REOPENED: Graveyard Shift

Summary

Cold Case Files: Episode Summary – “REOPENED: Graveyard Shift”

Podcast Information:

• Title: Cold Case Files
• Host/Author: A&E / PodcastOne
• Description: Based on the iconic, Emmy-nominated series on A&E, this show explores some of the most difficult-to-solve murders, which stymied investigators and went cold, sometimes for decades. In fact, one-third of all murders in America remain open. But thanks to dogged investigators and breakthroughs in forensic technology, these cases become part of the rare 1% of cold cases that are ever solved. Cold Case Files is hosted by Paula Barros.
• Episode: REOPENED: Graveyard Shift
• Release Date: May 8, 2025

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Introduction

In the riveting episode titled “REOPENED: Graveyard Shift”, host Paula Barros delves into the haunting unsolved murder of Tracey Sewell in 1984 and the subsequent reopening of the case decades later. This episode underscores the perseverance of law enforcement and the transformative power of forensic technology in solving cold cases.

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Case Background

Incident Overview ([00:50] – [03:09])

On August 17, 1984, at approximately 2 AM, Billy Diltz, an oil rig worker, stopped at the Star Stop Texaco station to refuel his gas tank. Something seemed amiss as the usual attendant was absent. When Billy entered the store, he handed his credit card to a man he believed to be an employee to activate the pump.

Notable Quote:

“Normally you'd pull up and the attendant inside would see you were there and they would turn the pump on.”
— Witness, [01:11]

Billy thought odd behavior when the man struggled to activate the pump. Frustrated, Billy drove off, unaware that he had interacted with the station's future victim, Tracey Sewell.

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The Murder and Initial Investigation

Discovery of the Crime Scene ([03:09] – [04:03])

Two hours after Billy’s departure, a newspaper delivery person arrived at the station only to find the clerk, Tracey Sewell, lying face down in a pool of blood. Detective Roger Dickey responded to the call and found a large, non-shotgun-related wound on her head.

Autopsy Findings:

• Cause of Death: Eight blows to the head with a heavy object, likely a hammer.
• Evidence: Minimal; no fingerprints or footprints. The cash register and floor safe were untouched, ruling out robbery as the motive.

Notable Quote:

“We discovered that all the money was in the cash register. All the money was in the floor safe. So it didn't fit a typical robbery homicide.”
— Witness, [04:03]

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Early Suspect and Leads

Initial Suspect – Clifford Scott Wright ([04:11] – [07:38])

Officer Drenda Thomas, a new member of the police force, investigated a nearby gas station and observed Clifford Scott Wright acting suspiciously—nervous behavior and attempts to evade questioning. Wright was initially cleared due to lack of evidence.

Notable Interaction:

“There were no warrants on him. And at that point, we had no description of any suspects or anything else, so we had to let him go.”
— Officer Drenda Thomas, [05:00]

Despite early suspicions, insufficient forensic evidence led to Wright’s release, and the case went cold for the next 15 years.

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Reopening the Case: A Breakthrough

Renewed Focus and New Evidence ([07:44] – [16:25])

Fifteen years later, Clifford Wright’s turbulent marriage to Kelly Wright, marked by abuse, brought new information to light. Kelly disclosed that Wright had confessed to her about killing Tracey Sewell over a trivial dispute regarding cigarettes.

Key Testimony:

“He got mad about it, and he went back later that night and killed her. Because, I mean, he didn't rob the store or anything. He just killed her.”
— Kelly Wright, [11:02]

Simultaneously, advances in DNA technology, specifically Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) and Short Tandem Repeat (STR) analysis, provided an opportunity to re-examine existing evidence. Detective John Reed revisited the case with renewed determination, focusing on a pair of boots found at Wright's residence that had trace amounts of human blood.

Forensic Breakthrough:

“The PCR method of testing helps scientists to make thousands of copies of each strand of DNA, giving them a much larger sample to work with.”
— Forensic Analyst Judy Floyd, [13:15]

DNA analysis revealed that the blood on Wright’s boot matched Tracey Sewell’s DNA with extraordinary certainty—one chance out of 60 billion of it being a coincidence.

Notable Revelation:

“It was an exact match. The blood stain on the boot and her profile were identical.”
— Forensic Analyst Judy Floyd, [14:22]

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Arrest, Trial, and Conviction

Legal Proceedings ([14:30] – [17:50])

Armed with compelling DNA evidence and witness testimony from Billy Diltz, the district attorney, James Eatson, indicted Clifford Scott Wright for first-degree murder. At trial, Wright chose to remain silent, further strengthening the prosecution’s position.

