The pre-trial took place in the nearby town of Kermit. Nevertheless, she entered Macks jeep and said to Ike, Ive got to call his bluff, even if he kills me. While Burnett had been careful not to malign Bettys character during the hearing, some details of the case, like her sneaking out of her house in her nightclothes to meet Ike Nail, had tarred her as a loose, immoral girl. Mr. Mack Herring. Odessa High's administration applied paint to the school auditorium's windows to counter the ghost story culture. He is survived by his wife of 63 years, Evelyn Page Herring of the home; a son, Mack B. Now!. [3], Herring was tried for murder but was acquitted. One time she wrote about sports. Betty immediately recognized the approaching car as Macks. He never took Betty to his neighbor Carol McCutchans house, where the in crowd gathered for dance parties and rounds of spin the bottle. He shot her in the head with a twelve-gauge shotgun, destroying much of it, attached weights to the body, and threw it into the tank. Mary called the school but she hadnt arrived yet. He worked in a variety of blue-collar occupations professionally. Arguing for the state was 32-year-old district attorney Dan Sullivan, an earnest, if not particularly seasoned, lawyer who was out of his depth; in his sixteen months in office, he had prosecuted mostly oil-field theft cases and DWIs. I cant remember . She had hanged herself in the theater. Herring wrote, It is no longer possible for Governor Northam to lead our Commonwealth and it is time for him to step down. And he points to his work on the opiod crisis, where he pushed for easier access to the overdose treatment drug naloxone, as another success for his office. I charge for my services, he kidded, quoting her an impossibly high price. With the 17-year-old now the main suspect in Bettys disappearance, Mack was taken to the Winkler County Jail for further questioning. When he broke up with her during her senior year at Odessa High School, her world fell apart. The football player told a plausible-enough story: He had dropped Betty off outside her parents house at midnight and had not seen her since. Herring, born in Sampson County, was the son of Lonnie Glen Herring and Lee Ann Faircloth Herring. She too liked to get a rise out of people, and she thrived on attention, whether she got it by arriving at Tommys Drive-In dressed entirely in black but wearing white lipstick or in jeans and a T-shirt, under which she didnt bother to put on a bra. McAlpine also felt sure that Betty would not have wanted to sneak back into the house through the front door. Several sources, however, allege that Betty asked her ex-boyfriend to murder her. Howard Sellers said that Mack was his idol and personified everything that was good.. Burial in Port Hudson National Cemetery. Tom Foster writes about business, innovation, and creative people. [3], Shelton Williams, a cousin of the homicide victim and an alumnus of Permian High School who played against Herring in American football games, wrote the book Washed in the Blood, published in 2006. Dan Sullivan, the lawyer representing Bettys parents, focused heavily on the testimonies given by classmates who had been asked by Betty to murder her. Does the evidence show you any possible explanation? he challenged the jury. HerringForAG John Mack Herring was one of the popular kids at Odessa High School. Ill be glad. Arrangements entrusted to Charlet Funeral Home Inc., Zachary. A meager yard of packed dirt and weeds led to the street, and an old rusted pickup sat in the driveway. Herring studied at FTCC after high school and began working as a Tire Specialist for Kelly Springfield through Goodyear. It was as cold-blooded and premeditated as it could be. Betty was known to have strong opinions on social issues. Sometimes now I think it was a dream. When Ronnie White, who graduated from Odessa High the year that the murder took place, returned to his alma mater to teach history, in 1978, he was astonished to hear students talking about the former drama student named Betty whose spirit supposedly haunted the auditorium and the popular football player who had had a hand in her killing. John Mack Herring was the main at Kiss and Kill. You got the feeling with Betty that she was always straining against that leash, even when it choked her. Heres hoping youll always have the best because youre one of the best!I find the tears clouding my eyes as I say goodbye to those I love. She hoped to one day become an actress, and in her bedroom, where movie posters and playbills covered the walls, she devoured magazines like the Hollywood scandal sheet Confidential. When flummoxed prosecutors requested a 24-hour delay to prepare their case, Burnett expressed his surprise, since insanity is the only possible explanation for this tragedy.. There was already enough pain in 61. [4] Herring and Williams went next to a stock tank on his parents' hunting property in Winkler County, 26 miles (42km) from Downtown Odessa. . We were shocked that one of our owna popular football player who had been to our parties and had dated our friendshad committed a heinous crime, says Jean Smith Kiker. Beside the water, the ground was spattered with blood. I couldnt believe what I was hearing, he says. But if she did it with someone who wasnt her boyfriend, then she was a pariah. Betty chose to disregard the rules, and if she had earned herself a reputation, she hardly seemed to care. (While in custody, Mack reportedly told a deputy sheriff, I feel toward her like a cat lying in a muddy street in the rain.) It looked, to most people, like a case that was impossible for the defendant to win, says writer Larry L. King, who had left Midland a decade earlier but still followed the case. Herring was born Laura A. Huff, on August 6, 1960. Herring shot and killed Betty Williams in 1961 after she had allegedly told him to do it. The students all claimed it had been an obvious joke, as Betty liked being dramatic and craved attention. An avid hunter, he was happiest when he could spend a few days bagging dove or quail on his fathers