factory.

[Cindy Hayes]

Susan was the breadwinner and I could kind of tell that there was a little bit of resentment going on. I don't know how many times exactly. Mike left her and then they get back together. Toward the end she had just, you know, she had it. I think he was wanting to go back to Indiana to help his brother with some construction on a house. Susan said if you leave this time I'm going to divorce you. It's either me or your brother.

[Narrator]

After seven years of marriage, Michael moves to Indiana and he doesn't leave empty handed.

[Roy Hayes]

I went by Susan's house and she was crying her eyes out. The house was a wreck. Michael had taken a so much of her stuff and he had left terrible notes all over her house. Things I can't even say.

[Cindy Hayes]

Mike did leave behind a cassette tape when he left. It was just horrible. It was everything he hated about Stephenville, everything he hated about her.

[Detective]

Every fifth word was a cuss word. It reeked of disrespect.

[Roy Hayes]

Susan had had enough after this breakup and that's when she finally got divorce. Papers. She was really just coming out of her shell when she died.

[Lieutenant]

I looked at the scene, tried to read the scene as to what had happened. This was a small bathroom. I lifted some prints from the sink and from the mirror and then went to the tub on the left side of her body.

[Michael Woods]

The.

[Lieutenant]

The way it was positioned told me right off the bat that there's probably going to be some handprints or something on that tub around her where somebody was holding on for leverage. With this one. It was pretty good print from the whole hand. In my mind, I had the prints of the killer. Their prints are right there on each side of the body. I went into the living room and there was a TV set that was on. And then right across from it was a chair with a table beside it. There was some items on it. A soft drink can and chips and cigarette ashtray. There was several cigarette butts in it, like somebody had been sitting there watching tv. I just noticed that seemed odd. We were just starting to hear about DNA. It wasn't something that was routine, but just from an investigator's point of view. You collect everything that's there and you keep it. We went around the windows and the doors outside to see if there's any forced entry. We didn't find any. The rest of the place was locked up tight. So that told us that she knew whoever it was, she had let them in the house.

[Investigator]

There was no forced entry. The 6 cigarette butt seemed like that it might have been somebody she was friends with. Everything pointed to somebody that she knew.

[Cindy Hayes]

I just knew it was Mike.

[Roy Hayes]

I had no doubt that it was Michael. I could not think of a single other person that it could be.

[Investigator]

The investigators did exactly what they're supposed to do. You go from the victim to who's close to the victim, who's next closest to the victim. Everybody pointed their finger at Michael.

[Narrator]

As police look into Susan Wood's ex husband, Michael, a disturbing picture of erratic behavior emerges.

[Cindy Hayes]

I tried as much as I could to help the police and give my statements. I told them, after Mike left, I started spending the night on her couch in her living room. I wasn't that sure he wasn't gonna come back and try to do something. This guy could be a loose cannon.

[Detective]

Cindy called me up and said, hey, will you come over here and help nail all her windows shut?

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[Detective]

So I went over there and I did nail all the windows shut.

[Cindy Hayes]

Her dad already came over and changed out the front and the back door locks.

[Roy Hayes]

Whoever it was, she had let them in. They didn't sneak in. They didn't break in and that could only be Michael because she didn't let men in her house.

[Narrator]

July 30, 1987 Two days after Susan.

[Lieutenant]

Is found murdered, Indianapolis Police Department was contacted with a request to contact Michael woods and notify him that his ex wife had been killed. They got him into the police department just see if he could shed any light on what happened to her.

[Investigator]

At first, during the interview with Indianapolis police, Michael seemed very cooperative. By the time the Stephenville detectives arrived in Indianapolis, Indiana, Michael had shut down and was not cooperating with anybody. That immediately shed more light on him being the one who committed the homicide.

[Narrator]

Michael woods refuses to provide information or his fingerprints. Without his help, the investigation reaches a dead end.

[Cindy Hayes]

After Susan was killed, I didn't sleep. I just cried uncontrollably.

