Podcast Summary

Podcast: Murder: True Crime Stories

Episode: SOLVED: The Lake Waco Murders 2
Host: Carter Roy
Date: October 2, 2025

Episode Overview

In this episode, host Carter Roy concludes a two-part examination of the infamous Lake Waco murders, a brutal 1982 triple homicide that devastated the Texas community. While the case was ultimately "solved," Carter probes the questionable tactics investigators employed, the shaky evidence used to convict four men—two of whom were sentenced to death—and the lingering doubts that continue to haunt the case decades later. The narrative extends to the aftermath, including a shocking murder tied to the case, wrongful convictions, and a reckoning with the justice system’s failures.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Background: The Lake Waco Murders and Initial Investigation

• Victims: Jill Montgomery (17), Raylan Rice (17), Kenneth Franks (18) – found stabbed to death near Lake Waco, Texas, July 1982.
• Initial Investigation: No strong leads. The case was shelved ("marked as inactive") until Patrol Sergeant Truman Simons lobbied to take over.
• Simons’ Entry (04:25): Simons confidently told the chief he could solve it “in a week,” quickly fixating on suspect Munir Deeb, a local store owner with insurance on Jill's lookalike, Gail Kelly.

“He knew Deeb was involved. He just had to prove it.” — Carter Roy (06:09)

2. Truman Simons’ Unorthodox Methods

• Going Undercover: Simons quit the police, took a job as a jailer to befriend suspect David Spence—an unusual move meant to extract a confession.

• Relationship with Spence: Spence, dealing with personal and mental health issues, became close with Simons during graveyard shifts but never directly confessed.

• Use of Jailhouse Informants: Simons cultivated informants, frequently relying on claims that Spence had confessed to the murders. These stories shifted, reflecting contradictory details and potentially incentivized testimony.

“I had a gut feeling about Spence, and I wasn’t going to ignore it.” — Carter Roy, paraphrasing Simons’ attitude (09:21)

3. The Jailhouse Cascade & First Break in the Case

• Gilbert Melendez Involvement: Initially denied, then confessed (under pressure) to being at the scene, implicating Spence and his brother Tony. Stories changed with each telling, raising doubts.
• Bite Mark Evidence: The DA’s office introduced forensic odontology (bite mark analysis) as physical evidence linking Spence to the scene—later widely discredited as “junk science.”

“He believed the bite marks on the victims were an almost perfect match for Spence’s teeth.” (17:46)

4. The Prosecutions and Convictions

• Grand Jury Indictments: Deeb, both Melendez brothers, and Spence were all charged with three counts of murder.

• Trials:

  • David Spence: Found guilty in under two hours, sentenced to death based heavily on jailhouse testimonies and bite mark “science.”
  • Tony and Gilbert Melendez: Plea deals for life, with Gilbert testifying against Deeb.
  • Munir Deeb: Also convicted and sentenced to death, primarily on the testimony of co-defendants and informants.

• Defense Obstacles:

  • Unable to introduce evidence implicating other suspects.
  • Attacks on the reliability of bite mark evidence and jailhouse snitches fell flat with jury.

5. Aftermath: Juanita White’s Murder & The Pattern Repeats

• Juanita White (David Spence’s mother): Murdered in 1986 in a crime eerily similar to the Lake Waco killings (beaten, raped, bitten, suffocated).
  • Truman Simons again led the investigation, relied on jailhouse informants, secured bite mark evidence against suspects Calvin Washington and Joe Sidney Williams.
  • Janet Price, a skeptical detective, argued evidence pointed to another man, Benny Carroll, but was ignored and even threatened by the DA.

"She believed the prosecution’s case was fabricated and that they knew it, but they went ahead with it anyways because they wanted a quick conviction.” (28:32, Carter Roy quoting Price’s affidavit)

6. Overturned Convictions and Lasting Doubts

• Williams & Washington: Both convictions eventually reversed after years in prison; DNA exonerated Washington and implicated Benny Carroll, the man Price suspected all along.

• Reexamination of Lake Waco Case:

  • Simons’ methods called into question: incentivized informants, possibly feeding them details.
  • Informants recanted, admitting stories were concocted for favors.

• Final Outcomes:

  • Munir Deeb’s conviction overturned in 1993, released, maintained innocence until his death.
  • David Spence executed in 1997, still proclaiming innocence.
  • Gilbert Melendez died in prison; Anthony Melendez, too, after seeking posthumous DNA testing.
  • DNA evidence in Juanita White’s case directly implicated Carroll, as Price had said.

"The truth is, we may never know who really killed Jill Montgomery, Raylan Rice, and Kenneth Franks.” (35:05)

7. Reflections on Justice

• Accelerated, high-pressure investigations traded thoroughness for closure, inflicting lasting harm on families, communities, and likely innocent men.
• Forensic “junk science” and incentivized testimony contributed to wrongful convictions.

"It's easy to say they got the wrong men. It's harder to say who the right ones might have been. But after four decades...we know one thing: the system failed." — Carter Roy (36:21)

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• “People's lives are like a story. There's a beginning, a middle and an end... But you don't always know which part you're on.” — Carter Roy (02:20)
• “He'd made a promise to the victims, and he intended to keep it.” — Carter Roy on Simons (06:37)
• “If it meant saving his own life, he'd throw Spence under the bus without a second thought.” — Carter Roy (13:42)
• “The real impact came when the bite mark expert testified. He told the jury that a bite mark is like a fingerprint. It's completely unique...” (19:11)
• “She questioned the credibility of the prosecution's witnesses. In a sworn affidavit, she said... they wanted a quick conviction.” (28:32)
• “...one thing: the system failed.” — Carter Roy (36:21)

Key Segment Timestamps

• [04:25] Background and Simons' early suspicions
• [06:09] Simons targets Deeb and Spence
• [09:21] Simons works as jailer; Spence’s mental state
• [13:42] Gilbert Melendez's confession and plea bargaining
• [17:46] DA doubles down on bite mark evidence
• [19:11] Trials: reliance on jailhouse informants, bite marks
• [25:54] Juanita White’s murder and ensuing investigation
• [28:32] Janet Price’s opposition; suspected wrongful convictions
• [33:20] Overturned convictions, new DNA evidence
• [35:05] Enduring doubts and unresolved questions
• [36:21] Closing reflection: “the system failed”

Conclusion

The episode weaves together a complex story of justice pursued at all costs—sometimes at the expense of the truth. Carter Roy challenges listeners to grapple with the uncertainty left behind: four decades, multiple convictions, heartbreaking murders, recanted confessions, and a system unable to guarantee justice for victims or the accused. The “solved” case of the Lake Waco murders is, in Carter’s words, “a tangle of confessions, deals, and testimonies that don't quite line up,” and perhaps one of justice denied on all sides.