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[piano music playing]
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Downloaded from
YTS.MX
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[woman] January 30, 1991.
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Official YIFY movies site:
YTS.MX
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"Dear Diary.
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Mom was picked up today
by two detectives.
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She has to stay at jail
all night tonight.
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Shanna Harper."
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School spirit turned
to sinister desire
this year in Texas.
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[woman reporter 1] It was
a case so bizarre
that it captured
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national and worldwide
attention.
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[male reporter]
She's been dubbed
the 'Pom-Pom Mom.'
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[woman reporter 2]
...the shocking
unbelievable plot.
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A small-town mother
so obsessed
with her daughter's
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cheerleading chances
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that she would resort
to murder-for-hire
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to improve her daughter's odds
of getting on the squad.
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[Shanna] There's been
a lot of negatives
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surrounding the story
of my mom.
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And... I'm tired
of running from it.
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[news anchor] The story
of a crime that provided
the plot for two TV movies.
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If wanting something good
for your kids is greedy,
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then I guess they can label me
as being greedy.
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Maybe sometimes
people just wanna believe
what they wanna believe.
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And that's fine.
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I'm the only one who knows
the full story about my mom.
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[recording playing]
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[Shanna] I've carried
the secret around
for too long.
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And it nearly killed me.
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[news anchor] Today,
she decided it was time
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for the public to hear
her side of the story.
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My name is Shanna.
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And I am the daughter
of Wanda Holloway,
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the notorious Pom Pom Mom.
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And I'm going to tell you
the truth about what happened
for the first time.
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[upbeat music playing]
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[Mimi] Texas is this idea
of individualism.
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I think it's still a place
where people think
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they can make
their own rules
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and want to make
their own rules.
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So Wanda Holloway
is an example of that.
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[Anne] I work
for a national magazine
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and this case dropped
in January of 1991,
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that kind of blew
everybody's mind.
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It became an instant
national sensation.
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And, of course,
I was instructed
to get out there
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and see what
I could find out about it.
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[Carolyn] As a reporter,
we had big murders.
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'91, '92, two young girls
were killed,
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and I covered that,
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by a man who was a neighbor
and, um, worked as a clown.
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But when it goes and--
If you look at that
crazy category,
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that I ain't gonna
never forget that one,
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Wanda Holloway.
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Houston was, as it always is,
in the process of this
constant change.
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And so I was really interested
in, you know, driving
a few miles south
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and coming up
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on what was really then
the heart of Houston.
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Which was, you know,
again, a blue-collar town,
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church-going people,
football still mattered.
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[Anne] I, personally,
didn't realize how provincial
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a suburb of Houston
could have been.
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A lot of the people there
grew up there.
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Married there.
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Never left.
Their parents live nearby.
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Because of that,
it didn't have
a lot of diversity to offer
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in terms of entertainment
and aspirational goals.
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[Mimi] It was the Texas that
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everybody wanted
to believe existed.
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And football cheerleaders,
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those are archetypal
characters here.
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[slow instrumental
music playing]
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[Shanna] Cheerleading
was, for me, it was just
something that
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I was prepped to do
from the time
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I was, you know, five.
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When I was growing up,
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I was a spitfire.
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I was very independent.
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A leader.
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I was solely focused
on my interests,
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whether it was tap, ballet,
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painting, piano,
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modeling.
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I just remember my mom,
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she wanted to know
if I wanted to be
a cheerleader,
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and I didn't even--
I was, you know,
what is that?
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And she's like, you know,
they wear the little outfits,
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they cheer for the guys
that are playing football,
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you have, you know,
the pom-poms.
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And I thought, "Yeah,
that's cool," you know?
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"Sure. Let's do that."
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And I guess
as I got older,
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it was just
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something that
was gonna happen.
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When I was growing up,
and certainly
in the 1990s still,
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the boys' achievement
would be to become
the quarterback
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or the star football player,
that could lead to college
scholarships and so forth.
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But even in the 1990s,
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girls could do the same
through cheerleading.
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♪♪ If I were you
I'd take precaution ♪
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♪♪ Before I step
To meet a fly girl ♪
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[Carolyn] If you wanted
to do something
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that indicated that
you were popular,
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your standard of beauty
was accepted,
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you become a cheerleader.
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For a long time,
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there was no, you know,
financial help or interest
in women's sports.
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So, what could women do?
They could cheerlead.
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And you attached yourself
to the quarterback
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'cause he was the most
powerful guy in town.
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So the way that
women exercised their power
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was through physical beauty.
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And the Dallas Cowboys
cheerleaders
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were the apotheosis
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of Texas beauty
in that time.
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♪♪ Poison ♪
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My mom, I think for her,
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it was...
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the ticket to being somebody.
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[lively piano music playing]
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[male anchor] Tell me
about yourself.
Describe yourself.
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Well, I have always,
I feel, to be very low-keyed.
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I don't see myself
as being
a high-profile person.
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I would say that
she's very tightly wound.
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That's a phrase
a former boss of mine
used to use, he'd say,
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"Wound-up quarter
turns too tight."
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And definitely Wanda
gave that impression,
from her hair and make-up,
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to the way that
she carried herself.
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She just looked uptight.
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I'm active in my church.
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Um, I've always taken
a very active part in my
children's lives.
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I mean, that's what
parents are for.
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She was a striver.
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And I think a lot of people
in Channelview were strivers.
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It goes back to the idea
of Texans,
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at that time and before,
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really not wanting
to be considered hicks.
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So what you did was,
you read the...
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you know, you read Glamour
and Mademoiselle and Vogue
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and then you figured it out.
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You know, how you would
dress and look, to keep up.
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[Shanna] She was raised
Missionary Baptist.
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You don't have sex
before marriage.
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You don't... swim
with other sexes.
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You know, you go to church,
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usually Sunday mornings,
Sunday night, Wednesdays.
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You know, she couldn't
just go do whatever
she wanted to do.
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She had rules to follow.
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[Mimi] Somebody like Wanda,
your nose would be pressed
against the glass
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'cause other people get to go
to dances and other people
get to drink
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and have fun.
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And fun was not a part
of the Baptist sort of idea.
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[Larry] How long
you know Wanda?
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All our lives.
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We divorced,
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uh, somewhere around
'79 or 1980.
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But, uh, we have
never went to court
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and asked for custody
of those children.
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So she's always had custody,
you had visitation?
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I don't have any stories
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to tell you that
I've ever been told where,
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you know, there were just
good times with my mom
and my dad.
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And I have maybe
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a handful of pictures
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of me and my mom
and my dad together.
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So, for me,
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they were always divorced.
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[somber instrumental
music playing]
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[Anne] Wanda started dating
Tony Harper at the age of 16,
I believe,
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when she was a sophomore
in high school.
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He was a senior.
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They married a week
after she graduated
from high school.
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And according to--
I remember Tony's mother
telling me that
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they would exchange
vicious barbs with each other,
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put each other down
about their physical defects
and so forth.
