Gone Cold - Texas True Crime

On Part 2 of 2 of our Fall Texas Case Update episodes, we discuss the recent arrest in the horrific 2019 murder of Polunsky Unit prison guard Rhonda Richardson in Shepard, the arrest of Chad Earl Carl (FINALLY) for the savage 2007 slaying of Brittany McGlone in Wood County, the arrest of the man responsible for the disturbing murders of Frank Santoni Thornhill, Connie Villa, and 3-year-old Dante Santoni Villa in El Paso in 1994, and the unfathomable killing of 8-year-old Jennifer Sue Delgado.

If you have any information about Jennifer Sue Delgado’s murder, please contact the Texas Attorney General’s cold case unit at texasattorneygeneral.gov/divisions/criminal-justice/cold-case-and-missing-persons-unit/cold-case-contact or call Crime Stoppers of San Antonio at (210)224-7867, where you can remain anonymous

If you have any information about Brittany McGlone’s murder or suspect Chad Earl Carr, please contact the Wood County Sheriff’s Office at (903)763-2201

If you have any information about the murders of Frank Santoni Thornhill, Connie Villa, and Dante Santoni Villa, please call the El Paso police at (915) 832-4400

If you have any additional information that might help ensure justice for Rhonda Richardson, please contact the San Jacinto County Sheriff’s Office at (936) 653-4367

Sources for this episode include the Wood County Monitor, the San Antonio Express-News, the El Paso Times, the Fort Worth Press, the Fort Worth Star-Telegram, the San Jacinto News-Times, and official documents.

Thanks for listening, y’all

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There have been many suspect arrests, convictions, and renewed investigations in Texas cold cases already in the Fall of 2022. This episode, we’ll go over a few things in the 1996 murder case of Leon Laureles in Brown County, talk about the arrest of Feng Lu - the alleged murderer of the Sun Family in Cypress, discuss the identification of Brazoria County Jane Doe as Alisha Marie Cooks after 36 years, and talk about the conviction of Daniel Andrew MacGinnis for the sexual assault and murder of Patricia Ann Jacobs in southeast Texas.

If you have any information about the murder of Juan Leon Laureles, contact the Texas Rangers by calling 800-346-3243 or by visiting their website at dps.texas.gov

You can also call anonymously to crime stoppers at 800-222-TIPS, or 800-222-8477

If you’d prefer to donate to the #JusticeForLeon go fund me, you can here: gofundme.com/f/leon-laureles-private-detective-and-memorial


If you have any information about the Sun Family murders or the suspect Feng Lu, call the Harris County Sheriff’s Office at (713) 221-6000


Anyone with information about the 1985 murder of Alisha Marie Cooks is encouraged to call the Brazoria County Sheriff’s Office at (281)756-2392 or Brazoria County Crime Stoppers at (800)460-2222


If you have any information of the death of Nelda Faye Widener, please contact the Jasper County Sheriff’s Office at (409) 384-5417. Should you have information about any other crimes Daniel Andrew MacGinnis might have committed, please phone the Texas Rangers at 800-346-3243 or Crime Stoppers at 800-222-TIPS, or 800-222-8477

The Houston Chronicle, The Silsbee Bee, The Beaumont Enterprise, KJAS.com, DPS.Texas.gov, and Court Documents were used as sources for this episode

Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/gone-cold-texas-true-crime--3203003/support.

The year 1969 is one of the most historically eventful years in the history of the United States. Pop culture, counterculture, culture wars, the fight for equal rights, and a war that seemed to neither have an end nor purpose. But in the Summer of 69, folks in Fort Worth, Texas and the surrounding areas took respite from the stresses of this vital but anxiety inducing year by hunting down a thing. Reports of a creature who lived in the deep, dense thicket on Lake Worth’s Greer Island who came out only at night, seemingly to terrorize lovers in their parked cars. By the time the summer ended, nearly 100 folks had claimed they’d caught a glimpse of this half-goat, half-man who quickly became known as The Lake Worth Monster. To this day, no one knows what really happened; was the thing a hoax or was it an unknown species – a monster?

We hope you enjoy listening to this special Halloween episode, this palate cleanser of sorts, as much as we enjoyed putting it together.

To help get #JusticeForLeonLaureles please visit https://www.gofundme.com/f/leon-laureles-private-detective-and-memorial

You can also help by buying a Lake Worth Monster t-shirt at https://www.teepublic.com/t-shirt/35720992-lake-worth-monster?store_id=421404 100% of the proceeds from the sales will be donated to Leon’s go fund me.

Again, if you haven’t already, do yourself a huge favor and check out the podcast Vanishing Postcards. It is truly among the best and the second season is ready to binge right now. https://www.vanishingpostcards.com/

The Fort Worth Press, The Fort Worth Star-Telegram, The Dallas Morning News, and the book “The Lake Worth Monster of Greer Island, Fort Worth, Texas” by Sallie Ann Clarke were used as sources for this episode.

