The Unforgotten — Season 1, Episode 4: "Nothing but Blood"

Podcast by Free Range Productions — Released July 22, 2024

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In this episode, hosts Wes Ferguson and Carol Dawson continue unraveling the mysterious 1993 murder of Shelley Salter Watkins in Corsicana, Texas. Episode 4 centers on lost evidence, corruption suspicions, and new investigative breakthroughs—most notably, the missing pages from the central search warrant affidavit for Shelley’s husband, Jerry Mack Watkins, and what those pages ultimately reveal about the night Shelley vanished. The episode explores how institutional failures and manipulation may have stymied justice, and delves deeply into the details and aftermath of the official search for evidence.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Discovery of Missing Affidavit Pages

• Wes recounts trips to Corsicana and Athens to review the case files and stumbles on a key omission: pages 2–4 of the crucial affidavit for the search warrant of Jerry Mack’s house are missing (01:41).
• This affidavit is described as “the most important document” in the case, detailing why investigators suspected Jerry Mack and wanted to search his property.
• Both hosts react with shock, Carol exclaiming, "This absolutely blows my mind because it is just so corrupt. And that's an extension of all of these convolutions of corruption that have gone on around this case. I'm just stunned" (03:55).

2. Potential Corruption or Incompetence

• Wes learns the missing pages are gone not only from public files but also from the DA’s file; the Sheriff's department claims no copy at all (06:27–07:02).
• Discussion of the possibility that someone with a vested interest in suppressing damaging information tampered with public documents (04:58).
• Wes suspects government indifference or incompetence, not just conspiracy, and files a Public Information Act request (07:02).

3. Breakthrough: The Affidavit is Found

• After Wes’ formal request, the Sheriff’s office produces the complete affidavit—suggesting official laziness rather than deliberate malfeasance (08:02).
• Carol’s excitement: "Fantastic... Oh. Oh, and you've got a copy of it now?" (08:16–08:21).
• The document provides witness names, timelines, and critical discrepancies about Jerry Mack's claimed actions after Shelly’s disappearance, correcting errors from past news reports.

4. Neighbors’ Testimony and Timeline Reconstruction

• Carolyn Taylor, across the street, observed both family cars and all lights on at the Watkins’ home from midnight until 4 a.m.; she attested Shelly would have gone to her if fleeing on foot (09:04–10:23).
• Neighbor David Williams, whose name appears in the affidavit despite his lack of memory, gave a statement to police noting odd nighttime activity and that Jerry Mack took Shelley’s BMW for cleaning and new tires directly after her disappearance (11:14–12:29).
• Wes: “That's important. We have two neighbors, David Williams and Carolyn Taylor, who both noticed all the lights on, both inside and outside the Watkins house, long after Jerry Mack said that Shelley walked off and he went to bed." (11:49).

5. Possible Crime Scene Clues and Forensic Gaps

• The rationale behind car cleaning and tire replacement is dissected, suggesting efforts to eliminate forensic evidence (12:50–13:44).
• John McCollum, a witness, reports seeing Jerry Mack with Shelley’s car on the Trinity River bridge at 4:30 a.m. but is hesitant to testify due to prior bad experiences with the justice system (13:44–14:23).
• John McCollum on local corruption: “I will say that our judicial system that was in place there was really corrupt all the way through, and that's why we're still where we're at." (14:23).

6. The Grand Jury, the Defense, and Physical Evidence

• Following weeks of mounting evidence, a grand jury is convened, and Jerry Mack Watkins hires famed criminal defense lawyer Jack Zimmerman (15:36).
• Investigators finally conduct a search of the Watkins’ home; the family had had ample time to possibly destroy or hide evidence (16:56–21:11).
• Mike Head, Assistant DA, describes the search: "Ray Nutt used what was called Luminol at the time to try to see if there was any evidence of blood in the garage or driveway. And my recollection is that he had had the concrete floor of the garage repainted and the driveway repaved as well." (20:47–21:11).
• Investigators did find “nothing but blood” in the house, but the validity and strength of this evidence becomes a point of contention (23:01).

7. Limitations of Forensic Testing

• Forensic specialist Haley Spence explains the limits of luminol testing: "When you spray these types of chemicals on an area and it gives you a positive reaction, you're still going to swab that and send it to a DNA lab. You can't just confirm right then and there that that's blood until you send it off." (26:45).
• Despite positive tests, Jerry Mack’s attorney later claims the samples were not blood; the truth remains ambiguous, and the evidence stays circumstantial (27:44 onwards).

