Stacey Stites and Rodney Reed-Part 1

This week at 72 House, the topic of discussion is the tragic murder of Stacey Stites and the controversial sentencing of Rodney Reed, a Black man convicted in Texas in the 1990s. This two-part episode will take you down winding backroads, where each turn leaves you questioning what's ahead.

Sources:
Girl in the Pines Documentary
Jimmy Fennell: 5 Fast Facts You Need To Know  By: Jessica McBride
Innocence Project - Justice for Rodney Reed
Wikipedia

https://innocenceproject.org/

Instagram: 72_media

Email: 72HousePodcast@gmail.com

Transcript

0:00
All right, you fuckers, ready?
Yes.
All right, let's do this. 72 House K Jack 7.
Stabbing 1000 E Mission Dr. 72.
0:17
House K Jack 7.
You guys ready?
Yeah, fellas.
Good to have you back.
It's been a little while, Rob.
What do you got going on?
How are all the businesses going?
0:34
Oh, I'm just doing my thing.
You look very.
Dapper, any inventions?
No, yeah, I'm working on safety projection systems.
Actually I'm working on a a display projection that is placed on emergency vehicles to increase the digital imprint around the vehicle by 4 feet on each side I've.
0:50
Actually seen the pictures.
You have yeah.
So when you park on the freeways, the engineer can pull the parking brake, then IT projects a walkway all the way around 360 around the vehicle.
So it just increases the.
Using a laser beam.
Laser beams.
Yeah, that are mounted underneath and all that stuff.
1:05
So I'm working on that with a local engineering company actually.
Your house?
Is it a wedding venue yet?
Not quite.
Well, actually, technically, yes, but you know, it's a work in progress.
So we're still working on it.
It's beautiful and we're trying to get it, you know, more business.
1:23
How do people find you?
I'm just right here, mostly.
I'm just at my house.
Yeah, I'm just existing.
No, I'm kidding.
No, it'd be at the Bowman House on on the Instagram.
So you can easily get a hold of us on Instagram at the Bowman House.
1:39
All right, bingo.
Bingo.
All right, So welcome to 72 House.
I hear you.
Grab a plate, pull up a chair.
It's time for dinner at the Deuce.
What's for dinner tonight, Dad?
Tonight is an interesting one.
It's actually one that's there's a lot of talk about it on the Internet on.
1:56
Is it current?
We're doing a current one.
It's not.
So the case itself isn't current.
The case itself happened in 96, but it.
Was 30 years ago.
The the person that was that was ultimately charged with murder and put on death row.
2:13
That is why this has been in the media so much.
The potential exists for him to be executed like correct, executed or exonerated.
Executed.
More I guess I.
Suppose.
Right.
And and there's, there's, I don't know if you guys have heard of the Innocence Project.
2:30
We'll, we'll get to that.
But Oh yeah, the Innocence Project, that's the pro bono.
Yep.
Yeah, they OK, cool.
Founded in 1992, exonerating 250 current cases.
That's really.
Of more than $38,000 to.
Google.
I just made all that up.
Look it.
2:45
Up this is like ChatGPT.
Yeah, I know.
That was interesting BB.
Beep beep.
Beep, beep, beep.
So I do want to start with, although the major story with this has to do with the unfortunately the person that murdered this woman.
3:01
I did want to start with her because at the end of the day, she was a victim.
Her name was Stacey Stites.
Stacey Stites.
Stacey Stites, right?
And this was in a small town in Texas.
She was born on January 19th, 1977, which is crazy.
3:17
That's my birthday.
Got to do.
I got to interrupt you real quick.
This guy's been on death row for how long?
20.
And in Texas, you see where I'm going.
In Texas, well, we'll get to that, too.
OK.
Because Texas has the record of like the shortest amount of time on death row and it's days to when the guy got that's which sentenced and like days later he was executed.
3:38
He's in Texas.
I'm just surprised that somebody was on death row that long.
Yes, it's crazy.
Yes, this is a.
This is like.
Already winning, yeah.
This is a hotly contested case.
So you guys are the same age?
Exactly January 19th, 1977.
I'm gonna write that down.
3:54
So I'm gonna send you a wow, a nice card.
That's right.
So.
Write that down.
Wow, I bet you that time passes faster than it does.
Even the Firehouse.
Oh, I'm up to be killed.
That was a short 30 years.
And you'll see it's multiple times.
So we'll we'll get to.
4:09
No, but that's not true.
You can only die once.
I looked it up, it's hot multiple times.
If you survive your execution, you're actually I think so.
Yeah.
I saw it.
It was on Shawshank.
Wasn't.
It I think that's why they give consecutive life sentences.
Yeah, on Shawshank.
Come on.
So so Stacy's born January 19th of 77 in Nuestus County, Texas.
4:29
OK.
She was the youngest of Carol Stites five children and was nicknamed the White Tornado.
Oh, there.
You go white tornado.
Because, according to her mother, she was into everything.
OK, Rob, that would be your nickname.
White Tornado White.
4:44
Tornado, all right.
Yep.
Here I am, and almost certainly are into everything.
Her friends describe her as carefree, always cracking jokes.
Just like tornadoes.
Just like tornadoes.
Careful.
Carefree.
They're hilarious.
Yeah, tornadoes are wildly hilarious.
5:01
You.
Used to see the tornado chasers, yeah.
They're they got something loose, Yeah.
So at the age of 15, Stacy gets pregnant. 15 small town in Texas. 15 You're my sister.
She or is that Louisiana?
Well, and this is in small town Texas in the in the early 90s, so.
5:21
We apologize to our Texas listeners.
Oh yeah.
And we actually do have some.
But anyway.
Not anymore.
Not anymore, yeah.
So.
So let's see if they're all cousins.
Stacey, her family.
They decide that her best course of action is to go on with the pregnancy, but put the child up for adoption.
5:40
There you go.
And they had a family from the church that was willing to adopt the child.
And so things worked out OK for her.
So that's at 15, right?
At 19, she meets a gentleman by the name of Jimmy Fennell.