[Roy Hayes]

The last time I spoke to Susan was Friday night. I told her I was going to go to the lake on Sunday and I'd swing by and see her. After I left the lake and I started having fun at the lake and didn't make it by there, I couldn't stand thinking about how if I had done what I said, she'd still be alive. Susan wasn't a very physically strong person and would be easy to overpower and back in those days I was a weightlifter and I would have been very difficult to overpower if I had just been there. I don't think she would have been killed and that weighed heavy on me for a very long time.

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[Cindy Hayes]

We had her funeral. It almost seemed like I was in a trance or in another world when it was going on, I was just.

[Roy Hayes]

Numb, just sitting in one of the back pews. I remember seeing all these police everywhere, watching everyone.

[Narrator]

Yet one person is conspicuous by his absence.

[Roy Hayes]

When Michael woods didn't show up for her funeral, it was just another nail in the coffin of his guilt.

[Narrator]

Police canvassed the neighborhood for leads. One tip. It's close to home.

[Cindy Hayes]

A neighbor had told the police that she saw a large frame man leave her place. My husband's a large framed man.

[Detective]

When I first met the investigator, I wanted to cooperate. I told him what all I knew and unfortunately I threw in my thoughts and speculation and everything else. When you're your own sleuth, you're probably the worst person to sit here and talk to the police because they sit here and think, how did you know this?

[Narrator]

Investigators ask Roy where he was the night of Susan's murder.

[Detective]

Back then I was an avid Dungeons and Dragons player. And on that night I had got together with my other little friends and we were playing Dungeons and Dragons till 10:30. When I was in the interrogation room, I really felt like I was just down there giving a statement all the way up till. When they asked for my fingerprints, would you mind doing a lie detector test? I said, well, I don't think so, but let me talk to a lawyer first. I was starting to get a little bothered.

[Cindy Hayes]

I could not understand in the least why they were after my boyfriend. They were trying to convince me that he could have done it and that I could be dating a killer. And I'm like, he didn't do this. But they had his fingerprints at her house where he had nailed the windows down.

[Detective]

We drove down to Waco to the Texas Rangers headquarters. And they strapped me in and everything. They questioned me. I guess I'm in there for hour and a half, two hours. The investigator who's investigating the case, he meets me right there at the door. He said, you failed the lie detector test. You might as well go ahead and confess. It shows you did it. Interrogation rooms, they're really kind of a special place. No windows, just a table, a couple chairs. One way in, one way out. I said, there must be some mistake. He said, there's not any mistake at all, Mr. Hayes. Lie detector tests do not make mistakes. He says, you're guilty of this. I'm sitting here pretty panic stricken about it. I might be going to jail for something I hadn't done. And about that time, the person who had given me the lie detector test steps forward and says, Mr. Hayes, from what I can tell from my readings and everything, you had nothing to do with this.

[Narrator]

With roy crossed off their list, police once again focused their attention on their original suspect, Susan's ex husband, Michael woods.

[Lieutenant]

Another investigator and I went to Indianapolis to contact michael woods specifically to get his palm prints. We were able to get a search warrant.

[Narrator]

After a search of the house, police bring michael woods in for questioning.

[Lieutenant]

We just opened the conversation with, we're here discussing the death of Susan woods, and we'd like to ask you some questions. And at that point, he refused to answer any questions and wanted a lawyer.

[Narrator]

Despite michael's refusal to cooperate, investigators obtained his prints.

[Lieutenant]

We got his prints and compared the prints, but his palm prints didn't match the ones that we had lifted at the scene. I was surprised that it wasn't him because everything had pointed to him.

[Investigator]

Everybody thought if michael woods didn't do it, then he had somebody do it, and that's why his palm prints weren't on either side of the body. But the bottom line is nobody knew what happened.

[Narrator]

With no new leads, the case goes cold until 1992, five years after Susan is murdered.

[Roy Hayes]

Susan's parents were very nice people. To find your daughter in that horrible state like her father did. I don't think he was ever the same, and I know her mother wasn't.

