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Nick Edwards
Let'S be honest. You've been portrayed as a monster. Yes.
Quiness Durham
Evil.
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Maniacal what's it like to interview a killer?
Narrator
48 Hours is taking you inside what.
Shopify Advertiser
We'Ve learned about the criminal mind.
Narrator
This is Killer Conversation.
Shopify Advertiser
You can follow and listen to Killer Conversation on Tuesdays in the 48 Hours podcast feed on the free Odyssey app or wherever you get your podcasts.
Nick Edwards
That is a gamble money. Expunge your podcast.
Narrator
Okay, what is and desperately finding the.
Mia
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Narrator
Most violent crimes that capture the public's imagination are about serial killers, mass shooters, crimes of passion, or clashes among underworld figures. Yet some of the most shocking and deadly conflicts we encounter are between everyday neighbors in ordinary neighborhoods. Their seemingly minor quibbles escalate until violence erupts and it impacts an entire community. What makes a good neighbor go bad? We may never truly know, but heed this warning about the terrible things that can happen when even the pettiest disagreements pass the point of no return and good neighbors become worst enemies. How can you sleep at night when the person you fear or hate the most lives right next door? This episode takes us to a quiet cul de sac in small town Texas, where two friendly couples living close by soon live directly next to each other. At first, the move not Only brings them physically closer together, but tightens their bond. But when one house undergoes an extensive home renovation, the noise, dust and debris puts a strain on the neighbors. And it's not long before a once amicable relationship is demolished like a sledgehammer through drywall. This is fear thy neighbor renovation rage. Cedar Hill is a little hamlet in Texas located only 16 miles from downtown Dallas. Attorney Thomas Cox explains the town.
Thomas Cox
Cedar Hill is actually a fairly small town that's nestled into Dallas county. It was a traditional neighborhood where everybody knew everybody.
Narrator
And within this peaceful town sits a quiet cul de sac. A place residents find to be a peaceful escape from the hustle and bustle surrounding it.
Nick Edwards
The street was Halifax Court. Fairly quiet. It's just like a little oasis, you know, from what you normally see coming down the highway, which is only three streets away. You get in that cul de sac and it's like a completely different part of the world.
Narrator
That's Nick Edwards. Nick's mother, Jerry and her fiance David have been living in a home on Halifax court for about a year. They love the area and have made a number of friends. But recent events mean they are moving out of their current house. David works as a truck driver and Jerry has a similar history.
Nick Edwards
My mom used to drive truck back in the day, 18 wheelers. And she could no longer do that. She got a job working with a company as like a driver, manager and stuff like that. And that's where she met David.
Narrator
Jerry's strong personality has served her well in the male dominated industry.
Nick Edwards
She was strong, very, very strong. I think was almost 10 years as a driver manager. There a determined person. You couldn't keep her down for nothing. Her fiance David was a quiet person for the most part.
Narrator
Jerry and David have been together seven years, recently getting engaged. The couple is moving out of this house to start a new chapter in their lives. But they aren't going far. In fact, they've found the perfect place right next door.
Nick Edwards
David's daughter and her husband between them and my parents had figured out that the neighbor lady was behind on her mortgage, was probably going to lose her house. So they ended up making some kind of an arrangement to where they ended up purchasing the house. And it had to be completely gutted.
Narrator
Since David's daughter owns the house, it gives him and Jerry the freedom to renovate it any way they like.
Nick Edwards
It was going to end up needing a complete restoration on the inside.
Narrator
While the renovations needed are extensive, there is a bonus to moving next door. It brings them one house closer to their neighbors.
Nick Edwards
The Silvers, Danny and Teresa Silver were friends with my mother and David.
Narrator
Danny and Teresa Silver have lived in this neighborhood longer than most on the street. Danny has just retired from his job as a truck driver and Teresa works for a transit agency.
Quiness Durham
Mr. Silvers was a character. He is a very big character.
Narrator
The voice you just heard belongs to Quiness Durham, a new neighbor to the tight knit community.
Thomas Cox
Danny Silvers is the kind of person that you could invite into your home and you could trust.
Narrator
Moving closer together strengthens the bond between Jerry, David and the Silvers.
Thomas Cox
There was a normal, healthy, friendly neighbor relationship.
Nick Edwards
They actually hung out together, you know, and sit around, drink beers and stuff together.
Quiness Durham
I was thinking that the relationship was unbreakable, you know. So as far as David and Denny hanging out, I just figured they were the best of friends. The more and more they hung out, it seemed like the closer they got.
Nick Edwards
Can't tell you how many times he'd been over and hang out.
Narrator
You know, I was thinking of digging up all along here and planting rose bushes. Oh, that'll be nice.
Nick Edwards
Mom.
Thomas Cox
The front door was unlocked.
Narrator
Hey, there you are.
Nick Edwards
Hello.
Narrator
This is my son Nick. He's gonna be living with us for a bit.