#LakeWorthMonster #Goatman #LakeWorthTX #FortWorth #FortWorthTX #Texas #TX #1969 #Cryptid #Cryptozoology #BigFoot #Sasquatch #Yeti #Monster #UnsolvedMysteries #Halloween

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In 2014, Barry Hinkle moved up to the position of Chief of Police in Blue Mound, Texas. While his responsibilities certainly grew, Hinkle still actively sought to solve the 1976 slayings of Kevin, Brian, Fae, and Wayne Joplin, and family friend Terry Trice. He’d uncovered, or simply investigated, something no investigator in the case ever had – a jailhouse letter written by an inmate to his wife. It implicated a man named Johnny Cotton. As Hinkle investigated Cotton and pieced together a timeline that for the most part was not public knowledge, the jailhouse letter seemed to match. And it looked like the sole surviving Joplin might have hired a man to kill his entire family and set up his former friend as a patsy.

If you have any information about the 1976 Joplin Family murders, please contact the Blue Mound Police at (817)232-0665

Find gone cold – texas true crime on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram by using @gonecoldpodcast and on YouTube at: youtube.com/c/gonecoldpodcast

Grand Jury testimony, an anonymous individual once involved in the investigation, Tom Stephenson’s 2018 article in D Magazine titled “Reopening the Blue Mound Massacre,” and The Dallas Morning-News were used as sources for this episode

#JusticeForTheJoplinFamily #JusticeForTerryTrice #BlueMound #BlueMoundTX #FortWorth #Texas #TX #TexasTrueCrime #GoneCold #GoneColdPodcast #TrueCrime #TrueCrimePodcast #ColdCase #Murder #UnsolvedMurder #Unsolved #FamilyAnnihilator

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After the grand jury wrapped up their investigation into the Joplin and Trice murders, unhappily at that, the media essentially turned their back on the story. More disturbingly, it seems the Tarrant County Sheriff’s Office did the same. While most folks the Dallas / Fort Worth Metroplex over were paying attention to the new high profile murder case in town, residents of Blue Mound were stuck wondering if a murderer walked among them. In 2011, a new Blue Mound cop decided he’d like to get a shot at breaking the Joplin / Trice murder case. It was Deputy Police chief Barry Hinkle who, more than 3 decades after the horrific slayings, uncovered the most promising lead the case had ever known in the form of a guy known as “Johnny Cotton.” Part 7 of 8.

If you have any information about the 1976 Joplin Family murders, please contact the Blue Mound Police at (817)232-0665

Find gone cold – texas true crime on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram by using @gonecoldpodcast and on YouTube at: youtube.com/c/gonecoldpodcast

Grand Jury testimony, an anonymous individual once involved in the investigation, and The Fort Worth Star-Telegram were used as sources for this episode

#JusticeForTheJoplinFamily #JusticeForTerryTrice #BlueMound #BlueMoundTX #FortWorth #Texas #TX #TexasTrueCrime #GoneCold #GoneColdPodcast #TrueCrime #TrueCrimePodcast #ColdCase #Murder #UnsolvedMurder #Unsolved #FamilyAnnihilator

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The first two-thirds of Gregg Wayne Joplin’s testimony at the grand jury investigation into the murders of his entire family and friend Terry Trice were riddled with inconsistencies and, seemingly, impossibilities. The final hour or so was no different. After he was dismissed, Terry Trice’s close friend Valdemar Gomez Junior took the stand. It’s unclear if the teenager was nervous or simply could not recall details well, but his testimony, too, contradicted the testimony of others and even his own. In the end, grand jurors were unable to suggest an indictment or even provide many answers. The case, from that point on, was unofficially concluded.

If you have any information about the 1976 Joplin Family murders, please contact the Blue Mound Police at (817)232-0665

Find gone cold – texas true crime on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram by using @gonecoldpodcast and on YouTube at: youtube.com/c/gonecoldpodcast

Grand Jury testimony and The Fort Worth Star-Telegram were used as sources for this episode

#JusticeForTheJoplinFamily #JusticeForTerryTrice #BlueMound #BlueMoundTX #FortWorth #Texas #TX #TexasTrueCrime #GoneCold #GoneColdPodcast #TrueCrime #TrueCrimePodcast #ColdCase #Murder #UnsolvedMurder #Unsolved #FamilyAnnihilator

Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/gone-cold-texas-true-crime--3203003/support.

As Gregg Joplin’s testimony about what happened on Monday, February 23rd, 1976 continued, the of murder case of the Joplin Family and Terry Trice seemed to grow even more complicated. The Grand Jury’s investigative efforts were certainly hindered, at the very least, by Gregg’s claimed lack of memory. Oddly, he remembered certain details quite well, but others – important details – not at all. Was Gregg’s lapse in memory a product of trauma or evasion? The Grand Jurors seemed to believe the latter.