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And, you know,
the marriage
didn't last too long.
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[Shanna] My mom had certain
expectations of what
marriage brings.
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And so, when she
and my dad got together,
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and things weren't
as she anticipated,
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it made things disappointing?
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What they thought
marriage was, they weren't
on the same page.
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And then, of course,
there was infidelity.
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And I think it just became
kind of combustible.
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Apparently, she did not
like having sex.
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Only did it when she had to,
so to speak.
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And he liked it
and wanted more,
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so he sought it
outside the marriage.
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[Shanna] You know,
he started making
good money,
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and it gave him
a sense of authority?
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An opinion of himself
that he knows best.
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I think she learned
from him
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how to manipulate situations,
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how to... get
what you want.
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At whatever cost.
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[Anne] They, you know,
stuck it out
for eight years anyway.
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But, um, their marriage
came to an end
by May of 1980.
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[Shanna] I do think
my perception of him
was tainted.
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And I think my perception
of her was tainted
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'cause of their desire
to hurt each other
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any chance
that they could.
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And if that meant
doing it in front of the kids,
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then, you know, you did it
in front of the kids.
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She learned to fight dirty
from my dad.
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And that's what
caused this whole mess.
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[Anne] When she had
her daughter Shanna,
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00:11:19,100 --> 00:11:22,166
everyone who knows her
says that she
definitely changed
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and all of her energies
were focused on that
little girl.
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[Shanna] My mom
was pretty much my world.
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Um, she made sure that
we were fed and clothed
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and had a roof
over our head.
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She just...
made things run.
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And I didn't prefer
being with my dad.
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Because he didn't
take care of me
the same way my mom did.
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You know, he didn't make sure
breakfast, lunch and dinner
was served.
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00:11:54,000 --> 00:11:59,266
So I liked the care
that my mom
provided more.
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[Anne] From the time
the child was an infant,
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00:12:01,367 --> 00:12:04,634
Wanda devoted
a lot of attention
to dressing her.
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And apparently,
she enrolled her
in gymnastics
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and cheerleading schools
as early as three years old.
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So that she would be ready
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for what her mother
planned for her future.
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It was always, "Go, go, go!"
"Go, go, go!"
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[upbeat music playing]
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[Shanna] It started out
with, like, ballet, tap, jazz.
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00:12:34,166 --> 00:12:36,433
Piano and then
art lessons.
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00:12:38,367 --> 00:12:41,834
Cheer and gymnastics
probably three times a week.
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00:12:41,900 --> 00:12:45,467
Just constantly
had stuff to do.
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♪♪ I'm past the point
Of no return ♪
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[Anne] It seemed obvious
to me that she was living
through the child.
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00:12:59,066 --> 00:13:00,634
Even at the house,
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00:13:00,634 --> 00:13:04,166
they'd converted the garage
into a little cheerleading
studio of sorts.
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00:13:04,166 --> 00:13:06,367
And Shanna was made,
when she'd come home
from school,
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00:13:06,367 --> 00:13:10,133
to go directly
into that area
to practice
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00:13:10,467 --> 00:13:11,934
the cheer routine.
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00:13:12,000 --> 00:13:15,634
♪♪ I'm past the point
Of no return ♪
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00:13:15,700 --> 00:13:18,667
I don't think there was
near as much emphasis
on her school work.
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00:13:18,667 --> 00:13:20,767
It was all about
cheer, cheer, cheer.
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00:13:20,767 --> 00:13:24,867
♪♪ I'm past the point
Of no return ♪
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00:13:24,867 --> 00:13:26,934
[static noise]
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I think people
talking about
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00:13:31,266 --> 00:13:33,834
her trying to live
vicariously through me,
242
00:13:35,066 --> 00:13:38,333
I've never really
bought into that.
243
00:13:38,400 --> 00:13:41,166
I really believed she wanted
what was best for me.
244
00:13:41,166 --> 00:13:45,667
And this was just
the, the path to take
245
00:13:45,667 --> 00:13:49,567
to, to open doors
and to give me opportunities
246
00:13:49,567 --> 00:13:53,867
that she didn't get.
247
00:13:53,867 --> 00:13:59,033
[Carolyn] I don't think
it's unusual for some moms
back then to think,
248
00:13:59,100 --> 00:14:03,333
if I can just get my daughter
in the right place,
in the right group,
249
00:14:03,400 --> 00:14:05,033
she'll find the right man
250
00:14:05,100 --> 00:14:07,400
who will help her
have a great life.
251
00:14:07,967 --> 00:14:11,033
[slow instrumental
music playing]
252
00:14:11,100 --> 00:14:12,867
[Anne] Wanda wasn't
the only mother in Channelview
253
00:14:12,867 --> 00:14:15,867
who wanted her daughter
to be the best.
254
00:14:15,867 --> 00:14:19,734
When Inside Edition
did a profile on Amber Heath
and her mother Verna,
255
00:14:19,800 --> 00:14:23,567
it was clear both girls
were pushed to excel
from a very young age.
256
00:14:23,567 --> 00:14:27,000
[anchor] Some might call
Amber Heath
a junior superstar.
257
00:14:27,000 --> 00:14:28,867
[upbeat music playing]
258
00:14:28,867 --> 00:14:32,333
An award-winning gymnast
and baton twirler
from the age of three,
259
00:14:32,400 --> 00:14:36,033
her home is studded
with trophies
more than she can count.
260
00:14:36,567 --> 00:14:39,233
[dramatic music playing]
261
00:14:42,567 --> 00:14:45,667
I started going
to a private school.
262
00:14:45,667 --> 00:14:48,400
And that's where
I met Amber
263
00:14:48,767 --> 00:14:51,433
if I'm not mistaken.
264
00:14:51,500 --> 00:14:54,100
Um, I think we were
in first grade together.
265
00:14:54,800 --> 00:14:58,000
And I somehow realized
that she lived
266
00:14:59,066 --> 00:15:00,600
on the street
267
00:15:01,667 --> 00:15:03,400
that was connected to mine.
268
00:15:05,100 --> 00:15:08,100
And we were so excited
'cause we were so close
to each other.
269
00:15:08,100 --> 00:15:09,333
You know, like,
how cool is that?
270
00:15:09,400 --> 00:15:11,033
Like, we could spend
the night all the time.
271
00:15:11,100 --> 00:15:12,700
Like, we're just right here.
272
00:15:14,500 --> 00:15:18,266
We were best friends.
She came over to my dad's
for the weekend.
273
00:15:18,266 --> 00:15:21,467
She'd come over to our house,
I'd go over to their house.
274
00:15:21,467 --> 00:15:25,734
And her brother
was my first... crush.
275
00:15:29,166 --> 00:15:31,333
So this was my house.
276
00:15:32,066 --> 00:15:35,867
Those windows
go to the garage.
277
00:15:35,867 --> 00:15:38,400
My mom had it
landscaped beautifully.
278
00:15:39,367 --> 00:15:41,300
She had a great yard.