Nick Edwards
I moved back down to Texas and was staying with my mom and David just trying to start life over re establishing. My mom wasn't able to help me in the way that she wanted to help me, you know, with my life. She got preoccupied with her own. When I first moved back down here, I didn't have a job, of course that I was looking for work.
Narrator
Luckily for Nick, neighbors Danny and Teresa can throw a bit of cash his way. In exchange for some help around their.
Nick Edwards
Property, Danny had given me an offer of doing some yard work. I can. Okay, great. I need some money right now. While I'm looking for a job and everything getting settled in. I'm grown up. It's not my mom's responsibility to support me. I'll do whatever I can to try and support myself. So anything that I could get helped, I was grateful for the money.
Narrator
Since retiring from his job of 49 years as a truck driver, Danny Silver spends a lot more time in the neighborhood. He's naturally observant and now has more time than ever to watch out over his neighborhood. But unfortunately he's starting to not like what he sees, you know.
Quiness Durham
Yeah. Him being home alone while his wife and she always leaves the house and she be gone throughout the whole day. He'd be outside all the time in the neighborhood, just sitting out on the bench drinking Beer in the shade.
Narrator
As we mentioned earlier, Quiness Durham is a recent addition to the Halifax Court neighborhood. Being an unfamiliar face, Danny wastes no time grilling the young man.
Quiness Durham
When we first moved into the neighborhood, it was from that time period on, he's just been keeping an eye on me.
Nick Edwards
He made it seem like he was Mr. Tough Guy. That's the kind of feeling it was.
Narrator
Attorney Thomas Cox explains.
Thomas Cox
So Danny's personality type was obeying the law and also expecting other people in the neighborhood to do the same.
Narrator
By this point in time, Jerry and David's renovations next door are well underway. And though Danny likes things to be orderly, we all know that renovations require a certain controlled mess while they're happening. It's not uncommon to see dumpsters in the driveway, stacks of building materials, tools, and equipment out in the open, and easily accessible. Though the mess stays contained to his neighbor's property, the retired homebody, Danny finds the growing construction sites and sounds from next door to be a constant nuisance.
Nick Edwards
The redoing of all the house and stuff and the yard and, you know, there was a lot of hours, you know, put into the property.
Danny Silvers
Hello.
Thomas Cox
Hey. Hey. Do you have to be so loud?
Narrator
It's a reno. I mean, noise happens.
Thomas Cox
They're stripping out this house, rehabbing it. They're making noise. They're leaving trash sitting around.
Nick Edwards
Danny knew that they were going to fix the place up. I think he was surprised and thrown off, I guess, by how much actually goes into renovating a house. And I think that pissed him off.
Thomas Cox
Can you try just to keep it.
Narrator
Down a little bit? I don't think that's going to be a possibility. Don't worry. It's not forever.
Nick Edwards
Yeah, I think that's kind of where the real beginning of the separation of my mother from him started was she was just flabbergasted of how irate he seemed.
Narrator
And it's not just the hammering. Material deliveries and the sound of power tools are also a constant bother for Danny. To make matters worse, he claims the construction mess next door is slowly encroaching onto his yard.
Thomas Cox
And so that's where the communication turns from friendship, how you doing? To more of, hey, could you do. Could you please do this? Could you please do that? And then when that's not working, it transitioning into, hey, your stuff's on my yard again. Come on. We've talked about this before, and you could see how it went from really good to really bad just over that.
Narrator
It's obvious at this point that the neighbors will not see Eye to eye on how to manage these home renos. In an attempt to keep the peace and not escalate the situation, Nick's mother, Jerry, tries her best to just break contact with her neighbor completely.
Nick Edwards
My mom had started to pull away from him, and it got to the point where she just didn't even want to associate with him.
Thomas Cox
Danny always has struck me as a good old boy, as it were. Friendly, easygoing. But like anybody who's easygoing, if you wear out your welcome a little bit or you start kind of taking things for granted, that's when it transitions. And so this whole construction project that they were doing begins the deterioration of what started out as a good relationship.
Narrator
It's not long before the relationship and financial agreement between Nick and Danny changes as well.
Nick Edwards
Once I was able to, you know, find a job, it was very difficult for me to be able to help as far as any kind of yard work and stuff like that anymore. So I couldn't do it. I had to turn him down. I already was starting to see his true colors.
Narrator
As with many home renovations, the work on David and Jerry's house is taking longer than expected. Most neighbors on Halifax Court just go with the flow.
Nick Edwards
Everybody seemed to understand what was going on. You know, they know it's construction, simple as that.
Narrator
But that doesn't seem to matter for.
Thomas Cox
Danny Silverstone, and he's a guy who has strong opinions. And Danny felt like basically they didn't care about his opinion and they didn't care about how the neighborhood looked.
Narrator
Not only that, but as demos and remodeling continue, particulates like sawdust and drywall dust are settling in the area.
