Texas
How a serial killer used the highways in Texas and Oklahoma to help him get away with multiple murders
It took greater than 20 years to deliver William Reece to justice for the murders of Laura Smither, Kelli Cox, Tiffany Johnston and Jessica Cain.
October 18, 1996: William Reece is launched from jail
After serving practically 10 years in jail for sexually assaulting two girls in his native Oklahoma, William Reece was launched from jail within the fall of 1996. After his launch, Reece briefly stayed along with his mom in Anadarko, Okla., earlier than shifting to Harris County, Texas the place he discovered work as a farrier (placing sneakers on horses) and building employee. Reece made frequent journeys between his new dwelling in Texas and his mom’s dwelling in Oklahoma in 1997.
April 3, 1997: Laura Smither disappears in Friendswood, Texas
Laura Smither, a 12-year-old aspiring ballerina, went for a morning jog close to her dwelling in Friendswood, Texas, however by no means returned. As days handed, Homosexual and Bob Smither searched for his or her daughter with the assistance of their neighborhood, hundreds of volunteers and even the US Marines, however nobody was capable of finding a hint of the lacking lady.
April 20, 1997: Laura Smither is discovered
After 17 days of looking out, Laura Smither’s decomposed physique was discovered 12 miles from her dwelling in a Pasadena, Texas, retention pond by a father and son out strolling their canine. After weeks within the water, her reason behind demise was unclear. Regardless of this devastating information, a suspect rapidly emerged. It was William Reece, who labored at a building website simply down the street from the Smither’s Friendswood dwelling. Whereas Reece was on their radar and his truck was search in connection to Laura’s case, police didn’t have sufficient proof to make an arrest on the time, so he remained a free man.
Could 16, 1997: Sandra Sapaugh is kidnapped in Webster, Texas
Sandra Sapaugh, 19, stopped at a comfort retailer close to I-45. Sapaugh says she observed a person watching her within the parking zone and when she noticed him once more on the Waffle Home restaurant throughout the road, he supplied to assist her with a newly found flat tire. Sapaugh was confused by this and says earlier than she knew what was taking place, the stranger compelled her into his white pickup truck and sexually assaulted her. He sped away along with her in his truck and bought on the interstate. Fearing what may occur to her if she stayed, Sandra jumped from the fast-moving truck into the center of the freeway. Sapaugh was badly damage from the soar, however survived.
July 15, 1997: Kelli Cox goes lacking in Denton, Texas
Kelli Cox, a 20-year-old mom and pupil on the College of Northern Texas, was taking a tour of the Denton police division as part of her legal justice class however left early to take an examination. Shortly after leaving, Cox found that she was locked out of her automotive and used a pay cellphone at a close-by gasoline station to name her boyfriend for assist. However when he confirmed up, Cox was nowhere to be discovered. Later that day, when Kelli failed to choose her toddler up from daycare, Cox’s mom Jan Bynum, says she knew one thing was terribly unsuitable.
Jan Bynum’s Struggle to Discover Kelli
Kelli Cox was a devoted pupil, taking summer season courses and hoped to graduate early with a level in social work. Though Kelli was a younger mom to her daughter Alexis, she embraced it totally. Alexis was Cox’s complete world and Kelli’s mom Jan Bynum knew that Kelli would by no means go away Alexis behind.
Nonetheless, the times of looking out was weeks and regardless of her finest efforts, Bynum could not work out precisely what occurred to her daughter. With no physique and no sturdy leads, the case started to develop chilly.
July 26, 1997: Tiffany Johnston vanished in Bethany, Oklahoma
Tiffany Johnston was 19 years previous and newly married when she vanished in broad daylight, from a automotive wash in Bethany, Oklahoma. Her ground mats had been nonetheless hanging on the drying racks and keys had been nonetheless within the ignition, however there was no signal of Tiffany and nobody on the automotive wash reported seeing something out of the bizarre that day. Tiffany’s mom Kathy Dobry was left mystified and puzzled what occurred to her youngest daughter.
