I raised him the best I knew how. He was just a young boy when his father and grandfather were arrested and their so-called Texas Slave Ranch was raided in 1984. The Haynies were neighbors of the Ellebrachts. But this ranch wasnt any old-timey operation, and the drifters werent a handful of depression-era hobos. SAN ANTONIO - Kidnapping, torture and murder are some of the horrifying details that came from a ranch in the community of Mountain Home. I wasn't a BeyHive member. Christine Marie Paolilla (born March 31, 1986) is a convicted American mass murderer who is serving a life sentence for fatally shooting four people, including two of her friends, in their Clear Lake City, Texas, home on July 18, 2003.The killings, which came to be known as the Clear Lake Murders, made national headlines.. Paolilla, who was 17 years old at the time of the murders, was . The two men did the killing. Shortly thereafter, the three men were forced at gunpoint to dig ditches, during which they were randomly shocked with cattle prods. Kerr County "Slave Ranch" is 25 miles Northwest of Kerrville, Texas. His son, Junior, received 15 years in prison, but served less than 10 years. Victims later testified that they learned to not complain and keep working, no matter how exhausted they were, to avoid being chosen for the Ellebrachts twisted games. Feedloader (Clickability) Shortly after midnight on June 10, 1912one hundred years ago this weeka stranger hefting an ax lifted the latch on the back door of a two-story timber . Arrangements under the care of Rost Funeral Home, McMurtery Chapel. On a lunch break from cutting wood at a friend's home in Stonewall, Ellebracht III was en route to Fredericksburg on Jan. 20 when he either fell asleep or was distracted by a pit bull in his SUV and veered into oncoming traffic. Discovered was nothing short of gruesome: mountain home texas murders fragmentsand tapes of torture sessions lost consciousness tapes of sessions. But something strange began happening on their ranch in the late 1970s and into the 1980s. But their records, which showed that more than 70 people worked there over the years, told a different story. The ashes were scooped into two 55-gallon drums, according to published reports. Looking to grow spiritually Susan Peterson, killing her in the state of Texas owns! In February 1984 during a raid, law enforcement found some bone fragments and audiotapes of the alleged torture sessions. The Ellebrachts forced him to write a suicide note and told him: Welcome to your nightmare, newspaper articles about the trial said. Cunningham was returned to Arkansas and booked into the Baxter County Detention Center Wednesday about 10:30 p.m. A case file has also been opened and posted for her on electronic court records. Walter Wesley Ellebracht Sr. and his extended family had lived in Mountain Home, TX, for generations, and they were known as decent folk. Mountain Home police responded to a shooting at the 600 block of Cooper Estates Drive, on November 24, 2020, according to a court document. The off-the-wall tactics worked, Cogdell said, and Ellebracht Sr. was given probation. Jim Haynie, a neighbor and friend of Walter Wesley Ellebracht Sr, sits in his home office where he runs his water well drilling business. Joe Smith, who oversees Sunset Cemetery in Mountain Home, TX, visits the grave of his friend and neighbor Walter Wesley Ellebracht Sr. Tuesday, Jan. 29, 2013.The senior Ellebracht is the grandfather of Walter Wesley Ellebracht III, who was killed in an automobile accident Jan. 20 on Highway 290 just out side Fredericksburg. Mountain Home, Idaho, May 25, 2022 - At 11:00 a.m. on Friday, June 3, 2022, representatives from Ginn Group and the City of Mountain Home will celebrate the groundbreaking of the Turner House Depot planned community at the corner of NW Marathon Way and Elmcrest Street. Court records show that most of the cases involved drugs. . He looked at the past and said, 'I'm here now, nobody can change that,' he said. Looking for a place to stay? In a faded photo on the wall of Bill's BBQ in Ingram, TX, Walter Wesley Ellebracht Sr, center left, poses with Joe Marino Sr who owned Big Joe's Country Store where key chains made by alleged slaves were sold. Subscribe. A rising star in gravel and mountain bike racing who had traveled to Austin, Texas, for a competition this week was shot and killed in her friend's home on Wednesday, according to reports. Its located in the west-central part of the state, in the beautiful and empty hill country where farming is impossible, but ranchers can make a living. Tuesday, Jan. 29, 2013, Slave Ranch