Emmett Shelton Sr. (1905-2999) tells first-hand stories of two high-profile Murder trials in Austin, roughly 100 years age.
             Emmett's father, John E. Shelton, had a prominent criminal law firm in Austin with his four sons.
            In the 1920s, John E,'s Uncle H.C. Greer caught an ex-employee stealing from his feed store on So. Congress. The thief shot Uncle Greer and was charged with attempted murder. Uncle Greer lingered and then died without filing a statement, Dan Moody was a hot-headed prosecutor, and the case resulted in a mistrial.
           The second case shook Austin in 1933 - the tragic death of the young daughter of Belton mechanic Cal Yarborough. She was burned to death with gasoline and an insurance claim resulted an Cal's indictment. Mr. Bomer defend Cal and, Emmett assisted 
          Cal had spent 6 months in jail before the trial and had a strong defense however, Emmett and Bomer tried to prepare Cal for prison time.  Cal told Emmett "This jury cannot punish me at all." The jury returned a guilty verdict, and Cal was sentenced to 30 years.  We appealed but Cal spent time at Huntsville prison. We won on appeal, but Cal had lost everything - his life was forever changed.

Music: Theme song from Matlock

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Stories told by Emmett Shelton / compiled and submitted by Cynthia Shelton.