Introducing: Final Days on Earth with Claire St. Amant

Summary

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The Unforgotten: Season 3 Crossover – "Final Days on Earth with Claire St. Amant, S3E1: Who is Greg Williams?"

Release Date: September 12, 2024
Host: Wes (Unforgotten), Claire St. Amant (Final Days on Earth)
Introduces: Season 3 of "Final Days on Earth"
Main Theme: The mysterious death of tech entrepreneur Greg Williams, and the tangled web of relationships, suspicion, and deception that follows.

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Brief Overview

In this crossover episode, Wes from The Unforgotten introduces listeners to "Final Days on Earth" by Claire St. Amant—a celebrated true crime journalist. Claire’s third season investigates the perplexing 2011 murder of Greg Williams, a successful Dallas-area businessman shot in his bed. The narrative winds through Greg's life, relationships, and the escalating turmoil in his blended family, setting the stage for a deeper exploration of the crime and the people entangled within it.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Introduction to Claire St. Amant and the Case (00:00–01:45)

• Wes introduces Claire as an accomplished journalist ("She's produced stuff for 60 Minutes and 48 Hours…"), touts her upcoming memoir, and previews the premise of "Final Days on Earth" Season 3, centered on Greg Williams’ murder, with his wife Michelle as the only witness.
• Crossover arrangement: Both podcasts will share each other's season openers.

2. The Allure and Complexity of Greg Williams’ Life (01:15–02:48)

• Greg Williams is described as living an enviable life—prosperous, happily remarried, beloved father.
• Claire St. Amant: "But under the surface, there’s trouble brewing."
• Claire frames this story as her "true crime origin story," and expresses the personal resonance the case holds for her.

3. Character Portraits: Family and Friend Testimonies

Greg’s sister Michelle and others describe Greg’s strengths, quirks, and drive:

• Greg, the hard-working entrepreneur and protector (03:01–04:57)
  • Launched thriving IT business (DFWIT Pro).
  • Possessed a photographic memory and was "pretty much smart at anything."
    • Steve McSwain (former employee, 04:01): “He definitely knew computers… It was there in his brain.”
  • Known for throwing epic parties, but often retreated to work alone.
  • Fiercely protective, notably of his sister—once stayed up all night trying to hunt down an alligator that threatened her (05:07).
• Introverted but misjudged:
  • Michelle (sister, 04:29): "He really only had something to say when he felt it was important… which some people may think he came off like being an asshole."
• Greg, the martial arts enthusiast (06:38–07:48)
  • Third-degree black belt; competitively traveled; proud of his strength.
  • Met lifelong friend Bryn Fletcher at a tournament in Prague, who would later marry his sister Michelle.

4. Greg’s Marriages and Family Life

Three marriages, complicated family dynamics:

• Kathy (first wife, 09:12): "He was a very bright, intelligent, loving person. Yes, he had a temper… but if you deceived him… you were out of his life."
• Greg’s daughter Taylor (from first marriage):*
  • "My dad was my hero for a very, very long time… some of my best memories… us sitting and watching Lord of the Rings all day."
• Michelle (third wife) enters Greg’s life, becomes both wife and business partner, quickly taking on the office manager role at the IT firm and convincing Greg to buy her a frozen yogurt shop (11:14–11:46).
  • Michelle (sister, 11:17): "She immediately quit working and she became his office manager... whatever she wanted, she got it."
• Taylor on new stepmom Michelle: Initially, "She was just very interested in being present... just being a normal mom." (11:58–12:24)

5. Tensions and Accusations: The Downward Spiral (12:33–18:51)

Family conflict emerges between Taylor and stepmom Michelle:

• Out of nowhere, Michelle accuses young Taylor of drug possession (weed found in laundry) and repeatedly claims to find more drugs hidden around Taylor’s room (12:50–15:20).
  • Taylor (13:20): “I was a 12 year old preteen worried about passing math. I was not worried about hiding drugs in the back of a remote.”
  • Kathy (15:33): "The only person that found those drugs was Michelle. Greg never found anything on Taylor… But if Michelle gave her the test, it was positive."
• Punishments escalate: Taylor is spanked by Greg for denying knowledge.
  • Taylor (15:57): "I told the truth... and I got punished because I said I don’t know."
  • Host (16:34): “That’s what, like whenever people give false confessions to the police, it’s like exactly the same logic…”
• Final accusation: Michelle claims Taylor poisoned her coffee with painkillers. Police involvement ensues.
  • Kathy (18:37): “Police pulled me aside, he says, 'get your daughter out of here. Do not let her come back into this house.'"
  • Authorities threaten to remove younger daughter if such incidents recur. Taylor never returns to live with Greg and Michelle.
• Taylor after moving out: Immediate improvements in her life, no further drug allegations, and better grades (18:57–19:21).
  • Taylor (18:57): "My grades improved... no drugs were ever found in my bag, on my person, or in my room. And I never popped positive on another drug test."
• Ominous foreshadowing:
  • Taylor (19:36): "I have no doubt I would be in one of two places if I were in that house and that would be either jail or I would be dead."