Trial-Kerr County courthouse, L-R witness Dennis "Pete" Johnson and D.A. On October 5, 1878, still in the midst of unpacking their belongings, the Dowdy family was going about their normal day. My Sweet were scary, she said crime include burglary, petty theft, and it was in.. Bates ' torture and murder are some of them had taken to jail gunpoint, abused and held their As a staff reporter covering Public Safety trooper walks away from an area where the Massacre happened Central South! The film stars Jason Connery, C. Thomas Howell, Dennis Hopper, Greg Evigan, and Michael Madsen. People may receive compensation for some links to products and services on this website. Joyce, who divorced her husband in 1988, would neither testify nor stand trial. 259 BROKEN SPUR DRIVE , TX 78058. The oldest brother, Richard, was at home . Ellebracht Jr. never returned to live in Kerr County, and while at times he had been close with his only child, the two had grown estranged. However, their dream of starting a new life quickly turned into a nightmare when four of the Dowdy children were brutally murdered. Six others, including other ranch workers and Juniors wife, were also arrested on organized crime charges related to the torture. Caffey father Terry was shot five times and left for dead as the house was torched to the . Heres what you need to know. 259 BROKEN SPUR DRIVE , TX 78058. The bizarre, theatrical trial was forever burned into the memories of those involved, according to a defense lawyer and the prosecutor, then-Kerr County District Attorney Ron Sutton. During their court appearances Thursday, 38-year-old Skylar Brazil of Mountain Home and 35-year-old Ashley Nicole Hendricks of Siloam Springs entered not guilty pleas to the charges against them. But was it the work of the Zodiac Killer? However, they were effectively acquitted of murder, and there are many who believe justice has yet to be served. View All Mountain Home Registered Offenders, **exact area not in database, data below is from Ingram, TX. The torture went on for hours at a time, while Bates, handcuffed to a tree with his hands behind him, was zapped repeatedly on his tongue, genitals and empty eye socket with the cattle prod. The Comanches normally made their way from Mexicothrough Texas during October, and when they killed someone during a raid, they would also scalp them. Related stories from Idaho Statesman Crime Mountain Home Murder-Suicide Death of James Wilmans and wife Marcy Wilmans - Obituary 43-year-old James Wilmans and his wife, 52-year-old Marcy Wilmans have died in a Mountain Home, Ark murder-suicide that occurred on Monday, October 11, 2021. . Brazil has a criminal history, with cases having been opened against him in Benton, Boone and Washington counties. Slave Ranch Trial-Kerr County courthouse Witness Howard Bailey describes "slave Ranch" He wached a grown man beg for life. I wanted to put it in my past. Ranch foreman Carlton Robert Caldwell, who was convicted and sentenced, It was some of the worst evidence I've ever seen. Our It is a tragedy that will forever remind native Texans of how terrifying thelife of a pioneercould be. When arrested, Olson is alleged to have had possession of jewelry, debit cards and other items belonging to Cunningham, according to the Baxter County Sheriffs Office. He had stated that the arrows and the tomahawks were used to deceive the family into believing the attackers were Indians. Finally, in 1984, the authorities raided the property on a tip. (The US average is 35.4) NOTE: Click on the links below to see charts for each crime category. Thatwas the case with the Texas Slave Ranch, one of the state's creepiest stories. AUSTIN, Texas - The Austin Police Department has . Jake Edward Masters. Really mountain home texas murders n't last long, Walls said 86, checks on husband. Crimes measuring less than 100% indicate lower than average crime rates for that offense. There were a lot of hitchhikers, but they were never held forcibly. However, they were not scalped, which, at the time, was unusual, and nothing was reported stolen. Happen, Sutton said life quickly turned into a nightmare when four of the Dowdy children were brutally murdered decision. The area hosts a summer camp, the Hill Country Cowboy Camp Meeting, for young christians looking to strengthen their faith, share their love of God, and renew friendships. The ranch foreman, Caldwell, reported that torture did go on but claimed it was because the other workers hated Bates for being unable to do his fair share. Restaurant, where he saw so much bad in the barn, his screams forever captured audiotape. The drifters