Nick Edwards
It was so bad. I mean, between just, you know, sheetrock and carpet and, oh, the dust amounts.
Narrator
And Danny sees it landing on his prized possession, his pickup truck.
Thomas Cox
He has a nice pickup truck. It's Texas. Hey.
Nick Edwards
Hey.
Narrator
What are you doing? What about my truck? Do you want a tarp?
Nick Edwards
This is demolition. You know, there's gonna be debris.
Narrator
No, I don't want a tarp. What I want for you to do is stop doing what you're doing. That's not going to happen. So you're just going to have to deal with it, Danny.
Nick Edwards
My mom being a truck driver, she was tough. Danny did not like that.
Narrator
Talk to me like that, you.
Thomas Cox
They got along just fine, the Baileys, the Silvers, when they were separated. But these two didn't mix out real well as next door neighbors.
Narrator
With no end in sight to what Danny perceives as mismanaged renovations. Next door his frustration at his once good friends rises every passing day.
Thomas Cox
Once the Baileys started this construction project next door, they weren't keeping it orderly, so Danny was frustrated.
Narrator
But it seems Danny can't just leave the construction site well enough alone, and his seeming obsession with the renovations has no end in sight.
Nick Edwards
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Narrator
I'm Natalie Morales of 48 Hours. So much of our reporting focuses on the stories of victims who didn't survive. But what about those who live to tell? I survived a violent home invasion. There's no earthly reason why I'm alive from 48 hours. This is it could have Been Me.
Nick Edwards
It makes you grateful.
Narrator
For what?
Quiness Durham
Everything you have you know you can.
Narrator
Follow and listen to. It could have Been Me on Tuesdays in the 48 Hours podcast feed on the free Odyssey app or wherever you get your podcasts.
Nick Edwards
Say hello to Mia.
Mia
Hey there.
Nick Edwards
Mia runs a pet grooming service in Chicago. But getting new clients was rough until.
Mia
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Nick Edwards
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Mia
A fresh cut, a friendly vibe and a well placed podcast ad.
Nick Edwards
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Narrator
Danny has lived on Halifax Court for decades and according to Nick, expects everyone to step in line with his way of thinking.
Nick Edwards
The way he would discuss issues that bother him was, we don't need to talk about it. Just do what I said, you know, like that real strict parent, do it because I said so.
Narrator
But Jerry Edwards isn't the kind to be pushed around.
Nick Edwards
My mom wouldn't do what he wanted her to do. He would let that push him into another level. I mean, come on, let it go.
Narrator
Danny doesn't feel he's getting the respect he deserves.
Thomas Cox
Danny had kind of felt like he was part of the backbone of the neighborhood. The fact that he had been there the longest was doing his best to maintain the neighborhood in the way that it was when he moved in.
Narrator
David Bailey, Jerry Edwards and her son Nick feel like they're constantly being scrutinized by Danny. There seems to be a growing sentiment among neighbors that Danny is the self appointed neighborhood watchdog now.
Nick Edwards
We're his new focus. It's a little unnerving to wonder if somebody's watching you. You know, the hair on your neck stands up. I mean, how can you live? We can't exist. So did we make a mistake? No matter what we do, it's not right.
Narrator
Danny continues his neighborhood watch, increasingly irritated at the state of the community. But his focus isn't solely on the renovations next door. He begins to grow suspicious of his new neighbor, Quiness Durham.
Quiness Durham
Quiness explains, so Danny was just watching me from across the street. I could never even understand why he would do that.
Narrator
Danny's suspicions arise from the fact that he witnesses numerous people come and go from Quinessa's home throughout the day.
Nick Edwards
He believed there was something going on over there. You'd watch the cars come up and they'd park somebody go in there. About five minutes later, a car would start and it would leave and another car would pull up. Five minutes later, car would leave. I think Danny just immediately thought the worst of everybody. I was always raised, you know, with the phrase of respect is earned, not given. But with Danny, it seemed the other way around. It was, you're going to respect me or we're going to have a problem.
Narrator
At this point, the once tight friendship between the Baileys and the Silvers has truly come to an end. According to the neighbors, Danny is now convinced he needs to keep an even closer eye on things. And he does so with a strange new tactic. Jerry, working in her yard, becomes the first to appear in his sights.
Nick Edwards
My mom Had a green thumb. She had all sorts of plants and flowers and, you know, she got down and got her hands dirty.
Narrator
But a familiar voice interrupts her gardening.
Thomas Cox
Far enough?
Narrator
I said that's far enough. Stay on your side. Jerry can hear Danny talking to her and enforcing property, property lines. But she can't see him.
Nick Edwards
It's weird. It seemed like he was staking out. And when I say staking out, I mean like, hiding in back corner of his front yard where you couldn't see him. And you wouldn't even know he was there until he said something. It's like, what are you doing back there, creep?
Quiness Durham
So his little hideout in the tree. And you wouldn't have even noticed it. You wouldn't even see him.