8. Witness Credibility and Defense Tactics

• The primary eyewitness, John McCollum, is considered credible by prosecutors but deemed vulnerable to cross-examination, and is aggressively attacked by the defense (29:06–31:44).
• Zimmerman is praised for his effectiveness: “Zimmerman's a very good lawyer. I've known him for years. He's very honest, ethical, hard, charging, aggressive lawyer." (32:06).

9. Grand Jury Indictment and the Upcoming Trial

• Despite the conflicting evidence and effective lawyering, a grand jury indicts Jerry Mack for murder shortly after what would have been Shelley’s 36th birthday (34:06).
• The defense pushes for a speedy trial, possibly hoping to avoid new evidence surfacing (35:35–35:58).
• The episode ends on a cliffhanger as more unexpected twists loomed before trial.

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On missing evidence:
  • "Pages two, three and four are gone." — Wes Ferguson (01:54)
  • "This absolutely blows my mind because it is just so corrupt." — Carol Dawson (03:55)
• On who might have taken the pages:
  • "Who stood to lose by having that information out in the public for anyone to see." — Wes Ferguson (04:58)
• On institutional indifference:
  • “What often looks like a conspiracy or corruption from the outside is usually just government incompetence or indifference.” — Wes Ferguson (07:02)
• On finding the affidavit:
  • "Yeah, they had it." — Wes Ferguson (07:56)
  • "Fantastic. ... Oh, and you've got a copy of it now?" — Carol Dawson (08:16–08:21)
• On the odd behavior after the murder:
  • “After being awake all night with the lights on... whisked that car to Dallas, got new tires and got it detailed." — Wes Ferguson (12:30)
• On forensic investigation:
  • "Ray Nutt used what was called Luminol at the time to try to see if there was any evidence of blood in the garage or driveway. And my recollection is that he had had the concrete floor of the garage repainted and the driveway repaved as well." — Mike Head (20:47–21:11)
  • "Nothing but blood." — Wes Ferguson (23:01)
• On the limitations of luminol:
  • “You can't just confirm right then and there that that's blood until you send it off. So it's kind of just like a presumptive positive. ... It should be able to detect blood." — Haley Spence (26:45–27:44)
• On witness intimidation and corruption:
  • "Our judicial system that was in place there was really corrupt all the way through, and that's why we're still where we're at." — John McCollum (14:23)
• On the defense's strategy:
  • “What I try to do on cross examination is be totally prepared … and try to lock them in to what their testimony is going to be, and try to attack later on successfully.” — Jack Zimmerman (32:24–32:52)
• On the pressure for a speedy trial:
  • “They were hoping they could get a not guilty verdict in a jeopardy bar in case anything else ever came up." — Mike Head (35:58)

Timestamps for Important Segments

• Missing Affidavit Discovery: 01:41–04:58
• Filing the Public Information Act Request and Recovery: 07:02–08:21
• Affidavit Details — Witness Testimony, Timeline: 08:25–12:49
• Discussion of Car Cleaning and John's Eyewitness Account: 12:49–14:23
• Grand Jury Proceedings, Defense Lawyering: 15:32–16:56, 32:06–34:06
• Forensic Testing and Luminol Limitations: 20:47–27:44
• Witness John McCollum’s Account and Credibility: 13:44–14:23, 28:54–31:44
• Cliffhanger Leading Into the Trial: 34:06–36:58

Tone

• Investigative, urgent, and at times incredulous, especially concerning lost evidence and perceived corruption (“This is just mind numbing. Who could have done this?” — Carol Dawson).
• Conversational and candid, revealing both professional skepticism and personal investment (“You have to wonder who had the interest to go and do that, how recently that happened...” — Carol Dawson).
• Occasionally technical, diving into forensic details but careful to explain in layman’s terms via a guest expert.
• Cliffhanger-driven, building anticipation for unexpected twists to come.

Conclusion

This episode threads together missing evidence, bureaucratic inertia, and possible deliberate deception—showcasing how even small procedural failures can upend justice in a murder investigation. By securing lost documents and scrutinizing all available clues, Wes and Carol push the case forward, raising critical questions about the institutional safeguards built to prevent this very kind of miscarriage of justice. The episode closes presaging major developments at the upcoming trial, with the truth behind Shelley Salter Watkins’ murder still clouded by both circumstance and cover-up.