279
00:15:42,767 --> 00:15:45,300
[turn indicator beeping]
280
00:15:47,467 --> 00:15:51,500
And then that's,
that was, um, Verna
and Amber's house there.
281
00:15:54,200 --> 00:15:57,266
My mom and Verna
were friends at one time
282
00:15:57,266 --> 00:16:00,533
and Verna actually helped
my mom because she was
a single mom
283
00:16:00,600 --> 00:16:02,166
and she needed help
getting us to school.
284
00:16:02,166 --> 00:16:05,166
So, being that Verna lived
around the corner,
285
00:16:05,166 --> 00:16:08,734
she would pick us up,
take us to school
in the mornings.
286
00:16:10,900 --> 00:16:14,700
I remember
Verna being... nice.
287
00:16:15,467 --> 00:16:17,667
Just normal.
Just a mom.
288
00:16:17,667 --> 00:16:19,600
She must have been
tough on Amber
289
00:16:20,266 --> 00:16:22,333
to a degree because
290
00:16:23,200 --> 00:16:25,634
Amber and I
had a conversation once
291
00:16:25,700 --> 00:16:28,300
and she, she told me
that she wished
292
00:16:29,266 --> 00:16:30,734
my mom was her mom.
293
00:16:31,367 --> 00:16:33,367
And I remember
being surprised, like,
294
00:16:33,367 --> 00:16:36,867
"What's wrong with your mom?"
I was like, "Okay,
I'll take your mom then."
295
00:16:36,867 --> 00:16:40,967
Maybe I felt some interest
that my mom had in,
in Amber.
296
00:16:40,967 --> 00:16:43,400
Maybe I felt
some kind of...
297
00:16:44,467 --> 00:16:47,567
unknown threat.
298
00:16:47,567 --> 00:16:51,367
Um, you know, maybe,
with all the trophies
299
00:16:51,367 --> 00:16:54,900
and all that stuff that
I know impressed my mom.
300
00:16:56,767 --> 00:16:58,166
Maybe I was picking up
on things
301
00:16:58,166 --> 00:17:01,000
I didn't realize
I was picking up on
at the time.
302
00:17:02,166 --> 00:17:04,800
[school bell ringing]
303
00:17:05,767 --> 00:17:08,367
The first year that
Shanna tried out
for cheerleader
304
00:17:08,367 --> 00:17:10,333
was the spring of 1989.
305
00:17:10,400 --> 00:17:14,166
At that point,
she was in the sixth grade
at the local public school
306
00:17:14,166 --> 00:17:16,934
because all the cheerleaders
at the middle school
307
00:17:17,000 --> 00:17:20,467
were going to be drawn
from the girls that went
to the public schools
308
00:17:20,467 --> 00:17:22,867
that were feeder schools.
309
00:17:22,867 --> 00:17:25,634
[Amy] Shanna and I
both decided to leave
Channelview Christian School
310
00:17:25,700 --> 00:17:27,600
at the same time,
for different reasons.
311
00:17:28,000 --> 00:17:29,767
She went to Alice Johnson.
312
00:17:29,767 --> 00:17:35,033
And, uh, her intention
in doing that was because
at the time,
313
00:17:35,100 --> 00:17:40,033
Alice Johnson had a rule
that you needed to go
to the school in sixth grade
314
00:17:40,100 --> 00:17:42,567
to qualify to try out
for seventh grade
cheerleading.
315
00:17:42,567 --> 00:17:46,333
And so,
Shanna followed the rules
and she went on.
316
00:17:46,400 --> 00:17:49,133
But Amber stayed
at Channelview
Christian School.
317
00:17:50,467 --> 00:17:53,266
[Anne] Amber Heath
had been attending
a private school,
318
00:17:53,266 --> 00:17:56,367
was technically ineligible
to try out for cheerleader.
319
00:17:56,367 --> 00:17:59,333
And Wanda felt sure that
Shanna would be qualified
320
00:17:59,400 --> 00:18:01,567
head and shoulders
above the other girls,
321
00:18:01,567 --> 00:18:04,300
and would undoubtedly
be elected.
322
00:18:06,367 --> 00:18:11,667
[Shanna] So I go to the school
and it's time to do try-outs.
323
00:18:11,667 --> 00:18:15,600
And as we're leaving,
Verna and Amber come.
324
00:18:16,066 --> 00:18:17,900
And I remember my mom
325
00:18:19,000 --> 00:18:21,867
having a negative reaction
to that.
326
00:18:21,867 --> 00:18:23,634
And I think
she was very frustrated
327
00:18:23,700 --> 00:18:24,967
that they were there
in the first place, like,
328
00:18:24,967 --> 00:18:27,834
"Why are you here?
Because you don't even go
to this school."
329
00:18:28,967 --> 00:18:31,166
[Anne] Verna Heath,
Amber's mother,
330
00:18:31,166 --> 00:18:34,333
had gone to the school board
unbeknownst to Wanda Holloway,
331
00:18:34,400 --> 00:18:37,667
and asked them if Amber
could participate
332
00:18:37,667 --> 00:18:38,867
in the try-outs
for cheerleader
333
00:18:38,867 --> 00:18:41,667
even though she was not
technically enrolled
334
00:18:41,667 --> 00:18:44,467
in a Channelview public school
at the time.
335
00:18:44,467 --> 00:18:46,300
And the school board
said yes.
336
00:18:47,467 --> 00:18:50,667
So, here we go
to the try-outs.
337
00:18:50,667 --> 00:18:54,333
And Shanna, she was beat out
by Amber Heath.
338
00:18:56,166 --> 00:18:58,400
[Shanna] I missed it by one.
339
00:19:00,800 --> 00:19:03,166
Because they allowed
Amber to come over
340
00:19:03,166 --> 00:19:05,567
from a different
private school
341
00:19:05,567 --> 00:19:09,233
and try out, even though
she wasn't even a part
of our district at the time.
342
00:19:10,767 --> 00:19:14,700
So had she not tried out,
I would have been number two.
343
00:19:15,600 --> 00:19:17,000
That didn't happen.
344
00:19:18,266 --> 00:19:21,166
Since my mom felt
like they didn't play fair,
345
00:19:21,166 --> 00:19:23,233
she decided
not to play fair, either.
346
00:19:25,767 --> 00:19:29,300
[slow instrumental
music playing]
347
00:19:34,000 --> 00:19:37,233
My least favorite activity
was probably cheer.
348
00:19:39,367 --> 00:19:42,600
I didn't... see
the point in it.
349
00:19:44,400 --> 00:19:47,567
Just doing jumps
on the side of the field,
350
00:19:47,567 --> 00:19:50,533
and trying to get people
interested in football
351
00:19:50,600 --> 00:19:54,700
just, like, is that necessary?
352
00:19:57,600 --> 00:20:01,367
And I-- And I couldn't have
even told you anything
about football.
353
00:20:01,367 --> 00:20:03,834
I couldn't have even told you
what we were cheering for.