July 27, 1997: Tiffany Johnston’s physique is found
Only a day after her disappearance, Tiffany Johnson’s partially clothed physique was present in tall grass, subsequent to an unpaved rural street near the interstate. It was simply 15 miles from the automotive wash the place Johnson was final seen alive. She had been strangled and sexually assaulted. Investigators had been in a position to get better the killer’s DNA from Johnson’s physique, however they might not develop a suspect profile from it on the time.
August 17, 1997: Jessica Cain’s truck is present in La Marque, Texas
Simply three weeks after Tiffany Johnston’s homicide, 17-year-old Jessica Cain was final seen leaving a restaurant in Clear Lake, Texas, the place she was out with buddies. When Jessica missed curfew, her father C.H. Cain went out in search of her. After trying to find hours, C.H. Cain discovered his daughter’s truck deserted on the shoulder of I-45 simply a few miles from their dwelling. There was no hint of Jessica and no clues as to the place she was.
Looking for Jessica Cain
Search events and buddies regarded for any signal of Jessica, however that they had no luck. Homosexual and Bob Smither, who had been nonetheless processing the lack of their very own daughter Laura, simply 4 months earlier, joined the search instantly, saying they felt known as by God to assist. After weeks of trying to find solutions, as soon as once more, investigators had been left with out leads and Jessica’s case grew chilly.
October 1997: A survivor comes ahead
5 months after Sandra Sapaugh’s abduction, throughout a gathering with Friendswood police, Webster investigators realized that Sapaugh’s description of her kidnapper’s automobile sounded much like the truck Friendswood police had searched in Laura Smither’s case — belonging to Wiliam Reece. On Oct.16, 1997, Reece was pulled in for a lineup and Sapaugh recognized him as her attacker.
Reece was arrested and charged with kidnapping. He pleaded not responsible.
April 29, 1998: The trial for Sandra Sapaugh’s kidnapping begins
When William Reece was placed on trial for the kidnapping of Sandra Sapaugh, his previous got here again to hang-out him. The jury heard Sandra Sapaugh’s highly effective testimony and his victims from the eighties additionally took the stand and shared how they had been each brutally attacked by Reece in Oklahoma. The jury deliberated for lower than three hours earlier than they discovered Reece responsible. He was sentenced to 60 years in jail.
A second take a look at Tiffany Johnston’s case
In 2012, retired police chief, Lynn Williams had began working for the Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigations (OSBI) and was assigned to Tiffany Johnston’s case. Williams went by means of the case file methodically, and got here to suppose the crime scene DNA was their finest guess at figuring out Johnston’s killer.
The DNA from Johnston’s physique had already been examined twice, with no outcomes, however with developments in DNA testing, OSBI supervising criminologist Wendy Duke and her crew had been in a position to develop a partial male profile. The crew in contrast this partial profile to the profiles from identified suspects, and eradicated all different suspects, till they bought to William Reece.
A DNA breakthrough
In December of 2013, a buccal swab was collected from William Reece and despatched to the OSBI for comparability. Along with his DNA in hand, Wendy Duke was lastly in a position to join Reece to the DNA recovered from Tiffany’s physique, and Reece couldn’t be eradicated because the contributor. On Sept. 22, 2015, an arrest warrant was issued for William Reece by the state of Oklahoma for the homicide and kidnapping of Tiffany Johnston.
Here’s a take a look at the DNA comparability that was run by the OSBI.
February 2016: William Reece agrees to speak
Oklahoma regulation enforcement shared their new DNA discovery with Texas investigators who puzzled if they might get Reece to speak a couple of potential connection to the instances of Laura Smither, Kelli Cox and Jessica Cain.
Investigators from Texas went to go to Reece in jail, however earlier than he agreed to talk additional, he wished the demise penalty taken off the desk. The Smithers agreed and Jan Bynum agreed; all of them hoped to be taught what occurred to their daughters.
Chilly instances warmth up
Regardless of solely having an settlement to waive the demise penalty for Kelli Cox and Laura Smither’s instances, William Reece ended up confessing to all 4 murders.
