Cold Case Files: REOPENED — "Shattered"

Release Date: September 11, 2025
Host: Brooke Giddings (A&E / PodcastOne)
Case Focus: The 1980 murder of Sheila Elrod in San Angelo, Texas

Episode Overview

This episode of Cold Case Files reopens the chilling murder of 20-year-old Sheila Elrod, a jewelry store clerk killed during a violent robbery in 1980. The case grew cold despite hard evidence, until advancements in forensic technology—and dogged investigative work—finally delivered long-awaited answers for her devastated family.

Case Breakdown

The Crime (01:13–05:29)

• Victim: Sheila Elrod, 20, college student and employee at Everett Music Jewelers, San Angelo, Texas.
• Timeline:
  • February 12, 1980: Sheila is murdered while opening the store.
  • Store owner Everett discovers the scene with “a trail of blood in the parking lot” and a “smashed display case.” (01:25)
• Scene details:
  • No sign of forced entry; Sheila is found shot, face down.
  • Nearly $100,000 in jewelry stolen.
  • Blood and fingerprints found on site—indicative that the assailants were injured during the robbery.

Notable Quote:

“And as I went around the corner, there was a female laying there face down. And it was Sheila Elrod. Yeah, it was pretty hard. I thought, well, maybe we’ll solve it.”
— Sergeant Fred Dietz (03:36)

Early Investigation & Dead Ends (05:29–07:47)

• Initial Evidence:

  • Investigators recover blood drops, fingerprints, and a distinct palm print from the scene.
  • Witness provides a description of a suspicious customer: a Black male with an Afro and Fu Manchu mustache (06:20).

• Suspect Pool:

  • Over 150 suspects fingerprinted and compared; no matches found.
  • “You’re always hoping that one day, one print that you look at… is going to match. And never did match that particular print.”
    — Sergeant Dietz (06:38)

• Family Impact:

  • Sheila’s family, especially her brother, repeatedly seek answers, underscoring their pain and lack of closure.

Cold Case & Technological Breakthrough (09:27–14:11)

• 20 Years Later (2000):

  • Texas Ranger Jerry Byrne reopens the case, retrieving preserved evidence: “large quantity of broken glass and blood from the glass.” (11:31)
  • Blood samples are submitted for DNA profiling.

• First DNA Attempt:

  • Crime lab tech David Young extracts a profile but finds no match in the CODIS database (13:10–13:18).

Notable Quote:

“For what we need to work with, we don’t require a whole lot for DNA analysis... for our purposes, I would consider it quite a bit of blood on it.”
— David Young, Crime Lab Technician (12:56)

The DNA Match and Arrest (13:27–15:18)

• Breakthrough:

  • One year later, a “hit in CODIS” links the blood to Lewis Williams (13:32).
  • Williams’ criminal profile matches the 1980s composite and his DNA is definitively tied to the crime scene.

• Arrest & Interrogation:

  • Williams, surprised at his arrest, initially denies ever being in San Angelo.
  • Second piece of evidence: a fingerprint at the scene matches Williams.
  • The unknown palm print, however, does NOT match—implying a second perpetrator.

Notable Quote:

“He called me one day and said, we got a hit in CODIS. And, you know, I just, I was really shocked.”
— Texas Ranger Jerry Byrne (13:32)

The Accomplice & Confession (15:18–16:46)

• Williams’ Confession:

  • Williams implicates “Harold Jones” as the triggerman, describes his own role as the lookout and jewelry collector (15:36–15:54).
  • Williams explains cutting his hand while smashing the display case, which left his blood at the scene (16:21–16:43).
  • He describes confusion and shock, and offers details that at times seem to conflate events from other crimes.

• Glove Discrepancies:

  • Williams claims the duo wore gloves, but his own fingerprints were at the crime scene, casting doubt on this part of his story.

“Many of the things that he said to me didn’t apply to the Elrod murder.”
— Texas Ranger Jerry Byrne (17:24)

Connecting Multiple Cases (17:41–19:16)

• Abilene Murder Link:

  • Details Williams shares match another unsolved case: the murder of Glenn Burns in Abilene, 7 months prior to Elrod’s death.
  • Both robberies had similar MOs: smashed display cases, jewelry stolen, clerk shot and blood left at the scene.

• Forensic Confirmation:

  • DNA from the Abilene scene is not a match for Williams, but with Jones deceased, Byrne tracks down Jones’ daughter for a paternity test (19:52–20:00).
  • The test confirms, “with 99.9% chance,” that the blood in Abilene was Harold Jones’s.

Notable Quote:

“…there was a 99.9% chance that the blood in Abilene came from the father of Harold Jones’ daughter. So it was Harold Jones’ blood.”
— Texas Ranger Jerry Byrne (20:00)

Resolution & Aftermath (20:55–22:20)

• Case Closure:
  • Harold Jones cannot be prosecuted (deceased), but the Glenn Burns case is marked as solved.
  • Williams is sentenced to life in prison for Sheila Elrod’s murder, but is never directly tied to the Abilene killing.
  • The Elrod family gains answers, though lasting peace remains elusive.

Notable Quotes:

“No matter what, you know, it’s not going to bring Sheila back.”
— Family Member of Sheila Elrod (21:48)

“We still miss Sheila so much, you know, oh, so many times I think, well, if Sheila was here, she’d be here to help me… I just miss having a sister.”
— Family Member of Sheila Elrod (22:01)

Key Timestamps

| Time | Segment | |------------|-------------------------------------------| | 01:13 | Introduction to the 1980 murder | | 02:37 | Sergeant Dietz recounts the crime scene | | 05:29 | Collection of evidence and palm print | | 06:31 | Suspect description and investigation | | 09:27 | Case goes cold; family reacts | | 10:35 | Jerry Byrne reopens the case (2000) | | 12:56 | Blood evidence sent for DNA analysis | | 13:27 | First DNA attempt comes up empty | | 13:32 | DNA match: Lewis Williams identified | | 15:18 | Williams’ confession and role detailed | | 17:41 | Link to the Abilene murder | | 20:00 | Harold Jones identified as killer via DNA | | 21:20 | Williams sentenced; family reacts | | 22:01 | Family mourns Sheila Elrod |

Memorable Moments & Quotes

• “It was obvious she’d been shot. There was some blood on her back.”
  — Sergeant Fred Dietz (02:56)

• “You wonder, you know, why am I still there and they’re the ones gone. It’s bad to lose somebody like that. It’s senseless.”
  — Texas Ranger Jerry Byrne (07:12)

• “We just followed up as many leads as we could, worked on it many, many months and several years. We never could solve. Was just a tragic incident.”
  — Sergeant Fred Dietz (07:36)

• “For our purposes, I would consider it quite a bit of blood on it.”
  — David Young, Crime Lab (12:56)

• “He was a little shocked. He’s asking me what it was about. And I told him it was about a young lady that was murdered in San Angelo in the 1980s. Initially, he told me, well, I don’t think I’ve ever been there. And I said, well, we know that’s not true.”
  — Texas Ranger Jerry Byrne (14:38)

Conclusion

Through a blend of persistent detective work and breakthroughs in forensic DNA analysis, the decades-long mystery behind Sheila Elrod’s death is conclusively solved, finally providing her family with long-sought answers. The episode stands as a testament to how justice can prevail even in the coldest of cases, revealing the profound impacts on families, and honoring the unwavering pursuit of truth by law enforcement.

For more cases and info:
Visit ae.com/realcrime
Host Brooke Giddings shares updates on Twitter (@rookginnings) and Instagram (@brookthepodcaster).