Prosecution’s Stance:

“In spite of someone's right to remain silent, this set of circumstances begs for an explanation. And in the absence of an explanation, juries are going to find this evidence very, very persuasive.”
— District Attorney James Eatson, [16:08]

The jury deliberated for only 90 minutes before delivering a guilty verdict. Wright was sentenced to 25 years to life in a Texas prison.

Verdict:

“Guilty in the first degree.”
— Jury Verdict, [17:17]

---

Conclusion and Aftermath

Impact and Reflection ([17:37] – [19:21])

Tracey Sewell’s father, Buddy Sewell, expressed a mix of emotions—grief over his daughter’s loss and relief at her conviction. Clifford Scott Wright remains incarcerated, denied parole in 2019, and is currently awaiting the next hearing.

Emotional Closure:

“Well, it was tough in a way and rewarding in a way. Tough to hear it, but rewarding when they come back with conviction.”
— Buddy Sewell, [17:37]

Detective John Reed highlighted the significant role of technological advancements in modern forensic science, which ultimately brought justice to a case that had remained unresolved for over a decade.

---

Key Takeaways

• Persistence Pays Off: The dedication of law enforcement and the resilience of family members can keep a cold case alive, leading to eventual resolution.
• Technological Advancements: Breakthroughs in DNA technology, such as PCR and STR analysis, are pivotal in solving decades-old crimes.
• Witness Impact: Eyewitness testimony, even years later, can provide crucial links that piece together the truth.
• Legal Considerations: Solid physical evidence combined with credible testimonies can significantly influence jury decisions, ensuring justice is served.

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“REOPENED: Graveyard Shift” serves as a compelling testament to the relentless pursuit of truth in the face of adversity, illustrating how time and technology can ultimately unveil justice where it once seemed unattainable.

Transcript

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[Narrator]

On August 17, 1984, Billy Dilt's Gas tank was empty. He'd been called into work. There was an emergency at the oil rig. At around 2am he pulled into a 24 hour Texaco station, called the Star Stop to fill up his gas tank, but something seemed a bit off.

[Witness]

Normally you'd pull up and the attendant inside would see you were there and they would turn the pump on. So I pulled up and got out, put the nozzle in my gas tank filler tube and turned around and looked and I didn't see anybody in the store.

[Narrator]

Billy went inside, laid his credit card on the counter and asked the clerk to turn on the pump.

[Witness]

I stood there a minute and turned around and looked at him in the store and he's standing there like he's messing with the little switches that you use to turn the different pumps on. And all of a sudden I notice he's coming outside the store walking towards me across the parking lot there. And so I start over towards him. He's got my credit card in his hand. He said I cannot get the pump to turn.

[Narrator]

Annoyed by the situation, he drove off, trying to remember another 24 hour gas station, hopefully with more competent workers. What Billy Diltz didn't know was the man that he had handed his credit card to wasn't the employee at the Texaco station. It was her. Murderer from A and E. This is Cold Case Files. Two hours after Billy Diltz left the station, the newspaper delivery person stopped by to get a cup of coffee. He waited at the cash register to pay, but no one seemed to notice him. He peeked in the back room and found the clerk on duty. She was face down, laying on the floor in a pool of blood. Her hands were crossed under her face. The delivery person immediately called the police detective, Roger Dickey, responded to the call. When he examined the victim, he discovered a very large hole in the back of her head.

[Witness]

Well, initially, because the wound to the back of the head was so large, there was even some thought that it might have been a shotgun blast because it was such a massive wound.

[Narrator]

The woman was identified as Tracey Sewell. She was 22 years old. Her father, Buddy, described Tracy as having a stubborn streak. He blamed himself. His wife had died when Tracy was only 10 years old. Buddy said that he had been too easy on Tracy as a child. But when she dropped out of college at the age of 22, he put his foot down. He told her she had to get a job. Tracy moved to Abilene, and the father and daughter hadn't really made up before she was killed. Tracy's autopsy revealed that it hadn't been a shotgun that had caused the large head wound. It was eight blows to the head. It was something heavy, like a hammer. The investigators found very little evidence at the scene. There were no fingerprints or footprints. They believed at first Tracy was likely murdered in a robbery gone wrong. But no money had been taken.

[Witness]

We discovered that all the money was in the cash register. All the money was in the floor safe. So it didn't fit a typical robbery homicide.

[Narrator]

As part of the investigation, officers were sent to talk to the workers at the other local gas stations and convenience stores. Officer Drenda Thomas had just graduated from the academy and was new to the police force. She visited a gas station that was only a couple of miles away from where Tracy was murdered.