March 18, 2016: Jessica Cain’s stays are found
With the assistance of some info from William Reece, after 25 days of digging, Jessica Cain’s stays had been found in a subject on East Orem Drive, close to Pastime Airport. Jessica Cain’s mother and father requested for privateness whereas they buried their daughter.
April 1, 2016: Kelli Cox’s stays are found
Two weeks after Jessica’s stays had been unearthed, Kelli Cox’s had been present in close by Brazoria County. After so a few years of questioning what occurred to her daughter and Alexis’ mom, Jan Bynum now had solutions. Kelli’s bracelet was discovered along with her stays, and Jan had it made right into a locket.
Could 18, 2021: Tiffany Johnston’s homicide trial begins
After William Reece led investigators to Kelli Cox and Jessica Cain’s stays, Oklahoma prosecutors wished Reece transported to Oklahoma, so he may face expenses for the homicide and kidnapping of Tiffany Johnston. Though prosecutors had DNA linking him to TJohnson and his confession, Reece entered a plea of not responsible.
After 9 days, the jury deliberated and took lower than two hours to search out Reece responsible of murdering Tiffany Johnston. He was sentenced to demise.
March 8, 2022: William Reece returns to Texas
After being discovered responsible of the homicide of Tiffany Johnston, Reece returned to Texas to face justice within the murders of Laura Smither, Kelli Cox and Jessica Cain.
June 29, 2022: Justice for Laura, Kelli, and Jessica
Twenty-five years after the murders of Laura Smither, Kelli Cox and Jessica Cain, their households lastly bought their day in court docket. William Reece pleaded responsible in Galveston and Brazoria Counties and was given three life sentences: one for every homicide.
Texas
Texas A&M baseball vs Tennessee live score, updates highlights from College World Series Game 1
Texas A&M baseball is two games away — perhaps three — from achieving a historic first for the program.
With two victories over the No. 1 national seed Tennessee baseball team in the College World Series championship series, the No. 3 seed Aggies will have won the program’s first CWS title. But that is a prospect easier said than done, as Aggies coach Jim Schlossnagle is likely aware.
Texas A&M is 1-4 all time vs. Tennessee under the Aggies coach, whose Vols counterpart, Tony Vitello, actually served as his recruiting coordinator at TCU from 2011-13. Schlossnagle’s only victory over Tennessee came in the 2023 SEC Baseball Tournament, and the Vols defeated the Aggies 7-4 in the 2024 edition of the tournament.
MORE: Watch Texas A&M vs. Tennessee in CWS with Fubo (free trial)
Moreover, Texas A&M is dealing with several injuries as it heads to the biggest stage afforded the sport, including likely top-10 draft pick Braden Montgomery. Jace LaViolette hurt his hamstring vs. No. 2 national seed Kentucky on Monday but returned and was able to play vs. Florida in the CWS semifinals on Wednesday.
If the Aggies are able to take the series vs. Tennessee, no one will be able to say it was unearned. With that, follow along for live scores, updates and highlights from Game 1 of the College World Series championship series:
Texas A&M baseball vs Tennessee score
| Teams | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 |
| Tennessee | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Texas A&M | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Texas A&M baseball vs Tennessee live updates, highlights
This section will be updated closer to first pitch, scheduled for 6 p.m. CT.
Pregame
4:07 p.m.: Texas A&M fans have packed the Aggies’ hotel before they head out to the stadium. Here’s a look:
2:40 p.m.: An interesting stat for Texas A&M: The Aggies had not made a national championship in football, baseball or basketball since 1939 until now.
2:16 p.m.: Another hype video, but Tennessee edition:
2:14 p.m.: Texas A&M released a hype video ahead of game one of the national championship series:
What channel is Texas A&M baseball vs Tennessee on today?
Game 1 of the CWS championship series will air on ESPN. Karl Ravech (play-by-play), Kyle Peterson (color analyst), Chris Burke (color analyst) and Kris Budden (sideline reporter) will broadcast the game.
