She had a second chance at life, but the DEVIL had other plans...
Quick Read
Summary
Takeaways
- ❖In 2009, a diary containing a murder confession and references to demons was discovered in an RV, belonging to Scott Hatley.
- ❖Susan Woods was brutally murdered in 1987, found in her bathtub after being sexually assaulted, strangled, smothered, and drowned.
- ❖Initial investigation by Sergeant Hensley cleared three primary suspects: ex-husband Michael Woods, ex-boyfriend JC Bowman, and friend's boyfriend Roy Hayes, due to lack of fingerprint matches.
- ❖The case went cold for 19 years until Lieutenant Don Miller submitted the original crime scene palm prints to the new FBI national fingerprint database in 2006.
- ❖The prints matched Scott Hatley, Susan's best friend's cousin and a member of her close-knit 'round table' support group.
- ❖Hatley confessed in his diary to murdering Susan after she rejected his advance, attributing his actions to an 'outside presence' and a 'darkness' within him, influenced by 'devil worshiping' media.
- ❖Hatley received a 30-year sentence, served 11, and died of cancer, with his diary found posthumously.
Insights
1Discovery of the Confession
In December 2009, a man buying an RV found handwritten diaries containing rantings about demons and a horrifying murder confession, later identified as Scott Hatley's.
A man dug through papers in an RV he bought, finding notebooks that were diaries with rantings about demons, monsters, a deal with the devil, and a horrifying confession.
2Susan Woods' Murder
On July 26, 1987, 30-year-old Susan Woods was found dead in her Stevenville, Texas home by her father, Joe Atkins, after she failed to show up for work. She was found draped over her bathtub, severely decomposed, having been sexually assaulted, strangled, smothered, and drowned.
Susan's father found her body in her bathroom after she missed work for two days. Her head and shoulders were severely decomposed from being underwater. Police determined she was sexually assaulted, strangled, smothered, and held underwater.
3Initial Investigation and Suspects
Sergeant Donnie Hensley took over the case after Lieutenant Ken Maltby's promotion. Hensley investigated Susan's ex-husband Michael Woods (whose alibi was unverified), ex-boyfriend JC Bowman (who smoked and drank Coke like the killer and admitted to intimacy in Susan's bathtub), and friend's boyfriend Roy Hayes (who matched a witness description and theorized about breaking into Susan's house). All three provided fingerprints, which did not match the palm prints found on the bathtub.
Hensley's investigation focused on Michael Woods (unverified alibi, left cruel notes), JC Bowman (shared habits with killer, claimed intimacy in Susan's bathtub), and Roy Hayes (matched witness description, detailed ways to break into Susan's house). Fingerprints from all three did not match the palm prints on Susan's tub.
4Cold Case Revival with New Technology
The case went cold for 19 years until Lieutenant Don Miller reviewed it in 2006. He submitted the unmatched palm prints from the bathtub to the newly established FBI national fingerprint database.
Lieutenant Don Miller reviewed the cold case in 2006 and submitted the unmatched palm prints from Susan's bathtub to the FBI's new national fingerprint database, which did not exist in 1987.
5Identification of the Killer
The FBI database generated a match to Scott Hatley, Susan's best friend Cindy Hallmark's younger cousin, who was part of Susan's supportive 'round table' group. Hatley was arrested on June 7, 2006, and took a plea deal for 30 years, serving 11.
A few days after submission, the FBI called Miller with a match: Scott Hatley, Cindy Hallmark's younger cousin and a member of Susan's 'round table' group. Hatley was arrested on June 7, 2006, charged with murder, and sentenced to 30 years, serving 11.
6Killer's Motive and Posthumous Confession
Hatley's diary, found after his death from cancer complications in 2009, detailed his confession. He described a 'darkness' within him, influenced by 'devil worshiping' media scares of the 1980s, and claimed an 'outside presence' pushed him to kill Susan after she rejected his advance.
Hatley's diary, found in his RV after his death in 2009, contained his confession to Susan's murder. He wrote about a 'darkness' within, being inspired by 'devil worshiping' talk on TV, and an 'outside presence' pushing him to assault and kill Susan after she slapped him for an unwanted advance.
Quotes
"You know what? Whatever you need to help solve Susan's murder, I'll do it."
Q&A
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