5:57
She meets him at the Smithville Jamboree.
OK.
She instantly falls in love or something like it.
And this guy's who we're looking at on the screen with a goatee.
Correct, That's Jimmy Fennell.
All right, I'm looking.
Yeah, that's he.
6:14
He's got a creepy look about him.
He's.
Got a creepy look?
So they fall in love, they move in together months later and get engaged.
OK, so it's fast, real.
Fast you go.
Shotgun wedding as we know that have been married for a while and are a little older.
Typically those fast ones don't work out so great.
6:33
Hell no.
You just really haven't even got a chance to know someone yet.
Yeah.
Jimmy Fennell was from the same area as Stacy.
He attended the same church as the Stites family and at the time that they were engaged, he was a rookie cop on the Giddings Police Department or Giddings Sheriff Department.
6:53
That is a cop.
Yeah.
And so, and that all plays a role in this because you'll see but that that department, at least at that time, had some major, major issues with crooked cops.
In that small town.
7:09
In that small town sounds.
Like Rambo?
Remember that movie?
Oh, of course I do it.
Honestly, it very similar.
So she's engaged right?
To this rookie cop Jimmy Fennell.
She wants to make some extra cash for her wedding and her wedding dress so she gets a job working at the HEB.
7:28
I'm not from Texas, I'm assuming that's a big name grocery store.
But I have no idea.
She took a job working in produce because it paid an extra $0.50 an hour, but she had to be in early in the morning, like her shift started at 3:30 in the morning 0.
Wow.
All right.
7:44
So.
Get those veggies and fruit out, got.
To pick all those potatoes, yeah.
Well, that's Idaho.
And I say that because it does factor in OK to to the time.
Everything you say is a clue.
Yeah, very true.
Minus murder with a carrier trying to add it all up together.
7:59
Very true.
So let's speak into that.
Let's let's get right to the murder.
OK.
So on the morning of April 23rd, 1996, Stacy was due to be at the HEB by 3:30 AM for her scheduled shift.
8:15
OK, according to her fiance, Jimmy Fennell, Stacy left the house in his truck, which is what she generally did, at approximately 3:00 in the morning, and that would be the last time he ever saw her.
Early that morning, a patrol officer found a red truck in the high school parking lot.
8:35
It was locked, but he noted a bag of clothes in the bed of the truck and a broken piece of belt with the belt buckle still attached just outside of the driver's door.
I assume none of that stuff was there before 'cause that was his truck, right?
That that was his truck.
8:51
So the clothes weren't.
No.
Normally in the back.
No, OK, no.
I think that's the point, well, that he was making.
So I'm sorry.
I just.
Yeah.
Anyways.
But now we're clear.
Yeah, absolutely.
We're crystal clear.
Crystal clear.
Yeah, yeah.
So the officer did call it in, but as you can imagine, wasn't too concerned at the time.
9:13
They don't really.
They don't know at this point anything's going on.
OK, except for the rift belt and the shirt that's in the.
Caracas, we've already went over.
That that wasn't there before.
Yes, exactly just.
Making sure that we're all cut up and and like operated the.
Same.
Thanks for coming up to speak all.
Right.
So Stacy's mom.
9:30
She hold on.
How was the song right?
Stacy's mom.
Oh yeah.
Listen to you.
Quick ear.
So Stacy's mom gets a call that morning from someone at the grocery store alerting her that Stacy didn't make it into work, which worried her because Stacy was never late to work.
9:49
It sounds like she was responsible as as pertained to that type of stuff.
I mean, like, like we'd said, she's she's already going in at 3:00 in the morning to make a little extra money.
So I think that speaks a little bit about her.
Most certainly when I was her age, I wasn't getting up at 3:00.
10:06
Times far as being responsible and correct to make extra money to buy some things, yeah.
Yeah, cool.
So good girl, Correct.
So Stacey's mom, her name's Carol, she immediately calls Jimmy Fennell.
Jimmy comes down from upstairs.
10:23
So they lived in an apartment complex and basically Stacy and Jimmy lived in the unit above her mom.
OK, so they're all right there.
Yes, OK, so she calls Jimmy.
He comes downstairs, grabs the keys and beats feet out.
10:42
He's going to go look for her.
By this time, Stacy had been reported missing and it was realized that the red truck reported earlier was now of significance.
OK.
So obviously, like I said, this is a small town in Texas.
Everybody knows each other.
10:58
Everyone knows each other.
So when they figure out, hey, Stacey Stites is missing, they know what vehicle she was in.
And they're able to, because he was a police officer, Jimmy Fennell, they're able to start putting the pieces together and go, OK, hey, this is this is not good.
11:16
We know where the truck is.
The police went back to the truck.
And here's where things start getting really sheisty with Jimmy Fennell.
OK, so they they take Jimmy Fennell with them to look over this truck.
11:34
They use him to unlock it and point out anything that looked out of place.
So, you know, we've done enough of these now to know that when, in particular a young woman dies, the first person they go to is the significant other.
11:52
We know that because it's usually the significant other.
Exactly.
Especially when you look like that dude.
Exactly you you should know out of the shoots when you hired him.
Hey, this guy's going to kill.
Somebody.
Yeah, we're just going to take you right to.
Jail 100% yeah.
So yeah, do not pass.
Go No, no jury.
12:08
Straight to jail, so.
But he's a cop, so you know.
Exactly.
All that factors in, believe it or not, which is horrible, but they use Jimmy to help get this thing dialed in with the truck.
So what Jimmy did notice at least that he told those other police officers, is a broken piece of plastic that was from Stacy's cup.
12:32
He said, hey, that cup was in there, but it was not broken prior to her going to work.
He also noticed a tennis shoe and one of Stacy's earrings on the floorboard of the truck.
So as you guys can see, you're kind of starting to put together at least the signs of a struggle inside the vehicle, right?
12:54
You got earring, you got a broken cup a little bit.
It looked like a pretty clean truck inside, like he like they maintained it.
It it wasn't bad for sure, for sure.