Streaming options for the game include the ESPN app (with a cable login), ESPN+ and Fubo, the last of which carries the ESPN family of network and offers a free trial.
MORE: Buy College World Series tickets with StubHub
Texas A&M baseball vs Tennessee start time
- Date: Saturday June 22
- Time: 6 p.m. CT
Game 1 of the College World Series between Texas A&M and Tennessee is scheduled to begin at 6 p.m. CT from Charles Schwab Field Omaha.
Texas A&M baseball vs Tennessee betting odds
Odds courtesy of BetMGM as of Saturday at noon CT
- Spread: Tennessee (-1.5)
- Over/under: 11.5 runs
- Moneyline: Tennessee (-185) | Texas A&M (+140)
Texas A&M baseball schedule 2024
Below is Texas A&M’s postseason schedule. For the Aggies’ full 2024 college baseball schedule, click here.
Bryan-College Station Regional
- Friday, May 31: (3) Texas A&M 8, Grambling 0
- Saturday, June 1: (3) Texas A&M 4, Texas 1 (11 innings)
- Sunday, June 2: (3) Texas A&M 9, Louisiana 4
Bryan-College Station Super Regional
- Saturday, June 8: (3) Texas A&M 10, Oregon 6
- Sunday, June 9: (3) Texas A&M 15, Oregon 9
College World Series
- Saturday, June 15: (3) Texas A&M 3, Florida 2
- Monday, June 17: (3) Texas A&M 5, (2) Kentucky 1
- Wednesday, June 19: (3) Texas A&M 6, Florida 0
CWS championship series
- Saturday, June 22: (3) Texas A&M vs. (1) Tennessee
- Sunday, June 23: (1) Tenessee vs. (3) Texas A&M
- Monday, June 24*: (3) Texas A&M vs. (1) Tennessee
* If necessary
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Drew Beam on Tennessee baseball reaching College World Series final
Tennessee baseball beat Florida State 7-2 on Wednesday to advance to the College World Series final for the second time in program history.
The matchup for the Men’s College World Series championship finals is set.
No. 3 Texas A&M (52-13) will take on No. 1 Tennessee (58-12) in a three-game series this weekend to determine the national champion.
The Volunteers advanced after they dispatched the No. 8 Florida State Seminoles Wednesday in a 7-2 victory. Tennessee raced out to a three-run first inning and coasted the rest of the way in what was a team effort that saw five different players record at least one RBI. The Aggies, meanwhile, dominated Florida in a four-hit, 6-0 shutout victory. Starting pitcher Justin Lamkin struck out nine and allowed just three hits in five innings of work.
COLLEGE WORLD SERIES: NCAA baseball tournament field bracket, schedule
Here’s what you need to know about Game 1 of the Men’s College World Series championship finals:
What College World Series games are on Saturday?
The 2024 Men’s College World Series championship finals kick off Saturday in a game between No. 3 Texas A&M and No. 1 Tennessee:
- No. 3 Texas A&M vs. No. 1 Tennessee, 7:30 p.m. ET
How to watch College World Series game Saturday
Game 1 of the Men’s College World Series championship finals Saturday will be broadcast live on ESPN and streamed online on ESPN+.
When are the Men’s College World Series championship finals games?
Here’s the full schedule of the Men’s College World Series:
- June 22: MCWS Final Game 1, 7:30 p.m. ET | ESPN
- June 23: MCWS Final Game 2, 2 p.m. ET | ABC
- June 24: MCWS Final Game 3 (if necessary), 7 p.m. ET | ESPN
NORTH TEXAS — If you love wine, lean in. About an hour’s drive north of Dallas, a tree-lined, dirt and gravel road bends around a curve revealing a lush and lovely surprise, the Edge of the Lake Vineyard and Winery. It’s 100 windswept acres along Lake Ray Roberts.
“It’s more than I thought it would be initially,” says owner Fred Cummings, “but I now know it could be more than it is.”
