Podcast Episode 156: The Lee’s Famous Recipe Chicken Tragedy

In this chilling episode, we travel back to the summer of 1992 in Tulsa, Oklahoma, to revisit a crime that shattered the sense of safety in a tight-knit community. Lee’s Famous Recipe Chicken wasn't just a restaurant; it was a "fried chicken royalty" landmark with direct ties to Colonel Sanders himself. But on August 17, that legacy of hospitality was met with unthinkable violence.

We detail the harrowing "execution-style" robbery that left four young employees dead in a walk-in cooler—all for a sum of just $2,000. From the "inside man" who planned the heist to the rapid-fire investigation and the 14-year legal battle that followed, we examine how one night changed Tulsa forever.

What You'll Hear in This Episode:

• The Legend of Lee’s: The fascinating history of Lee Cummings, the nephew of Colonel Harland Sanders, and how his family built a 42-year legacy at the corner of 9th and Sheridan.

• The "Kooky" Connection: How the Tulsa franchise owners were actually part of the extended Sanders family and why the community viewed the staff and regular patrons as one big family.

• A Planned Betrayal: The role of Donnie Daniels, a former employee who used his knowledge of closing procedures and the store safe to lead three others into a deadly trap.

• The Crime & The Victims: A somber tribute to the four lives lost: Joey Gooch (17), Ted Kindley (19), Stephen Williams (24), and Sendy Lara (27).

• The Investigation: How a suspicious security guard and a blue Chevrolet led Tulsa PD to identify and arrest all four suspects within just 48 hours.

• Justice and Appeals: A breakdown of the trials, the "Felony Murder Rule," and the final, controversial words of triggerman Corey Hamilton before his 2007 execution.

Key Facts & "Kooky" Insights:

• The Take-Home Price: When Lee’s first opened in 1966, a full three-piece chicken box with all the fixings cost just $1.25.

• The Inside Knowledge: The killers didn't wear masks because two of them were certain the employees would recognize them regardless—a chilling detail that foreshadowed their intent.

• A Community Staple: Despite the horror of 1992, the restaurant reopened and thrived for another 20 years, finally closing its doors in 2012.

"These four beautiful people were put on their knees and executed like they were a piece of trash... He had no remorse. None at all." — Janice Ramsey, mother of victim Stephen Williams.

Sources:

• News on 6

• The Oklahoman

• Find Law.com

• The Oklahoman - Taped Confessions

• The Oklahoman 

• The New York Times

• Wikipedia

• Murderpedia 

• OCCA

Episode 155: The Ghosts of Fort Sill

Is it possible for a military base to never truly "close," but instead just layer century after century of restless energy into the soil?

In this episode, we are heading to Lawton, Oklahoma, to explore Fort Sill. Unlike other frontier posts that were abandoned to the elements, Fort Sill has been continuously active since 1869. It has evolved from a horseback frontier outpost to a high-tech artillery hub—but it has never quite managed to shake its past.

From its founding by General Philip Sheridan and George Armstrong Custer to its dark days as a prisoner-of-war camp for Geronimo and the Chiricahua Apaches, Fort Sill is a pressure cooker of American history. We dive into the "Old Post Quadrangle," built by the legendary Buffalo Soldiers, and explore why this site is considered one of the most haunted military installations in the United States.

In this episode, we discuss:

• The Founding & The "Peace Policy": How a tent city became the epicenter of the Indian Wars.

• The Sherman Incident: The bloody struggle on a front porch that almost cost a General his life.

• Geronimo’s Final Years: The truth behind his death and the chilling "Skull and Bones" legend surrounding his grave.

• The Most Haunted Locations: From the "rocking chair lady" in the Sherman House to the phantom riders on the Cavalry Parade Field.

• Modern Shadows: Why current trainees still report "shadow people" and phantom drumbeats in the barracks today.

Whether it’s the spirit of a mother searching for her lost children or the rhythmic cadence of a 19th-century bugle call, Fort Sill proves that some soldiers never truly finish their watch.

Want to see the "Gun Park" or walk the haunted quadrangle yourself? Check out our show sources for info on Fort Sill’s historical walking tours and a list of the episodes mentioned in today's show (Ft. Washita #26, Ft. Reno #45, and Quanah Parker #132).

Sources:

• Army Family and MWR Site: Ft Sill

• Ghosts and Legends of Oklahoma by Mike Ricksecker

• US Army

• KWSO 7News

• X94

"My boy, may an old man's curse rest upon you if you do not try to avenge your father."

