True Crime Reporter

By Robert RiggsTrue Crime Government History

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Typical duration
27 min
per episode

Based on Podcast App listening data

True Crime Reporter episodes

April 04, 2022 Do Murderous Roots Lie Within Your Family Tree?
It was called the "Ride Murder."
The bullet-riddled body of an unidentified seaman from the Port of Houston, Texas, was found dumped in a ditch a few miles away.
HELP US FIND THIS MAN'S FAMILY
Two men and a woman used a “honey pot” trap to lure the seaman into their car to rob him.
It was one of the most sensational murder trials ever brought in East Texas.
School children paraded through the county jail on macabre field trips to get a look at the accused killers.
Jailhouse Sketches by The Ride Killer
One of the defendants, who had already killed a traveling salesman using a similar “honey pot” ploy, sat behind bars drawing sketches about romantic encounters.
Decades later, veteran criminal investigator Louis Fawcett was conducting genealogical research about his family tree.
Imagine his shock when Fawcett who had spent 43 years hunting down criminals, discovered that the trigger man in the "Ride Murder" was his uncle.
If you have information about the identity of the murdered seaman, please CONTACT US.
20 min
March 29, 2022 A Sniper In The Tower–The First School Shooting–Why Did He Do It?
Before Columbine. Before Sandy Hook. Before Virginia Tech. There was the Sniper in the Tower at the University of Texas.
America’s first mass murder and school shooting unfolded on live television in Austin, Texas, more than a half-century ago.
Since then, the question has lingered, “Why did he do it?”
Gary Lavergne, the author of A Sniper in the Tower: The Charles Whitman Murders, addresses the whys and the myths about the why.
In this True Crime Reporter™, Confidential investigative reporter Robert Riggs and former U.S. prosecutor Bill Johnston take listeners back to 1966 when a student cut down fifty people in 96 minutes.
We have placed links in the show notes to black-and-white film footage from the shooting and a video of Gary Lavergne following the sniper’s trail to the top of the UT Tower
57 min
March 28, 2022 A Sniper In The Tower--Why Did He Do It?
Before Columbine. Before Sandy Hook. Before Virginia Tech. There was the Sniper in the Tower at the University of Texas.
America’s first mass murder and school shooting unfolded on live television in Austin, Texas more than a half-century ago.
Since then the question has lingered, “Why did he do it?”
Gary Lavergne, the author of A Sniper in the Tower: The Charles Whitman Murders, addresses the whys and the myths about the why.
In this True Crime Reporter™, Confidential investigative reporter Robert Riggs and former U.S. prosecutor Bill Johnston take listeners back to 1966 when a student cut down fifty people in 96 minutes.
We have placed links in the show notes to black and white film footage from the shooting and a video of Gary Lavergne following the sniper’s trail to the top of the UT Tower
We want to become your favorite true crime podcast. Please leave a review wherever you listen.
Join our true crime community and follow us here.
True Crime Reporter™ is a @2022 copyrighted and trade-marked production by True Crime Reporter, LLC, in Dallas, Texas.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
52 min
March 21, 2022 CBS News Anchor Bob Schieffer Shocked By Broomstick Killer’s Brutality
Kenneth McDuff "The Broomstick Killer"
Retired CBS News Anchor Bob Schieffer was the first reporter to interview Kenneth McDuff and cover his crimes in 1966.
Fort Worth Star-Telegram police beat reporter Bob Schieffer; appeared in "The Anatomy of a Newspaper" article dated 01/12/1964
Back then, Schieffer was the police beat reporter for the Fort Worth Star-Telegram.
Fort Worth Star-Telegram reporter Bob Schieffer in combat helmet while reporting from Vietnam, spring 1966
Schieffer had just returned from a combat assignment covering the Vietnam War when the call came in from homicide detectives.
The bullet-riddled bodies of 17-year-old Robert Brand and his cousin, 16-year-old Mark Dunnam, had been found in the trunk of their abandoned car on a remote farm road south of Fort Worth, Texas.
Sixteen-year-old Edna Louise Sullivan, who had been out with the boys, was missing.
Hundreds of law enforcement officers and residents started a widespread search of rough terrain.
Kenneth McDuff Dubbed "The Broomstick Killer" Gives Menacing Stare During Court Hearing
The triple slaying would bring Schieffer face to face in exclusive interviews with 20-year-old Kenneth McDuff, who became known as the “Broomstick Killer,” and his accomplice, 18-year-old Roy Dale Green.
Investigative reporter Robert Riggs would follow Schieffer's lead 27 years later.
Their journalism careers came full circle.
Robert Riggs Reporting From Capitol Hill 1987