hunting lease north of town or ramble around the oil fields with his .22, plinking jackrabbits. I just stood there with the gun, Mack told reporters. Mack, who declined to be interviewed for this article, looked indistinguishable from any other working man in Odessa, right down to his beat-up truck with the toolbox in the bed. Mack led authorities to a property his father had leased for hunting and fishing. Lieutenant Governor Justin Fairfax is also expected to run for governor, although he has not officially announced plans yet. I was just showing off. John Mack Herring attended Texas Tech University, married and divorced twice, and worked as a dock foreman, a carpenter, a welder, and spent 25 years as an electrician. The teenagers who pass down stories about Betty are too young to remember the Kiss and Kill Murder, as it was christened by the press in 1961, but it was the most sensational crime in West Texas in its day. Mrs. John Mack Herring Today Kiss and Kill: Revisit Betty Williams Murder. If anything, he became more popular than ever even gaining a group of fangirls who were dubbed Macks Girls. I have stayed awake at night trying to think so I could explain it to other people, he said. Heron was also granted 100 acres of land in Camden County in 1814. To combat the ghost story culture, the administration later painted the windows of the school auditorium. What most people remember about Betty Williams is that they hardly noticed her at all. In the meantime, Bettys volatile relationship with her father had worsened. I asked Burnett why and he said, Church aint over till they sing., At 34, Burnett was already considered one of the finest trial lawyers around, having earned the sobriquet the boy wonder of the West. An ex-Marine who, at the age of 25, had been the youngest prosecutor in Texas, Burnett always brought a sense of theater to the courtroom. In terms of his romantic life, he was married twice, both of which ended in divorce. He complied and entered the water. Universal Studios Is Coming to Frisco. Mack was brought down to the police station for further questioning, and 45 minutes later, he broke down. Birth of Enoch Herrin. 1734 1734. The Tennessee native & Virginia resident since he moved with his family as a child admitted he wore blackface during a college party in the 80s, In 1980, when I was a 19-year-old undergraduate in college, some friends suggested we attend a party dressed like rappers we listened to at the time, like Kurtis Blow, and perform a song, Herring said. Had he left Betty at the front door or the back, McAlpine inquired? He married Elizabeth Jane Brown on 4 April 1920, in Clay, Georgia, United States. I want everyone to know that what Im about to do in no way implicates anyone else. . Herring had previously announced he would seek the democratic nomination for Governor following Northams term. Mack was born in Mooresville, North Carolina, the son of Alice (ne Azouri) and Charles Mack.Mack's father's original family name was Makhoul; he came to the United States from Lebanon when he was 12 years old, following Mack's grandfather, who had arrived at Ellis Island in 1909.. She tricked that boy into killing her. Bettys classmates in Winterset, which was canceled after the news of Macks arrest, puzzled over her intentions on the last night of her life. Anyone who had suffered the unrelenting scrutiny that Mack hadthe Odessa American alone ran nearly two dozen front-page stories on the casemight have pulled up stakes and started a new life somewhere else. "Kiss and Kill" refers to the March 20, 1961 homicide of Betty Williams, a teenager from Odessa, Texas, United States. A Democrat, he previously served in the Senate of Virginia since a 2006 special election, representing the 33rd district, made up of parts of Fairfax and Loudoun counties. Genealogy profile for Mack Dwayne Herring Mack Dwayne Herring (deceased) - Genealogy Genealogy for Mack Dwayne Herring (deceased) family tree on Geni, with over 230 million profiles of ancestors and living relatives. So many teenagers made the late-night pilgrimage to see Betty that the high school deemed it prudent to paint over the windows of the school auditorium. If anything, he became more popular than ever even. It sounds ridiculous even now writing it. The jury pool was the largest that had ever been called in Winkler County; the last murder to get much attentiona stabbing at a hotel in Winkhad happened in 1947. . Because of the intense publicity, the second trial was moved nearly six hundred miles away, to Beaumont. Theres still a lot I want to accomplish as attorney general, but when the time comes Ill be ready.. Mark Herring is the attorney general of Virginia. During this time, she also won $10,000 on a game show . Near it was blood splatter. Read more here about our archive digitization project. Around Bettys waist were tied two lead weights. To young Betty, it was more important to be her true self rather than be understood by others even though her father often prayed she become more obedient. On the drive out to the hunting lease, she was cheerful and chatted about how happy she was going to be when she was dead, Mack explained. And as more information came out, we were shocked to learn that Mack, and a lot of the other boys we knew, had been spending time with Betty after they had taken their girlfriends home. But despite the gruesomeness of the crime and the first-degree murder charges that were filed against him, Mack was not ostracized by his peers. Before Mack was taken to jail, he recounted what had taken place the night before while newsmen from the Odessa American and the Fort Worth Star-Telegram took down his story and six photographers jockeyed for the best angle. Emily McCullar is a senior editor covering pop culture, news, and Texas history. She confessed to having climbed the auditoriums rafters but couldnt bring herself to jump. I dont believe that Betty ever wanted to die. In the Williams family, grandiose threats and melodramatic bids for attention had not been unique to Betty. 