If you have any information about the 1976 Joplin Family murders, please contact the Blue Mound Police at (817)232-0665

Find gone cold – texas true crime on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram by using @gonecoldpodcast and on YouTube at: youtube.com/c/gonecoldpodcast

Grand Jury testimony and The Fort Worth Star-Telegram were used as sources for this episode

#JusticeForTheJoplinFamily #BlueMound #BlueMoundTX #FortWorth #Texas #TX #TexasTrueCrime #GoneCold #GoneColdPodcast #TrueCrime #TrueCrimePodcast #ColdCase #Murder #UnsolvedMurder #Unsolved #FamilyAnnihilator

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The Fort Worth Star-Telegram shocked the locals when on March 3rd, 1976, they ran an article in their evening edition announcing that a grand jury investigation into the Joplin Family and Terry Trice murders in Blue Mound. It came out of nowhere. But Tarrant County Sheriff Lon Evans had asked for it the previous week, and subpoenas had gone out since. Because of an unwarranted arrest, a portion of the grand jury witness testimony leaked, and several aspects of it provide, perhaps, reason to believe the case was never what it seemed. Part 4 of ?

If you have any information about the 1976 Joplin Family murders, please contact the Blue Mound Police at (817)232-0665

Find gone cold – texas true crime on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram by using @gonecoldpodcast and on YouTube at: youtube.com/c/gonecoldpodcast

Grand Jury testimony, The Fort Worth Star-Telegram, D Magazine’s Articles “Reopening the Blue Mound Massacre” by Tom Stephenson, and “Bad Day at Blue Mound” by Jim Atkinson were used as sources for this episode

#JusticeForTheJoplinFamily #BlueMound #BlueMoundTX #FortWorth #Texas #TX #TexasTrueCrime #GoneCold #GoneColdPodcast #TrueCrime #TrueCrimePodcast #ColdCase #Murder #UnsolvedMurder #Unsolved #FamilyAnnihilator

Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/gone-cold-texas-true-crime--3203003/support.

After Fort Worth Star-Telegram newspaper reporters uncovered relatively solid evidence that 17-year-old Terry Trice did not kill Wayne, Fae, Brian, and Kevin Joplin, Tarrant County Sheriff Lon Evans became heavily involved in the investigation. In fact, it seemed as though he didn’t want anyone making any decisions or talking to any reports other than himself and his Chief Deputy Earl Brown. Damage control began. As the Sheriff and his right hand man sorted through mistakes made by both the Blue Mound Police Chief and his own deputies, Lon Evans became frustrated at the lack of cooperation from the sole surviving Joplin family member. Part 3 of ?

If you have any information about the 1976 Joplin Family murders, please contact the Blue Mound Police at (817)232-0665

To buy tickets for a live podcast at the Winehaus in Fort Worth, featuring gone cold, True Crime Cases With Lanie, True Consequences, and Cults, Crimes, and Cabernet, go to: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/true-crime-live-tickets-328948101627

Find gone cold – texas true crime on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram by using @gonecoldpodcast and on YouTube at: youtube.com/c/gonecoldpodcast

The Fort Worth Star-Telegram, D Magazine’s Article “Reopening the Blue Mound Massacre,” and Court Documents were used as sources for this episode

#JusticeForTheJoplinFamily #JusticeForTerryTrice #BlueMound #BlueMoundTX #FortWorth #Texas #TX #TexasTrueCrime #GoneCold #GoneColdPodcast #TrueCrime #TrueCrimePodcast #ColdCase #Murder #UnsolvedMurder #Unsolved #FamilyAnnihilator

Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/gone-cold-texas-true-crime--3203003/support.

After the murders of Wayne, Fae, Brian, and Kevin Joplin on February 23rd, 1976, both Blue Mound Police Chief Gary Erwin and Tarrant County Deputies who assisted at the scene thought the case was open and shut: a family friend, 17 year old Terry Trice, killed them all and was trying to make out with two vintage firearms when he was surprised, shot, and killed by Gregg Joplin after he came home. Within two days, however, as reporters for the Fort Worth Star-Telegram and D Magazine uncovered facts about Terry Trice that authorities had not, it seemed almost certain he hadn’t committed any crime at all. Part 2 of ?

If you have any information about the 1976 Joplin Family murders, please contact the Blue Mound Police at (817)232-0665

This episode deals with suicide. If you are experiencing emotional distress and / or contemplating suicide, please call the national suicide prevention helpline by dialing 988. Someone is available to speak with you there 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

To bid on a giant bundle of merch from more than 25 podcasts, the proceeds of which will go directly to the Leon Laureles go fund me, check out the Fall Line Podcast's Instagram at https://www.instagram.com/falllinepodcast/ on September 14-16.

To buy tickets for a live podcast at the Winehaus in Fort Worth, featuring gone cold, True Crime Cases With Lanie, True Consequences, and Cults, Crimes, and Cabernet, go to: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/true-crime-live-tickets-328948101627

Find gone cold – texas true crime on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram by using @gonecoldpodcast and on YouTube at: youtube.com/c/gonecoldpodcast

The Fort Worth Star-Telegram, The Dallas Morning News, D Magazine’s Article “Reopening the Blue Mound Massacre,” and Court Documents were used as sources for this episode

#JusticeForTheJoplinFamily #BlueMound #BlueMoundTX #FortWorth #Texas #TX #TexasTrueCrime #GoneCold #GoneColdPodcast #TrueCrime #TrueCrimePodcast #ColdCase #Murder #UnsolvedMurder #Unsolved #FamilyAnnihilator

Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/gone-cold-texas-true-crime--3203003/support.