Because that could be normal.
I mean, everybody's got shit.
Like you look at my car, it's it's got a ton of shit in it.
13:09
Oh.
Absolutely.
You know so.
Yeah, some of you're right, Some of that.
Could you know what I mean?
No, especially look, earrings and stuff like that.
Stuff's all over.
I bet you can find 10 pairs of earrings in my car right now.
Right.
And the little lash rollers.
That's it, yeah.
They're everywhere, So.
So anyway, but this is important, so, so make note of this because you're seeing some things or at least Jimmy Fennell is, that would indicate at least some type of a potential struggle right in that vehicle.
13:40
Make note of that because that's going to come back and be important.
An additional detective that was there noticed what appeared to be.
I would say, see, my index of suspicion goes to the fact that since he is a police officer that he knows what he needs to do to disrupt a scene to make it look like a struggle.
13:57
So we'll see if we see if you go there.
But that's where my mind he.
He could, but we'll we'll get to that Allegedly.
Wait, so.
Are you the additional detective?
No, Lance, you're the only Dick in the room.
That's a pet.
Dick to you, pal.
Yeah, that's right.
That's right.
That's right.
14:14
So they also notice something that appears to be like a bodily fluid on the floorboard of the truck.
So it's a lot like Lance's vehicles.
It's just semen, that's it.
Not a big deal, right?
Not a big deal.
I never got that on the.
Floorboards.
Semen.
Exactly.
Yeah, Yeah.
14:29
Good ceiling everywhere, Yeah.
Man ceiling was years ago, not now.
Come on, painter self-portrait.
Yeah, that's right.
Right.
So, and, and again, make note of that because you would think that's important, right?
So, per police, Fennell was shaken up and upset, but not in a state of panic.
14:51
Once Jimmy identified the belt as Stacy's, he broke down and started crying.
So again, you know, I, there's going to be a lot of these things that I say, hey, kind of make a mental note of this because you, you do have to start wondering, you know, was he crying because he this now got real to him?
15:12
Was he crying because it brought back a memory of maybe something you really don't know?
But we will all come to our own conclusion, I think about that.
Guilty.
Guilty.
Agreed.
So Stacey's body was found on the side of a rural Rd. just outside of Bastrop County at approximately 3:30 PM.
15:34
And I looked everywhere to try and find out who found her and I couldn't find it anywhere.
But they found her, as you guys can see in that picture, kind of amongst a bunch of wildflowers.
And there's actually a great documentary that I watched called The Girl in the Pines and that.
15:54
Was a movie, wasn't it?
It was.
It was.
That's why he said he watched it.
Well, the one I watched a movie.
He said Documentary.
OK, well I mean, he watched both.
Your attacks are are sharps.
Thank you.
OK, none necessary.
OK.
Why so hateful?
Purely I don't know.
Yes, because I'm really insecure and I need to cut down others to feel good about myself.
16:13
Thank you.
This is a murder slash therapy session that we're having, that we're having.
Right now, perfect.
And I'm glad you're the guy, Lance.
To fix it, well, you can tell me all your problems and I won't say anything to anybody, I promise.
You, I know you're a fireman.
You steal.
Trout steel trap.
Steel trap telephone.
Tell a friend, Tell a liar.
16:30
So when they found her, she's wearing a black bra and jeans that were on backwards.
Again, kind of mental note, her shirt and her belt that was used to strangle her were found close by and you can see in in the image that's on there clearly she was strangled.
16:51
Yeah, she's got those againstions around her neck.
Another note, right, We know she was strangled with a belt.
They know that.
That's not in dispute.
So keep that in mind because we when we get to DNA evidence, that's going to kind of factor in a little bit.
You know, just look at these pictures, and I think it's notable that she looks like she can handle herself, like Texas style, right?
17:12
Like she would put up a fight.
She's got a looking brace on, but if her pants were on cheap, her pants were on.
She look, she looks like she's, yeah, you're right.
Like she look like she's getting ready to go to a wrestling match.
Yeah, she could stack some produce.
She's a also a stacker for sure.
Top shelf for sure.
17:27
Big muscles for sure.
Rob, you look puzzled.
No, well, because I'm being stressed by my producer because I was going to ask a question.
Oh, OK.
So to me, I didn't really understand.
It's OK.
Anyway, squirt bottle her pants, rob her pants, run backwards.
But she's got this knee brace on and she's got her shoe salon.
17:45
So for someone to like did someone put her pants on back on?
Yes, somebody put her pants back on.
Correct that way and her shoes unless.
Unless it was back on Friday at work.
With the shoe there because her shoes were off when they found her.
18:02
But her pants?
Someone put them on backwards, obviously.
Unless it was casual Friday at work, sure.
Backwards, backwards or back?
Yeah.
Backwards man.
Backwards man.
Yeah, that's right, Crisscross.
Yeah, backwards man.
So a lot of the crime scene analysis was starting to come back.
18:19
At this point.
They're able to get obviously a look at Stacy's body and start putting some pieces together.
She was cut as you can see in the pictures.
Bruised.
No, just as you can see a small cuts, abrasions, bruised.
18:36
You said you were putting the pieces together.
We stopped that.
Sorry, Rob.
What?
You're on my ADD are.
You on a tear again?
No, I'm not, but you guys are fucking come on man, get going with the fucking story we're.
Gonna get the squirt bottle my.
ADD is flying.
September, get the squirt bottle.
Is that a thing?
18:52
Yeah, fuck you.
We're gonna put some.
Go to Station One.
They got a couple there.
Yeah.
She's partially burned and what the hell had bite marks on her breast?
So I think the partially burned is more so like cigarette burns on her and.
19:08
Yeah, she's a smoker.
So crime scene investigators were also able to extract.
Oh, her hands are in bags.
Semen from her underwear and vagina, as well as saliva from her breasts.
Yeah.
And so again.
So DNADNADNA, right?
19:24
And we're we're not out of the DNA like this is firmly in the DNA range, right, like the.
Realm, it's 96, yeah.
Absolutely.