In 1868, an eight-year-old boy named Frank Eaton witnessed his father’s cold-blooded murder at the hands of lawless vigilantes. Most children would have been broken; Frank just got a gun.

In this week’s episode, Jess traces the incredible 97-year journey of the man who would become Pistol Pete. We’re diving deep into the dusty trails of the Old West to follow a legendary marksman who outshot the U.S. Cavalry at fifteen, served as a Deputy Marshal under the "Hanging Judge" Isaac Parker, and spent decades hunting down the men who destroyed his family.

But Frank Eaton’s story didn't end with a smoking gun. We explore his unlikely transition from a gritty frontier lawman to a beloved community fixture in Perkins, Oklahoma—and eventually, the living face of Oklahoma State University.

Tune in as we discuss:

• The Blood Debt: The high-stakes duels Frank fought to clear his father’s name.

• Kooky Facts: Why Frank was often seen walking barefoot on red-hot metal.

• The Mascot Wars: The modern-day legal battles between OSU, Wyoming, and New Mexico State over who owns the "rootin’-tootin’" legend.

• The Man Behind the Mask: How a 1923 parade changed the identity of Oklahoma sports forever.

Whether you're an OSU fan or just a lover of wild frontier history, this is the story of a man who lived by the gun and died a legend.

Pistols firing! 🔫🍊

Sources:

• Wikipedia - Frank Eaton

• Frank Eaton Historical Home 

• National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum

• Oklahoma Senate

• Oklahoma State University

• Visit Stillwater OK.com

• Cowboy State Daily    

This week, your favorite cousins wrap up the crimes of Glen Ake and Steve Hatch.

Ake and Hatch were arrested in Colorado and returned to Oklahoma after being linked to the murders of Reverend and Mrs. Douglass, as well as related crimes in Texas. Six weeks after the killings, the manhunt ended on Thanksgiving Eve 1979; Oklahoma officials moved quickly to secure custody. Evidence against them included statements each man made, ballistic links, and testimony from eyewitness survivors Brooks and Leslie Douglass, and girlfriend, Ginger Keefe. Hatch was tried first, convicted, and sentenced to death; Ake’s 1980 trial resulted in death sentences for the murders and extraordinary prison terms for the attempted murders. Subsequent appeals, retrials, and legal rulings (including questions about Ake’s psychiatric evaluation) led to mixed outcomes.

Brooks and Leslie survived but endured repeated court appearances and years of retraumatization as appeals required them to testify multiple times. They rebuilt their lives: Brooks finished college, served in ROTC, attended law school, entered politics—winning an Oklahoma State Senate seat at 27—and championed victims’ rights, authoring the Oklahoma Victims Bill of Rights in 1992; Leslie completed college and graduate school, becoming a teacher and assistant principal. In 1995 Brooks met Ake in prison. The siblings later participated in the film adaptation of their story, and Brooks died in 2020; Leslie continues to live in Oklahoma with her family and the legacy of advocating for victims’.

Due to the brutal nature of the crimes, listener discretion is advised. 

Sources:

• Oklahoma Court of Criminal Appeals

• The Oklahoman; 2022; 2022

• Wikipedia

• Murderpedia

• Dateline

• Heaven’s Rain

• They Will Kill You

Wowza! We’ve already made it through the first full week of 2026! This week, Tiff’s listener pick takes us back to 1979 when OK was rocked by the brutal murders of Rev. Richard and Mrs. Marilyn Douglass.

Rev. Richard Douglass was the lead pastor at Putnam City Baptist Church in Oklahoma City. Marilyn Lacy Douglass chose to focus on raising their two children, Brooks and Leslie. The couple married on July 8, 1961, and spent several years as Southern Baptist missionaries in the Amazon region of Belém, Brazil, a formative period for the family before they later settled in rural Okarche, Oklahoma. Their life together—marked by devotion, faith, and service—became the backdrop for the film The Amendment (formerly Heaven’s Rain).

On the evening of October 15, 1979, two men, later identified as Steven Keith Hatch and Glen Burton Ake, forced their way into the Douglass home after committing another robbery, tied the family, and brutally executed Rev. Douglass and Marilyn while their children, 16-year-old Brooks and 12-year-old Leslie, were bound and wounded. The attackers shot the four family members; Brooks and Leslie survived despite severe injuries, escaping and seeking help. Investigators quickly traced the suspects through descriptions and the stolen yellow Chevy; Ake and Hatch fled, committing similar violent crimes across multiple states before being captured weeks later. The case drew massive public attention, and an exhaustive manhunt that ended with the suspects’ arrest six weeks after the murders.

Due the grave nature of these crimes, listener discretion is advised. 