[Cindy Hayes]

I thought about susan every day. It was really brutal to celebrate my birthday because it was always our birthday, me and Susan's. On April 6th every year, I would spend my morning going out to the cemetery and putting fresh flowers on her grave and talk to her and tell her how much I love her and how much I miss her.

[Roy Hayes]

I had resolved myself to the fact that Susan was not going to get justice.

[Narrator]

It's now May 2002, 15 years after Susan is murdered.

[Investigator]

I was working another cold case homicide. I remembered we had a ton of evidence on the Susan woods murder. With technology the way it was, I just wanted to look at it from a whole different perspective than previous investigators had. Part of the evidence that I submitted was six cigarette butts, with the hope that we could find DNA on the cigarette butts. The problem is, when the cigarette butts were collected from the Susan woods crime scene, we didn't know anything at all about preserving DNA evidence. Your DNA is carbon based, and like anything else, it decomposes pretty quick. So if the humidity is too high, if the temperature is too high and especially in a plastic bag, mold can form and the DNA goes away. I was hoping we had DNA, but I didn't think we would have.

[Narrator]

Six weeks pass as Detective Miller waits, hoping for positive news.

[Investigator]

The lab was able to extrapolate DNA off of all cigarette butts and as a matter of fact, it was male DNA. It was a miracle that the DNA was still preserved.

[Narrator]

The DNA profile is entered into the codis, the Combined DNA Index System, a national database.

[Investigator]

I was hoping that that DNA could hit the CODIS files and I would get a suspect. But it didn't. So when we didn't have a match, I was pretty set back. You know, we're back to square one.

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[Investigator]

I called Michael, said, michael, I want to reopen the case. I'd like to come up and talk to you. And he said, okay, yeah, by all means, I'll help you. I got my partner and made plane reservations. And then Michael called me back and he said, miller, I can't help you. Don't come. I don't trust the police and I just can't go through with this. My partner said, well, what are you gonna do? And I said, we're gonna go to Indianapolis. I got with the Indianapolis police. They showed us where Michael woods lived. And I went up, knocked on his door, thinking he's not going to answer the door. But miraculously, he did.

[Michael Woods]

My name is Michael Woods. I was married to Susan woods when she died. And for 20 years after that, I was the only suspect. And I couldn't live with the idea that her killer would get away with it. So I decided to take the risk and talk to him.

[Investigator]

I needed Michael woods for a whole lot of reasons. I told Michael, you're gonna have to help me with this case. You knew her better than anybody.

[Michael Woods]

Susan was very quiet and shy, very good sense of humor. Her laugh was like music to me. And I just loved being with her. But I couldn't stand Stephenville. I had a lot of trouble keeping work and I couldn't play music anywhere. It became a deeper and deeper crevasse and eventually we just couldn't get along anymore. I moved to Indianapolis to play music and she threatened to divorce me if I didn't come back to Stephenville. I left the tape and I cussed her out on the tape and she took the tape to her friends and they listened to it and said it was full of throw. I looked back at the tape and wished that I hadn't done it. The Indianapolis police kept the conversation light hearted and warm and friendly right up until the time they told me that Susan was dead, that I'd murdered her and they were going to put me in a gas chamber. I couldn't even go to her funeral because had I set foot in the state, I would have been immediately arrested. And to have that continue on for 20 years drove me into a deep depression. That fear of her killer going free was enough to break through the shell. And I started talking with him.

[Investigator]

I had to have Michael's DNA. Miraculously, he agreed. It didn't take long. The DNA results came back and the DNA did not match Michael woods at all.

[Michael Woods]

It was a great relief for me to know would exonerate me because I had to know who her killer was.

[Narrator]

With Michael woods finally cleared, Lieutenant Miller is free to pursue a new direction.