Now things are better now than they were then, this is true.
But yes, we're well in that range, so.
Siemens a good start.
We're at that point, I think where we can start talking about some of the suspects because.
19:43
All right, Rob, we're getting to it.
Clearly the police missed the number one suspect, which should have been Jimmy for now, when they.
First guilty.
Exactly when they invite him to come back and look at the vehicle.
How they dropped the ball?
Tell me.
19:59
Well, there was one.
Jimmy said I didn't do it.
I believe him.
Yeah, yeah.
I know he's one of our guys.
Yeah, he's one of us.
I know Jimmy.
I don't fish on.
It I mean, he's an official.
There's never been a.
Sense of the law.
How'd you know he didn't do it?
He said he didn't do it.
He said, all right, exonerated.
Fine, you're guilty.
20:14
Yeah, let's go get a beer.
So all the joking aside.
Jimmy's buying.
Jimmy was the first suspect, although he wasn't really necessarily treated like 1.
So according to Jimmy, Stacy showered with him before going to work, and he saw her last at 3:00 AM, right?
20:32
It's.
A good cover, yeah.
So Fennell says that Stacy took his truck to work, and she often did.
The police did confiscate the truck, as you guys know.
OK, I'm going to jump ahead because my ADD is going mad.
If it was Jimmy Seaman that they found, but they were married, well, that's a huge, that's like a, you know, so it makes sense.
20:52
We'll get to that.
We'll get to that.
Yeah, give me a fucking Adderall, I guess.
So.
So they confiscate the truck and they did run, per the Police Department, the forensic tests that were available at that time.
So there are tests now that we have that they did not have.
21:09
Then they they ran what was possible.
The fluid on the floorboard of the truck that I told you to make note of never tested.
Yeah, of course not.
Never tested.
Semen, yeah.
So the truck gets turned back over to Jimmy Fennell 3 days later.
Yeah, we got all evidence here.
21:27
Jimmy's like, I'm going to burn this.
Hey, we went ahead and cleaned up that stain on the floorboard that we never bothered to test.
He also.
What do you think's the first thing he did when he got it back?
Oh fucking watch the jizz off the floor.
Yeah, that's what I do.
Yeah.
You got to clean up after yourself and the ceiling.
Yeah, you know, that's right.
Yeah.
21:43
He sold it pretty much right when he gets it back.
It burns Famous now, yeah.
Absolutely.
Should have burnt.
It bad juju.
So on that on that documentary I was telling you about the one.
That you watched.
The prosecuting attorney, she she's asked questions about the truck and why it was turned back over to him after three days.
22:05
And her answer is, hey, we had went through all of the tests available, so why would we keep it?
The guy needed a truck to get to work and back.
Would you go, OK, I guess if the tests are done and it's documented, I guess I can see why you turn it back over.
22:22
I guess now in a murder case, it would seem to me that you might want to keep it longer, but I guess it's a reasonable answer so.
It doesn't seem reasonable to me.
So here's another crazy one.
Right?
So the last place she was seen is her apartment with Jimmy Fennell.
22:40
So where do you think they would have went to to start testing the house at least, right?
Yeah.
They never ever test the apartment for any forensic and no forensic.
Test this is fact or this this is what?
They allege no, this is fact.
This is fact, OK.
22:55
They didn't even find DNA at her house can do it.
No hair samples.
None, not even in the shower it it was the 90s.
I don't know what they would really find.
Anyway bro look at me, it was the 90s.
Yeah, Poosh.
Oh yeah, yeah, yeah, all those curlies it.
Started, I think that's when it started narrowing down to the the landing strip thing and then it slowly kind of just.
23:15
That's back when you stepped up to a urinal.
It looked like a little Amish man had been shaving his beard there.
Yeah, oh dude, the Firehouse too, remember?
Oh, of course I remember what I'm talking about.
That takes me way back man.
When I first got hired, like guys that were my age, that my age now, that when I got hired back then, we were like old dudes, if you remember, like, Oh, yeah.
23:35
We got hired in the.
Old dudes look like old dudes, man.
Remember being yeah, I mean, you're in this group shower and I'm like, bro, I've never seen balls that low on a man.
Like what is happening with that dude?
And to get back to the apartment, it does blow my mind how?
I mean, that seems like some one O 1 stuff as police officers to go back and start getting into that apartment and figuring out if there's blood, if there's bleach.
23:58
Do they do?
Do they do IQ tests for police officers?
I don't think so, no.
So question for you guys.
Yeah, they don't give up for firemen either, so yeah, yeah.
We were going to leave anybody don't get.
It as medics.
Colors are blue for a reason.
24:14
As medics, we've, you know, been taught to be cognizant of crime scenes and, you know, be careful about the things that we do.
I can't say, looking back on my career, though, that I've come across anything quite like that.
24:30
I don't know that I've been on like a national.
Yeah, so I'm just laughing because there's I can remember being on the battalion and watch watch this calls at station 275 and there was a stabbing out front of a bus stop and be like two or three in the morning.
This guy got just just rocked with this knife.
24:47
And I won't tell you who the crew was, but it's hilarious.
This the the knife that he was used to.
This dude got slit with sit in the street.
She fucking with her glasses and walking.
She kicks the knife and it goes right in the road and like cars come by and go.
Come on, go and just.
Like take over dude.
25:03
We like literally watched that all unfold.
Me and Darryl was.
Like.
That just happened.
Yeah.
We literally watched their kick the murder weapon into the street and got run over by 6 cars.
I'm certain, knowing firefighters the way I do, that's one of a million times.
For sure.
25:19
Yeah, yeah.
It's not our scene, you know, we're there to for a specific purpose and that's the ruin your crime scene.
Exactly.
We do.
You are not lying.
Yeah, we.
Do a good job.
Hey, they they get it, they give it back, they park in front of our freaking hydrants.
Oh, code, everything's code 4.
Yeah, code 4.
25:35
Yeah, yeah.
But.
What, are your guns drawn?
Yeah, well, it was happening.
Or when it is actually code 40.