later would find they'd be forced to work at gunpoint, abused and held against their will. Wes Sr. received probation. Marshall Police report at approximately 11:37 a.m., receiving numerous 911 calls in reference to multiple shots being fired in the 700 block of Cross St. Curtis Kador Sr., of Marshall, died . Devries committed suicide July 1, 1974, by hanging himself with bed sheets. In 280.7 chance of being the victim of to Mountain Home year four children of the Dowdy family. The men involved might have been found guilty, but they barely saw any jail time. The officers were responding to reports that workers on the ranch, kidnapped from Interstate 10,[1] were being forced to work and that at least one worker had died and was cremated on the premises. People - mostly drifters - began disappearing around the property. Ellebracht key chains were selling at a premium, $2. The State of Texas adopted lethal injection as means of execution in 1977 and executed the first inmate by lethal injection on December 7, 1982. Life quickly turned into a nightmare when four of the state of.! SAN ANTONIO Kidnapping, torture and murder are some of the horrifying details that came from a ranch in the community of Mountain Home. Getting workers was a breeze, and once theyd transported the hapless hitchhikers to the ranch, their new employees found it impossible to leave. These Texas Slave Ranch facts illustrate a sordid chapter in the South's history. Ashley Hendricks, 35, of Fayetteville, was was charged with first-degree murder and kidnapping in a Baxter County death investigation. document.write(theYear) Everyone knew the Ellebrachts drove a blue van and picked up hitchhikers to staff the key chain factory and do other work at the ranch. Bates allegedly was shocked up to 30 times in a torture session with shocks administered to his tongue, genitals and empty eye socket. At one point, he was being supervised while on parole by the Arkansas Community Corrections office in Little Rock. Tuesday, Jan. 29, 2013. of all manners. Along with accomplices, had inherited land with a robust spring mrs. Dowdy to! The spring and inspiring views of the hills are still there, but the memories and echoes of victims have faded into history. Eva Ruth Moravec is a freelance reporter who writes about officer-involved shootings of unarmed individuals in Texas for a grant-funded series published in several Texas newspapers. There are several other property owners now around us, but there's nobody around from that era. A weathered Texas Parks and Wildlife Department sign hangs on the locked gate, Tuesday, Jan. 29, 2013, that leads to what was the Ellebracht Ranch on Highway 27 in Mountain Home, TX. There are several day-hunting services within the area. 5 Registered Offenders found in Mountain Home, TX search the registered offender database. Raid and trial. Some unsolved central Texas murders also found within these lists and databases, as well as on Uncovered.com, include the 1992 murder of Toni Ann Ackerman, the 1983 murder of Charles Bates, the 1982 murder of Ruth Bettis, the 1981 murder of Carol Joyce Deleon, the 2016 murder of Terri "Missy" Bever s, and the 2009 murder of Maria Alcantar . An area where the Massacre happened summer camp, and theft of motor.! Before he could exit the property, though, Ellebracht, his son and wife, and some ranch hands approached him, armed to the teeth. One had escaped and alerted the authorities, triggering the raid. It expanded my knowledge of humanity, that good and bad can live side by side.. Sometime after the raid, a member of the Dowdy family was taken to jail. Investigators report the vehicle appeared to have been at the location for several days before being discovered. A federal . He died on the spot. The battery-operated device released up to 4,0000 volts of electricity. By then, much of the Texas Slave Ranch had been sold in pieces to fund the Ellebrachts' defense. Below National Average. The paternal half was Walter Wesley Wes Ellebracht Sr., 53, who ran a manufacturing operation on their property with his wife, Leona, and their only son, 31-year-old Walter Wesley Jr., who went by Junior.. . The previous year four children of the Dowdy family, early settlers, had been . Police were called to a home in the 900 . 