18: Daughter: Eloise Herring. Matteo, Where is Alexei Popyrin family from? She boasted of climbing up to the auditorium rafters, intending to throw herself onto the stage below, only to find that she lacked the courage. When he reached the center, Mack oriented himself by looking at the mesquite trees on either side; then he dove under the water and came back up. In his melodious baritone, he peppered his arguments with Shakespeare and Scripture and won over jurors with his down-home charisma, so much so that no jury had ever sent a client of his to prison. In the middle of the chaos, Betty spotted Mike. More Stories for you In October an Odessa College student named Sammi Sanchez, who was researching a paper she had to present to her speech class on the best place to spend Halloween, received permission to spend the night in the high schools auditorium. In an impassioned closing argument that Burnett delivered before a standing-room-only crowd, he hammered home the fact that nearly two years after Bettys murder, the prosecution had still not established a motive. I finally talked Mack into killing me, she said. Two days earlier, Mack and Betty had planned how he would kill and dispose of her body. wife. Herring tied the knot on August 12, 1989, and have two children; daughter Peyton E. Herring, 26, and son Timothy R. Herring, 22. Fort Worth Star-Telegram (with photos from AP). After Betty realized she lacked the courage to commit suicide she began asking her schoolmates if theyd be willing to kill her. I know its much too late with you, Mack, but I swear that another boy wont get the chance to say what you said to me. Her boyfriend, who was a varsity football player, had shot her onstage during a play. So many times Ive wanted to tell you how much I appreciate you. At the end of an evening at Tommys, it was not unusual for her to end up parked in a secluded spot somewhere with a football playerafter, of course, he had taken his girlfriend home to meet her curfew. She was killed by her ex-boyfriend John Mack Herring (September 23, 1943[1] January 5, 2019) at her own request in Winkler County, Texas. I overheard a juror talking about Betty, says Hazel Locklear, the wife of the highway patrolman who had been struck by Macks aloofness at the crime scene. Ive never been so hurt in my life and I guess your note was the jolt I needed to get me back on the straight and narrow. The next day, Betty pulled Mack aside during rehearsal. She was left devastated and full of guilt. He was so good that none of his clients had ever gone to prison even the murderers. Mack, in effect, would have a chance at acquittal before his murder trial had even begun. While dropping Betty off at home after rehearsal, she asked if he could meet her at 10:30 PM in the alley behind her house. He had parked his Jeep a short distance from the stock tank, and he and Betty had sat there for a while and talked. Ill not waste time saying that I didnt deserve it because I guess I did. As she turned to go, she said to Ike, Ive got to call his bluff, even if he kills me.. As he got closer, officers saw he was holding onto Bettys feet. . 5. .I love you Dick, for all that you have meant to me. Next year??? It was like he was talking about shooting a dog.. I wanted to help, but I didnt know what to do. In the meantime, he gathered two lead weights, a miners helmet to see in the dark, and a rope. Eisenhower had been president during most of our years of growing up, and kids were kept on a very short leash, remembers classmate Dixon Bowles. Elizabeth Jean Betty Williams was born on August 11, 1943, and grew up in Odessa, Texas, with three younger siblings. She said she would take her own life, except she didn't have the courage. I dont know, Mack stammered. Jurors would not determine Macks guilt or innocence; they would only render a decision as to whether he had been insane at the time of the crime. His mother, who was originally from Memphis, worked as a flight attendant for American Airlines but left her job when she married Herrings father. Although Mack was near the top of the high school caste system and Betty was at the bottom, they managed to strike up a friendship when she was a junior and he was a sophomore. He laid out his argument in an opinion piece in USA today, which you can read here. I wish it were that simple. It was a game of chicken, and she never backed out., March 20, 1961I want everyone to know that what Im about to do in no way implicates anyone else. Next, nine character witnesses testified. In his cross-examination, the district attorney pressed Mack to explain at what moment, exactly, he had decided to kill Betty. Betty was hardly Tri-Hi-Y material; in the high school pecking order, her classmates remember her as a nobody, a nonentity, and someone on the outside looking in. But while she struck an antiestablishment pose, the rejection she felt from the other girls still stung. Its ruined two lives. Perhaps because he had wounded her pride, or maybe just to make him jealous, Betty tried to even the score one night when she parked with one of his best friends, a popular football player who had been voted the most handsome in his class. Now, the murderer is no more with us. During a later renovation, its facade was covered with bricks. He was a WWII veteran having served as a corporal in the Army Air Corps. It was a carnival, says former Winkler County clerk Virginia Healy. Still reeling from their breakup and depressed at the prospect of not being cast in a single play her senior year, Betty began to feel hopeless. Mack Herring December 15, 2009 Mr. Mack B. But she asked him for one last favor: to kill her. . Betty Williams was a 17 year old girl who was murdered via shotgun to the head by her football player ex-boyfriend in March of 1961. 9: Daughter: Sara Herring. About 1811, he and his family moved to Camden County where he was Farm Overseer for Burwell Atkinson. As a result, locals sided with Mack, claiming she had tricked him into committing the crime. Was spattered with blood he and his family moved to Camden County he. 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