Narrator
Shut up or come out here, you creep. Don't be talking to me that way. What are doing you. Are you spying on us? On me? I'm just having my sandwich. But. But I can see you just fine.
Thomas Cox
They had claimed that he would watch them, but Danny said he just liked to sit out front, relax in the shade.
Narrator
Are you almost finished with this renovation.
Thomas Cox
Or do you even know what you're doing?
Nick Edwards
Oh, man.
Narrator
Don't turn your back on me.
Thomas Cox
Hey, hey.
Nick Edwards
If you didn't pay attention to him and coddle him like a child, he would throw a temper tantrum about it.
Narrator
I said, don't turn your back on me. Hey, look at me when I'm speaking to you. Danny's aggression towards Jerry gets so loud that David can hear it from inside. Concerned with his neighbor's increasingly controlling behavior, he comes running out to see what the matter is. Danny, Danny, Danny, you need to back off.
Thomas Cox
Danny said that David pulled a knife on him.
Nick Edwards
I have no idea of what that is even coming from. David was the most passive, calm person I can honestly say I've ever seen. David mad. If he was upset, he kind of got quiet.
Thomas Cox
Danny had stepped back from the encounter, didn't call the police or anything, but withdrew. And by all accounts, they were able to put that behind him.
Danny Silvers
And.
Thomas Cox
It wasn't a problem at the time, but it was an event that certainly was on Danny's mind as time passes.
Narrator
While David and his family vehemently deny Danny's claim that a knife was pulled on him, it doesn't stop Danny from growing increasingly territorial. And in true Texas fashion, he has the means to protect his property.
Thomas Cox
Danny was a guy that had a handgun in his home. Texas, anybody can possess a gun. There's not any kind of a registration requirement or anything like that. There was this Previous accusation against Danny by these neighbors. They had claimed that he had pointed a gun at him, but Danny said that just flat out wasn't true. They offer you probation, you take the safer route, and that is you plead guilty to it. And that's what Danny did. He took two years of probation, lived it out just fine. But Danny maintains his innocence.
Nick Edwards
That.
Thomas Cox
That did not happen.
Narrator
As the feud escalates, a noticeable tension and fear hang over the neighborhood. And little do they know, it's just the beginning of what's to come.
Quiness Durham
Within the next month or so, it just escalated. It was very gruesome.
Nick Edwards
Things had started to progress down that slope, and it just. That snowball kept picking up speed.
Narrator
It's only been two months since Jerry Edwards and David Bailey moved closer to Teresa and Danny Silverstone, and the tension has become unbearable. Soon, every resident of the neighborhood seems to raise Danny's ire, including Quiness Durham and the people who visit his home.
Nick Edwards
He used to make the comment, it's making this area look trashy.
Narrator
You're selling dope.
Quiness Durham
Danny thought I was the drug dealer. He thought I was Pablo Escobar.
Nick Edwards
Mind your business, and you'd better stop.
Narrator
But Danny won't let it go. Later that day, Quiness gets an unexpected knock on the door.
Thomas Cox
Danny's interpretation of it was the guy selling drugs. And in fact, Danny called the police and reported the neighbor saying exactly that.
Quiness Durham
I had probably like six, seven police officers pull up on my home like it was just crazy.
Thomas Cox
So then the. It looked like the police went out to look into that allegation. As it turned out, it wasn't drug dealing after all.
Nick Edwards
Sorry to have bothered you.
Narrator
Aren't you gonna do anything?
Nick Edwards
There's no illegal activity going on in there.
Narrator
He's dealing drugs.
Thomas Cox
He got that wrong.
Nick Edwards
He's only dealing haircuts. After the police were at Quintus house, he was so convinced that it was all lies. No way. Nothing's going on over there.
Quiness Durham
For me to be accused to be a drug dealer, it was a huge stereotype.
Nick Edwards
He was like a dog with a bone for that poor kid. He honed in on that boy for no reason.
Narrator
According to Quiness, he has an encounter with Danny one night, which leaves him in fear for his life.
Quiness Durham
Mr. Danny basically came through and pulled up on me in his white truck on the back alley and confronted me with his shotgun, like, what are you doing around here? You know, I see you jumping that fence, boy.
Nick Edwards
I'm just going to the store, okay? I'm just going to the store.
Quiness Durham
I Was taking a shortcut. I was trying to calm him down, and I'm just like, yeah, that's my house. We just moved there. He just had a whole bunch of questions as far as where we're doing next or where we're going. And be careful. You can't be doing this and doing that.
Nick Edwards
That probably scared the heck out of that poor boy. Probably made him fearful to even live there.
Quiness Durham
It was pretty like. It was pretty. Pretty horrible. He's very territorial as far as the neighborhood being his.
Narrator
But Danny has a different recollection of events now.
Thomas Cox
Danny says he didn't do that.