354
00:20:03,900 --> 00:20:05,867
Like, I had no idea.
355
00:20:05,867 --> 00:20:09,500
Defense, offense,
I wouldn't have known
what was going on.
356
00:20:11,367 --> 00:20:14,867
The thought of having
to get up in front of judges,
357
00:20:14,867 --> 00:20:18,567
I think it would
send me into, like,
little panic attacks.
358
00:20:18,567 --> 00:20:22,066
But I didn't realize
I was having panic attacks
at the time.
359
00:20:22,066 --> 00:20:24,700
Just kind of a feeling
of dread.
360
00:20:26,567 --> 00:20:30,400
So I remember
going to practice.
361
00:20:32,367 --> 00:20:36,867
I made a comment that
I really just didn't wanna
do this anymore.
362
00:20:36,867 --> 00:20:40,634
You know, I'm over it.
Like, it's played
itself out, basically.
363
00:20:41,867 --> 00:20:43,000
And she...
364
00:20:44,100 --> 00:20:46,000
wasn't having that.
365
00:20:47,467 --> 00:20:51,767
She, you know,
we put too much time,
effort and energy
366
00:20:51,767 --> 00:20:55,133
and, um, made
too many sacrifices
367
00:20:55,200 --> 00:20:58,233
to stop now, like,
you're too far in it,
that's not happening.
368
00:21:00,667 --> 00:21:03,834
And then you know, people say
stage mom, and maybe that's...
369
00:21:05,300 --> 00:21:06,834
what she was doing.
370
00:21:06,900 --> 00:21:10,867
I mean, I kind of feel like
she would watch Verna Heath
371
00:21:10,867 --> 00:21:14,600
and maybe she was just
trying to be like her?
372
00:21:15,567 --> 00:21:17,266
I remember
just thinking, like,
373
00:21:17,266 --> 00:21:19,600
"If you want to act like that,
you get out here and do it."
374
00:21:21,500 --> 00:21:26,834
[upbeat music playing]
375
00:21:30,200 --> 00:21:33,266
[Shanna] The next year,
we felt like the odds
were better
376
00:21:33,266 --> 00:21:37,500
because there were more spots
available to make the team.
377
00:21:39,367 --> 00:21:41,767
[Anne] In order
to be selected
to be a competitor
378
00:21:41,767 --> 00:21:43,266
in the cheerleading election,
379
00:21:43,266 --> 00:21:46,867
you had to be screened
by a team of college
cheerleaders.
380
00:21:46,867 --> 00:21:50,433
So Shanna was selected
by that committee
to be a candidate.
381
00:21:53,000 --> 00:21:56,667
[Shanna] If you made it
past the judges, you tried out
in front of the student body.
382
00:21:56,667 --> 00:21:58,767
And then, the students
would get to vote
383
00:21:58,767 --> 00:22:01,300
for who they liked the best.
384
00:22:02,567 --> 00:22:04,333
[Anne] During
the campaign season,
385
00:22:04,400 --> 00:22:07,867
the school board
made a new rule that
you couldn't give out candy
386
00:22:07,867 --> 00:22:10,266
or any kind of enticement
like that,
387
00:22:10,266 --> 00:22:13,867
monetary rewards,
to potential voters,
388
00:22:13,867 --> 00:22:15,433
i.e., students
at the school.
389
00:22:16,900 --> 00:22:20,166
Shanna's mother
knew this was coming around.
390
00:22:20,166 --> 00:22:21,834
She was getting
a jump on it.
391
00:22:21,900 --> 00:22:24,934
She got these rulers made
that said "Vote for Shanna."
392
00:22:25,000 --> 00:22:28,867
And then, you can't use
anything that's printed on.
393
00:22:28,867 --> 00:22:32,800
And her argument
is "I already bought this,"
and they said, "Oh, well."
394
00:22:36,166 --> 00:22:38,467
[Anne] The night
before the election,
395
00:22:38,467 --> 00:22:42,266
Wanda needed to make
some little voting
promotion signs.
396
00:22:42,266 --> 00:22:45,867
I think she had some
signs shaped like a megaphone
made out of cardboard
397
00:22:45,867 --> 00:22:47,734
that said "Shanna"
on them.
398
00:22:47,800 --> 00:22:49,767
But she didn't have
any sticks.
399
00:22:49,767 --> 00:22:54,567
So Wanda decided to use
the rulers that had Shanna's
name printed on them
400
00:22:54,567 --> 00:22:56,834
to affix to the sign.
401
00:22:56,900 --> 00:22:59,100
So these people
are walking around
holding a sign
402
00:22:59,100 --> 00:23:02,400
that says "Vote Shanna"
and they're passing out stuff
403
00:23:02,867 --> 00:23:04,400
to help me campaign.
404
00:23:05,667 --> 00:23:09,100
And... one of those
405
00:23:09,100 --> 00:23:11,533
rulers with the megaphone
got taken up.
406
00:23:14,266 --> 00:23:16,400
And as a result,
I got disqualified.
407
00:23:18,767 --> 00:23:22,500
I got called out of class
to go to the office.
408
00:23:23,767 --> 00:23:25,500
My mom was sitting there.
409
00:23:26,967 --> 00:23:28,367
They sat me down.
410
00:23:28,367 --> 00:23:32,100
And basically explained
the rules,
411
00:23:32,100 --> 00:23:35,033
I guess,
of campaign materials.
412
00:23:35,100 --> 00:23:38,567
And said because
we passed out the ruler,
413
00:23:38,567 --> 00:23:40,700
that they were gonna
have to disqualify me.
414
00:23:43,600 --> 00:23:45,333
I was so agitated.
415
00:23:45,400 --> 00:23:48,367
Not so much for myself.
More for my mom,
to be honest with you.
416
00:23:48,367 --> 00:23:53,533
'Cause she had put
a lot of work into
making me successful.
417
00:23:54,166 --> 00:23:56,600
That hurt me that,
that she was hurt.
418
00:23:57,867 --> 00:24:01,166
And I just wanted to take
the stuff that was on his desk
419
00:24:01,166 --> 00:24:03,300
and just like...
[imitates swishing]
420
00:24:05,000 --> 00:24:07,266
I just wanted to just
yell in his face
421
00:24:07,266 --> 00:24:08,734
like, "What the hell
is wrong with y'all?"
422
00:24:08,800 --> 00:24:10,600
You know?
Like, it's a [bleep] ruler.
423
00:24:14,166 --> 00:24:18,367
But I wasn't... that kid.
424
00:24:18,367 --> 00:24:22,233
[slow instrumental
music playing]
425
00:24:27,166 --> 00:24:29,467
Then I went
to the bathroom.
426
00:24:29,467 --> 00:24:32,934
I cried in the stall
for my mom.
427
00:24:36,266 --> 00:24:38,433
Part of me was relieved.
428
00:24:38,500 --> 00:24:41,266
Uh, part of me
was really upset because
429
00:24:41,266 --> 00:24:44,433
we had put a lot of effort
and energy and work
430
00:24:44,500 --> 00:24:47,233
into doing this,
and again it fails.
