He Went to Sleep Forever

Summary

Paper Ghosts: The Texas Teen Murders

Episode: "He Went to Sleep Forever" (December 3, 2025)

Host: M. William Phelps (Investigative Journalist)
Featured Guests: Patricia Springer (journalist/author), Mel Mitchell (private investigator), Weatherford Police Lt. Johnny Quals

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Episode Overview

This episode reopens the Wendy Robinson case, examining its striking parallels with the unsolved 1983 murders of teenagers Shelly and Vincent in Weatherford, Texas. Host M. William Phelps and guests meticulously trace the timeline, delve into investigative missteps, revisit the wrongful focus on serial killer Ricky Lee Green, and follow new leads that challenge decades-old assumptions about who killed Wendy—and possibly about a broader web of teen deaths plaguing the area.

---

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. The Disappearance and Discovery of Wendy Robinson

• Wendy Robinson, 19, was last seen July 8, 1987, at "the Wall," a popular hangout at Lake Weatherford (04:19).

• Her car, a Monte Carlo (same as driven by Shelly and Vincent), was found abandoned the next morning. Initially, friends, family, and police noticed the car wasn’t present during the first search, suggesting it was moved post-abduction—a crucial similarity to Shelly and Vincent's case (05:54, 07:03).

  Phelps: "Here's a similarity we see in Vincent and Shelly's case. You have a murder victim's car found in a place where scores of people reported it had not been previously, as if her killer had moved it." (06:00)

• Wendy was found three days later, on July 11, in front of a cattle guard on a remote ranch. She was bound and decomposed, still wearing a bathing suit and shorts (08:09).

• The community was shaken:

  Springer: "It was like shock waves going through the community. No one could believe it... It was scary for parents and scary for young women." (10:29)

2. Early Investigation and Connections to Other Cases

• Wendy’s case, similar in victimology and crime-scene oddities, prompted speculation of a connection with Shelly and Vincent’s murders. The possibility of a local serial killer, drug-related crimes, and even involvement from individuals connected to law enforcement were all discussed (11:44, 44:43).
• The rumor mill cited everything from jealous rivals and meth dealers to a local businessman involved in human trafficking, but no firm leads emerged (11:44).

3. Ricky Lee Green: Confession and Recantation

• Serial killer Ricky Lee Green, notorious for brutal killings in the area, confessed to Wendy's murder. He admitted guilt hoping to get his father (a drug dealer) a better deal on unrelated charges (15:04).

• Law enforcement and the community quickly latched onto his confession:

  Springer: "He thought, 'they've got me on four [murders], you know, why not? What's one more?'" (15:04)

• But, crucially, Green later recanted, and evidence never matched his known methods (17:47). He always used knives—not blunt force as with Wendy.

• Serial killers’ pathological lying and bargaining were highlighted; Green maintained his innocence regarding Wendy—and others—up until his execution. The host describes this orchestrated confession/recantation phenomenon, tying it to the broader problem of false confessions (20:10–21:38).

  Springer (on Green's denial): "[He] denied it. And right before he went to the Walls unit to be executed, I asked him for one last time, will you please tell me if you kill Wendy Robinson? And he said, no, I did not." (25:01)

  Green's last words: "I do want to tell the family that I am sorry, but killing me is not going to solve nothing. I really do not believe that if Jesus were here tonight that he would execute me. Thank you Lord. I am finished." (26:37)

• Notable Reflection: Even with Green executed, frustration lingered among families and authorities for lack of answers and definitive closure (27:51).

4. Investigative Rabbit Holes, Community Pain, and Cold Case Complexity

• Miscommunication, jurisdictional rivalry, and missed investigative opportunities plagued the case:

  Former Weatherford Police Chief Elwood Hohertz: "Winifred wasn't supposed to be investigating it, but did not want that case. Body was found out in the county, and really nobody knows if she's a deputy up this lake or that... so I had to let my detectives take the case." (43:26)

• Cold Case Perspective:

  • The importance of not letting rumors or easy narratives drive investigations, but instead following evidence (38:28–41:45).

  • Families’ heartbreak and the way lack of answers breeds misinformation and speculation:

    Lt. Johnny Quals: "People ... wanted to do their part. They didn't want to lose sleep at night by not passing it on ... But, you can't share all that information..." (39:46–41:10)

    "When they don't get the answer ... it frustrates them... that results in some of the ... speculation and misinformation being spread." (41:10)

5. Critical New Developments: The Real Suspects Emerge

• A break came when a man’s daughter reported her father, Ricky Lee Adkins, confessed his involvement in Wendy’s murder (48:32).
• Adkins was a known presence at Lake Weatherford at the time (48:56).
• Police linked him to a composite sketch related to a robbery the same day as Wendy’s abduction—her belongings were found with the robbery victim's wallet (44:43–49:17).
• This new information, and the lack of evidence tying Green to Wendy (she was bludgeoned, not stabbed), steered the investigation away from the serial killer and toward local suspects (46:03–46:40).