[Investigator]

There's a national data bank of everybody's fingerprints who has ever been arrested. And it's called APHIS, Automatic Fingerprint Identification System. It wasn't going in the 80s or maybe even early 90s, but by 2006 they were online going back through the evidence locker and I found the prints. So I had submitted the fingerprints to be compared in the APHIS files and that's when we got the hit. The fingerprints on the beer can, soda can and mirror came back to a man named Joseph Scott Hatley. I had no idea who he was. The only thing I knew was a guy named Joseph Scott Hatley. He had an arrest out of Las Vegas, Nevada for robbery. So I called the district attorney and I said, have you ever heard of a guy named Joseph Scott Hatlet? He said, yes, I know exactly who he is. And I said, well, enlighten me. I went to the District Attorney's office and he had the file of Joseph Scott Hatley when he sexually assaulted Shannon Myers.

[Shannon Myers Barrientos]

Scott was 22 at the time. I was 15. I didn't know any different. I was like, oh, he's kind of cool, he's funny, he's Clever. Scott and I dated for a few months before things started turning ugly. He became controlling like I became, you know, a possession of his. And I just told Scott, hey, you know, I just think it's time for us to go separate ways. He was pressuring me to see him. When I got in the vehicle with Scott, I knew I messed up immediately. I did not know where we were going. When Scott and I pulled into the roadside park, Scott started drinking. And that's when the rape started happening. Immediately, I ran by a creek, which led to him pushing my head into the creek water and raping me by the creek. He would hit me and shove my head into the ground. I would stop and then smoke a cigarette. When he was sitting there smoking a cigarette, he made the comment, I've killed before and I'm not afraid to kill again. That's when I knew in order to survive, I'm going to have to change. I had to convince him that I wasn't going to say anything. The ride home was very quick. He wanted me right beside him. He put his arms around me, and the whole time, I'm dying inside. And we drove back. As soon as Scott dropped me off. I probably ran the fastest I've ever ran in my entire life. And I just fell into my stepfather's arms. And I said, scott did this to me.

[Investigator]

The next morning, Shannon did report the rape, and Hatley did see the police cars at Shannon's house. So he knew he was in trouble.

[Narrator]

The DA's office files charges, but it must wait for a grand jury to indict Hadley before proceeding to trial. In a stunning turn of events, the grand jury disregards Shannon's testimony.

[Shannon Myers Barrientos]

It was weeks later I get this letter in the mail saying that he was not indicted. How could he not be indicted? This man raped me. He took a part of me away. I became a victim of the justice system because of the grand jury not believing.

[Investigator]

Shannon said several times Hatley would smoke a cigarette, and as she came back around, the carnage would start all over again. When I heard that, I was thinking, now I know why I have six cigarette butts in the ashtray. Whatever happened to Susan woods didn't happen in a matter of minutes. It was hours and hours. He held her head underwater in a creek. Rang true with the bathroom scene. There was no doubt in my mind the Susan woods murder has just gotten solved. I knew it. I needed to get Hadley's story. I needed to get his DNA, and I needed to get his fingerprints and his palm prints. Well, my next stop is let's go talk to Joseph Scott Hatley. So I found out he was living in Round Rock, Texas, and we were headed to Round Rock, and The date was June 6th of 06. I turned to my partner and I said, Today, date is 66 of 0 6. And we were fixing to meet the devil himself.

[Narrator]

Investigators ask Scott Hatley to speak with them at the station.

[Investigator]

Did the police ever interview you back then? No, they didn't back then. Okay. I mean, I had nothing to do with this personally.

[Roy Hayes]

I just got out of bed, so.

[Investigator]

I'm not in the best of mood. But he was very disinterested, just kind of nonchalant. That's the wrong demeanor to portray because he should have been lit up. Well, I'm just gonna straight up ask you, did you kill her? I didn't kill her. Okay. Did you have sex with her? It is possible I had sex with one of people, probably, yeah. But I mean, you know, this is a homicide. You know, students, man. Police are circling around asking questions. You know, you would remember if you had sex with her or not. Would you mind if we took a sample of your DNA today?

[Roy Hayes]

I don't know what.

[Narrator]

You should see it.