Narrator
Danny won't let anyone disrupt the peace on the street he cherishes. Jerry and David don't know how much longer they can put up with him. They question whether moving into what they were hoping to be their dream home was the right choice. Regardless of what their feelings may be, it soon becomes clear that this clash of neighbors has reached the point of no return.
Thomas Cox
The day that this incident happened was not simply an isolated incident. It was the culmination of a series of things between neighbors.
Narrator
But for now, the morning of October 23, 2017, seems like any other.
Nick Edwards
There was no worries in my life at all that morning when I got up to go to work.
Narrator
As Nick goes off to work for the day, Danny is outside doing some work of his own.
Thomas Cox
Danny had washed his truck, wiped it down, had the windows down so it would air out. You know, he had gone over the interior and everything.
Narrator
Danny working outside doesn't go unnoticed by Jerry.
Quiness Durham
I thought you were going to water.
Nick Edwards
The garden this morning.
Narrator
I don't want to work outside while he's there. I can't be bothered. I'm going to work out back. But Danny soon finishes up washing his pride and joy.
Thomas Cox
He went in the house. Jerry had come out and put the lawn sprinkler out.
Narrator
And according to Danny, the water coming out of Jerry's sprinkler crosses more than just the property line.
Nick Edwards
Mom said, I was watering the lawn and water got on his truck. He came out cussing and screaming at me because I got water on his truck.
Thomas Cox
And because Danny had left the windows down, that meant it was sprinkling the inside of his truck. Hey, hey, hey.
Narrator
Get your ass out of here.
Nick Edwards
Mom said, shut up. It's only water.
Narrator
What about my truck? Shove your truck and you know where you can shove it.
Nick Edwards
My mom was not a happy camper.
Quiness Durham
She was heated, and it was a lot of talking and arguing and yelling to where you could stand outside and literally literally hear it.
Nick Edwards
I said one of these days I'm gonna all three of you.
Narrator
Jerry and Danny are both reaching their breaking point. The only question now is who will snap first?
Quiness Durham
Foreign.
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Quiness Durham
It'S not.
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Narrator
To Jerry and David, it seems like Danny is looking for any excuse to start a fight just so he can escalate it. Attorney Thomas Cox explained.
Thomas Cox
Explains Basically, the friction was making things worse and worse.
Narrator
And for Danny, a few drops of water is gasoline on the fire.
Thomas Cox
Danny went and he called the police.
Nick Edwards
When I came back, cops were there.
Narrator
Officer, I don't understand. How is that a crime? It was an accident. It's vandalism.
Nick Edwards
You got no respect for my property. Of course it's a crime.
Thomas Cox
I don't believe it is.
Quiness Durham
You can see Danny and you can see Jerry arguing and the police there in between, you know, trying to de escalate everything.
Thomas Cox
Obviously the cops basically told everybody to calm down.
Nick Edwards
The cops, well, we can't do anything. He hasn't done anything. So he threatened to shoot us. He has a gun.
Thomas Cox
The Baileys said, hey, Danny threatened my life. But Danny said that just flat out wasn't true.
Nick Edwards
I said, well, if he does shoot, call us. I said, it's gonna be hard to do and we're dead.
Narrator
Keep in mind the police know that Danny pleaded guilty to a prior charge and was on probation for two years after pointing his gun at another neighbor.
Thomas Cox
They told everybody, go in your house, stay in your house.
Narrator
But the law enforcement's inaction only exacerbates Danny's frustration.
Thomas Cox
That's what's frustrating Danny. The cops aren't doing anything about this, and it's gonna be a problem. And unfortunately, that's exactly what it was gonna become.
Narrator
Our producers were provided the body cam footage of the responding officers to Danny's 911 call. Listen to their conversation after everyone has gone back into their homes.
Quiness Durham
They got.
Nick Edwards
They got water on his driveway.
Narrator
What'd she say?
Nick Edwards
Well, she got.
Quiness Durham
She.
Nick Edwards
She used water in the yard. She got the drywall wet. If you got upset because. Well, she.
Quiness Durham
Apparently there's not all that she got wet. Apparently, she got the truck wet, too.
Narrator
Yeah.
Nick Edwards
So truck is wet.
Quiness Durham
Yeah.
Narrator
Just tell her to just turn her.
Quiness Durham
Back when she's watering the yard next time.
Nick Edwards
Well, I think it's the sprinkler. Well, she needs to bring the sprinkler back up. That's what it was. That's what it was, a sprinkler. She didn't do it on purpose. She left the sprinkler going, and she came in regardless. It don't matter. It's water.
Quiness Durham
When you tell them, if they don't.
Nick Edwards
Like it, they just put a fence up.
Narrator
After giving their warnings and discussing the issues amongst themselves, the police leave the neighborhood. But even though everyone is inside, separated from each other as the day drags on under the hot Texan son, anger and resentment only continues to grow.
Thomas Cox
Danny was frustrated by the police response. Basically, they didn't address the issue. They didn't do anything about the fact that Jerry was encroaching on his rights as a property owner.