---

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On confronting Green about Wendy's murder:
  • Springer: "I told him that I wanted to know about Wendy Robinson. And he just smiled and said, 'I didn’t kill her.' ... every time I asked him, and I interviewed him for three years, every time I asked him, he denied it." (25:01)
• On the execution:
  • Springer: "It really is like they just go to sleep. ... I was prepared ... and then he just went to sleep forever." (26:10)
• On investigative mistakes:
  • Springer: "Very few were listening to what the evidence dictated. Most were stuck on the obvious. A serial killer says he did it, then I guess he did it. They took Greene at his word, a huge mistake." (46:40)
• Community pain and rumors:
  • Lt. Quals: "People fill in the blanks... it just causes more confusion." (41:35)
• Discovery of new suspect (Ricky Lee Adkins):
  • Springer: "Her father had confessed to her that he was part of the murder of Wendy Robinson in Weatherford. ... the pieces start to fit." (48:32–49:17)

---

Timestamps for Key Segments

• Wendy's disappearance and initial investigation – 04:19–10:48
• Serial killer Ricky Lee Green focus, confession, and recantation – 13:19–21:38
• Springer confronts Green, execution, and aftermath – 25:01–27:51
• Investigation gets bogged down, police rivalries, and suspect composite – 43:26–46:40
• Green ruled out, new suspect (Adkins) emerges – 48:32–49:29
• Notable details about Wendy's car and the evidence trail – 31:59–36:51
• Reflection on the nature of cold case work and community trauma – 38:28–42:48

---

Episode Tone & Language

The tone is sober, analytical, empathetic, and often indignant, especially when discussing investigative failures, the pain endured by families, and the tenacity required to work cold cases in the face of misinformation and dead ends.

---

Conclusion

This episode reveals how easy answers—such as blaming a local serial killer—can derail murder investigations for years, especially when law enforcement and community hunger for closure outpace the evidence. The emergence of a credible new suspect demonstrates the critical importance of following leads, even decades later, and listening to both physical evidence and family intuition. The systematic, human-centered focus of Phelps and his guests brings both clarity and emotional gravity to the enduring mystery of the Texas Teen Murders.

---

For more, listen to the next episode, where new leads shed further light on what—and who—might have been behind these chilling crimes.

Transcript

[A]

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[B]

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[D]

Only one of you will leave here.

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With an IFIT contract worth $250,000.

[B]

This is where mindset comes in.

[D]

Someone will be eliminated.

[C]

Pressure is coming down.

[A]

This is Trainer.

[E]

Watch it on prime video. Starting January 8th.

[C]

Come for the black Friday seasonal savings stay for the award winning reporting. For a limited time access to the Washington Post is just 99 cents. That's unlimited access to all of the posts for only 99 cents every four weeks. That's a great deal for the first year. After that it'll cost $12 every four weeks. You can cancel anytime. But don't wait. This Black Friday seasonal offer won't be here for long. Go to washingtonpost.com iheart and grab this deal before it's gone. That's washingtonpost.com iheart.

[F]

Shh.

[G]

You won't believe what my new friend just told me about dinosaurs.

[A]

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[B]

Previously on Paper Ghosts.

[G]

Shelly had scratches all over her arms.

[B]

And her right side.

[G]

I didn't see the left side, but both arms were scratched, her hands were scratched and her right side was scratched.

[B]

And up on her neck.

[F]

You know, we don't have the advantage of going back in time and making that a more organized operation. We can't go back and time and fix any of that or preserve anything that maybe they didn't think or know to preserve back then that might be important today. So you really have to set out on a facts finding mission.

[D]

And when I talked to Elwood about it, he's like, yeah, we had done a polygraph on and he failed two questions. And you know, when I wanted to go back and question some more was like, no, brought the attorney in. She's like, you'll never talk to him again. And we never did.

[B]

My name is M. William Phelps. I'm an investigative journalist and the New York Times best selling author of dozens of true crime books. This is season five of paper, the Texas Teen Murders.

Fat.

[C]

Hi.

[G]

Hi.

[B]

Oh, apologies for the mix up.

[G]

That's okay. I can't get out of that chair.

[E]

Apologies.

[G]

Did you get something to eat?

[B]

No.

[G]

Why didn't you stop and grab something?

[E]

I'll eat later.

[B]

No worries. Oh, then there was some. There was some construction and. Oh, I know one simple mix up can create chaos and havoc. My initial meeting with radio journalist and author Patricia Springer came close to not happening at all. Within a case as complex as this one, chance encounters and unforeseen connections can make all the difference in the world of investigative journalism. You can plan all you want, trying to make certain everything is in place, and yet a slight oversight can throw everything off course.

Cold case work can at times feel like you're diving down a bottomless rabbit hole. And yet you have to keep in mind, always, that breakthroughs can sometimes be behind just one open door. On July 8, 1987, four years after Shelly and Vincent's murders, 19 year old Wendy Robinson, a classmate of Vincent and Shelley, parked her vehicle at the Wall, a popular hangout at Lake Weatherford for sunbathing, swimming and partying. Wendy's plan, as far as anyone knew, was to hang out, get some sun and meet up with a few friends. But Wendy never made it home and her father, knowing his daughter would not just take off without telling someone, was worried sick. And so he reported her missing that same night. A 19 year old not coming home might not seem like a situation to panic over if we're being objective. But in Wendy's case, there was reason to be concerned right away. And Patricia Springer knows this case inside and out. I don't think there is anyone outside of law enforcement more knowledgeable about it. She has spent close to the past four decades of researching every nuance of it.

And so how long is she missing?

[G]

She was missing for several days.