[Investigator]

I mean, you sat here and you told me that your DNA is not anywhere in all around his body, so there shouldn't be any hesitancy. I think there's always a hesitancy to get DNA. So far, since it's been even Michael didn't use DNA. Yeah, I do that. And fingerprints, bone prints. Within short order, we had a confirmation that the fingerprints lifted at the crime scene were Hatley's. The palm prints on either side of Susan Wood's body were Hatley's. And the DNA that I extrapolated off the cigarette butts was indeed Hatley's. Forensically, we had him tied up. He's ours. He's bought, he's paid for.

[Roy Hayes]

After two decades, for the case to finally be solved was cleansing. It was wonderful. Once we got over the initial shock of who it was and who it.

[Narrator]

Wasn'T, Scott Hatley was more than just a Stephenville local. He was also the cousin of Susan's best friend, Cindy Hayes.

[Cindy Hayes]

Lieutenant Miller called me one morning and he said, we've got the proof. Scott Hatley, your cousin, is the one that killed your best friend. And I was like, oh, no, no, you've got to have made a mistake. And I thought, now they're trying to accuse Scott of doing it because he was never around her. I mean, he might see her if me and her were Together, out running around or whatever. I just couldn't believe it, that he had killed her.

[Roy Hayes]

About eight months after Susan's murder, I had my 23rd birthday party. Cindy Hayes and Roy Hayes came, and they brought her cousin, Scott Hatley. And Scott Hatley is smiling and proud in every picture, even though he knows he's the one that killed her. He's just having the best time at this party while everybody talks about his victim. This is Susan's killer, Scott Hatley, celebrating at my party.

[Cindy Hayes]

Scott did watch us suffer. Every single time I saw him, like at a family function or holiday or whatever, he would always say, so, Cindy, tell me, how are the cops doing on Susan's case? Felt like a complete fool. Hook, line, and sinker.

[Shannon Myers Barrientos]

Lieutenant Miller called me. He told me, we have Joseph Scott Hatley behind bars. I took my first breath of air, of relief. Fear just left. I could live again. Miller said, I want to know your story. When I told him what happened, he said something that still kind of. Kind of brings tears to my eyes. He goes, shannon, I believe you. I believe you, and I'm sorry. That changed my life forever because he believed in me.

[Investigator]

I was in a lot of discussion with the DA as we were preparing for the case.

[Cindy Hayes]

We were going to go to trial, and we were going to get him.

[Detective]

I contacted Don Miller. I said, I'm in the family. If I hear anything that implicates Scott, I will let you know. I will do whatever I can to help y'all solve this case. But, you know, some people said, y'all need to leave this alone. Y'all need to quit messing with this. And we said, no, that's not how this works. Justin sees to be served just because.

[Cindy Hayes]

He was a member of my family. That wasn't gonna stop me. It was very difficult having to plan this trial. I had family, and, no, they didn't want me to testify against my cousin.

[Narrator]

It's now October 9, 2007, 30 years and two months after Susan woods is murdered.

[Roy Hayes]

I was anxious to testify against Scott Hadley. I was raring to go.

[Narrator]

But Scott Hadley has an ace up his sleeve. He offers to testify in an unsolved homicide case in exchange for a plea deal.

[Investigator]

Hatley had a cellmate when he was in jail, confess to a double murder here in Erath county that the district attorney didn't have a whole lot of information about and needed Hatley's testimony to convict those people. Susan's father didn't really want this to go to court. So based on the fact that the family didn't really want this to go to trial. And based on the fact that Hatley had information that the state needed on another case, the plea deal was struck.

[Narrator]

Hatley is sentenced to 30 years in prison.

[Michael Woods]

Joseph Scott's penalty went down hard in my throat, But I really didn't have any choice in the matter. I just had to live with it.

[Narrator]

Life resumes in Stephenville with Susan's killer finally behind bars.

[Cindy Hayes]

August 2018. Scott was going before the parole boards.

[Detective]

We have written letters vehemently to the parole board telling him not to let him out. Joseph Scott Hatley gets out of prison after 11 years.