Nick Edwards
She was like, oh, I can't stand that motherfucker.
Narrator
Nick realizes he's forgotten something outside and walks back to a. Towards the front door. That's when he sees Danny outside again. Nick decides to give him a piece of his mind once and for all.
Nick Edwards
He said, danny, I have nothing to say to you. Leave me the alone. We have nothing to talk about. But you threatened my mother. Men don't threaten women like that. I said cowards do that. You are now officially under the piece of shit category with me. If you want to fight with somebody so bad. I'm a grown man. If that's what you want.
Thomas Cox
Nick went ahead and challenged Danny to a fight, which keep in mind that Nick's, what, 30, 40 years younger? So that wasn't going to happen. Danny going and accepting the challenge to go fight in the street.
Narrator
Clean up your mama's mess. What's going on here, Mom?
Nick Edwards
I got this telling mom, just go in the house, go in the house.
Narrator
Just stay away from me though. Recently, the soundscape on Halifax Court has been those of power drills, sledgehammers, buzz saws, and arguing neighbors. On October 23, 2017, a new sound joins the orchestra in a rare fear thy neighbor exclusive. We were able to sit down with Danny Silvers in prison to hear about what happened that fateful night. Here is his perspective when they come at me.
Danny Silvers
And more aggressive hollering and cussing louder. Getting loud belligerents, all three of them threatening, beat my old ass up. And saying a lot of stuff like that and stuff I'm not going to say right now. It happened. I started shooting at him. I didn't think something like this would ever, ever, ever happen, man.
Thomas Cox
He called his wife and he told her, hey, the neighbors just attacked me. I had to shoot them.
Danny Silvers
We have lived there for 26 years. Not very many problems. I never thought this kind of stuff would happen.
Thomas Cox
And he called 911.
Narrator
What you're about to hear is the real audio of Danny's call to 911 following the shooting of his neighbors.
Nick Edwards
911, where's the emergency?
Danny Silvers
How fast forward? Cedar Hill got three people downed.
Thomas Cox
If it's about the gunshots, we're getting units heading that way.
Danny Silvers
Well, you better get three ambulances out here.
Narrator
By the time police respond to the scene, Nick is clinging to life. He's been shot three times.
Nick Edwards
You can only imagine what it feels like. Remember feeling the burn.
Thomas Cox
The two sides disagree as to what happened. While the Baileys claimed that they stayed on their property and all they were doing is saying things Danny said. That's not true. Danny said it was them coming around and coming onto his property while making threats while saying they were going to attack him. That caused Danny to pick up the gun and use it.
Narrator
Following the shooting, Nick is briefly paralyzed. After repairs to his spinal cord, he is released from the hospital with his own version of the story to tell.
Nick Edwards
I was like, let's go. You have your option. We can go out there right now. We can handle this and settle it and it'll be done. Actually, I remember is he said, the hell with this, and he pulled out his gun and started popping rounds.
Narrator
While the two sides disagree about what led to the bloodshed, one thing is for certain. Danny Silvers is successful in shooting all three of his Nick, David and Jerry. Nick recalls what that horrible moment was like.
Nick Edwards
Mom tried to go towards the door. David tried to go to the left. I then noticed my mother was laying on the ground. And I remember grabbing the grass and dragging myself to her. All I could do is I just reached for her. And then I heard David. I could hear David and I could hear that he was injured. So I knew at that point he had been shot. And he's yelling out at Danny, why did you shoot me? Why'd you shoot my wife? Danny, why did you do this? I remember telling David, be quiet. He's going to kill us.
Narrator
Though David is still able to call out, and Nick has dragged himself to his mother. Jerry, Nothing they do can save her.
Nick Edwards
As I was holding my mom's hand, I heard some people call it the death rattle. I didn't. I didn't know that at the time. Subconsciously, I already knew she was gone. It just hadn't registered yet. The next thing I remember was I was in the back of an ambulance. I heard. I was looking up at this guy and then, where are we going? To the hospital. Why? You've been shot. I don't care. Where's my mother? And nobody could answer my questions.
Narrator
Jerry is pronounced dead at the scene.
Nick Edwards
Just insane.
Narrator
It was.
Nick Edwards
It was. It was real, but it wasn't real. It just. And it was like I was. Like I was outside of myself watching it on TV or something. I couldn't break it. I could not end it. That nightmare, that dream you just can't wake up from.
Narrator
Along with Nick, David survives the shooting. Danny Silvers admits to police that he was the shooter and is promptly arrested and charged with one count of murder and two counts of aggravated assault.
Thomas Cox
I was sitting in my office one day when I got a call from Danny's wife, Teresa, who said that her husband was in jail, charged with murder. And that's how my involvement with the case began.
Narrator
Thomas Cox, who you've been hearing from throughout this episode, serves as Danny's legal counsel for his trial. He offers a bit of insight into what was going on in Danny's mind that night.