Sorry, we should have told you that 30 minutes ago.
Yeah, you can go.
Back to service.
Yeah, jerk, we went.
Been sitting here for an hour.
Story tell, but it it was you guys have been on the calls when they call it code 4 and you like walk in and they're like still they got their like weapons drawn towards the door dude, just like walking by.
25:54
Dude, no joke, we went to that that apartment complex, that two-story apartment complex on Mill and and this lady got shot with a 22 some domestic dispute.
She got shot in the vagina.
By the way, she didn't end up passing away, not from the vagina shot, but you know.
Really.
Yeah, she just got septic or something.
Well, no, I mean she died.
26:10
She got shot in the chest as well.
Just one of the shots.
Yeah, maybe leave with.
That, well, we did a full assessment, OK.
We're very thorough.
We're professionals.
I can tell.
But yeah, they were drawn down on this door and she was about 30 feet away by a dumpster.
26:26
And they go, yeah, she yeah, you're good to come and take care of, take care of her.
And we're like, is it then what are they doing?
What are they doing over there?
Anyway?
I had override an e-mail and it was a whole big deal but.
And they said put your bulletproof vest on.
Yeah, that's right.
Be a man.
Get shot.
What if they shoot me in the head?
26:41
What if they shoot you in the face?
Yeah, that's a chance we're willing to do.
Right.
Yeah, I didn't think of that.
Yeah.
Well.
So back to the story.
Back to the story.
Sorry about that.
Yeah.
So Jimmy Fennell, he's given 2 polygraph tests.
When asked if he had anything to do with the murder, his answers came back as not truthful.
26:59
Wait, he said.
Not truthful.
He did not, the police said, not truthful.
He took an oath.
The police chalk it up.
He was just upset.
Oh yeah.
That's right.
So these, these lie detector machines, Yeah, yeah, they're just phony.
So he comes back, fails two of them, and it's kind of just tossed out as like, oh, well, he's sad.
27:22
So police were also unable to figure out a scenario where Jimmy got home after killing Stacy without his truck.
So that's the other piece that they start doing the timelines.
It's called walking.
27:39
Well, well, he wouldn't have to.
Pronounce it.
Because remember the mom at 5 something in the morning or earlier?
She calls Jamie and he's in his apartment and comes down.
It's two hours.
So.
Yeah, he's a big boy.
He ain't walking anywhere.
27:55
Yeah, he it.
So the police start doing the math and they go, hey, we don't see a scenario, at least one that's obvious, where.
OK.
So we don't know the distance from that county line that she was.
On.
Not exactly, no.
Plus he said he didn't do it.
What are we even talking?
28:10
About here what?
Are we?
Yeah, This is in moot point.
Yeah, for sure.
So at that point, they ruled Jimmy out as a suspect and the case goes cold for months.
So. 1 suspect cleared.
They as in who?
The Police Department that he works for.
28:27
Well, no.
You think it'd be?
He works for Giddings.
This was in Bastrop County.
OK, my bad.
Yeah.
You dirty bastard.
Sorry.
So like I say, case goes cold for months.
Fast forward, this is where we get to Rodney Reed.
Rodney Reed?
28:43
Who's Rodney Reed?
Never heard of her.
Well, so we'll get to exactly who he is, matter of fact.
Good Segway.
So on November 9th, 1996, Linda Schluter, Looter looter She's 19 and she's sexually assaulted after she had agreed to give a man that she had met at a payphone a ride home when she.
29:06
Seems like a good idea.
When she goes to drop him off, he attacks her while attempting to sexually assault her.
An oncoming car scared him and he flees and takes off in Linda's car.
Rodney Reed was picked out of a lineup by Linda Schluter as her attacker, and this is where Rodney Reed enters the picture police.
29:26
As of right now, there's two unrelated cases.
Correct, but there's they believe that Stacy was basically kidnapped in her vehicle the same way Rodney or Rodney Reed attempted to kidnap this world right now I will say this they're.
29:43
Just seeing some similarities.
Correct.
So they start trying to compare these things into Rodney Reed into the picture.
Now I will tell you before we get too deep, if you haven't had a chance, The Girl in the Pines, watch it.
It's amazing.
But the Linda Schluter's interviewed in that documentary, and she says that when the police came to her and said, we want you to identify the person that kidnapped you out of a lineup, she told them, I'm not going to be able to identify them.
30:16
I hardly even saw his face.
And so she led me to believe that she had kind of been prompted to identify Rodney Reed.
And there are reasons for that.
We'll get to those here shortly.
OK.
30:32
So and and I.
Intriguing, yeah.
And I tell you guys.
I'm listening.
This whole case has these pieces that you go man.
Just adds a little shadow of a down.
Exactly.
Exactly.
So.
Rodney Reed officially charged with Stacey Stites murder on April 4th, 1997.
30:53
At the time, he was already in jail on an unrelated charge.
So he's, he's a good dude, is what you're saying?
So.
So here's the kicker with this one.
It's funny you say that because that's one of my thoughts.
People just can't rape and then go on with their lives.
They have to continue to be a piece of shit. 100%.
31:11
I mean, allegedly right?
So allegedly.
So right now, Rodney Reed is like I told you when we started this, he's kind of a big deal in the media because of the execution and.
He's still alive right now.
He is correct.
He's on death row, right?
And ready to.
Get.
Axed right?
But we'll get to that.
31:27
Death row records.
So April 4th, 1997, Rodney's charged with Stacey Stites murder.
So let's talk a little bit about Rodney Reed.
He's born on December 22nd, 1967 in Bastrop, TX.
His father was an enlist, was enlisted in the Air Force, and his mother was a nurse.
31:46
He was one of six children, all boys, and I will say just side note, six boys.
That's a rowdy house.
That's a rowdy house.
Yeah.
Oh yeah, That was a rowdy house.
I didn't say which.
I think he was the middle child.
32:03
Yeah.
Which?
He was the brother.
I'd hate to bring up late.
That's funny.
That was good.
Lol I don't want.
To bring up like, you know, any kind of family history patterns or anything that.