Join your favorite cousins for their first True Crime case of 2026…Part 1 of the story of Glen Ake and Steve Hatch.

Sources:

• Oklahoma Court of Criminal Appeals

• The Oklahoman; 2022; 2022

• Wikipedia

• Murderpedia

• Dateline

• Heaven’s Rain

• They Will Kill You

HAPPY NEW YEAR! WOHOO! 2026

Jess will be starting this new year out right…with a spooky tale from the Oklahoma Panhandle!

Before Robbers Roost became legendary, the Oklahoma Panhandle—once called the Public Land Strip or "No Man's Land"—had a complex history shaped by 19th-century territorial politics and frontier life. After the Compromise of 1850 and boundary adjustments in 1854, a roughly 34-by-168-mile rectangle remained unattached to any state or territory until 1890. The area was traversed for centuries (Santa Fe Trail, Spanish explorers), controlled for a time by Comanche bands, and later overrun by buffalo hunters and Texas cattlemen who grazed open range into the Strip. From the late 1870s settlers and squatters established informal ranches and towns without legal title, relying on self-surveyed claims, local governance, and vigilante justice. Persistent confusion about jurisdiction—exacerbated by the Post Office and mistaken assignment to "Indian Territory"—delayed formal homestead rights until the 1890 Organic Act made the Strip part of Oklahoma Territory, enabling legal land ownership, railroad-driven development, and eventual statehood in 1907.

Robbers Roost, on Black Mesa near Kenton in the Panhandle, was a natural stronghold and outlaw haven in the late 1860s, most famously used by William Coe and his gang to raid travelers, ranches, and military posts. Coe fortified a stone fortress with thick walls, portholes, and support structures in nearby canyons; after murders in 1867, a U.S. Army bombardment shattered the fortress, many gang members were captured or lynched, and Coe was later seized and extrajudicially hanged. The site’s foundation remains, and folklore endures—tales of buried treasure, ghostly apparitions, and phantom battle noises persist—though Robbers Roost sits on private land and visitors must not without permission! 

Join Jess and Tiff this year as they continue to explore all things kooky and spooky in the state of Oklahoma! 

Sources: 

• OHS - Robbers Roost

• Oklahoma Senate

• The Oklahoman   

• Legends of America

• OHS - No Mans Land

  
  Haunted Oklahoma by Jeff Provine  

Tiff wraps up the fascinating and enormous history of the Cherokee Nation’s FIRST female Principal Chief; Wilma Mankiller. 

Wilma Mankiller rose from community development work to become a transformational leader of the Cherokee Nation. In 1983 she joined Ross Swimmer as Deputy Chief and, despite severe gender-based hostility—including threats and vandalism—won election and later became the first woman Principal Chief in 1985 when Swimmer joined the BIA. As deputy and then chief she prioritized community development, improved health care and housing, and pursued a balanced economic strategy that respected Cherokee culture while supporting responsible business growth. She reformed council elections to improve local representation, expanded cultural and literacy institutions, and used media access to counter stereotypes and educate voters. Her 1987 and 1991 campaigns emphasized self-determination, federal partnerships, and protecting social programs amid federal budget cuts; she also overcame health crises while maintaining leadership and earning national recognition.

As Principal Chief (1987–1995) Mankiller advanced economic diversification, infrastructure projects, and programs supporting small business, education, and healthcare, negotiated tax and self-governance compacts, and pursued resource claims—including the long Arkansas River litigation that led to a 2002 settlement. Her administration faced legal and jurisdictional conflicts with the United Keetoowah Band but also strengthened tribal courts and law enforcement cooperation. After leaving office due to health concerns, she taught, wrote, and campaigned on tribal sovereignty, women’s rights, and public health, receiving many honors (Presidential Medal of Freedom, numerous honorary degrees, hall‑of‑fame inductions). Her legacy endures through community projects, the Mankiller Foundation, cultural recognition, expanded tribal services, and ongoing tributes such as films, a US quarter, and a Barbie in her honor.

Wilma Mankiller not only represents the fundamental importance of recognizing our Native roots, but also she represents what ALL girls and women can accomplish. Being a role model does not stop with the Cherokee Nation, but with all of America. What a true gem we had right here in Oklahoma.

Sources: 

Wikipedia

Oklahoma Historical Society

National Trust for Historic Preservation

Britannica

Wilma Mankiller: Chief of the Cherokee Nation by Pamela Dell

This week, Tiff talks about a true Oklahoma warrior woman…Wilma Mankiller. 