Thomas Cox
Danny believed that his actions, he was in the right, and so he waived his rights and told the police he did it and you know, he did it in self defense.
Danny Silvers
And if Cedar Hill Police Department would have done something, this would never happen. Probably Cedar Hill Police Department did not do their job. All they did is smacked him on the hand and said, get in the house and don't come back out. Like they told me to do the same thing. It wouldn't have never happened if Cedar Hill would have charged him for trespassing and terroristic threats.
Thomas Cox
So anytime somebody shoots someone else and claims self defense, that's always going to be a jury trial. That's exactly what happened here. We took it to trial because basically the only other option being pleading guilty to murder and accepting some sentence that for Danny would probably be the rest of his life in prison. That made it an easy choice.
Narrator
Believing his actions on October 23, 2017 were justified, Danny Silvers takes the stand. During his trial, Danny told the jury.
Thomas Cox
That he was on his property, he was minding his own business and they came around onto his property attacking him.
Narrator
But based on the evidence presented at that trial, the jury disagrees with Danny's recollection of that day's events. He is found guilty and sentenced to prison.
Danny Silvers
They charged me with giving me 35 years. I mean I'm 75 here.
Nick Edwards
He'll never walk the streets as a free man again due to his age and his medical conditions. I'm glad that he's facing a punishment. I'm glad that he's got to sit there.
Narrator
Even still, Nick was hoping for a different outcome.
Nick Edwards
I was under the impression in the state of Texas that if there was more than one witness and with certain things that had happened, comments that were made to other people from Danny himself, that it became a premeditated case which in turn should have caused it to be a capital murder case, which is death row in the state of Texas. But they did not charge him that. I was a little disappointed with that.
Narrator
Following her husband's incarceration, Teresa Silvers moves away from Halifax Court.
Thomas Cox
She certainly hadn't done anything wrong, but she ended up putting the house up for sale and moving out of town.
Narrator
After this incident, some neighbors, like Gwynne S. Durham, also wanted to leave the neighborhood following the shooting.
Quiness Durham
And everyone wanted to basically move away and get away from the city because you know, the man was crazy. And that was my first like traumatic experience. Like all three of my neighbors just get taken out that quick following the shooting.
Narrator
Life is a constant struggle for Nick and David, mentally and physically.
Nick Edwards
I stuck around for a little while after everything happened and I couldn't sit there, could not sit in that house. Every single thing in that house my mom was involved with that we all built and created in this home. And everywhere you look it's just another reminder and just ease it and eats at you can't go to sleep because you're in pain. You can't get out of bed because you're in pain. I had to get away from the house, so I came down here to Austin visit. That's all I needed to get away.
Narrator
David decides to stay put in his home, but sadly, tragedy finds him once more.
Nick Edwards
David ended up getting a roommate. I'm not sure 100% of all the details, but this guy apparently pulled a gun on David and shot him in the same damn house with one of the rounds. Completely shattered his arm in half. The guy ended up turning the gun on himself, killing himself.
Narrator
This time, David succumbs to his injuries. Sitting behind the glass of the prison interview room, Danny Silvers expresses some measure of regret.
Danny Silvers
I didn't want that to happen. I never thought in my life that I would shoot somebody like that man, if I could take it back. I know you can't. But by golly, it was hell is hell. Now.
Narrator
Whether that regret is for the lives he took or because he's now staring down the barrel of spending the rest of his life in prison, it's up to you.
Danny Silvers
There's nothing you can say to help something like that. You know, it's done. It's done.
Narrator
Though Danny seems remorseful, Nick isn't forgiving.
Nick Edwards
It may be bad, and people say, you know, you're supposed to forgive. Let go and forgive. I'm sorry. I do not forgive. I have no forgiveness in my mind, body or soul for that man. I wish him as much pain and misery that can ever be brought upon somebody. I hope he hurts.
Narrator
Even with the knowledge that his mother's killer will remain behind bars for the rest of his natural life, Nick finds himself in a prison of his own.
Nick Edwards
That day relives in my head every day. I'd like to tell you that there's a day that I don't think about it. That would be such a great feeling to have that peace for a moment that it's not there in my eyes. I lost my whole life.
Narrator
This podcast is produced by Cream Productions in association with Fremantle Media and id. You can check out Free Fear Thy Neighbor on Macs, Discovery plus and id.
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Podcast Information:
"Fear Thy Neighbor" delves into the unsettling transformation of a peaceful neighborhood in Cedar Hill, Texas, where a simple home renovation spirals into a tragic conflict. The episode "Renovation Rage" narrates the downfall of neighborly relations, culminating in a violent confrontation that forever alters the lives of those involved.