[B]

In murder investigations with multiple victims, you look for connections and parallels. Wendy Robinson drove the almost identical vehicle, a Monte Carlo that Vincent and Shelly were driving on the night of their murders. The Weatherford Police Department found Wendy's car abandoned by the Lake Weatherford wall the next morning. At first, nothing seemed to be amiss, with the exception that it appeared Wendy parked, grabbed her things for a day at the lake and never returned to her vehicle. The problem was, during a search by friends, family and police on the night she went missing, Wendy's car was not in the parking lot. So, again, here's a similarity we see in Vincent and Shelly's case. You have a murder victim's car found in a place where scores of people reported it had not been previously, as if her killer had moved it. So she's 19. So she is an adult at the time.

[G]

Right.

[B]

But she's not known to, like, go somewhere and not call home.

[G]

No, this was very unusual. Her father, Jim, was ill, and he had a condition where he had to eat on a regular schedule and so forth. And Wendy always fixed his lunch for him each day, and she never came home.

[B]

And that's when they probably knew.

[G]

They knew something was wrong then, but really not until she just never came home that night.

[B]

I hear this all the time from families of the missing. The ringing of an alarm deep in their intuition. Someone is not where they're supposed to be at a certain time. Hours pass, and every cell in your body as a family member is screaming that the worst has happened or something very close to it. And unfortunately for Wendy's family, they were right. Wendy disappeared on July 8, 1987, and was found three days later on July 11. And so where is she found?

[G]

She's found in front of a cattle guard on a ranch out in the country around Weatherford in Parker County.

[B]

And how was she found? Who finds her?

[G]

There's a man that worked on that ranch that found her body laying there. He had gone to enter the ranch, and that's when he discovered her. It was in the middle of nowhere. There were no houses around or anything.

[B]

The ranch where Wendy was found sits on a stock of flatland, or as they say in Texas, level land, dense brush and shrubbery, with trees as far as the eye can see. It's a very remote area. Farm and ranch country. The road itself is two lanes, extremely narrow, with no street lights at night, the only source of light would be from the moon.

How was her body discovered? What's the crime scene look like?

[G]

Well, her body was very decomposed by then. This is July in Texas, which means it's close to 100 degrees, if not 100 degrees. So he wasn't real sure what he was looking at at. And then he finally determined that this was a body of a young woman. She still had on her bathing suit and shorts, a pair of shorts over her bikini. And she had ligatures on her wrist and her legs.

[B]

So she was bound. And so they couldn't determine if she was sexually assaulted or not?

[G]

No, the body was too badly decomposed for any kind of DNA. Testing or any determination whether she had been sexually assaulted.

[B]

This is an important factor within my investigation because if Wendy was violated sexually, that detail could begin to move her case away from Vincent and Shelley's murders, but could also perhaps bring the two cases closer together. If what has been alleged that Shelly was raped turned out to be true. But it's pretty obvious that she was abducted the day she's at the lake and she's murdered right away because she's still got her bathing suit on. Right? And she did have her clothes on.

[G]

She did have her clothes on.

[B]

So what's it like when her body's discovered? Word gets out what happens?

[G]

Oh, it was like shock waves going through the community. No one could believe it. This had just never happened. Where a young girl had been abducted and then they find her body. It was scary for parents and scary for young women.

[B]

Wendy's parents refused to accept anything less than answers. They had sat and watched what happened in Vincent and Shelly's case and how after four years, not only had those families been frustrated and left blind, but local law enforcement had didn't seem to be doing much of anything to solve the case or keep it active. So they became relentless, especially Wendy's father, Jim, keeping the pressure on the Weatherford Police Department and the Parker County Sheriff's Office as well.

[G]

They constantly are calling the police department to find out, what are you doing? Where's the case going? Who could have done this? They had a lot of questions that needed to be answered. They were getting none.

[B]

At a cursory glance. Wendy's case has few of the same earmarks as Vincent and Shelley's murders, other than they were classmates, are in the same general age range at the time of their murders, and. And the locations are close. And yet here are two cases right in Weatherford. And it would be negligent for law enforcement not to consider them possibly being connected. Not to mention all the other suspicious suicides and accidental deaths involving teens we will talk about later. Which brings up a new set of questions for me. Have they been looking at Vincent and Shelley's case from the wrong angle all this time? Or had Wendy also come upon some sort of drug activity and been silenced? Wrong place, wrong time. Either way, you have three teen murders in the same town and not one solid lead beyond the rumor mill churning out the same grist of cops, involved people connected to cops, a jealous rival, meth dealers, and a local businessman in prison for human trafficking. And yet none of it is either heading toward justice or any viable suspects. Then, shockingly In Wendy's case, within the first year, it was announced, the Weatherford police department suddenly had eight to ten suspects.

So what are some of the first theories?

[G]

Well, really investigating a lot of her friends, some of her girlfriends were naming people, boys that she had dated and so forth that they thought possibly could have done this. The police department also, she got all of the list of the classes that she was attending at Weatherford College and all the classmates so that they could talk to each of them to see if they knew anything or if they were acting suspiciously.

[B]

1987. I mean, that's a pretty active time in Texas, Florida, the South for serial killers, right? Is that being talked about at all?

[G]

Yes, it is. In fact, Ricky Lee Green, a serial killer, was in the North Texas area at the time.