431
00:24:51,700 --> 00:24:53,567
[Anne] I'm not sure who blew
the whistle on it.
432
00:24:53,567 --> 00:24:55,133
It might have been
Verna Heath.
433
00:24:55,867 --> 00:24:58,667
But Shanna,
she took it well.
434
00:24:58,667 --> 00:25:01,567
But Wanda did not
take it so well.
435
00:25:01,567 --> 00:25:03,200
She had a bit
of a meltdown.
436
00:25:04,767 --> 00:25:09,166
[Shanna] I think all of that
played into my mom
437
00:25:09,166 --> 00:25:13,000
feeling bullied
by Verna Heath.
438
00:25:13,567 --> 00:25:15,700
And the school system
in general.
439
00:25:21,100 --> 00:25:25,066
[Anne] So after this
disappointment with
Shanna's disqualification,
440
00:25:25,066 --> 00:25:28,367
Wanda, she began
saying it was all
Verna Heath's fault.
441
00:25:28,367 --> 00:25:29,834
All Amber Heath--
442
00:25:29,834 --> 00:25:32,767
If that little Amber Heath
hadn't been allowed
to run in the first place,
443
00:25:32,767 --> 00:25:34,266
the previous year,
444
00:25:34,266 --> 00:25:35,533
she'd been disqualified,
445
00:25:35,533 --> 00:25:38,266
she should've been
disqualified because
she wasn't a school...
446
00:25:38,266 --> 00:25:40,667
a public school student.
447
00:25:40,667 --> 00:25:43,066
You know, her--
And it just started rolling.
448
00:25:43,066 --> 00:25:44,367
She told her in-laws.
449
00:25:44,367 --> 00:25:46,767
She told her friends.
She told her neighbors.
450
00:25:46,767 --> 00:25:48,133
Anybody who'd listen.
451
00:25:48,667 --> 00:25:51,166
She has a tendency
452
00:25:51,166 --> 00:25:53,233
to, to speak
before thinking.
453
00:25:54,000 --> 00:25:55,634
But in my recollections,
454
00:25:55,700 --> 00:25:58,467
it wasn't always
just about Verna
and Amber.
455
00:25:58,467 --> 00:26:01,533
It was the school system.
456
00:26:02,567 --> 00:26:05,734
Um, the cheer sponsors.
457
00:26:05,800 --> 00:26:08,033
Like, it was, like, political.
458
00:26:08,100 --> 00:26:10,367
Like everybody
was a part of it.
459
00:26:10,367 --> 00:26:14,233
It wasn't just...
Amber and Verna,
460
00:26:14,300 --> 00:26:16,166
although Verna did say
in interviews that
461
00:26:16,166 --> 00:26:19,500
she specifically felt
my mom's negativity
towards Amber.
462
00:26:20,000 --> 00:26:21,667
[Verna] Yes,
there was tension.
463
00:26:21,667 --> 00:26:23,767
She would watch Amber
with her arms folded
464
00:26:23,767 --> 00:26:26,467
and comment, "Oh, well,
she's going too fast."
465
00:26:26,467 --> 00:26:28,767
[Shanna] But as far as I know,
they never talked about it.
466
00:26:28,767 --> 00:26:32,166
Did you ever think about
having a conversation
with Wanda?
467
00:26:32,166 --> 00:26:35,033
I did not feel like
confronting her.
468
00:26:35,100 --> 00:26:37,133
It was trivial to me.
469
00:26:38,367 --> 00:26:42,300
[serious music playing]
470
00:26:43,100 --> 00:26:45,233
[Shanna] I came home
from school that day.
471
00:26:46,467 --> 00:26:50,867
and I believe Mom had to go
run some errands.
472
00:26:50,867 --> 00:26:54,300
And she wanted me to practice
while she was out.
473
00:26:57,367 --> 00:27:00,600
So I changed,
started practicing.
474
00:27:01,367 --> 00:27:04,667
I noticed a car was parked
475
00:27:04,667 --> 00:27:06,900
diagonally across the way.
476
00:27:10,166 --> 00:27:14,367
I noticed what I thought
was two men
477
00:27:14,367 --> 00:27:16,333
sitting in the car.
478
00:27:16,400 --> 00:27:18,100
And they were
noticing me.
479
00:27:18,667 --> 00:27:20,100
And it was awkward.
480
00:27:23,700 --> 00:27:25,600
And I remember thinking,
481
00:27:26,567 --> 00:27:28,066
"Maybe I should go inside,"
you know.
482
00:27:28,066 --> 00:27:31,433
This would be a good excuse
to go inside and not be
practicing right now.
483
00:27:31,500 --> 00:27:33,300
Because maybe
they're gonna kidnap me.
484
00:27:35,367 --> 00:27:37,133
And then, when Mom got home,
485
00:27:37,767 --> 00:27:41,233
I heard people talking
in the kitchen.
486
00:27:41,300 --> 00:27:44,433
It was the two men
from the car
I had noticed outside.
487
00:27:44,767 --> 00:27:46,200
They were police.
488
00:27:48,000 --> 00:27:50,734
And then, that was the last
I saw her
489
00:27:50,800 --> 00:27:54,133
until... until she came home.
490
00:27:57,100 --> 00:27:59,767
The state had filed
charges against her
491
00:27:59,767 --> 00:28:02,834
for solicitation
of capital murder.
492
00:28:02,900 --> 00:28:06,567
Seeking to hire a hitman
to, uh, to kill
493
00:28:06,567 --> 00:28:12,100
her daughter's cheerleading
rival's mother.
494
00:28:12,100 --> 00:28:14,567
[camera shutter clicks]
495
00:28:14,567 --> 00:28:17,100
[Troy] And it began
at that point.
496
00:28:20,166 --> 00:28:21,634
[guitar music playing]
497
00:28:21,634 --> 00:28:24,233
[news anchor 1]
Mrs. Holloway's former
brother-in-law, Terry Harper,
498
00:28:24,300 --> 00:28:27,100
claimed that she asked him
to find a hitman to kill
Verna Heath.
499
00:28:27,100 --> 00:28:30,033
[news anchor 2] Prosecutors
say they even planned
a kidnapping,
500
00:28:30,100 --> 00:28:33,100
with talk of selling Heath
into slavery.
501
00:28:34,800 --> 00:28:37,433
[Anne] Terry Harper.
What a man.
502
00:28:39,667 --> 00:28:44,934
Essentially, Terry Harper
was what would be classically
called the ne'er-do-well.
503
00:28:45,000 --> 00:28:49,433
He'd started having problems
with the law at about the age
of 13 or 14,
504
00:28:49,500 --> 00:28:50,834
by his own admission.
505
00:28:50,834 --> 00:28:54,000
I believe he told me
he was arrested
for possession of marijuana.