Wilma Pearl Mankiller (born November 18, 1945) was a Native American activist and community developer who became the first woman elected Principal Chief of the Cherokee Nation. She revitalized the Nation’s government, improved healthcare and education, and advanced a Nation‑to‑Nation model of self‑government with the United States. Raised as one of eleven children on Mankiller Flats in Oklahoma, she experienced poverty, federal relocation to San Francisco under the Indian Relocation policies, and cultural alienation—events she later described as her “own little Trail of Tears.” Those early hardships, combined with her political awakening during the 1960s Red Power movement (including supporting the Alcatraz occupation), led her into organizing, social work, and advocacy for tribal sovereignty and Native children’s welfare.

After returning to Oklahoma in the mid‑1970s, Mankiller earned degrees in social science, worked in tribal offices, and survived a near‑fatal 1979 car accident and subsequent health challenges. She channeled her experience into concrete community development: securing grants, leading projects such as laying 16 miles of water pipeline in Bell, Oklahoma, and directing the Cherokee Nation’s Community Development Department. Her leadership emphasized the Cherokee principle of gadugi—working together for the common good—and left a lasting legacy of tribal self‑help, cultural preservation, and strengthened institutions for the Cherokee people.

And that’s all just in part 1! Stay with us for part 2 next week!

Sources: 

Wikipedia

Oklahoma Historical Society

National Trust for Historic Preservation

Britannica

Wilma Mankiller: Chief of the Cherokee Nation by Pamela Dell

Thanks for sticking with us while we took care of some home stuff! We appreciate you all!

This week’s drop is in with cahoots with one of our favorite cousins, Raven Rollins, host of The Sirens Podcast AKA Sirens | A Southern True Crime Podcast. 

Remember when Jess covered the Roger Wheeler Case (Season 3: Episodes 128, 129, 130, 131)? Jess and Tiff got the privilege of sitting down with the lead detective, thanks to Raven’s invitation! 

Oklahoma Hall of Famer and retired Tulsa PD Detective Mike Huff spoke candidly with Raven and your favorite cousins regarding his time working the murder case of Roger Wheeler. When Det. Huff discovered organized crime was involved, you better believe he was shocked! Tune in to the captivating, first hand account, of one of Tulsa’s, as well as Oklahoma’s, most notable heroes. With almost 40 years in law enforcement—and three decades in the Homicide Unit—Huff shares his insights on one of Oklahoma’s most notorious murder cases—the infamous Roger Wheeler / Whitey Bulger investigation—from his new book “Killing My Father: The Inside Story of The Biggest FBI Corruption Scandal In History”, which he wrote with Roger's son, David Wheeler, and historian Laurence J. Yadon.

 Raven Rollins is an Investigative Journalist, and the host of The Sirens Podcast. Raven focuses on Advocacy of the victims of these crimes, as well as prevention by discussing safety and situational awareness. She investigated the cold cases from the ground up to see if anything may have been missed to convey them in their storytelling accurately. ​With notorious and unknown cases alike, every victim sees the light on our show. Additionally, she is the author of several books, most notably “Sins of the South”, “Allegedly”, and “This is True Crime”. Please check out her books, or give them this gift giving season to the favorite true crime lover in your life! 

Get Killing My Father on Amazon

Get all three of Raven’s book on Amazon 

This week Jess wraps up the devastating and horrific case of Heather Rich. Hang on tight cousins, this is going to be a bumpy ride to justice…

Last week’s discussion covered the investigation into the atrocities that befell Heather Rich, and the interrogations of Josh Bagwell, Curtis Gambill, and Randy Wood. All three were tried as adults in Texas because the murder occurred there. Curtis Gambill’s trial began first after a change of venue; he agreed to plead guilty to avoid the death penalty and to testify against Josh Bagwell. Bagwell’s defense relied heavily on victim‑shaming Heather, while the prosecution’s case depended on testimony from Gambill and Randy Wood. Randy Wood ultimately rejected a plea deal, chose to testify against Bagwell without a promise of leniency, and incriminated himself, claiming Bagwell knew of the plan and helped dispose of the body. 

After the convictions, all three men served time in Texas prisons and experienced further legal and extralegal events (seriously, you gotta listen to the episode…it’s WILD!!). Additionally, the Rich family pursued a wrongful‑death civil suit over the sale of ammunition. Finally, the case left lasting community and family trauma. 

This is part 3 of 3. 

Listener discretion is advised this week. 

Sources:

• Wikipedia

• News Channel 6

• Find a Grave.com 

• ABC News

• Chilling Crimes.com

• The New York Times

• Texas Monthly.com 

• True Crime Line Site.com