[B]

Patricia published blood rush in 1994, a book about Ricky Lee Green, who was ultimately charged for killing four people in Texas between 1985 and 1986. Greene was out lurking around Parker county during the time that Wendy Vincent and Shelly were murdered. Not long after, Wendy's body was found. Merely by happenstance, Greene was arrested for four murders he would eventually be convicted of and sentenced to death for. So investigators immediately began to look at Greene for additional murders, including the three we're looking at here. Then Greene steps forward and admits to murdering Wendy, and investigators are all in. They figure, we got our man.

[G]

He's in the Tarrant county jail, and his father, who was a drug dealer, was arrested. And so Ricky thought that he could get his dad a better deal if he would confess to Wendy's murder. He thought, they've got me on four. You know, why not? What's one more? As a side note, they think that Ricky Green did commit several other murders in the area other than the four that he was convicted of.

[B]

So he basically comes forward and says, listen, I'll give you the girl. Give my dad a break.

[G]

Exactly.

[B]

And they bought it.

[G]

In fact, they bought it for a long time. They just kind of laid back at some point and thought, because he was known to frequent the Lake Worth area and that's where some of her belongings had been found, they were convinced it was Ricky Greene.

[B]

Did he give him any details that weren't public?

[G]

Not really.

Because he had abducted at least two others from lakes. It all fit the pattern. And so. And two of his victims were young women. Now, two of his victims were also men. It's kind of unusual, but he. He was a sexually sadistic killer. He's bisexual, so he had both men and women victims.

[B]

Greene was a brutal, vicious psychopath of the worst type. He often decapitated his victims and always mutilated them in some way. He used knives and hammers. He had even castrated one man and cut the breasts off one woman. He bound his victims and, regardless of gender, sexually assaulted them. What stood out to me was the fact that Greene chose male and female victims like Shelly and Vincent. As I said, he bound his victims like Wendy and sexually assaulted them, possibly like Shelly and Wendy. On the other hand, Greene had never used a gun. Still, as Patricia explained, Greene, whom she interviewed at length, had to be taken seriously in the three cases for those reasons I mentioned and others more significant. Yet, just as law enforcement became comfortable accepting Greene's admission in Wendy's case while looking at him for additional murders in the region, Greene came forward with a new revelation about Wendy Robinson.

[G]

Shortly after he confessed, Ricky Lee Green recanted his statement and said that he didn't kill her.

[B]

10 athletes will face the toughest job interview in fitness that will push past.

[D]

Physical and mental health breaking points.

[C]

You are the fittest of the fit.

[D]

Only one of you will leave here.

[C]

With an IFIT contract for $250,000.

[B]

This is where mindset comes in.

[D]

Someone will be eliminated.

[C]

Pressure is coming down.

[A]

This is Trainer Games.

[E]

Watch it on prime video starting January 8th.

[B]

Then the space hamster flew his hot.

[G]

Air balloon all the way to the bottom of the ocean.

[A]

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[C]

Come for the Black Friday seasonal savings. Stay for the award winning reporting for a limited time access to the Washington Post is just 99 cents. That's unlimited access to all of the posts for only 99 cents every four weeks. That's a great deal for the first year. After that it'll cost $12 every four weeks. You can cancel anytime, but don't wait. This Black Friday seasonal offer won't be here for long. Go to washingtonpost.com iheart and grab this deal before it's gone. That's washingtonpost.com iheart the world's best ski.

[E]

And snowboard athletes are chasing medals. Now you can follow their every move. Join Insider, the official US Ski and Snowboard fan loyalty program and get premium viewing at World cup ski events. Exclusive athlete meetups, discounts from brands you love and a custom welcome gift mailed direct to your doorstep this winter. Show your support as they race for the podium. Head to insider.usski and snowboard.org and join today.

[B]

Let me first welcome Mr. Young Lee.

[E]

And his family's attorney, Mr. David Sanford.

[F]

And thank you for joining us here today.

[B]

After a thorough review of the motion.

[E]

To vacate judgment filed by the previous administration, my office has determined that it contains false and misleading statements that undermine the integrity of the judicial process, which compels the myself and my office to withdraw that motion.

[B]

As prosecutors are, I could cite over a hundred reports, possibly more, where false and misleading statements have led to exonerations. Same as the clip you just heard. It is part of due legal process. Most of the cases involve a DNA match to another perpetrator, resulting in in an innocent person being set free, and rightly so. Yet the Innocence Project, arguably the leader in advocating for innocent people serving prison time, notes that approximately 30% of DNA exonerations have included false confessions. That is, innocent people confessed to crimes they did not commit 3 out of 10 times for myriad reasons. When Ricky Lee Green confessed to Wendy's murder, it all seemed to fit, which was one reason why when he later recants that confession, investigators and prosecutors raise an eyebrow and become skeptical.

And so when he recants, what happens?

[G]

They didn't believe Ricky Green. They were convinced that Ricky Green had done this. They did try to get court documents and documents from his attorney and from psychiatrists that had seen him and so forth, trying to see if he had said anything in those interviews. But of course, that was client privilege and they didn't get that information.

[B]

When do detectives think, hmm, maybe he didn't do it?

[G]

Well, that was a long time. Some of them always believed it and never discounted that Ricky Green had done it. That's who they had focused on, and they believed that's who it was. And not until Jim Robinson really started pushing and he pushed to get the Texas Rangers involved. He pushed to get other agencies involved in the case because he felt like Ricky Green had not done it. And I had been interviewing Green for my first book, and when Jim and I spoke, I told him that Ricky denied it, and I believed that he didn't do it.