6. Memorable Quotes & Moments

• On Greg’s work ethic:
  • Steve McSwain (04:01): “He definitely knew computers… It was there in his brain.”
• On Greg’s protective nature:
  • Michelle (sister, 06:08): "Most people don't go beyond like that, but yeah, there was an alligator gonna hurt his baby sister, so that's what he did."
• On Taylor’s treatment by Michelle:
  • Kathy (15:33): "The only person that found those drugs was Michelle."
  • Taylor (17:22): "Like, I know that I won’t be punished if I can just stave off the punishment by making up this story."
• On the fallout and unresolved danger:
  • Taylor (19:36): “I have no doubt I would be in one of two places if I were in that house and that would be either jail or I would be dead.”

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Timestamps for Key Segments

• 00:00–01:15 – Wes introduces the crossover and Claire St. Amant.
• 01:15–02:48 – Claire introduces Greg Williams and the true crime origin story.
• 03:01–05:07 – Family and friends describe Greg’s character, protectiveness, and work ethic.
• 06:38–08:37 – Martial arts background and friendship with Bryn Fletcher.
• 09:12–10:35 – Ex-wives and daughter Taylor’s perspective on Greg.
• 11:03–11:51 – Third wife Michelle’s rise in Greg's business and family.
• 12:33–15:18 – Taylor’s mounting trouble with Michelle begins.
• 15:33–18:51 – Drug allegations, hospitalizations, and the critical police intervention.
• 18:57–19:21 – Taylor’s recovery after leaving Greg and Michelle’s home.
• 19:36–19:50 – Chilling foreshadowing for the rest of the season.

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Tone & Style

• Intimate and personal, blending Claire’s investigative clarity with candid, emotional recollections from Greg’s friends and family.
• Themes of suspicion, manipulation, and the invisible fractures behind superficially perfect lives.

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Conclusion

The season opener of "Final Days on Earth" delivers a complex portrait of Greg Williams’ achievements, personal life, and developing family turmoil, culminating in a household riven by suspicion—the perfect prelude to the mysterious, shocking crime at its core. The episode sets up compelling questions: What really happened to Greg Williams? Who stood to gain, and who lost everything?

Notable Call to Action:
If anyone has information about the case, they're encouraged to contact Claire via the show's website.

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Transcript

[A]

Hey, it's Wes. I want to tell you about a really great true crime podcast just up the road from Corsicana in Dallas, Texas. The show is called Final Days on Earth with Claire Sanimaugh. Claire's an award winning journalist and she really knows her way around the true crime genre. She's actually produced stuff for 60 minutes and 48 hours. She also has a memoir coming out next year called Killer the Truth Behind True Crime Television. It looks pretty interesting. The latest season of Final Days on Earth tells the story of a tech entrepreneur named Greg Williams who was shot in his own bed in 2011. The only witness, Greg's wife Michelle. The case turned out to be a complicated murder investigation where nothing is as it seems. Season three just wrapped up, so you can binge all eight episodes right now. And this part is pretty nice for us. Claire's going to share our first episode of the Unforgotten with all of her listeners so they can hear about Shelly Watkins story too. And we're going to share the first episode of Final Days on Earth season three with you right now. I think you're going to like it. Okay, here we go. This is Final Days on Earth with Claire Sanumaugh, Season 3, Episode 1. Who is Greg Williams?

[B]

From the outside, Greg Williams life looks perfect. He's a successful businessman, happily married to a gorgeous woman. They have an adorable daughter, and they are planning their dream house together in Texas. But under the surface, there's trouble brewing.

[C]

She hadn't been feeling good lately and he couldn't figure out why.

[B]

Who would want Greg Williams dead?

[D]

She sized him up when she met him. She knew what he wanted.