Dr. Cummings is the MD turned winemaker. He says he’s known since he was a child that he wanted to be a doctor, but it was his grandmother’s wisdom that planted something in his spirit about the soil.
“She had a grapevine in her backyard and a fig tree,” recalls Cummings. “She says, `Fred’- I must’ve been about nine years old…just come back from Germany. And she picked up some dirt and said, ‘God didn’t make any more of this, so get some’.” And I said, Yes, ma’am.”
And so he did, ultimately purchasing a former pig farm that became his family’s lakefront home. Then when the kids grew up and away, his wife Mary pushed him to do more with the property. So in 2010, he began to plant grapes.
“The best grape that we grow on this property is actually grenache, but we grow grenache, tempranillo, and albarino,” explains Cummings.
It took some years before he turned out a wine-worthy, award-winning harvest. Still, there was something else flourishing on those vines. Cummings says his proudest moment in his winemaking journey was, “my son coming to help me.”
That would be his son Christopher McIntosh. He’s the vineyard’s winemaker. McIntosh admits that he needed some convincing, but now loves every moment.
“It’s ours. We get to take it from fruit to glass- every bit of our work goes into each bottle. I get to share that process with- not only my father but the rest of my family. My wife works here, my daughter works here. My sister-in-law works here, my mother-in-law works here. So it really is a family operation which makes it even more special.”
McIntosh says picking a favorite is like picking a favorite child, but just between us, the grenache has become the winery’s award-winning standout.
“I like to tell everybody we trick our vines into thinking they’re in the Mediterranean with all this lakefront property,” shares McIntosh with a laugh. “So yeah… that’s our favorite grape. We use it in three different wines. We make a rosé with it, we make a younger grenache, and then we make our estate grenache reserve.”
Looking out on Lake Ray Roberts, the views are gorgeous, the tasting room polished and modern, the tasty tidbits and artisan cheeses just perfect for sampling. But the true test of a wine is in the sampling. And a tasting room full of visitors insist that the Edge of the Lake Vineyard and Winery does not disappoint.
“So it’s very hard work,” explains McIntosh. “But again, every bottle that’s turned out is a show of success. And the biggest show of that is when somebody tastes something and they just smile in awe of what what you put in a bottle for them.”
And while the wine is smooth and the hospitality wonderful, “We need a bigger place,” admits Cummings. “And we’ve had a few struggles trying to get that done.”
Dr. Cummings can admit to navigating some bitter realities, Black winemakers are almost non-existent. According to Bloomberg, Black winemakers represent less than one percent of the industry.
When asked if race has been a barrier in his winery’s growth, Cummings responded, “A little bit.”
“It has been a little bit. And when you talk about that, I’m a guy that believes that I can do my best and it’s good enough for anyone to appreciate. And that’s how I approach my medical career. I approach wine the same way.”
And then a stray thought makes him pause and he adds with a wry smile, “Get more push back on the wine, than we have on treating people… so.”
When asked what advice he’d share with other minority entrepreneurs contemplating stepping into a space that perhaps the world suggests they do not belong, Cummings replies, “I’ve heard that so many times. I ignored it because I knew I was good enough. No one’s going to tell you that you’re good if you sit in the shadows. You’ve got to step out there.”
And the Edge of the Lake Crew looks to make even more strides. They’ve got 15 acres planted now and hope to plant as many as 60 of the lake side acres with grape vines. They’re also looking for local support to help make the area a wine destination.
“You think that you can do this and have a little small thing,” shares Cummings, “but it grows just like the vines grow, the industry grows, and the business grows and you’ve got to be able to expand with it or you kind of get squashed.”
He admits to thinking about his grandmother often as he contemplates what he’s built and how much more he’d like to see it grow. “You know, she was a small one, but really had determination. And coming out of her upbringing and slavery, if you will. And she wanted her kids and her grandkids to do something, so she was always pushing us forward.”
And Cummings believes the harvest for the entire industry can be grand.
“Texas wine is having a moment and we need to really grab hold of that and take advantage of it now, not next week, not last, but now.”
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