[B]

So tell me you know him well. So tell me about Ricky Green. Tell me, you know, you sat with him, you interviewed him. So tell me about him. What kind of.

[G]

Well, he's a sociopath. He has a low educational level. He had several addictions to drugs and alcohol. He was Your typical serial killer in that he was a fire starter, he was a bedwetter, all those typical things. And he just. He roamed, he would get drunk and then he would drive and roam around and look for victims. And that's another reason why they thought it was green, because they thought he just was driving around in house, happened on windy, sunbathing in the lake.

[B]

Patricia started visiting Greene in prison, taking his phone calls and exchanging letters with him. The thing is, serial killers lie pathologically with a smile on their face, very convincingly. They like to play games, cat and mouse. Sometimes they take credit for crimes they didn't commit just to up their body count. Sometimes they won't confess to a murder they committed because they want to save a bargaining chip, or just out of pure spite, or even to enjoy the notion that only they and nobody else knows. Understanding that dynamic, Patricia became determined to find out if Greene not only murdered Wendy, but Shelly and Vincent and perhaps others in and around Parker County. Also on the table was the infamous Fort Worth three case. Two teenage girls and a nine year old girl who went out to a local mall one day in Fort Worth, just 30 minutes from Weatherford, and disappeared. Could Ricky Lee Green, a despicable, violent serial killer who had no victim preference to speak of, be behind all of these murders? During one particular visit, Patricia confronted Greene and quite frankly, she went straight at him. Did you kill Wendy?

[G]

I told him that I wanted to know about Wendy Robinson. And he just smiled and said, I didn't kill her. I didn't believe that. I mean, I wasn't there to prove or disprove that he did it. I just wanted to know from him what he was thinking and what he'd done. But the more I talked with him, every time I asked him, and I interviewed him for three years, every time I asked him, he denied it. And right before he went to the Walls unit to be executed, I asked him for one last time, will you please tell me if you kill Wendy Robinson? And he said, no, I did not.

[B]

Greene had one request for Patricia. Would she sit in the audience and witness his execution? Patricia was hoping for a last minute deathbed confession about either Wendy Shelley and Vincent, the Fort Worth 3, or perhaps any other cases a confession could close. She thought maybe this was Greene's reason for requesting her presence at his execution. What was that like, watching a serial killer die?

[G]

Well.

It really is like they just go to sleep. The chaplain at the prison had explained to me what I would be seeing and what I would hear. Like there's One last. It seems like a gasp of air, but actually it's one last expulsion of air. And so I was prepared for that. And then he just went to sleep forever. He did make a statement.

[B]

The statement Greene made on October 8, 1997, just before he was executed by lethal injection was not a last minute confession. Patricia asked him one final time about Wendy and the others. Greene denied killing Wendy right up until the moment he died and instead spoke of God. Quote, I want to thank the Lord for giving me this opportunity to get to know Him. He has shown me a lot and he has changed me in the past two months. I thank the Lord for all he has done for me. I do want to tell the family that I am sorry, but killing me is not going to solve nothing. I really do not believe that if Jesus were here tonight that he would execute me. Thank you Lord. I am finished. Misquoting Christ's words while on the cross, the actual quote being it is finished, was a blasphemous attempt by a stupid, violent man to redeem himself for a lifetime of torturing and murdering people. And how did you feel walking out of there?

[G]

Personally, I felt like justice had been done, that had he not been caught, that he would continue with his killing. He liked it. He enjoyed it.

[B]

As it turned out, Ricky Lee Green had confessed to Wendy's murder as he claimed to get his father a better deal on drug charges. And the old man was facing. Greene did not in fact murder Wendy or Shelley and Vincent. Still, Greene's execution was far from the end of Wendy Robinson's case and the possibility of her murder being connected back to Shelley and Vincent's along with another infamous serial killer.

10 athletes will face the toughest job interview in fitness that will push past.

[D]

Physical and mental breaking points.

[C]

You are the fittest of the fit.

[D]

Only one of you will leave here.

[C]

With an IFIT contract for $250,000.

[B]

This is where mindset comes in.

[D]

Someone will be eliminated.

[B]

Pressure is coming down.

[A]

This is Trainer Games.

[E]

Watch it on prime video starting January 8th.

[D]

Then the space hamster flew his hot.

[G]

Air balloon all the way to the bottom of the ocean.

[A]

Where did that story come from? Book Dream?

[G]

Nope.

[A]

It came from a conversation. Meet Meco Mini plus, the AI companion that co creates personalized story adventures with your child in real time. What color was the hamster's cape and what did he pack for lunch? Unlock your child's imagination. Discover Miko Mini plus and the magic of AI Exclusively at Costco.

[C]

Come for the Black Friday seasonal savings stay for the award winning reporting for a limited time. Access to the Washington Post is just 99 cents. That's unlimited access to all of the posts for only 99 cents every four weeks. That's a great deal for the first year. After that it'll cost $12 every four weeks. You can cancel anytime, but don't wait. This Black Friday seasonal offer won't be here for long. Go to washingtonpost.com iheart and grab this deal before it's gone. That's washingtonpost.com iheart the world's best ski.