[B]

She just called him straight up from Dallas, Texas. This is Final Days on Earth Season three, the Life and Death of Greg Williams, Episode one. Who is Greg Williams? Williams, I'm your host, Claire Sanimaugh. Thanks for listening. People often ask me, how did I get started in true crime? Well, this is the case that started it all, my true crime origin story. And it happened right here in Keller, Texas. Back in 2013. I was working in local media when I came across a mysterious murder case where with more questions than answers, what I uncovered is a diabolical story of greed and deception that has stuck with me for 11 years. And now I'm diving deeper than ever before to understand the tangled web of lies and relationships at the heart of it all. Because while this season is about the life and death of Greg Williams, it's also about so much more.

[C]

She is a player, she's conniving. She's a Liar. For some reason, she's got this hold over men and they believe her. I wouldn't put anything past her.

[B]

Everyone who knew Greg Williams said he was a hard working guy. A successful entrepreneur with a thriving computer company. Greg knew the value of putting his heart and soul into something. This is Greg's sister, Michelle.

[D]

He was 40 years old. He was going to retire at 45. And he had freaking accomplished and done what he wanted to in life.

[B]

Like a lot of people who work really hard, Greg also played hard. And the house parties he would throw for friends and family were legendary. There was always plenty of food and drink to last the whole night. And even though the parties were at his own house, Greg didn't usually stick around for long.

[D]

He'd go out there and socialize for about an hour and then he'd disappear into his office and start working on stuff.

[B]

Greg loved computers. He started a networking company in the Dallas area called DFWIT Pro. And it took off. This is one of his former employees, Steve McSwain.

[E]

He definitely knew computers. You know, that's how he built his business. And I mean, he was not only just in computers, but he was pretty much smart at anything. He had a photographic memory, so anything that he read, basically it was there in his brain.

[B]

Like many people in technology, Greg was introverted. A character trait that his sister said was often misunderstood.

[D]

You know, he was kind of quiet. He really only had something to say when he felt it was important, you know, to say, which some people may think he came off like being an asshole. Heard that more than one time.

[B]

Michelle didn't see Greg that way at all.

[D]

When anyone needed anything, my brother was there for them. He's three years older and very, very, very protective. My entire childhood and beyond.

[B]

Michelle remembers one time in particular when Greg's instinct to protect his little sister kicked in. Back then, they were living in Florida.

[D]

So I walk out my back door and just when I get to about the neighbor's house, I go to step down. And right before I stepped, I looked down and I almost put my foot on an alligator head. Oh my gosh, there was an alligator right there laid out. So I turned around and I hauled ass and I ran back in the house.

[F]

Okay.

[D]

But then I told my brother about it and Greg being the way he was, he. He went out there the next day, he took a raw chicken out of the freezer and tied it to a piece of string and he hung it over the pond that the alligator came out of. And he waited at the pond the entire Night for the alligator to come out and grab the chicken. He sat up all night with a sledgehammer.

[B]

The alligator got the best of Greg that night, stealing the chicken when he must have nodded off for a minute. When he woke up, the bait was gone. Michelle still appreciated the effort.

[D]

Most people don't go beyond like that, but yeah, there was an alligator gonna hurt his baby sister, so that's what he did.

[B]

Greg's instinct to protect his sister went beyond wildlife.

[D]

When I started liking boys, I didn't think any of them liked me at all because they wouldn't come talk to me. And then I found out because him and my little brother was going behind him and telling him, don't you even think about talking to her again.

[G]

Well, at least she got an explanation, right?

[D]

Yeah, at least I didn't go through life with a complex.

[B]

One of Greg's biggest passions in life was martial arts. He was a third degree black belt.

[E]

He liked to go to the gym and work out, and he definitely kept his body in good shape. And he one time bragged that he hit somebody in the face and almost killed them, broke their nose. And he had a pretty powerful punch and he was pretty proud of it. And one of the things he liked to do just for fun, you'd be standing there talking to him and he'd just haul off and hit you in the arm, you know, leave a bruise and just kind of is a fun thing for him to do. He wasn't being mean, just kind of.

[G]

Playing around like a macho guy thing, right?

[D]

Yeah.

[B]

Greg traveled the world competing in martial arts tournaments well into adulthood. It was on one of those trips when Greg made a fast friend, mostly out of necessity. While in Prague for a competition, Everyone.

[D]

Around them spoke Czech and they were, they just met up because they were only one. The only ones that were there during all the fighting that spoke English.

[B]

His name was Bryn Fletcher and he was British. Bryn and Greg kept in touch for years after the tournament, and they learned that they had more in common than just martial arts. Bryn was a general contractor, and he started coming to Texas to help Greg out with some of his bigger networking jobs.

[D]

So, you know, Bryn would run the cables, work out the quirks.

[B]

On one of these trips, Bryn met Greg's younger sister, Michelle. The connection was almost instantaneous.