The story centers around two families living on Halifax Court:
The Edwards Family:
The Silvers Family:
Notable Quote:
Thomas Cox: "Cedar Hill is actually a fairly small town that's nestled into Dallas county. It was a traditional neighborhood where everybody knew everybody." [03:58]
Initially, the Edwards and Silvers bond over their mutual love for the tranquil cul-de-sac. Jerry and David purchase Jerry's former house next door, planning to renovate it extensively. While the move brings proximity, it also tightens their bond with the Silvers.
Notable Quotes:
Nick Edwards: "They actually hung out together, you know, and sit around, drink beers and stuff together." [07:13]
Thomas Cox: "There was a normal, healthy, friendly neighbor relationship." [07:08]
As renovations commence, the inevitable noise, dust, and debris become a strain. Danny Silver, appreciating order and tranquility, grows increasingly irritated by the controlled chaos next door. This frustration is exacerbated when construction materials begin to encroach onto his property.
Notable Quotes:
Danny Silvers: "They're stripping out this house, rehabbing it. They're making noise. They're leaving trash sitting around." [10:23]
Nick Edwards: "Danny knew that they were going to fix the place up. I think he was surprised and thrown off, I guess, by how much actually goes into renovating a house. And I think that pissed him off." [10:35]
Danny's dissatisfaction turns into antagonism. He begins to monitor the renovations closely, enforcing property boundaries aggressively. Attempts by Jerry to maintain peace only heighten Danny's suspicions, especially towards new neighbor Quiness Durham.
Notable Quotes:
Thomas Cox: "Danny's personality type was obeying the law and also expecting other people in the neighborhood to do the same." [09:29]
Quiness Durham: "When we first moved into the neighborhood, it was from that time period on, he's just been keeping an eye on me." [09:15]
Nick Edwards: "He'd be outside all the time in the neighborhood, just sitting out on the bench drinking Beer in the shade." [08:52]
The situation deteriorates further when Jerry inadvertently waters her lawn, causing water to spill onto Danny's prized pickup truck. The confrontation becomes heated, with Danny accusing Jerry of disrespecting his property. Attempts to de-escalate fail, leading to increased hostility.
Notable Quotes:
Nick Edwards: "He made it seem like he was Mr. Tough Guy. That's the kind of feeling it was." [09:27]
Thomas Cox: "Danny was frustrated by the police response. Basically, they didn't address the issue." [34:24]
On October 23, 2017, tensions culminate in a violent encounter. As Danny confronts Jerry over the sprinkler incident, emotions flare uncontrollably. In the ensuing chaos, Danny pulls out his gun, leading to a tragic shooting where Nick is critically injured, and Jerry is killed on the spot.
Notable Quotes:
Danny Silvers: "I started shooting at him. I didn't think something like this would ever, ever, ever happen, man." [35:55]
Nick Edwards: "I was telling mom, just go in the house, go in the house." [35:19]
Danny Silvers is arrested and charged with murder and aggravated assault. During his trial, he claims self-defense, asserting that his neighbors were encroaching upon his property and threatening him. However, evidence and witness testimonies contradict his account, leading to his conviction and a 35-year sentence.
Notable Quotes:
Thomas Cox: "Danny believes that his actions, he was in the right, and so he waived his rights and told the police he did it in self-defense." [40:06]
Nick Edwards: "I'm glad that he's facing a punishment. I'm glad that he's got to sit there." [41:08]
The Edwards family struggles to cope with the loss and trauma. Nick battles physical injuries and profound emotional scars, while David, surviving the initial shooting, later falls victim to another violent incident involving a roommate, leading to his untimely death.
Notable Quotes:
Nick Edwards: "That day relives in my head every day. I'd like to tell you that there's a day that I don't think about it. That would be such a great feeling to have that peace for a moment that it's not there in my eyes." [44:53]
Danny Silvers: "I didn't want that to happen. I never thought in my life that I would shoot somebody like that man, if I could take it back." [43:57]
"Renovation Rage" serves as a poignant exploration of how minor disputes can escalate into catastrophic violence. The episode underscores the fragility of neighborly relations and the devastating consequences that can arise when misunderstandings and frustrations go unchecked.
Notable Transformations:
Final Reflections:
The episode highlights the importance of communication and conflict resolution in maintaining harmony within communities. It serves as a cautionary tale about how quickly peaceful circumstances can unravel when empathy is replaced by suspicion and resentment.
Thomas Cox [03:58]: "Cedar Hill is actually a fairly small town that's nestled into Dallas county. It was a traditional neighborhood where everybody knew everybody."
Nick Edwards [07:13]: "They actually hung out together, you know, and sit around, drink beers and stuff together."
Danny Silvers [35:55]: "I started shooting at him. I didn't think something like this would ever, ever, ever happen, man."
Nick Edwards [44:53]: "That day relives in my head every day. I'd like to tell you that there's a day that I don't think about it. That would be such a great feeling to have that peace for a moment that it's not there in my eyes."
This comprehensive summary encapsulates the key events, emotional dynamics, and profound impacts of the "Renovation Rage" episode, offering listeners a thorough understanding of this harrowing true story.