[E]

And snowboard athletes are chasing medals. Now you can follow their every move. Join Insider, the official US Ski and snowboard fan loyalty program, and get premium viewing at World cup ski events, exclusive athlete meetups, discounts from brands you love, and a custom welcome gift mailed direct to your doorstep. This winter, show your support as they race for the podium. Head to insider.usski and snowboard.org and join today.

[D]

So I know Wendy, she had just, I guess, finished finals at Weatherford College and she was going to want to meet some friends over at Weatherford Lake. There's a little area where people can kind of sunbathe and stuff. And the locals would call it the Wall, so you can go hang out, sunbathe, enjoy some time. But there's a road that kind of drives that goes past the lake so you can look up and you know, your friends can wave at you and they can see you down below and be like, hey, what's up?

[G]

How are you?

[D]

So there were some friends we know that seen her down there sunbathing and apparently the friends that she was going to meet weren't able to make it. But she was only going to be down there for about two hours because she knew she had to have the car back home because her dad and brother needed it.

[B]

Private investigator Mel Mitchell, whom you've heard throughout the podcast, has done a tremendous amount of work into Wendy's case, looking to find any connection whatsoever back to Vincent and Shelly's murders. The thought being solve one, possibly solve the others.

[D]

So she was out there, I guess from 2 to whenever she was abducted. Same thing. Like she's a good kid, she's always dependable, knows something's wrong if she's not home at the time she's supposed to be home by. And so they go out there looking for her and her car is gone. There's no trace of her anywhere. And they end up obviously going to the police and they end up having a search party the following day. Like they look in the lake. I mean, they've got search parties all around the lake. I want to say, if I read collectively, there's probably, like, up to 50 people looking for her, and they can't find her anywhere. And then later on sometime that night, her vehicle shows back up, parked in the. Probably close to the same place that went missing, like where she would have parked originally. And then a couple of days after that, her body is found in front of a local rancher's gate by some ranch hands. And it appeared that she had been sexually assaulted. She had been bound by the hands and feet. She had, like, her bathing suit top on and some shorts on. And then she had been bludgeoned in the head. And they believe it may have been a rock. Not 100% sure, because by that time period, I guess it looked like she'd been dead a couple of days. And so they weren't able to really confirm, like, what kind of, you know, murder weapon was used, but they're assuming it was possibly a rock.

[B]

Mel adds such an important detail there. Wendy's car wasn't actually in the parking lot when they first search for her at the lake. It shows up after the search is completed, as if Wendy's killer is watching and waiting. Which means what? He could be local, comfortable with the area. That MO Also matches with the car Vincent was driving, being at the murder scene and then not at the scene.

And as everyone had suspected, Wendy was sexually assaulted. Do you see any connections between her murder and Vincent and Shelly?

[D]

Well, I mean, they were classmates. I know that her seat was pushed all the way back in her car. And it sounded as though there wasn't a lot of evidence in her vehicle either. By one report I've read, there's been statements made that no one saw her leave. But then there's other statements saying they saw her get into a vehicle with three men, which, if that's the case, well, then who drove her car? If she got into a vehicle with three men? And I never really kind of understood that part. I'm like, well, if you see her going with the vehicle, three men in a truck, well, then who. Who drove off in her vehicle? Because that obviously left with her. So I. I don't know. But I do know that, like, within our case, you know, the vehicle was seen several times during the night, and then it disappear. Even though people were actively looking for. Because it wasn't just Vincent Senior looking for them. It was also the babysitter. You know, her family's out looking for them because they're Worried because they weren't back in time either. So you've got other parties out there looking for. For these kids, and they can't find them. So we know that their vehicle was kind of hit or miss all night as well. So that was kind of an interesting side note.

[B]

Small details, seemingly insignificant, can crack a case. The fact that the driver's seat in the car Vincent had borrowed that night, the Monte Carlo, was pushed all the way back, is indicative of someone taller than Vincent being behind the wheel the last time it was driven. Same as it was in Wendy's case. In the Monte Carlo, she was driving. But even more important, Mel says three men were seen driving away with Wendy. And if you recall, we have heard several accounts of two or even three men seen near Vincent's vehicle on that night up at Piss Hill. Then, after seeing crime scene photos of Wendy's car, Mel makes what could be a remarkable discovery.

[D]

After Wendy was murdered a couple months after that, there was a fisherman out at a lake in Fort Worth that had been fishing that morning. And he ended up, I guess, catching, like, a wallet. And he opens up the wallet, and it says Wendy Robinson. And so he starts calling people in Weatherford, you know, gets a phone book out back in the day. And I guess one of the people he called Robinson. The guy's like, oh, yeah, this isn't the right Robinson, but you need to call the police department, because that person you're talking about was murdered, you know, a couple of months ago. So he calls Weatherford PD they come out there, they start dredging the lake, and that's when they find a box in the lake, and that's got Wendy's purse in it.

[B]

There was also a wallet in the box, which belonged to a guy who had been attacked and robbed at a local gas station called Petro. On the same day as Wendy's abduction.

[D]

He was mugged from behind by two men, and they stole his wallet, knocked him out. And so that's where they kind of believe that those two obviously were probably connected.

[B]

In those crime scene photos from inside of Wendy's car, Mel spies one specific detail that intrigues her.

