In the 1970s, Cullen Davis was one of the richest men ever charged for murder. He was so wealthy that he was able to outspend the entire State of Texas in his defense. Cullen was said to be the inspiration for JR Ewing of 80s hit TV show Dallas. He also (allegedly) was a cruel, mean, and violent man behind the doors of their mansion.
His acrimonious divorce from Priscilla Davis made all the papers, and on the night of August 2, 1976, he was charged with murdering her 12-year-old daughter, her new boyfriend (Stan Farr,) and injured two others. He was tried several times for different crimes and always seemed to buy his way out of trouble.
In this episode, we will explain why he is a creep, try to bring some awareness to the true victims, and show how it was easy to buy justice back then.
Trigger warnings: Murder, sexual assault, domestic abuse, and animal abuse.
Sources for this episode:
- New York Times
- Dallas Magazine 1977
- Texas Monthly 2013
- Texas Monthly 1979
- Texas Monthly 1977
- Texas Tragedy by Greg Brown
- American Justice by A&E Season 16 Episode 8
- Texas Justice (1995) Heather Locklear, Peter Strauss, and Dennis Franz
- CBS News 48 Hours: Season 30, Episode 19 “Murder in the Mansion”
Here’s how to help Texas:
- Donate to Texas food banks or Feeding Texas
- Mutual Aid Houston, Austin Mutual Aid and Feed the People Dallas provides shelter, food, and other supplies to families in need.
- Animals need help, too. Austin Pets Alive is a nonprofit shelter that works to keep the animals safe during freezing storms and massive heat waves.
- The Austin Area Urban League is a civil rights organization that helps Texas residents with emergency shelter, food, clothing, and other supplies.
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