[D]

We just hit it off. I can't really put it into words. He just, he just had a. He had kindness about him, just real charming and witty and down to earth. And then he'd go into the way he looked. I mean, I could tell, you know, that he was a good guy.

[B]

It didn't hurt, of course, that this good looking, hardworking British man was already best friends with her brother. Before long, Michelle and Bran got married and he relocated to Texas permanently with his new friend turned brother in law nearby, helping his business thrive. Greg's work life was on an upswing, but his personal life had suffered more than a few hits. By the time his computer company had taken off, Greg was on his third marriage. This is Greg's first wife, Kathy.

[C]

He was a very bright, intelligent, loving person. Yes, he had a temper, we all do. And it took a lot to make him angry. But if you deceived him or if you lied to him, that was it. You were out of his life.

[B]

Kathy and Greg had a daughter together named Taylor.

[F]

My dad was my hero for a very, very long time. When he was married to my mom and married to his second wife, Lisa, he was a good, loving father. He made time for his family because that's what was most important to him. And some of my best memories I have with my dad aren't going out and doing all these fun, expensive things. It's us sitting and watching Lord of the Rings all day long just because I wanted to spend a day with my dad and watch movies. That was the kind of dad he was. Even with his busy schedule with his own business, he still made time.

[B]

When Taylor was going into middle school, Greg married for the third time. His new wife's name was Michelle. Just like his sisters, they seemed to.

[E]

Really love each other, get along whatever he needed. She took care of the happy marriage, the perfect marriage that you would think everybody would want, right?

[B]

And as a bonus, Taylor also became a big sister. Michelle and Greg had welcomed a baby girl the previous year. Michelle seemed to be the ideal stepmom.

[F]

I adored her and I tried to be just like her and do things just like her.

[B]

When Greg and Michelle were dating, she worked as a dental assistant. But after marrying Greg, she transitioned to working for the family computer company despite having no business background.

[E]

So she was kind of the general all purpose helper. Her main job was to take care of the books, invoicing. So kind of doing all the office work.

[B]

Here again is Greg's sister.

[D]

She immediately quit working and she became his office manager. And that's all she was supposed to be doing, was keeping up with the books and taking care of their daughter.

[B]

But Michelle had bigger business aspirations. While maintaining her position as office manager, she asked Greg to buy a side business for her, a frozen yogurt Shop. And to everyone's surprise, he did. Blueberry's Frozen Yogurt in Keller, Texas, was put exclusively in Michelle's name.

[D]

He did everything for her. I mean, whatever she wanted, she got it.

[B]

Michelle was making good impressions at work and at home. Here again is Greg's daughter, Taylor.

[F]

She was just very interested in being present. If I asked her to, like, spend time with me and just do simple things, she was there. She cared about my schooling and about whether or not I was getting the help I needed. Just, you know, kind of just being a mom in that instance, I guess it was just like being a normal mom. Like, for me, it's, you know, just attending to my every need, including my emotional ones.

[B]

Yeah.

[G]

I mean, she was making dinner for you. She was helping you get ready for school. She was doing all the things she was supposed to be doing.

[F]

Yeah.

[B]

But the happy blended family Taylor had grown to love wouldn't last. Seemingly out of the blue, her stepmom started accusing her of all kinds of awful things. It caught the preteen by surprise.

[F]

The first thing I ever remember was me coming in the door, and Michelle was like, I need to ask you something. She pulled out a bag of weed that looked like it was wet. And she told me, well, I found this in your pants in the washer. And when I told her, you know, I don't know where it came from. Like, I don't know why that was there, and I don't even know what it is, she basically said that she didn't believe me and to wait until my dad got home and I would have to discuss it with him.

[G]

And at this point, had you ever been in any kind of trouble before?

[F]

I wasn't the kind of kid that just went out and looked for trouble. Sure, I could be impulsive, Sure, I could not listen at times, but that's every kid in this world. I literally went to school, came home, had a snack, and did my homework. And then I had free time until it was time for dinner and bed, and that was the entirety of my life.

[G]

You weren't the kid talking back and getting sent to the principal's office and shoplifting. I mean, I'm trying to think of all the things that you would do, like, if you were the kind of kid that was gonna bring home drugs.

[F]

You know, I mean, I'm not gonna lie. Like, in my early school years, I definitely struggled with school itself, but they realized a multitude of things. One was, I'm blind and I couldn't see the board. The second one was That I had severe dyslexia and I got diagnosed with ADHD at the same time when my dad was with his second wife. So really the only trouble I got in was I tried to hide my bad grades because I didn't want the disappointment.