In 1978, Schieffer helped Riggs move from the staff of a congressional committee to television news.
Both reporters covered wars for CBS during their careers but never witnessed brutality like serial killer Kenneth McDuff inflicted on young women.
Robert Riggs Interviews Retired CBS Anchorman Bob Schieffer About The Broomstick Killer
Besides appearing on the True Crime Reporter™ podcast, Schieffer sat down in front of a TV camera to talk with Riggs about what it was like to cover McDuff.
33 min
March 14, 2022 First There Was the Lone Ranger. Now There’s Creed True.
We usually take our fans inside the crime scene tape of real-life crimes.
But in this episode, we are testing out a fictional Texas Ranger superhero named Creed True, inspired by real-life cases.
The Texas Ranger became a superhero in pop culture long before Spider-Man and fellow characters from Marvel Comics captured our collective imaginations.
Think about how "Who was that masked man?" is now part of our vocabulary.
Superheroes possess supernatural or superhuman powers and are dedicated to fighting evil in their universe.
Our first story is titled The Kidnapper's Tale.
Please let us know what you think about it [email protected].
19 min
March 14, 2022 First There Was the Lone Ranger. Now There's Creed True.
We usually take our fans inside the crime scene tape of real-life crimes.
But in this episode, we are testing out a fictional Texas Ranger superhero named Creed True, inspired by real-life cases.
The Texas Ranger became a superhero in pop culture long before Spider-Man and fellow characters from Marvel Comics captured our collective imaginations.
Think about how the phrase "Who was that masked man?" is now part of our vocabulary.
Superheroes possess supernatural or superhuman powers and are dedicated to fighting evil in their universe.
Our first story is titled, The Kidnapper's Tale.
Please let us know what you think about it [email protected].
Links to the Official Texas Ranger Bicentennial Cowboy Hats
https://bit.ly/200xSBTexasRangerLimited
https://bit.ly/40xSBTexasRangerLimited
https://bit.ly/10xPecanTexasRangerLimited
Link to Texas Ranger western belts and apparel
The Hat Store
Note: You can read more about the history of the legendary Texas Rangers and see vintage photos on our blog at True Crime Reporter™.
For official historical information visit the Texas Ranger Hall of Fame and Museum online or in-person at the museum in Waco, Texas.
Please join us in supporting the 2023 Texas Ranger Bicentennial.
We want to become your favorite true crime podcast. Please leave a review wherever you listen.
Join our true crime community and follow us here.
True Crime Reporter™ is a @2022 copyrighted and trade-marked production by True Crime Reporter, LLC, in Dallas, Texas.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
18 min
March 08, 2022 One Riot, One Ranger Fuels 200-Year Old Legend
Texas kicked off festivities on Texas Independence Day, to commemorate the 2023 Bicentennial of the Texas Rangers.
As the Rangers approach their 200th year of service, their legend is embodied in the following quote.
When Texas Ranger Captain Bill McDonald was sent to Dallas in the 1890s to prevent a scheduled prizefight, McDonald was greeted at the train station by the city's anxious mayor, who asked: "Where are the others?" McDonald supposedly replied, "Hell! ain't I enough? There's only one prize-fight!" (credit: Texas Ranger Hall of Fame and Museum).
The Texas Rangers are the oldest serving state law enforcement agency in the United States.
Texas Ranger Displays Drones Used For Crime Fighting Operations
Armed with the latest technology, Rangers wear distinctive white cowboy hats, white western-style shirts with silver badges crafted from Mexican Cinco peso coins, and cowboy boots.
The event started at the Dickies Arena on the grounds of the Fort Worth Stock Show and Rodeo with special help from Brad Barnes, the President/General Manager of the Exposition and Livestock Show.
It concluded on Mule Alley, hosted by Craig Cavileer in the Fort Worth Stockyards at the Hotel Drover.
(L) Bob Sims buying mules to work the Texas oil fields. Mule Alley Fort Worth Stockyards circa 1940.
Artist's aerial drawing of the mule barns at the Fort Worth Stockyards. Date Unknown.
Herd of Texas mules at Mule Alley at Fort Worth Stockyards circa 1939
One note: Mule Alley is where Robert Riggs' great uncle Bob Sims bought mules for use in the East Texas oil fields in the 1930s and 40s.
Those places are steeped in Texas history. Fort Worth, known as “Cowtown,” is where the West began.
And there is nothing more Texan than the Texas Rangers.
You will like this episode if you are a fan of Taylor Sheridan’s TV series Yellowstone or 1883.
41 min
March 07, 2022 One Riot, One Ranger Fuels 200-Year Old Legend
Texas kicked off festivities on Texas Independence Day, to commemorate the 2023 Bicentennial of the Texas Rangers.
As the Rangers approach their 200th year of service their legend is embodied in the following quote.