[D]

There was a photo. It showed, you know, the usual things like lipstick, comb or whatever, but in the right hand corner, it looked like a ball of foil. Kind of like what you get off of, like maybe Ding Dongs or, you know, it's like a little piece of foil. But then I looked at some more, and it made me wonder, is there a possibility? And I'm not saying she was. It's Just a theory of mine that she was using methamphetamines because we know, according to the families and other friends, that she had dropped quite a bit of weight prior to the summer, pretty quick. And we know that there was a lot of people out there that are marketing methamphetamines as this quick weight loss drug. So do I know if that's what it is? No, but it just kind of was an interesting thing to find in our purse, that this little, you know, ball of foil.

[B]

If you're looking at it objectively, you have to consider the fact that she could have been using dope.

[D]

Well, we know a lot of high schoolers, that's when you're going to experiment with a lot of stuff, too. There's plenty of high schoolers that.

[C]

That's.

[D]

If they're experimenting with narcotics, it's probably usually going to be in your high school time period.

[B]

Several sources I spoke to from the class of 1983 talked about speed as the goal drug for kids at the time. Speed being another name for meth in those parts. Mel is not saying Wendy Robinson was a drug user. I want to be clear about that. But murder investigation involves a tightrope of looking at all possibilities. And with meth being such a buzzword around strange deaths, many of the suspects, the rumors and murders, you have to consider that maybe somebody Wendy knew, Wendy herself or her killer used the drug. What I have been told repeatedly while talking to detectives trying to connect murder cases is to be cautious of the obvious. Always allow the evidence to dictate your next step. Here's current cold case investigator, Weatherford Police Department Lt. Johnny Quals, referring to the contemporary investigation into Vincent and Shelley's murders. After I mentioned to him how with cold case work, it's vital that information keeps coming in or your case can kind of become stalled.

[F]

Yeah, you're. You're spot on. We opened up at some point, you know, a hotline. I say a hotline. It was just a direct. It was my extension. You know, people were calling me left and right a lot. A lot of it was just stuff I'd already heard before. But people wanted to, you know, they wanted to do their part. They don't. They didn't want to lose sleep at night by not passing it on or that assume that we knew anything. But we did. You know, we did. You know, there were a few things like, oh, that's interesting. So we would. I mean, we, we traveled as far as New Mexico to go talk to a lady because we really thought we were onto something. And then by the time. So we get out there, we talk to her, and it's like, oh, okay, yeah, this is not going to be related. So. Right. We, we. You know, that's the kind of you, you, you catch yourself going and you have to, you have to go down those rabbit holes. But that's the frustrating, discouraging part. And you're in the situation where, you know, people have questions and people are. Or like, who doesn't care about something like that? Two kids getting executed. Executed in a car. Like everyone, Everyone has compassion and cares about that and wants that solved. And you want to tell them all the things that you know, and you want to tell them all the things that you've done to. But, but you can't. You're. It's an active investigation. You can't share all that information.

[B]

Sure.

[F]

So it's frustrating.

[B]

And then the families of the victims as well, who are frustrated and still hurting, and it's just, it's endless.

[F]

Yeah. And you have, you have misinformation as a result of that. You know, I think people, when, when they don't get the answer, when, when they're seeking out answers, we can't give them, you know, either, either we don't know, or we're just simply not, you know, in an effort not to jeopardize the investigation. We can't give them those answers. It frustrates them. And I think that results in some of the. Not necessarily by them, but some of the speculation and misinformation being spread and.

[B]

People fill in the blanks. You know, they, they, they, they have a tendency to just fill in the blanks, and it just causes more confusion.

[F]

Yeah. And you, and you. So in that, in that particular case. So the girl's biological mom was still alive, and we were, we're able to actually go. And I think she got it. I think she understood. She didn't give us any problems. But we were able to go meet and talk with her and just kind of, kind of, you know, like, we did that initially, but then we kind of did it, you know, at a midway point, too, and just kind of a check in with her. And I think she got a little overwhelmed because I think she was getting it from both sides. You know, she was, she was very patient and willing to hear anything we had to tell her. But then she had other folks in her ear too, and, you know, and I'm sure that's. It probably wasn't fun reliving all, you know, her daughter's murder all over again.

[B]

Sure, sure. I run into it myself, talking to victims, families, you know, it's. It's the pain never goes away and not having an answer to it, you know.

The Weatherford Police Department continued to focus on Ricky Lee Greene for Wendy Robinson's murder even after his execution. Until a new lead, a big one, began to steer them away from Greene. Here is a recording of former Weatherford Police Department chief, the late Elwood Hohertz, which I was able to obtain deep into my investigation. And what he has to say changes a few things for me with regard to not only Wendy's case, but Vincent and Shelley's as well.

[F]

Winifred wasn't supposed to be investigating it, but did not want that case. Body was found out in the county, and really nobody knows if she's a deputy up this lake or that. We always wondered about that. Petrol maybe didn't want to touch the case. So I had to let my detectives take the case. It's going to be a hot case to investigate, and for the politician, that was not a good deal to me. It had to be investigated. And that's the reason I told the detectives, take off on it. I just know he didn't want to touch the case and it had to be investigated. I told my people, go do it.

[B]

So the elected sheriff at the time Wendy's body was found was the same guy in office in 1983 when Vincent and Shelly were murdered and he did not want to take Wendy's case. That is not so unusual. I have learned elected sheriffs are politicians. Optics are everything. Reelection is always the goal.