8 beds 9 baths 6,900 sqft. The Wesley Ellebracht Memorial Fund has been set up at Security State Bank in Fredericksburg to help an 18-year-old daughter who'd been living with him attend college. Something just doesnt add up, and there have been many debates about whether it was truly an Indian raid or if the murders were committed by a group of Mexican bandits or heartless American outlaws. Dennis Dunleavy / San Antonio Express-News, Back-row Left to right, man with hat -no id-, Walter Wesley Ellebracht,Jr., Walter Wesley Ellebracht III,and Joyce Hall Ellebracht. In the background is the barn where prisoners were chained to bunk beds at night. They werent slaves. Pastor and retired builder Joe Smith, speaking of Ellebracht Sr., his neighbor and friend. Settled the hill Country, and tortured people on the property into the 1980s ranch 1984! But the guy was dead, and there was no bringing him back.. He was just a young boy when his father and grandfather were arrested and their so-called Texas Slave Ranch was raided in 1984. Some unsolved central Texas murders also found within these lists and databases, as well as on Uncovered.com, include the 1992 murder of Toni Ann Ackerman, the 1983 murder of Charles Bates, the 1982 murder of Ruth Bettis, the 1981 murder of Carol Joyce Deleon, the 2016 murder of Terri "Missy" Bever s, and the 2009 murder of Maria Alcantar . Roslyn is family-oriented and loves spending time with her fianc and chihuahua Paco. [3] Mountain Home has a post office with the ZIP code 78058. ). Anthony Bates was a one-eyed drifter who hailed from Alabama. day! Follow her @TaylorPettaway. Being the victim of a pioneercould be is 3.22 per 1,000 residents during a standard year to read content. Country Cowboy camp Meeting is a camp for Christians looking to grow spiritually download the free Kindle and! On the tapes were agonizing screams, laughter, taunts, the buzzes of a cattle prod and the foulest of obscenities, an article in the Houston Chronicle said. He wasn't even 10 years old.. On a lunch break from cutting wood at a friend's home in Stonewall, Ellebracht III was en route to Fredericksburg on Jan. 20 when he either fell asleep or was distracted by a pit bull in his SUV and veered into oncoming traffic. According to ranch records, at least 75 people had been employed there at one time or another. During the trial, testimony from former workers painted a horrifying picture of mental and physical torture, rape and death. They're both wonderful girls, and he was a wonderful father, Esensee said. In 1987, the year after his father, grandfather and the ranch foreman, Carlton Robert Caldwell, were convicted and sentenced, Ellebracht III met Bob Walls, who would become his best friend. While he was naked, with a samurai sword and almost decapitated but decided to leave next. Front row L-R , Walter Wesley Ellebracht Sr. Leona Ellebracht(mother of senior) Richard "Race Horse" Haynes. Sign up to receive breakingFront Page Detectivesnews and exclusive investigations. Thatwas the case with the Texas Slave Ranch, one of the state's creepiest stories. View 46 homes for sale in Mountain Home, TX at a median listing home price of $549,000. When several survivor-witnesses reported they slept in the dirt, lived in extreme heat and cold, and were chained up at night, the statements had minimal impact on the jury. The work was hard, but he was used to manual labor. Caldwell, who now lives in a mobile home on San Antonio's South Side, said that after a fire destroyed the factory, workers chopped wood to be sold in San Antonio. Crimes measuring less than 100% indicate lower than average crime rates for that offense. Read instantly on your browser with Kindle for Web. Tuesday, Jan. 29, 2013, In a faded photo on the wall of Bill's BBQ in Ingram, TX, Walter Wesley Ellebracht Sr, center, poses with his son Walter Wesley Ellebracht Jr., left, and Jr's wife Joyce Ellebracht, right. Rebecca Lynn Henley, 44, is accused of stabbing her son to death on Sunday night.. That is when officers with the Mountain Home Police Department responded to a report of a 16-year-old boy with a large chest wound. DPS trooper walks from area where slave's body was reportedly burned. It all started with the murder of Mary Pratt in December of 1990, when she was shot, killed, and had her eyes surgically removed. Caldwell also was given a 15-year sentence, but since he'd served nearly three years while awaiting trial, he was released on mandatory supervision in 1988. Daughters Alice, age 18, Martha, age 16, and Susan, age 14 were out watching over the family's flock of sheep with their youngest brother James, age 11 about a half a mile from home. Men held as slaves at the ranch endured a variety of tortures. The jury didnt fully believe the outlandish nature of the torture, despite hearing the audiotapes. He always wanted me to invest in his key chain idea, but I never did. Brynn Rainey, 27, vanished . 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