[G]

Yeah, no kid gets through childhood without some experimenting in terms of, you know, testing boundaries and, you know, that's a normal part of growing up. Like you have to figure out what the rules are and what the limits are. And so tell me, after the situation with the marijuana, how did, how did it escalate from there?

[F]

She said she found drugs at the bottom of my trash can once. And then a couple weeks go by and she said, oh, well, I found more drugs in the back of your TV remote. And I'm sorry, but I was not smart enough to think like that when I was that age.

[G]

Yeah, that's pretty sophisticated.

[F]

Yeah, I was not, I was a 12 year old preteen worried about passing math. I was not worried about hiding drugs in the back of a remote.

[B]

Here again is Taylor's mom, Kathy.

[C]

The only person that found those drugs was Michelle. Greg never found anything on Taylor. We took Taylor to a hospital and had her drug tested. It was always negative. If I gave her a home test, it was always negative. But if Michelle gave her the test, it was positive.

[B]

When Taylor denied that the drugs were hers, she was severely punished. She said her dad spanked her and it was frightening.

[F]

Well, my dad was angry, rightfully so, if you would have thought, you know, that your kid brought that into your house. But I also feel like he wasn't willing to listen to anything I had to say because I told the truth and I said that I didn't know where it came from. And I got punished because I said I don't know. And I'm not gonna lie, like I didn't help my situation any because I got scared and I chose to continue to like, you know, make up stories about where the drugs might came from just because my original answer that I don't know, wasn't being accepted.

[G]

You know, that's actually completely understandable. And that's what, like whenever people give false confessions to the police, it's like exactly the same logic that you're using right now that you were using as a child. Whenever you were, you told the truth, you weren't believed, you were punished. And so then you were like, I need to tell them something different so I don't get the same result. You know, it actually makes sense if you look at it from those you know that perspective and the cause and effect. And so the idea that you made up stories about where the drugs came from, that's like psychologically that makes sense why you would do that. As a child. You're trying to please these adults that you know that are very upset with you telling them the truth.

[F]

Like, I know that I won't be punished if I can just stave off the punishment by making up this story.

[G]

I'm so sorry. As a child, you know, you're so trusting and you expect adults to take care of you and protect you and when they do the opposite, it's just so harmful.

[F]

Yeah. And I will definitely say that, like not everybody was in Michelle's corner as far as the drugs went. She definitely had my dad wrapped around her finger and believing everything she said. But my uncle Bryn, I know, is one of the ones that told him like, hey, you're being kind of stupid. Like this doesn't add up.

[B]

Here again is Taylor's aunt.

[D]

We could not understand for the life of us how Taylor, 13 year old girl who just rides the bus back and forth to school can get hold to these strong, potent.

[B]

The final straw was when Michelle called the police on Taylor, alleging that she'd poisoned her stepmom's coffee with a heavy dose of painkillers. But when the authorities investigated the incident, for once it wasn't Taylor who got into trouble. This is how Kathy remembers it.

[C]

Police pulled me aside, he says, get your daughter out of here. Do not let her come back into this house. And they told Greg and Michelle that if it happened again that they would take their other daughter away from them because something funny was going on there. And Taylor never did live with them again.

[B]

After that, Taylor moved back in with her mom and her life seemingly got back on track.

[F]

The first glaringly obvious things that happened was that my grades improved. You know, my bag was still searched because there was still that suspicion. But no drugs were ever found in my bag, on my person or in my room. And I never popped positive on another drug test.

[G]

Imagine that.

[F]

Yeah, and it wasn't too long. I think it was a couple months after I moved in with my mom is when she did what she did.

[B]

On the next episode of Final days on the life and death of Greg Williams.

[F]

I have no doubt I would be in one of two places if I were in that house and that would be either jail or I would be dead.

[G]

91 1, where is the emergency?

[D]

Oh my God. Somebody was in the house.

[C]

I need an ambulance.

[D]

She's not here to help anybody in this world. She's just here to cause chaos.

[B]

Final Days on Earth is produced in Dallas, Texas for Rebel Studios. Each episode is reported and written by me, Claire Sanimaugh and Susan Passone. Original theme music composed and performed by Riley Simmons. Additional music licensed from premiumbeat.com is bending truth in a Thin Line. Special thanks to Kathy Williams, Taylor Williams, Michelle Fletcher, and Stephen McSwain for talking to me in this episode. If you have any information about the cases I cover, please get in touch through my website, finaldaysonearth.com if you want to support this show, please rate and review on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever else you are listening. Thank you so much.