When Texas Ranger Captain Bill McDonald was sent to Dallas in the 1890s to prevent a scheduled prizefight, McDonald was greeted at the train station by the city's anxious mayor, who asked: "Where are the others?" To which McDonald supposedly replied, "Hell! ain't I enough? There's only one prize-fight!" (credit: Texas Ranger Hall of Fame and Museum).
The Texas Rangers are the oldest serving state law enforcement agency in the United States.
Armed with the latest technology, Rangers wear distinctive white cowboy hats, white western-style shirts with silver badges crafted from Mexican Cinco peso coins, and cowboy boots.
The event started at the Dickies Arena on the grounds of the Fort Worth Stock Show and Rodeo with special help from Brad Barnes the President/General Manager of the Exposition and Livestock Show.
It concluded on Mule Alley hosted by Craig Cavileer in the Fort Worth Stockyards at the Hotel Drover.
One note, Mule Alley is where Robert Riggs' great uncle Bob Sims bought mules for use in the East Texas oil fields in the 1930s and 40s.
Those places are steeped in Texas history. Fort Worth known as “Cowtown” is where the West began.
In this episode of the True Crime Reporter™ Podcast’s Texas Ranger Files, Robert Riggs and Bill Johnston talk to Russell Molina, the Chair of the Texas Ranger Bicentennial in 2023.
Russell Molina is a Houston business entrepreneur and civic leader long associated with supporting the Texas Rangers.
If you are a fan of Taylor Sheridan’s TV series Yellowstone or 1883, you are going to like this episode.
We even include tips on how to buy a Texas Ranger cowboy hat!
Links to the Official Texas Ranger Bicentennial Cowboy Hats
https://bit.ly/200xSBTexasRangerLimited
https://bit.ly/40xSBTexasRangerLimited
https://bit.ly/10xPecanTexasRangerLimited
Link to Texas Ranger western belts and apparel
The Hat Store
Note: You can read more about the history of the legendary Texas Rangers and see vintage photos on our blog at True Crime Reporter™.
For official historical information visit the Texas Ranger Hall of Fame and Museum online or in-person at the museum in Waco, Texas.
Please join us in supporting the 2023 Texas Ranger Bicentennial.
We want to become your favorite true crime podcast. Please leave a review wherever you listen.
Join our true crime community and follow us here.
True Crime Reporter™ is a @2022 copyrighted and trade-marked production by True Crime Reporter, LLC, in Dallas, Texas.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
37 min
February 28, 2022 History of the Texas Rangers
The Bonnie and Clyde gang rode roughshod over the Central United States during the Depression in the 1930s until Texas Ranger Frank Hamer came out of retirement and ended their deadly robbery spree in an ambush.
Clyde Barrow and Bonnie Parker aka Bonnie and Clyde
It’s one of many cases that contributes to the worldwide reputation of the Texas Rangers.
In order to get a concise and accurate account of its history, Riggs went to the Official Texas Ranger Hall of Fame and Museum.
Texas Ranger Hall of Fame and Museum In Waco, Texas
The museum attracts 100-thousand people a year from around the globe to see its exhibit artifacts, artwork, and archives.
Here’s my interview with its Director, Byron Johnson.
46 min
February 28, 2022 A Concise and Accurate History of the Texas Rangers
The Bonnie and Clyde gang rode roughshod over the Central United States during the Depression in the 1930s until Texas Ranger Frank Hamer came out of retirement and ended their deadly robbery spree in an ambush.
It’s one of many cases that contributes to the worldwide reputation of the Texas Rangers.
On March 1st of 2022, Texas kicked off plans to commemorate The Texas Ranger Bicentennial in 2023.
Robert Riggs and Bill Johnston, the cohosts of True Crime Reporter™, are members of the Host Committee along with President George W. Bush and former Texas Governor Rick Perry.
In order to get a concise and accurate account of its history, Riggs went to the Official Texas Ranger Hall of Fame and Museum.
The museum attracts 100-thousand people a year from around the globe to see its exhibit artifacts, artwork, and archives.
In this edition of True Crime Reporter™ Texas Ranger Files, here’s Riggs' interview with its Director Byron Johnson.
Note: You can read more about the history of the legendary Texas Rangers and see vintage photos on our blog at True Crime Reporter™.
For official historical information visit the Texas Ranger Hall of Fame and Museum online or in-person at the museum in Waco, Texas.
Please join us in supporting the 2023 Texas Ranger Bicentennial.
We want to become your favorite true crime podcast. Please leave a review wherever you listen.
Join our true crime community and follow us here.
True Crime Reporter™ is a @2022 copyrighted and trade-marked production by True Crime Reporter, LLC, in Dallas, Texas.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
41 min