506
00:28:54,800 --> 00:28:57,600
By the time
he was in his 20s,
507
00:28:58,266 --> 00:29:00,100
when Wanda was married
to Tony,
508
00:29:00,100 --> 00:29:04,033
every news covered
the black sheep
of the family.
509
00:29:04,100 --> 00:29:07,867
He was in and out
of jail a lot.
DUIs and that kind of thing.
510
00:29:07,867 --> 00:29:11,100
But he was not
the mass murderer type,
let's put it that way.
511
00:29:12,500 --> 00:29:14,567
He definitely had
some problems.
512
00:29:14,567 --> 00:29:16,667
Um, personal issues,
513
00:29:16,667 --> 00:29:18,266
personal demons.
514
00:29:18,266 --> 00:29:21,500
And I know that
he would, many times,
515
00:29:22,567 --> 00:29:25,467
bring those up at Christmas,
to the family,
516
00:29:25,467 --> 00:29:28,867
like, you know,
would give this spiel about,
517
00:29:28,867 --> 00:29:31,834
you know, "I messed up
but I'm gonna do better."
518
00:29:34,400 --> 00:29:37,367
But I didn't have any issues
with my Uncle Terry.
519
00:29:37,367 --> 00:29:39,600
He was, he was good to me.
520
00:29:43,166 --> 00:29:46,467
Wanda was well aware of his
skirmishes with the law.
521
00:29:46,467 --> 00:29:49,634
So when it came time
for her to think up
522
00:29:49,700 --> 00:29:51,367
trying to find somebody
who had connections
523
00:29:51,367 --> 00:29:53,133
to the criminal underworld,
524
00:29:53,200 --> 00:29:56,667
Terry would, undoubtedly,
be the first person
she'd turn to.
525
00:29:56,667 --> 00:30:01,166
She must have been stewing
on this for quite a while.
526
00:30:01,166 --> 00:30:03,367
And because the family
was divorced,
527
00:30:03,367 --> 00:30:08,266
she sent her daughter
to a family Christmas party,
528
00:30:08,266 --> 00:30:11,834
um, to get Terry Harper
to meet with her.
529
00:30:11,900 --> 00:30:14,300
[piano music playing]
530
00:30:16,100 --> 00:30:19,834
[Anne] Wanda, apparently,
had been having conversations
on the sly with Terry
531
00:30:19,900 --> 00:30:23,667
to discuss the fact that
she wanted to get
in touch with a hitman.
532
00:30:23,667 --> 00:30:26,333
So when it came time
for Christmas holidays,
533
00:30:26,400 --> 00:30:29,934
and the children were
getting dropped at their
grandparents' house,
534
00:30:30,000 --> 00:30:32,266
Wanda gave a piece
of paper to Shanna
535
00:30:32,266 --> 00:30:34,500
and said, "Give this
to Uncle Terry."
536
00:30:35,867 --> 00:30:40,567
[Shanna] My mom asked me
to give her number
537
00:30:40,567 --> 00:30:41,900
to my Uncle Terry.
538
00:30:45,667 --> 00:30:47,767
We were about to go
from the living room,
539
00:30:47,767 --> 00:30:51,266
I think, to the, like,
kitchen area.
540
00:30:51,266 --> 00:30:53,033
I think it was time to eat.
541
00:30:58,100 --> 00:31:00,166
And I stopped my Uncle Terry
and I said,
542
00:31:00,166 --> 00:31:02,634
"Hey, um, Mom wanted me
to give you this."
543
00:31:03,266 --> 00:31:06,834
[slow instrumental
music playing]
544
00:31:06,900 --> 00:31:08,800
But he took the number
and said "Okay."
545
00:31:11,567 --> 00:31:14,567
[Anne] Terry realizes
that she wasn't just
blowing air
546
00:31:14,567 --> 00:31:17,767
when she said how much
she hated the Heaths.
547
00:31:17,767 --> 00:31:20,533
Wanda was asking him
to take somebody out,
548
00:31:20,967 --> 00:31:22,400
i.e., kill them.
549
00:31:24,867 --> 00:31:27,233
But there was something
Wanda didn't know.
550
00:31:29,266 --> 00:31:31,400
Terry was working
with the cops.
551
00:31:35,567 --> 00:31:38,200
[Flynt] Uh, this is
a part of Channelview.
552
00:31:39,700 --> 00:31:43,266
As far as I know,
it is still crime-infested.
553
00:31:43,266 --> 00:31:46,133
I think it was born
crime-infested.
554
00:31:48,500 --> 00:31:51,467
And these parking lots
right here,
555
00:31:51,467 --> 00:31:55,400
spaces, is where
we met Terry Harper.
556
00:32:00,367 --> 00:32:01,767
[Flynt] I got a phone call
557
00:32:01,767 --> 00:32:05,166
at the undercover office
on I-10
558
00:32:05,166 --> 00:32:06,600
from Terry Harper.
559
00:32:07,500 --> 00:32:10,667
And, I was in disbelief,
actually.
560
00:32:10,667 --> 00:32:15,133
So I set up a meeting
with him with
George Helton and I
561
00:32:15,200 --> 00:32:19,467
and he and I worked together
on this case.
562
00:32:19,467 --> 00:32:22,734
He sat there and told them
what-- what had happened
with Wanda.
563
00:32:22,800 --> 00:32:25,967
That Wanda was asking him
to try to locate a hitman.
564
00:32:25,967 --> 00:32:28,567
And they were still
kind of incredulous
that they said,
565
00:32:28,567 --> 00:32:31,367
"Okay, why don't you
call her while we
listen in?
566
00:32:31,367 --> 00:32:32,700
We need to get her on tape."
567
00:32:33,200 --> 00:32:35,867
George, uh, told him,
you know,
568
00:32:35,867 --> 00:32:38,967
briefed him really good
on what to say.
569
00:32:38,967 --> 00:32:41,800
And we hooked him up
at that phone booth.
570
00:32:43,967 --> 00:32:46,767
And he made
his first call.
571
00:32:46,767 --> 00:32:50,233
[recording playing]
572
00:33:15,767 --> 00:33:19,100
You know, we could hear
one side of the conversation,
his side.
573
00:33:19,100 --> 00:33:21,767
And, uh, I said,
"Well, you know,
we need to get on this,
574
00:33:21,767 --> 00:33:23,300
make sure nobody gets hurt."
575
00:33:24,700 --> 00:33:26,767
Let's get this case going.
576
00:33:26,767 --> 00:33:28,000
[switch clicks]
577
00:33:28,767 --> 00:33:30,834
[recording plays]
578
00:33:39,900 --> 00:33:42,467
[Anne] Their first official
meeting that the detectives
579
00:33:42,467 --> 00:33:44,467
were gonna be
listening to the tape of,
580
00:33:44,467 --> 00:33:47,333
took place
in the parking lot
of a Grandy's restaurant.
581
00:33:48,867 --> 00:33:52,834
[recording playing]
582
00:34:23,367 --> 00:34:25,467
[Anne] I remember
there being a lot of hedging.