[Officer Drenda Thomas]

There was a Hispanic male and a white male in there. These guys were just acting a little bit too nervous. The white guy kept pacing back and forth. And at one point, he did try to run from the store or run through me to get out of the store. And I told him to go back and sit down, that we weren't through with them.

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[Narrator]

Traffic stop. The man on the phone was arrested for public intoxication and cleared of any involvement with the murder. The man who was pacing back and forth was identified as Clifford Scott Wright. He was also cleared and released. Here's Officer Thomas again.

[Officer Drenda Thomas]

There were no warrants on him. And at that point, we had no description of any suspects or anything else, so we had to let him go.

[Narrator]

Billy Diltz, the man who had stopped for gas, heard about the murder on the local news. He immediately remembered the incident at the gas station where the clerk couldn't turn on the pump. He decided he needed to talk with the police.

[Witness]

He had to have something to do with it. I don't know if he directly did it or not, but I felt like he had to have something to do with it. I remembered his face, you know, the way, you know, his hair and the color and the shape of his face.

[Narrator]

Using the description they got from Billy, the police created a sketch of the man at the gas station. Officer Thomas was talking with the detective soon after the sketch was created.

[Officer Drenda Thomas]

He had a composite sketch in his hand. And I said, hey, that looks like the guy I ran into the other night.

[Narrator]

The guy she was referring to was. Was Clifford Wright, the man that had been pacing at the gas station. The detectives decided to put Wright's picture in a photo lineup and show it to Billy Daltz.

[Witness]

Just as soon as I saw his picture, I knew that was him. No doubt, you know, that was him.

[Narrator]

Wright's identification gave the police enough probable cause to search his house. This is district attorney James Eatson.

[District Attorney James Eatson]

The offense itself left a very bloody scene. And presumably whoever did that would have a lot of blood with them initially. And we were very much in hopes that the search of his home would disclose bloody evidence or some other evidence, Connect Scott Wright to the star stop.

[Narrator]

While searching Wright's house, the police found a pair of boots that were wet. It seemed like they'd been washed. On the toe of the Wright boot, There were two small spots that looked like they could have been blood. Wright was arrested, and the boots were sent to the crime lab in Dallas. DNA testing wasn't available in 1984, so the lab was only capable of identifying blood types. In this case, though, the sample was so small, they couldn't even do that. The only test that was able to be performed on the sample confirmed that the drops were human blood. This is D.A. eatson again.

[District Attorney James Eatson]

Of course, anybody could have a pair of boots with blood on them. You could cut yourself with a knife or any number of ways. And so that didn't narrow down Clifford Scott Wright as a suspect, really, in the least.

[Narrator]

The lab results were disappointing and not the type of evidence that would be helpful in court.

[District Attorney James Eatson]

We felt like we had the right person, but we didn't feel like we could convince a jury at that time. There were too many things that were unexplained. The absence of bloody clothes, the murder weapon, Things of that nature that we hope that we could find later on. And so rather than proceed with a tenuous case, we wanted to wait till we could get a good case.

[Narrator]

Clifford Scott Wright was released and stayed under the radar for the next 15 years.

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[Narrator]

Who'S ready for the trust fall? In the 15 years after Tracey Sewell was murdered, the main suspect, Clifford Wright, had avoided the police. He'd also gotten married to a woman named Kelly, who he abused for the last 14 of those years. After Kelly's daughter told her mom that Wright was also abusing her, Kelly decided to go to the police.

[Kelly Wright]

I was mad because it was bad enough him doing things to me, but I couldn't have him doing it to my daughter.

[Narrator]

Kelly wanted to do anything she could to ensure her family was safe from Wright. She wanted him behind bars. She told the detectives what she knew about the time he had been arrested for Tracy's murder.

[Kelly Wright]

Of course I knew about that. He got arrested for It. And at first, you know, he told me he didn't do it. And then he says, I gotta tell you, he says, I did kill that girl.

[Narrator]

According to Kelly, Tracy had lost her life over the price of a pack of cigarettes.

[Kelly Wright]

He'd went up there earlier that night when it happened and was trying to buy a pack of cigarettes. And he liked a little bit having enough, and he got mad about it, and he went back later that night and killed her. Because, I mean, he didn't rob the store or anything. He just killed her.

[Narrator]

Kelly then gave her story even more credibility by describing the murder weapon and how Wright had disposed of it.

[Kelly Wright]

He'd done it with a hammer, and he told me that he had told his dad and they had burnt the hammer, the handle in the fireplace, and his dad took the head of it and threw it in Fort Fantom Lake.

[Narrator]

Djeitson believed that Kelly's story sounded true and should be looked into.