Could have led to.
No.
Action military dads and adults.
You think it would be a straightforward house?
32:20
A buddy of mine's got five boys, and each one of those kids is tougher than the next.
Sure, it's unbelievable.
Any rappers?
No rappers, no good kids.
Rodney Reed, He attended high school at Hershey High School.
And I gave it a couple seconds because I know you guys are going to laugh and Chuck.
32:37
No, we're Hershey Highs.
We don't do that stuff.
Why?
Yeah.
What?
Are you professionals?
Oh, you know.
I'm apparently not.
Only you, yeah.
I think you probably should.
End up that Yeah so so.
Hershey High is in Wichita Falls, TX.
What?
32:53
Oh, now you're starting.
You can't fight it, can you?
Where's no, not in Texas.
Hershey High, Hershey High, Hershey High is in, Yes.
It's in Wichita Falls, TX predominantly white, no African Americans were on the 12 person jury.
So you, you know, you can kind of start putting some of these things together as far as Texas and some of the things that people I think use to put doubt into this case.
33:23
So Rodney Reed, he played football.
He was a Golden Gloves boxer, like a state champ.
You know the guy could handle himself.
And like I say, the jury selection begin in March of 9812.
People or 12 person jury, no African Americans and predominantly white.
33:44
Rodney had initially denied knowing Stacy but later confessed to knowing her and to having a secret affair with her.
Yeah, so secret she didn't even know about.
It that's actually one of the exact lines one of the attorneys used.
34:01
Back up.
Let's repeat that.
Say it again So.
Just for clarification.
I'm just trying to wrap my mind around what's happening and I wasn't listening.
OK, well, that's not good.
I know I wasn't dingus.
I was studying.
I was reading about this.
So.
Trying to get caught up so I'm in the dark.
34:17
When police went to Rodney and said, hey, do you know Stacey Stites, he said Nope, no clue.
Got it.
Later, that's Stacey's.
Right later he does confess and says yes and we were having a romantic affair.
Oh, so she's cheating on Jimmy with this dude?
34:33
That's what he says.
What he claimed, right?
And again, this is another one of those points that gets debated and debated and debated.
Well, when there's only one side of the story, you can make up whatever you.
Want.
Well, there is definitely multiple sides.
That right, and Disneyland is not wrong.
34:49
Dead men tell no tales.
Well, we'll, we'll get to the fair piece of things because that is a big, big part of it.
There's a lot of big parts of this one.
So when?
Asked.
Why he lied about knowing Stacy Rodney said it would be best for me not to admit knowing a dead white girl.
35:08
And I knew she was seeing a cop.
And we're in the South.
There's still a lot of racism going on.
And so I will say, and you know, I haven't been to Bastrop, TX, I did spend some time living in Texas, not there.
35:24
And I hate to say it, but as a ignorant person not knowing Texas, you have to admit when you think small town Texas in the 90s, you you probably that is something that probably comes to mind right There was probably.
Some truth to that?
Yeah, there was probably not the best relationships between people of different races.
35:45
Yeah.
I think that's probably a fair assumption.
I think so, but someone from Texas is going to say you guys are fools.
Well, no, I I get it, but it, it, it does make them look guilty, you know, to, to lie about it if if they were having a super duper secret affair.
36:01
Well, yes.
And so again, that again, that gets really interesting.
We'll get to that.
I think he was dating her because she was making so much money with that $0.50 extra an hour.
He found himself a little honey hole.
Yeah, that's right, that's right.
Got a little excited how to bite her and burn her and all that stuff.
36:19
So the prosecution.
I allegedly.
That's right.
So, as as the case goes, the prosecution relied heavily on the DNA evidence that linked Rodney to Stacy.
Are you talking about the semen?
36:34
So.
Say semen.
Yes.
So the semen and the saliva, both were Rodney's.
How'd that get there?
Well.
Well, they were.
They were supposedly.
36:51
Oh, that's why he claimed that they were dating.
That's his excuse.
So he was just slinging goo like he would normally with the.
So that's exactly what the defense is, that these two, of course his DNA was on her they were having.
Sex.
So tell me, what evidence exists to establish a history of an intimate relationship between these two?
37:13
Well, there were semen in her panties.
I know, but it could have been put there unwillingly, so I want to see evidence before of that.
A picture, A date night.
You see Copper, I was jerked off the night before and he stole my semen and placed it there.
Yeah, that's it.
It wasn't me.
37:29
Hey, Dick Tracy.
So we will get to that, OK, We will get to that.
But you see where the case is going, right?
I semen where the case is.
Going semen where the case is going, I do the police speculate that Rodney basically ambushed Stacy at a railroad crossing or a stoplight, something of the sort, the morning of the murder and.
37:53
Just three in the morning, just waiting at a random bus stop.
Well, and that's another strange piece of it too, right?
Here's the deal.
When I told you that the Police Department had kind of pushed the Schluter girl to identify Rodney, that there's a reason behind that.
38:14
So Rodney actually has a pretty checkered past with sexual assault.
Crazy this isn't his first.
Well, so again, this gets interesting because I'm going to read you a bunch of these allegations and they truthfully are allegations because most of these were never tried.
38:36
There is a piece of these that is in question, but on the flip side you'll see there's so many that you go come on.
Because of lack of evidence.
Basically.
And well, so we'll get to that.
Yeah, God damn.
Land on the plane, bro.
All right.
I'm trying to land.
38:52
Bro I'm on the edge of my seat.
All right, so in 1987, Rodney Reed was charged with sexually assaulting 19 year old Connie York.
According to York, during the assault, Reed attempted to penetrate her anus.
39:07
Oh, oh, that's that's quite Saturn was unavailable.
When Reed was tried in 1991, he claimed I just.
Got it, I said.
Just being locked in there.
Got a laugh?
So when when Reed is tried in 91, he claims that he was in a secret relationship with York and the sex was consensual.
39:28
The jury acquitted Reed of sexual assault.
Really.
Really.
Just.
Huh.
This is in 871989.