583
00:34:25,467 --> 00:34:27,000
That she just kept reiterating
584
00:34:27,000 --> 00:34:28,266
that she didn't think
she would get her hands
585
00:34:28,266 --> 00:34:30,166
on that kind of money
very easily.
586
00:34:30,166 --> 00:34:33,100
And Terry kept saying,
"Well, we gotta have
some money.
587
00:34:33,100 --> 00:34:34,934
You know, I can't just
go to this guy and say
588
00:34:35,000 --> 00:34:36,900
we'll pay you later.
Doesn't work that way."
589
00:34:38,166 --> 00:34:41,433
She was just going
back and forth,
back and forth.
590
00:34:41,500 --> 00:34:43,367
And, uh, you know,
591
00:34:43,367 --> 00:34:46,066
my fear was,
and George's fear was,
592
00:34:46,066 --> 00:34:49,567
is that she would back out
from Terry
593
00:34:49,567 --> 00:34:52,800
and go and get someone else
and it really happening.
594
00:34:54,066 --> 00:34:56,867
So we had already
told him,
595
00:34:56,867 --> 00:35:00,967
"Tell her that she needs
to either pay up
596
00:35:00,967 --> 00:35:04,600
or give us something
of equal value to that."
597
00:35:04,967 --> 00:35:08,300
[recording playing]
598
00:35:17,567 --> 00:35:20,900
[Anne] So, she brings
the earrings to a meeting.
599
00:35:22,100 --> 00:35:24,100
They make the transfer.
600
00:35:24,100 --> 00:35:26,834
And he says, you know,
"See you later.
I'll let you know."
601
00:35:28,200 --> 00:35:30,900
And the next day,
she's arrested at her home.
602
00:35:32,867 --> 00:35:34,867
[Terry] I didn't know
what to think at first.
603
00:35:34,867 --> 00:35:38,133
But when I realized that
Wanda was serious,
604
00:35:38,767 --> 00:35:40,734
I went to the police
605
00:35:40,800 --> 00:35:43,567
and I felt like
I'd done the right thing then.
606
00:35:43,567 --> 00:35:45,734
I think I'm doing
the right thing now.
607
00:35:49,467 --> 00:35:52,400
[tape rewinding]
608
00:35:52,967 --> 00:35:54,333
[static noise]
609
00:35:56,800 --> 00:35:59,567
[Flynt] It was about
4:00 in the afternoon.
610
00:35:59,567 --> 00:36:03,634
Uh, George and I had
secured our search warrant.
611
00:36:03,700 --> 00:36:08,166
And, uh, we came over here
and waited
612
00:36:08,166 --> 00:36:10,033
and sure enough,
it wasn't long.
613
00:36:10,100 --> 00:36:12,834
Wanda showed up,
pulled up in the driveway.
614
00:36:12,900 --> 00:36:16,033
We got out of the vehicle
and followed her up
to the front door.
615
00:36:17,867 --> 00:36:21,367
And I said, "Look,
you know, you're
under arrest
616
00:36:21,367 --> 00:36:25,867
for solicitation
of capital murder,
for Verna Heath."
617
00:36:25,867 --> 00:36:29,433
And, uh... she said,
"Oh, really?"
618
00:36:29,500 --> 00:36:31,166
I said, "Oh, really."
619
00:36:31,166 --> 00:36:33,967
She goes,
"Am I going to jail?"
620
00:36:33,967 --> 00:36:35,367
I said, "Yeah!"
621
00:36:35,367 --> 00:36:37,000
She said, "Well,
let me go change clothes."
622
00:36:37,000 --> 00:36:39,533
I said, "No, ma'am,
we got clothes
for you downtown."
623
00:36:40,400 --> 00:36:42,967
And I said, why don't you
tell your daughter that
624
00:36:42,967 --> 00:36:45,333
we're taking you down
for some hot checks
625
00:36:45,400 --> 00:36:48,934
'cause clearly she's not
gonna understand
any of this.
626
00:36:49,000 --> 00:36:52,734
And she said, "Well,
I need to call my husband
and get me an attorney!"
627
00:36:52,800 --> 00:36:56,367
So she picks up the phone,
calls her husband,
whose name is CD,
628
00:36:56,367 --> 00:36:57,734
and I can kind of hear him.
629
00:36:57,734 --> 00:37:01,233
She says, "I'm going
to jail, CD. You need
to get me an attorney!"
630
00:37:03,367 --> 00:37:07,467
Well, I stepped outside
and waved the patrol
unit up.
631
00:37:07,467 --> 00:37:09,266
George stayed in there
with her.
632
00:37:09,266 --> 00:37:11,667
And he walked in,
handcuffed her,
633
00:37:11,667 --> 00:37:13,800
and we took her down
to the jailhouse.
634
00:37:18,967 --> 00:37:22,100
Most people would,
would be in tears.
635
00:37:22,100 --> 00:37:26,100
Especially a capital
offense like that.
636
00:37:26,100 --> 00:37:32,100
But, uh, it's my understanding
she had no qualms about
what she had done.
637
00:37:32,100 --> 00:37:34,500
And she wished that
it had went through.
638
00:37:37,467 --> 00:37:40,700
[Shanna] That's the moment
when my whole world
fell apart.
639
00:37:42,500 --> 00:37:44,834
[Flynt] The day
that we arrest her,
640
00:37:44,900 --> 00:37:46,734
I didn't think
much about it.
641
00:37:46,800 --> 00:37:50,133
But boy, that afternoon,
when I got home,
642
00:37:50,200 --> 00:37:53,033
my parents started
calling me,
643
00:37:53,100 --> 00:37:56,800
and friends and just talking
about, "Man, this case!"
644
00:37:57,500 --> 00:38:00,667
And it was
a huge mess.
645
00:38:00,667 --> 00:38:02,867
[news anchor 1] A Texas woman
is facing life in prison
646
00:38:02,867 --> 00:38:06,133
because she thought
murder was the only way
she could get her daughter
647
00:38:06,200 --> 00:38:08,033
on a high school
cheerleading squad.
648
00:38:08,100 --> 00:38:11,433
[news anchor 2] The case
of a mother who allegedly
would do anything
649
00:38:11,500 --> 00:38:13,166
to make her daughter
a cheerleader.
650
00:38:13,166 --> 00:38:16,567
And it's the talk
of the town in Channelview
where Holloway lives.
651
00:38:16,567 --> 00:38:18,834
It started off
with just the local news.
652
00:38:18,900 --> 00:38:21,433
[news anchor 3]
She's been dubbed
the 'Pom Pom Mom'.
653
00:38:21,500 --> 00:38:25,667
Accused of hiring a hitman
to kill another mother in
the neighborhood, Verna Heath.
654
00:38:25,667 --> 00:38:28,567
[Troy] That very quickly
turned into a national
news event.
655
00:38:28,567 --> 00:38:30,433
[news anchor 4] No matter
what channel you watch,
656
00:38:30,500 --> 00:38:34,133
you're watching
Wanda Webb Holloway.