[Roy Hayes]

I had a pretty good cuss fit when they let Scott Hadley out. I also bought an extra gun and started leaving my porch light on because I didn't know that he wasn't going to come knocking on my door. And I wanted to be ready for him.

[Shannon Myers Barrientos]

Immediately. Fear went over me because I knew Scott was out. He's a monster out on the street. I called Miller lots of times. Where's Scott? Where is he at? I just had that feeling that he was around.

[Narrator]

In December 2021, it's the holiday season in Stephenville. For many, there's little cause for celebration with Scott Hadley a free man. Then good tidings arrive.

[Investigator]

Right before Christmas In December of 2021, I had heard through the rumor mill that Hatley had passed away. I confirmed that with the justice of peace. They did say that he had died in his trailer.

[Shannon Myers Barrientos]

I took that second breath. I don't have to live in fear. And that was the best feeling ever.

[Roy Hayes]

When Scott Hadley died, there was some justice, but he died 30 years too late.

[Michael Woods]

I never received a measure of justice until Scott Hadley died. And that's the only justice I've really had besides what Don Miller has given me. And he's my hero. Funny thing, a cop.

[Roy Hayes]

I did feel some guilt about the hatred and venom I had for Michael. I had spent nearly 20 years hating the ground he walked on, and suddenly he was a victim. It took a while to process that.

[Cindy Hayes]

I would give anything to have Susan back in my life. I miss our long talks. I miss our time together. She's just one of a kind. She's a precious, precious soul.

[Roy Hayes]

Scott Hadley robbed me of the sweetest friend I've ever had. And I guess you could say he took away a whole bunch of people's safety and innocence.

[Shannon Myers Barrientos]

I want to empower victims to come forward. I'm a voice for victims that cannot talk or not ready to talk. And it's okay. You can live your life.

[Michael Woods]

She was the most beautiful thing in my life. And I made the mistake of choosing my music over my relationship in Texas. If I could do it all over again, I would never have left Susan.

[Investigator]

I picked a yellow rose.

[Michael Woods]

I picked a yellow rose for my yellow rose in Texas. I love you, honey. I'm so sorry.

[Investigator]

I'm so sorry.

[Narrator]

Cold Case Files is hosted by Marissa Pinson, produced by Jeff deray and distributed by Podcast One. The Cold Case Files TV series was produced by Curtis Productions and hosted by Bill Curtis. Check out more Cold case [e-mail].

[Cindy Hayes]

Youm'Re pretty smart when people talk about you. Too smart comes up a lot. So why are you trying to prove them wrong? Why aren't you pushing the limits of science and powering the nuclear engines of the world's most powerful navy? If you were born for it, isn't it time to make a smart choice? You can be smart or you can be nuke smart. Become a nuclear [e-mail] nukesmart America's Navy forged by the sea.

[Narrator]

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[Advertiser]

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[Narrator]

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[Roy Hayes]

Crime never pays.

[Narrator]

And neither do I. Pluto TV Stream now pay never.

[Advertiser]

For years, Tim Ballard has been championed as a modern day superhero.

[Investigator]

The first time I saw one of.

[Michael Woods]

The kids from the video and it.

[Narrator]

Like, changed my life.

[Advertiser]

He was the face of Operation Underground Railroad, a movement that inspired hope around the world by rescuing children from human traffickers. However, Ballard's crusade to save innocent lives has always hidden a darker secret.

[Lieutenant]

Oh, I think he's a pathological liar.

[Advertiser]

Beneath the accolades and the applause, a dark storm has been brewing.

[Michael Woods]

I mean, I can't find a time.

[Investigator]

That he's told the truth about anything.

[Advertiser]

Shocking allegations of sexual misconduct have surfaced, casting a shadow over his once unquestioned reputation. I am Host Sarah James McLaughlin and in this new season of the Opportunist, we explore the rise and the fall of Tim Ballard. Join us this October for Tim Ballard unmasking a hero. Subscribe to a new season of the Opportunists. Now, wherever you get your podcasts.