While Reed was on bond for the York assault, he sexually assaulted a 12 year old girl.
Oh jeez.
39:44
The attacker claimed that Reed repeatedly beat her and bit her in the face.
The attacker also penetrated her anus.
A 12 year old. 12 year old.
Jeez man, I'm an animal.
And this is where it gets weird too.
The DNA evidence, all that I could find is it said it did not exclude Rodney Reed.
40:05
It it was very.
What's that?
Even mean was he hold on?
Was he tried and convicted of the rape of the 12 year old?
No.
Because this is all alleged.
This is alleged.
How could it be alleged if there was DNA evidence?
It well, like I said, it's very vague.
I don't know what.
The where did that information?
40:21
Come from exclude.
Who?
Who came up with that?
Who came with what?
That story like the the 12.
Year old well, this is a known, these are known alleged.
No one, yes, no one, you know, invented this in their basement.
Well, somebody did, because he was never arrested and convicted or tried.
40:38
Like I said, there's where there's smoke, there's fire.
You don't have a page full of alleged sexual assaults without there being something going on.
There he did.
He did.
So yeah, exactly.
He's a lot of money.
You can let that, yeah.
40:54
All right, All right.
Yeah.
OK, Rodney.
So I.
Just don't see it.
So in that was in 89 in in September of 91, Reed physically and sexually assaulted the mother of his children.
Her name was Lucy Iper Gibbs, and Gibbs testified that on another occasion, Reed penetrated her anus without consent.
41:15
OK, so that's fact then.
That's not a lot of fact.
She tested well, I mean, he may not have been tried, but she.
Right.
And remember the 89 case he was, he did have to answer to police.
I just don't know what the outcome of.
Is this all I assume in Texas?
But is this all the same county as well?
41:33
I think they're all in that general area, but the county lines of those places are, you know, right.
But they're still like databases.
And you know what?
They're small towns.
What's the name of the county?
Bastrop County is where he's from.
That was in 91.
In May of 1995, Reed sexually assaulted his mentally disabled girlfriend.
41:53
Oh my God, Carolyn Reavis.
Reavis claimed that.
He's checking boxes at this point.
He's got 12.
Year olds and 19 year olds got disabled, Ding.
So Ding Reavis claimed that Reed held a pillow over her face and penetrated her anus without consent and.
42:08
Got a theory?
And we'll, we'll, we'll talk.
Theory.
Yeah, who's going to?
We'll talk mentally.
What was the county again?
Bastrop County.
Bastrop.
OK in October of 1995, so that was the last one was in May of 95.
This is in October of 95.
42:25
Reed sexually assaulted Vivian Harbottle under a trained trestle in Bastrop.
In the butt.
No OK.
DNA evidence found in Vivian's vagina again could not exclude Rodney Reed I.
Don't even know what that means.
Well, there's a reason they were vague.
42:41
They didn't.
Exclude anybody in this room.
Well, my guess is that they couldn't.
It was probably a poor sample that they couldn't say with certainty was him, but they probably could pick out some some things that they shared.
Like they could probably say this is from an African American male, so on and so forth.
43:00
But there's a reason they were vague, right?
What's the reason?
The reason they were vague because there wasn't a specific match that the sample was probably not good enough to get a perfect match.
So this is allegation 5, right?
43:16
Or so I mean, just off the top of my head, you don't have to count them up, but this is a sexual assault.
Is this, is this the type of mental behavior where like this guy can only get off by physically dominating?
Females.
Because otherwise, get a prostitute, dude, you know, I mean, they'll let you do whatever.
43:32
Yeah, I don't know about that dude.
Well, of course he's.
Stretching it a bit, yeah, I don't.
Think prostitutes just like you do whatever.
I mean, obviously you.
Want to be for a price?
HJS that's 20 bucks.
Oh.
Boy no bro inflation.
All right.
Yeah, Yeah.
43:47
We're just getting enough, at least. 40 So let's talk about the anus piece of this thing for a second.
All.
Right.
Wow.
So let's just get to it.
Perked right there, right in.
Yeah, I was going to ask you about that, but.
Yeah.
So, so the reason that is a focal point of some of those cases, the anus is that Stacey, right, correct.
44:05
Stacey Stites, the the doctor that did her autopsy, documented that he believed she was vaginally and anally raped.
He based, he based those claims on what he described as trauma around the anus and as you can imagine, super damning evidence when there's this history of these very, very similar crimes.
44:36
The same conclusion you guys are coming to right now is the same conclusion that this jury came to when this case was being tried because all of these bits of information were being.
You have not swayed me to believe that any of those allegations have any validity of truth behind them, because you've not presented me with accurate evidence for me to solidify the thought in my brain that he's actually guilty.
45:00
Well, so I think.
You just talked in a big circle.
I did.
You said a lot of words.
I did.
But that's exactly what a defense attorney is going to say.
No, I want to see sound like a defense attorney want to see the evidence, not even the.
Defense attorney has to go.
Yeah, it's good.
That's guilty.
But I'm gonna say a bunch of jargon like you just didn't just say you can't prove it, you know?
45:18
I mean, maybe I did.
Maybe I didn't get on the elevator and come up to my floor.
I can't.
I can't see a.
That's right, me either.
So we will get to Guy, we'll get to the. 2 1/2 over here.
I'll take the stairs, thanks.
45:34
Right, that little, I'm in that little platform in between floors, yeah, all by myself, so.
We're gonna get to the evidence, Rob, that you want.
OK, you keep saying that we're getting.
There we will, We will.
All right, so.
This plane's still at 80,000 feet.
We're getting it landed.
45:49
We're getting, we're getting no, this is a 2 parter.
But this is very interesting.
It is.
It's very frustrating.
That's why this is a 2 parter.
Yeah.
Oh, so 2 parter, correct?
So as you can probably guess, right, Rodney's past did absolutely fucking nothing to help him in his case.
46:08
He's a woman.
I should have did that with a 12 year old.
Yeah.
I knew that was a bad idea.
Yeah.
So Rodney's defense.