[District Attorney James Eatson]

It did seem credible because obviously we thought all along Clifford Scott Wright had committed this murder. It was just too much of a coincidence that he did come from inside the store and pose as the clerk, which he obviously was not. So her story that she gave us fit exactly with our theory of the case.

[Narrator]

Cold case detective John Reed looked through the original evidence in the case and found the boot with the drops of blood. He believed that new technology might provide a new lead in the case.

[Detective John Reed]

And I felt that there might be a possibility that the technology had progressed to the point that something could be done with the evidence that we had available to us.

[Narrator]

The boot was sent to a crime lab in Dallas, where it was examined by Judy Floyd, a forensic DNA analyst with cold case experience. She'd examined the boots originally as well.

[Forensic Analyst Judy Floyd]

That particular method required fairly large amount of sample compared to what we can use now. The technology that we use now, PCR testing, specifically STR analysis, is very important to the forensic community because we can use very small quantities of DNA.

[Narrator]

The PCR method of testing helps scientists to make thousands of copies of each strand of DNA, giving them a much larger sample to work with. Using pcr, Floyd was able to extract a DNA profile.

[Forensic Analyst Judy Floyd]

I found a very nice profile. Then I knew I needed to work with the victim sample because we could tell that the profile from the boot came from a female.

[Narrator]

The finding indicated that the blood had come from a woman, not Clifford Wright. In order to determine if the blood belonged to Tracey Sewell, the lab needed a sample of her DNA to compare to the profile. Detective Reed went back to the evidence box.

[Detective John Reed]

So I went to evidence and found her clothing that she was wearing at the time of the murder and cut a patch out of her blood soaked shirt.

[Narrator]

The lab used Tracy's shirt to extract a sample of her DNA to compare to the sample found on Wright's boot. Here's analyst Floyd Again, comparison showed that.

[Forensic Analyst Judy Floyd]

It was an exact match. The blood stain on the boot and her profile were identical.

[Narrator]

According to Floyd, the chance that the blood on the boot belonged to someone other than Tracey was one chance out of 60 billion. This is DA Eatson again.

[District Attorney James Eatson]

My reaction was we have the case now that we've been looking for for 16 years. We have a case we can present in court and we have a case we can win.

[Narrator]

Eadson assembled a grand jury which voted to indict Wright for first degree murder. He was arrested shortly after the indictment at a candy factory where he worked. Here's detective Read again.

[Detective John Reed]

And we each placed one side of a handcuff on him, told him he was under arrest for the murder of Tracy Sewell. I had expected that we would have a chance to talk with him after the arrest. As I began to talk with him, he immediately stated that he wanted to end the interview and wanted to talk with his attorney. So we ended the interview and transported him to the jail.

[Narrator]

Wright chose not to testify in his own defense and remained silent throughout the trial. The evidence, though, appeared to speak for him. First, the physical evidence. The DNA match of the blood on his boot to Tracy was extremely compelling. Second, he was connected to the crime scene by a witness, Billy Diltz. His defense couldn't explain away either one of those things or provide an alibi. It's the prosecution's job to prove the case. But not offering a defense makes the prosecution's job pretty easy. Here's YE Eatson again.

[District Attorney James Eatson]

In spite of someone's right to remain silent, this set of circumstances begs for an explanation. And in the absence of an explanation, juries are going to find this evidence very, very persuasive.

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[Narrator]

The jury only deliberated for 90 minutes before returning their verdict. Guilty in the first degree. He was sentenced 25 years to life in a Texas prison. Traci's father, Buddy, knows that despite the conviction, he will always miss his daughter.

[Witness]

Well, it was tough in a way and rewarding in a way. Tough to hear it, but rewarding when they come back with conviction.

[Narrator]

Clifford Scott Wright is currently incarcerated in a Texas prison. He was denied parole in 2019 and at the time of this podcast recording, he doesn't have another hearing Scheduled. He's 57 years old.

[District Attorney James Eatson]

Foreign.

[Narrator]

Case Files the podcast is hosted by Brooke giddings, produced by McKamey, Lynn and Steve Delamater. Our associate producer is Julie McGruder. Our executive producer is Ted Butler. Our music was created by Blake Maples. This podcast is distributed by Podcast One. The Cold Case Files TV series was produced by Curtis Productions and is hosted by Bill Curtis. You can find me rookginnings on Twitter and Brooke the Podcaster on Instagram. I'm also active in the Facebook group Podcast for Justice. Check out more Cold case [e-mail] or learn more about cases like this one by visiting the AE realcrime [e-mail] realcrime.

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[District Attorney James Eatson]

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