Paper Ghosts: The Texas Teen Murders

Episode: "The Bodies Were Shaking"

Date: December 24, 2025
Host: M. William Phelps (iHeartPodcasts)

Main Theme & Purpose

This gripping final episode revisits the unsolved double murder of teenagers Shelly and Vincent in 1983, exploring the web of small-town rumors, meth-fueled underworlds, and police corruption that kept the case cold for more than four decades. Veteran investigative journalist M. William Phelps weaves together new witness testimony—most notably from "Frosty Cauliflower," a former local meth cook—with long-standing suspicions and overlooked evidence, exposing why justice has eluded the victims’ families for so long and calling for federal intervention.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

Life in 1980s Parker County

• Teen Scene: Frosty describes cruising the strip on Friday and Saturday nights, with Vincent driving a prized Monte Carlo. Teens often passed through "Piss Hill" ([02:25–3:38]).

  “I knew Vincent from school…We used to go to lunch…with off-campus lunch, he’d let me hop in his car.” —Frosty Cauliflower (02:35)

• Meth Culture: Even as a freshman, Frosty was aware of meth (then called "crank") saturating high school life and fueling rumors and criminal behavior ([04:26–04:47]).

  “We called it crank. Then we heard that, you know, there might be some shady things going on with the sheriff…not that anybody ever proved anything. You know how bad rumors go.” —Frosty Cauliflower (05:06)

Corruption & Law Enforcement Complicity

• Law Enforcement Reputation: Multiple sources, including Frosty, discuss widespread rumors of police involvement with local meth operations. The Parker County Sheriff’s Department was seen as particularly shady ([04:51–05:42]).
• Systemic Silence: Decades later, even as the podcast uncovers evidence and interviews with current and former law enforcement, official interest in real investigation is absent. A “blue wall of silence” persists ([05:42–07:14], [18:15–24:54]).

  "The frightening part of it all, even after 40 plus years, no one...not a prosecutor, a fellow law enforcement officer or federal authorities had done anything about it." —M. William Phelps (05:42)

The Night of the Murders

• Eyewitness Memories: Frosty last saw Vincent and Shelly in Vincent's parents’ Monte Carlo, seemingly happy and not apprehensive. This was before 9pm, and they were later reported to have driven to Azel, TX, for unknown reasons ([07:14–09:33]).
• Rumors and Red Herrings: Numerous alternate theories circulated—mistaken identity over another similar Monte Carlo, purported drug deals gone wrong, and the idea of the teens being in the wrong place at the wrong time ([10:31–13:46]).

  “The theory being someone was looking for a guy in a Monte Carlo who owed money to drug dealers and thought it was Vincent.” —Narrator (11:12)

• Shocking Reveal: According to a key source, Shelly and Vincent left the strip for a meth cook house where they "saw something and someone they shouldn't have seen," leading directly to their execution ([12:25–13:46]).

Forensic Failures and the Cover-Up

• Crime Scene Mishandling: Phelps and Frosty discuss critical failures by the medical examiner and police—exterior injuries poorly documented; evidence lost ([13:46–14:10], [27:18–28:32]).

  “That’s already a huge question for me...why are you not documenting all the exterior injuries?” —M. William Phelps (13:50)

• Police Department Obfuscation: Weatherford PD is depicted as actively hindering investigation, sometimes staging public reinvestigation efforts for show ([17:18–24:54], [27:18–28:32]).

  “I think a lot of them were corrupt in their own capacity…As cops, we hate dirty cops.” —Weatherford Police Chief Lance Arnold (summarized by Phelps at 22:18)

DNA Evidence and The Path Not Taken

• Unexplored Leads: Despite DNA evidence being logged into CODIS, authorities never pursued key elimination tests or warrants, declining to exhaust all angles ([23:55–24:54]).
• Witness Harassment and Lasting Trauma: Many people who spoke up or were suspected suffered threats, harassment, even leaving the state in fear ([28:32–30:28]).

  "...they’ve been severely affected, horribly affected. I mean, some of them were threatened, some of them have been harassed. I mean, some of them like left the state. And so this is almost a closure for them too…” —M. William Phelps (28:32)

The Meth Underworld: Firsthand Testimony

• Frosty's Introduction: Frosty Cauliflower, a pseudonym, is introduced as former local meth cooker and relative to the victim Shelly, providing an insider’s perspective ([39:16–44:12]).
• Meth Cooking Details: Frosty explains learning the meth formula, running a low-profile operation, and avoiding big-time ambitions ([41:41–44:07]).
• Power Dynamics & Police Payoffs: Frosty describes the practice of paying law enforcement protection money and the consequences for missing installments ([48:29–49:29]):

  “...told that if he was going to cook in Parker county, he had to give him $10,000 a month. And miss that first installment, and they busted that cook.” —Frosty Cauliflower (48:29)

Who Killed Vincent and Shelly?

