Texas Monthly True Crime: Shane and Sally

On July 4, 1988, 16-year-old Shane Stewart and 18-year-old Sally McNelly went out for the night in the West Texas town of San Angelo. They watched the fireworks, stopped for burgers, and drove to the lake outside of town. They were never seen alive again. For 35 years, their murders have haunted their family and friends, and frustrated generations of investigators from the local police to the FBI. Hosts Rob D’Amico and Karen Jacobs take listeners behind the scenes of the cold case investigation, interviewing witnesses and following the twists and turns that have confounded authorities—including accusations about corruption, occult rituals, and a hunt for one suspect halfway around the world—tracking down new leads in the hope that someone may come forward to finally help solve the case. From the Texas Monthly team behind “Tom Brown’s Body” and “Stephenville” comes another true story of crime, suspicion, and life and death in small-town Texas. For more Texas Monthly productions, visit texasmonthly.com/podcasts

Episodes

Tom Brown's Body | Trailer

September 14, 2020 • 3 mins

None

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Tom Brown's Body | 1. A Pretty Little Place

September 29, 2020 • 29 mins

“Someone is lying. And it’s hard to know who’s lying and who’s not.”

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Tom Brown's Body | 2. Tom's Loop

October 6, 2020 • 42 mins

"My gut tells me he hasn't left Hemphill County. I think he's here somewhere, and I don't know if he intends to come out in the next day or two."

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Tom Brown's Body | 3. Evil Has Come to Canadian

October 13, 2020 • 36 mins

"Makes you want to go to the church, get on your knees and say a few words, right?

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Tom Brown's Body | 4. Lake Marvin Road

October 20, 2020 • 39 mins

"I'm sitting there thinking, 'Oh God, I'm so scared right now.' I couldn't convince them. And so I just let them hammer me."

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Tom Brown's Body | 5. Unusual Suspects

October 27, 2020 • 44 mins

“It's kind of strange that your investigator calls this search, and lo and behold, right after he starts the search, a cell phone is found.”

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Tom Brown's Body | 6. The Thicket

November 3, 2020 • 28 mins

"I'm like, 'What the heck is that?' So, I walk around some shrubs, and as I get closer I can see that it kind of looks like bone."

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Tom Brown's Body | 7. The Wake

November 10, 2020 • 41 mins

"The people of the town are calling us and saying, 'Do we have a monster that lives in our community?' I wish I could give them Solace."

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Tom Brown's Body | 8. The Remains

November 17, 2020 • 42 mins

"I'm definitely more paranoid wherever I go. I definitely watch my back more and pay attention to what's going on around me."

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Tom Brown's Body | An Update from Skip

October 7, 2021 • 3 mins

There have finally been a couple of developments in the case. But will they lead to the truth about what happened to Tom?

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Tom Brown's Body | 9. Another Day in Canadian

January 7, 2022 • 33 mins

"I'll never lose that hope. It could be five years from today. The door is always open at our office for anything that will bring resolution to this case."

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Stephenville | Trailer

June 13, 2023 • 3 mins

From the moment Susan Woods was found dead at home in the summer of 1987, everyone in Stephenville, Texas—including the police—was certain she’d been killed by her estranged husband.

That left the real culprit free to prey on others. In "Stephenville," best-selling author Bryan Burrough returns to his small-town Texas roots to explore a murder case that went cold for nearly two decades. Only now, after discovering a voice from beyon...

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Stephenville | 1. Susan

June 20, 2023 • 46 mins

In the summer of 1987, 30-year-old Susan Woods was living alone in her hometown of Stephenville, Texas, piecing her life back together after being abandoned by her husband. Then, one sweltering July evening, Susan’s father came to check on her.

For more on this and every episode, visit texasmonthly.com/stephenville

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Stephenville | 2. Michael

June 20, 2023 • 39 mins

After Susan Woods was killed, just about everyone in Stephenville—including the police—figured they knew who’d done it. Her estranged husband, Michael Woods, was a long-haired biker who smoked pot and played rock music—a complete misfit in the “Cowboy Capital of the World.” For more on this and every episode, visit texasmonthly.com/stephenville

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Stephenville | 3. Don

June 27, 2023 • 28 mins

Nearly twenty years after Susan Woods's murder, Stephenville Police Lieutenant Don Miller takes up the case. And with Michael Woods's cooperation, and help from new technology, Don finally makes a break in the case. But what he uncovers raises even more questions about why Susan was killed—and how her killer evaded justice for so long.

For more on this and every episode, visit texasmonthly.com/stephenville

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Stephenville | 4. Shannon

July 4, 2023 • 40 mins

In 1988, Shannon Myers survived a brutal attack by Joseph Scott Hatley, the man whose fingerprints were also present at the scene of Susan Woods’s murder. Her statement to police—which included his chilling confession—created an opportunity to put Hatley behind bars for both crimes.

For more on this and every episode, visit texasmonthly.com/stephenville

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Stephenville | 5. Scott

July 11, 2023 • 37 mins

Lt. Don Miller discovers the hand-written life story of the man who killed Susan Woods. The murderer, it turns out, wasn't a stranger or an outsider to Stephenville, but a local boy nobody suspected.

For more on this and every episode, visit texasmonthly.com/stephenville

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Stephenville | 6. Hatley

July 18, 2023 • 41 mins

In the series finale, Scott Hatley’s journal tells the story of how he built a new life on the run from police. And when the truth comes out, people in Stephenville must confront how little they knew about the man who killed Susan Woods.

For more on this and every episode, visit texasmonthly.com/stephenville

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Shane and Sally | Trailer

March 5, 2024 • 5 mins

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Shane and Sally | 1. A Long, Hot Summer

March 19, 2024 • 51 mins

On July 4, 1988, sixteen-year-old Shane Stewart and eighteen-year-old Sally McNelly went out for the night in their West Texas hometown of San Angelo. They watched the fireworks, stopped for burgers, and drove out to the lake outside of town. They were never seen alive again. That summer, as their parents waited for news from the authorities, Shane’s father Marshall began an investigation of his own, discovering the teens may have ...

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Texas Monthly True Crime: Shane and Sally

Episodes

.css-14f5ked{margin:0;word-break:break-word;display:-webkit-box;-webkit-box-orient:vertical;box-orient:vertical;-webkit-line-clamp:2;overflow:hidden;}Tom Brown's Body | Trailer

.css-r6mb8g{margin:0;word-break:break-word;display:-webkit-box;-webkit-box-orient:vertical;box-orient:vertical;-webkit-line-clamp:1;overflow:hidden;}Tom Brown's Body | 1. A Pretty Little Place

Tom Brown's Body | 2. Tom's Loop

Tom Brown's Body | 3. Evil Has Come to Canadian

Tom Brown's Body | 4. Lake Marvin Road

Tom Brown's Body | 5. Unusual Suspects

Tom Brown's Body | 6. The Thicket

Tom Brown's Body | 7. The Wake

Tom Brown's Body | 8. The Remains

Tom Brown's Body | An Update from Skip

Tom Brown's Body | 9. Another Day in Canadian

Stephenville | Trailer

Stephenville | 1. Susan

Stephenville | 2. Michael

Stephenville | 3. Don

Stephenville | 4. Shannon

Stephenville | 5. Scott

Stephenville | 6. Hatley

Shane and Sally | Trailer

Shane and Sally | 1. A Long, Hot Summer

Popular Podcasts

Tom Brown's Body | Trailer

Tom Brown's Body | 1. A Pretty Little Place