Going with Pluto.
They argued that Rodney had a secret relationship with Stacy that had been going on for months and that they had sex approximately 24 hours prior to Stacy's death, which accounted for the semen and saliva found on Stacey's body.
46:30
So we look at the semen, right?
Because this was a big, this was a big piece of the case.
One of the forensic specialists, her name was Megan, and we'll get to her.
She testified that semen cannot survive that time period intact.
46:49
In the vagina, 24 hours.
The vagina is very toxic.
So.
And it's not the vagina that's toxic, it's what's it's actually surrounded by.
So to some degree anyways.
I have no idea.
The vagina is the secret.
It's it's.
47:05
A wizardry portal.
We're saying portal vagina but then it's surrounded and attached to a woman.
This was my point.
That's right.
That's right.
Anyways.
So.
We got a biology we got, we got therapy, we got mass murders.
That's.
Right.
Unfortunately, Rodney's lawyers were unable to bring forward any witnesses that could confirm their relationship.
47:28
You know, is that the evidence that's might drop, Rob, There's the evidence.
Evidence.
Kabunk.
Innocent.
Wait.
Are you are you insinuating that Rodney's a liar?
Exactly.
What?
Doubt it.
He may be a rapist, but he.
Wouldn't lie about it.
47:45
Allegedly got to have something.
You guys, you guys, I didn't do it you.
Gotta swear to God.
Yeah.
So initially, the people who claimed to have witnessed Rodney and Stacey together were all Rodney Reed's friends and family.
The lawyers believe these witnesses were not credible because of the relationship with Rodney and they didn't bring them forward.
48:07
But they claimed that the witnesses that alleged that he had those prior sexual in proclivities, there's no evidence of that.
So you know what I'm saying.
No.
Oh my God, repeat what you just said.
48:25
So the people that that basically said, hey, we know Rodney was seeing her.
Were all friends in the family?
Right.
But then the jury or the judge deemed that not credible evidence.
His lawyers did.
His lawyers said, OK, so it's a ploy.
What I'm saying there's no credible, credible, credible evidence of his previous sexual assaults alleged.
48:48
Correct.
Well, I would guess not enough that he's not in prison for the rest of his life at.
That point, if you anally rape a 12 year old girl in Texas, you're already on fucking death row, right?
Right.
So absolutely, there's no evidence to show that that prior history that led up to people believing or painting this picture that he was guilty for doing this exists.
49:07
Well, it's most certainly hasn't been, like you said, proven without beyond a doubt.
Because he would be already on death.
Row, I'm just playing the devil's advocate here.
I know we all think guilty, guilty, guilty, but, well, yeah, we'll get there.
Could you imagine that conversation between Rodney and like his friends going, hey listen if anybody comes to.
49:26
You.
Well, that you make an ask.
OK, I understand where you're going with that, Lance, but it makes a really valid point.
You know what that valid point is?
Here, let me finish.
I'm being little Robbie.
Yeah, I'm interrupting.
Just deal with it.
OK, so.
But what?
The level of morality is usually in humans is the majority of people are good, decent people.
49:45
Subjectively, in my opinion, maybe it turns into a black and white issue that there was a black man and a white girl essentially that was murdered.
But I would think that his family and friends, somebody would, would, like, feel guilty about supporting somebody if they actually knew that they were lying about it because there was a murdered girl.
50:03
If he's going to you and I go ahead, I need you to lie for me.
This girl's dead.
They think I did it or he went to them and, like, convinced them all that I'm being framed.
I'm being framed because I'm a black man in Texas in a predominantly white, small Texas community.
So who knows?
Yeah, the it's still up in the air for me.
50:20
So if I come to you and I go, hey, Rob, if cops come to you and they talk about may I may or may not did some butt stuff with a 12 year old, can you just let them know that it was a consensual Yeah.
And then you go, yeah, yeah, of.
Course, that's my point.
You're you're making my point for me exactly, though.
50:36
So how many friends and family were actually sticking up for him?
You know, and why would they?
Why would they do that if potentially, you know, maybe he brought that girl around his family and friends, right?
And they were actually aware of it, You know what I mean?
So and that was what the that's what they said that.
50:52
So they actually saw their and everything else.
So, but there's no photographs, there's no nothing like that, no.
Phone records or anything?
No, no, none of that.
Totally secretly, even Stacey didn't know about.
It or anybody else.
It's funny you say that because that's literally the sentence that the the prosecution used when they described it.
51:10
They're so secret.
Stacey didn't know about it.
So, so, so here we go.
All right, So Rodney Reed, what we've given you up to this point is basically the prosecution's case.
51:27
OK, so that's where we're going to leave off on this episode and on our next episode which will be released the this will be released on a Monday and the following or the next Tuesday it will the second part will get rid.
51:43
Of so Monday and then Tuesday.
Monday and then Tuesday could.
Be able to get the next day.
So our plane is at from 80 to 40,000.
We're almost, we're getting down.
We're, we're, we're going to land the shit out of this thing.
We're easily at 40,000.
Feel like I'm flying to Europe right now.
I just went off this fucking plane.
Yes, I want to know the answers, damn it.
52:00
All right, next episode I will take some Adderall and be a little more calm.
OK, good.
Probably very unlikely though all.
Right, so that was a great first piece of this thing.
I can't wait to see you guys on the next piece because it even gets more interesting.
And that being said, Rob, please, for the love of God, clean the fucking dishes.
52:19
All right, I'll do it.
Yes, Sir.
I'm on it, Lance.
I'm out.
I'll meet you in the recliner.
Sounds good.
Oh.
Fuck you guys.
All right, all right.
All right, for those who are interested, visit us on Instagram 72 House under Score Media on the Instagrams. 72 House, podcast@gmail.com.
52:37
Reach out, let us know what you're thinking.
See you've got any episodes you want us to do?
We look forward to hear from you guys, yeah.
All right, outstanding.
Let's clean up.
Thanks for joining us at 72 House for dinner at The Deuce.
All right.
Thanks, boys.
Adios amigos.

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