But this situation turns into a jurisdictional pissing contest, which might have led to the case against Ricky Lee Green becoming sidetracked. Elwood Hull Hertz's investigators jumped in. They focused on getting a composite drawing done of the man who had robbed the guy's wallet at the Petro and afterward tossed it into that lake. They felt there could be a connection somewhere in there because, remember, the robbery happened on the day Wendy went missing. And when they fished that wallet out of the lake, as you heard, they found some of Wendy's belongings, potentially tying the two crimes together. I should note that composite in no way resembled Ricky Lee Greene. By then, Greene had been completely ruled out, even if there were certain detectives who still believed he did it. With a major part of ruling him out being that the Texas Rangers were now involved.

I asked Patricia Springer where the investigation into Wendy's murder went from there.

[G]

His attorney, his defense attorney had a sodium pentothal interview with a psychiatrist. And I petitioned the court to be able to see that. They would not allow me to see it until after his execution. But I did go see that interview. And in that interview, he talks about a Wendy that he killed, but he said he stabbed her and stabbed her and stabbed her and stabbed her, which is what he did to his victims. He always used a knife, which is another sexual instrument to him. And Wendy didn't have a stab wound on her. She was hit with a large rock and it split her skull.

[B]

You see, very few were listening to what the evidence dictated. Most were stuck on the obvious. A serial killer says he did it, then I guess he did it. They took Greene at his word, a huge mistake, and seemed to disregard the obvious evidence that Wendy was never stabbed.

Now, is there any chance that Ricky could have killed Shelly and Vincent?

[G]

I don't personally believe so. That just seemed like either planned or they came upon something. The theory has always been that they came upon a drug deal that was going down. And also, Ricky never used a firearm in any of his killings. And it would have been very unusual for him to switch from his weapon of choice. There are also other murders that, well, they've said he did. They don't have any proof. After his execution, I had the Texas Rangers come in and draw blood from him so that they would have DNA for any future cases. Unfortunately, the Texas Department of Public Safety can't find that DNA.

[B]

Imagine that. They lost the DNA collected from a serial killer. While certain investigators were literally closing Wendy Robinson's case, attributing her murder to Ricky Lee Greene, not following where the evidence was taking them, the Weatherford Police Department received a call from a young woman, the daughter of a guy named, not kidding you, Ricky Lee Adkins. And that call, well, it changed everything.

[G]

Her father had confessed to her that he was part of the murder of Wendy Robinson in Weatherford. And then that's when they went back to Adkins. Found his name in the murder book that they had that he was known back then. He was known to be sleeping in his vehicle at Lake Weatherford.

[B]

And when they checked that composite of the Petro robbery suspect, which had led to the wallet in the lake and Wendy's belongings, the dude turned out to be a dead ringer for the man whose daughter had dropped a dime on him. And now, just like that, the Weatherford PD had his name.

[G]

All of a sudden, he came to the forefront. The pieces start to fit.

[B]

Please check out my weekly podcast, Crossing the Line with M. William Phelps, where I delve into a new missing person and cold case murder each week. Wherever you get your favorite shows.

Coming up in the next episode of Paper ghost.

[G]

When they went to the wall to see what was left there, her car was there. It was unlocked, but her purse and her radio and her keys were gone.

[D]

Yeah, I have no doubt Frosty was everything for one. Frosty was like one of the big wigs back then. You know, he's the Walter White of Parker county when it came to hooking methamphetamines. I mean, he was one of the guys that were the guys you went to to get the best stuff on the market.

[F]

Because the cops came to my house here probably like a year ago, they came over here and, well, for one, they started teasing everything. And I said, well, before y' all get all high hung and all this other, y' all need to understand that I took a polygraph test and I passed it.

[B]

Paper Ghosts Season 5 is written and executive produced by me, M William Phelps. Script consulting by iHeartMedia executive producer Kathryn Law production by Tak Boom Productions Audio mastering and mixing by Brandon Dickert. The Series theme number 442 is written and performed by Thomas Phelps and Tom Mooney.

Ten athletes will face the toughest job interview in fitness that will push past.

[D]

Physical and mental breaking points.

[C]

You are the fittest of the fit.

[D]

Only one of you will leave here.

[C]

With an IFIT contract for $250,000.

[B]

This is where mindset comes in.

[D]

Someone will be eliminated.

[C]

Pressure is coming down.

[A]

This is Trainer games.

[E]

Watch it on prime video starting January 8th.

[G]

Shh. You won't believe what my new friend just told me about dinosaurs.

[A]

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[C]

Come for the Black Friday seasonal savings. Stay for the award winning reporting. For a limited time, access to the Washington Post is just 99 cents. That's unlimited access to all of the posts for only 99 cents every four weeks. That's a great deal for the first year. After that it'll cost $12 every four weeks. You can cancel anytime. But don't wait. This Black Friday seasonal offer won't be here for long. Go to washingtonpost.com iheart and grab this deal before it's gone. That's washingtonpost.com iheartra the world's best ski.

[E]

And snowboard athletes are chasing medals. Now you can follow their every move. Join Insider, the official US Ski and Snowboard fan loyalty program, and get premium viewing at World cup ski events, exclusive athlete meetups, discounts from brands you love, and a custom welcome gift mailed direct to your doorstep. This winter, show your support as they race for the podium. Head to inside Rider.usski and Snowboard.org and join today.

[A]

This is an iHeart podcast.

[B]

Guaranteed Human.