• Direct Allegations: Frosty claims Shelly and Vincent were killed after witnessing something (possibly a murder) at a dope house; that two men, not previously named in the series, were responsible. He relays that his information was ignored by police ([55:46–61:08]).

  “Suppose them kids went out there to get a little bit of dope and saw [a murder] and they ended up killing that boy and Shelly freaked out and he killed her.” —Frosty Cauliflower (58:43)

• Witness Refutations and Conflicting Memories: An anonymous source denies being present or knowing anything about the murders, despite being named as a witness by Frosty ([61:06–64:40]).
• Alleged Law Enforcement Involvement: Multiple references to police and high-ranking officials either being complicit in the drug trade or suppressing investigation ([47:34–58:14]).

The Need for Justice

• Frustration and Call to Action: Phelps expresses exasperation at the inaction and missteps, urging that only a federal investigation could bring closure ([53:48–end]).

  "This case epitomizes the failures of our justice system and the criminality of some to turn their head while holding out an open hand...The answers are there just waiting for someone with the moral fortitude and guts to step in..." —Narrator (64:58)

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• “No matter who I spoke to from that group, the conversation always came back around to the meth trade and how some in law enforcement were deeply intertwined with that world.” —Narrator (05:42)
• "They saw something out there they weren't supposed to see." —Frosty Cauliflower (13:59)
• "Silence in certain situations speaks so much louder and in volumes." —M. William Phelps (18:15)
• "There's a deep sense of a cover up. Even though we don't know 100% what the cover up is or entails, it's pretty hard to deny that it was pretty much a cover up. I mean, you can't be this stupid as a whole department to make this many mistakes.” —M. William Phelps (28:32)
• “We had a good time. It made it hard for him to get us.” —Frosty Cauliflower, on keeping his meth operation small (42:41)
• "Supposedly the killer is between...it's between them two who did it." —Frosty Cauliflower (60:09)
• "If you could see his face, you could tell it struck a nerve." —Frosty Cauliflower, on mentioning the murder to a law enforcement official (47:34)
• “I want to thank every source who spoke to me on and off the record. Your courage is admirable.” —M. William Phelps (64:58)

Timestamps for Key Segments

• 02:25 – Frosty Cauliflower recalls teen life, explains connections to Vincent and Shelly
• 04:26 – Discussion on meth’s prevalence and police rumor mill
• 07:14 – Last known interaction with Vincent and Shelly on the night of the murder
• 12:25 – The "other Monte Carlo" mistaken identity theory
• 13:46 – New evidence the teens witnessed something at a meth house
• 18:15 – Communication breakdown with law enforcement as investigation closes in
• 23:55 – DNA evidence and failures to pursue elimination testing
• 28:32 – Phelps on cumulative suspicion of a cover-up, trauma on witnesses
• 39:16 – Introduction of Frosty as a key underworld informant
• 42:41 – How Frosty learned to cook meth; reflections on operation scale
• 48:29 – Frosty details payoffs to police, price of cooking in Parker County
• 55:46 – Frosty’s theory on what exactly happened to the victims
• 58:43 – Eyewitness account (via Frosty's friend) of the shooting, "bodies shaking"
• 61:06 – Anonymous source rebuts being involved, discusses Weldon Kennedy
• 64:58 – Phelps’ closing appeal for federal intervention

Structure & Tone

The episode is narrated in Phelps’ investigative, candid voice—probing, at times weary, always striving for clarity. Firsthand testimonies from Frosty are raw, unvarnished, and sometimes graphic. As the narrative unfolds, it maintains deep empathy for the teens and their families, but does not shy away from the ugly realities of small-town crime, intimidation, and entrenched corruption.

Conclusion

This final episode of Paper Ghosts: The Texas Teen Murders draws connections between known rumors, drug trade underbelly, and the systemic failures (and possible corruption) of local law enforcement that have kept the case unsolved for 42 years. With powerful interviews and persistent questioning, it issues a stark call for outside intervention and justice—not only for Shelly and Vincent, but for all those who have lived in fear and silence ever since.

If you have information about the case, contact the “Justice for Shelly and Vincent” Facebook page or M. William Phelps directly at mwilliamphelps.com.