657
00:38:34,200 --> 00:38:37,166
[Troy] And it had truly made
the world news.
658
00:38:37,166 --> 00:38:40,033
[news anchor 5] Life
at Channelview High School
goes on
659
00:38:40,100 --> 00:38:43,100
but the campus here
has become security conscious
660
00:38:43,100 --> 00:38:46,100
as the media
has moved in
for reaction.
661
00:38:46,100 --> 00:38:49,767
[Shanna] I remember
being chased by media
662
00:38:49,767 --> 00:38:53,400
off the school property
and halfway to my house.
663
00:38:54,467 --> 00:38:56,667
I remember finding out
that one of the people
664
00:38:56,667 --> 00:38:58,767
that I thought was
a close friend of mine
665
00:38:58,767 --> 00:39:03,033
was selling yearbook photos
to the media.
666
00:39:03,100 --> 00:39:06,367
And that was...
pretty hurtful.
667
00:39:06,367 --> 00:39:09,867
[Carolyn] It was sensational
and it was a big story.
668
00:39:09,867 --> 00:39:12,867
That doesn't happen everyday
even in Texas.
669
00:39:12,867 --> 00:39:16,033
[Flynt] There was people
everywhere talking about this.
670
00:39:16,100 --> 00:39:18,166
Wanda knocked it out
of the park with that.
671
00:39:18,166 --> 00:39:20,634
I think they ought
to put her away.
672
00:39:20,700 --> 00:39:23,033
Anybody that is so jealous
of somebody else
673
00:39:23,100 --> 00:39:26,467
that's gonna kill somebody,
deserves it.
674
00:39:26,467 --> 00:39:28,834
It was just
a feeding frenzy, you know?
675
00:39:28,900 --> 00:39:31,867
You don't hear about stuff
like this very often,
especially in the '90s.
676
00:39:31,867 --> 00:39:34,767
[dramatic music playing]
677
00:39:34,767 --> 00:39:36,133
[Shanna] I think
I was in shock.
678
00:39:37,667 --> 00:39:40,900
Because, like, holy crap,
you know, like, what...
679
00:39:41,867 --> 00:39:43,333
what have you done?
680
00:39:47,667 --> 00:39:49,734
[news anchor] 36-year-old
Wanda Holloway
681
00:39:49,800 --> 00:39:51,266
is free on a $10,000 bond
682
00:39:51,266 --> 00:39:54,900
and could face life in prison
if found guilty.
683
00:39:56,867 --> 00:39:59,634
[Shanna] So when
I come home,
I know it's not good
684
00:39:59,700 --> 00:40:01,400
because she's in her robe
685
00:40:02,700 --> 00:40:05,734
and she doesn't have
any make-up on,
she looks like hell.
686
00:40:07,266 --> 00:40:10,934
Mom explained nothing
was ever gonna happen.
687
00:40:12,000 --> 00:40:13,500
And my uncle,
688
00:40:14,266 --> 00:40:15,667
he just went off.
689
00:40:15,667 --> 00:40:19,133
[inaudible]
690
00:40:22,266 --> 00:40:25,100
[Shanna] I just remember
feeling bad for her.
691
00:40:25,100 --> 00:40:28,567
Because I'm like, "Can you
not tell she's already
been through the wringer?"
692
00:40:28,567 --> 00:40:31,333
Like, she's obviously
suffering, okay?
693
00:40:31,400 --> 00:40:34,467
-[Terry speaking inaudibly]
-We don't need to drag
her through the mud
694
00:40:34,467 --> 00:40:37,433
any more than she's
probably already dragged
herself through the mud.
695
00:40:39,467 --> 00:40:40,767
But I didn't
say that, of course.
696
00:40:40,767 --> 00:40:43,600
'Cause children are to be seen
and not heard.
697
00:40:45,200 --> 00:40:48,467
My grandma told me
to stay strong.
698
00:40:48,467 --> 00:40:51,800
So I just pushed down
all my fear and guilt.
699
00:41:00,066 --> 00:41:01,300
"Dear Diary..."
700
00:41:01,867 --> 00:41:04,834
[Shanna reading aloud]
701
00:41:12,867 --> 00:41:14,300
I remember going to bed
702
00:41:15,900 --> 00:41:18,667
having the thought, like,
703
00:41:18,667 --> 00:41:21,000
"Am I safe here?"
[chuckles nervously]
704
00:41:22,367 --> 00:41:24,400
You know, is she gonna
do something to me?
705
00:41:25,500 --> 00:41:27,600
[dramatic music playing]
706
00:41:30,467 --> 00:41:33,867
Because I felt like
I'm the reason all of this
is happening.
707
00:41:33,867 --> 00:41:35,500
If I had just made
cheerleader,
708
00:41:36,667 --> 00:41:39,834
if I'd been better,
then we wouldn't
be here right now.
709
00:41:45,467 --> 00:41:46,734
That's how I saw it.
710
00:41:46,800 --> 00:41:49,233
I took the blame.
711
00:41:50,100 --> 00:41:51,467
This is on me.
712
00:41:51,467 --> 00:41:54,100
If I didn't exist,
none of this
would've happened.
713
00:41:59,500 --> 00:42:02,400
And I felt that way
until I found out the truth.
714
00:42:05,767 --> 00:42:08,867
[announcer]
Here's Larry King.
715
00:42:08,867 --> 00:42:12,367
How do you, Tony,
the former husband,
it's your daughter,
716
00:42:12,367 --> 00:42:13,800
how do you explain all this?
717
00:42:14,900 --> 00:42:16,133
I don't try to explain it.
718
00:42:17,400 --> 00:42:19,100
[Larry King]
Are you saddened by it?
719
00:42:19,100 --> 00:42:20,567
I feel sorry for my children.
720
00:42:20,567 --> 00:42:24,000
One of the first things that
Tony did was hire a lawyer
721
00:42:24,000 --> 00:42:25,767
who sought to...
722
00:42:25,767 --> 00:42:29,266
Wanda had
primary custody that time,
Tony had visitation.
723
00:42:29,266 --> 00:42:33,066
He sought to take
Wanda's primary custody
away from her.
724
00:42:33,066 --> 00:42:36,934
And it became impossible
for the parents on either side
725
00:42:37,000 --> 00:42:39,266
to be able to have substantive
conversations with her
726
00:42:39,266 --> 00:42:41,433
about what had happened
or what was going on,
727
00:42:41,500 --> 00:42:43,233
for fear that the other side
would allege
728
00:42:43,300 --> 00:42:46,634
that they were trying
to manipulate Shanna
in the middle.
729
00:42:46,700 --> 00:42:48,433
[reporter] Mr. Harper,
are the children
having problems,
730
00:42:48,500 --> 00:42:51,333
to you knowledge,
psychological problems
because of this?
731
00:42:51,400 --> 00:42:53,367
Well, it's been
a great concern of mine
with my children,
732
00:42:53,367 --> 00:42:55,367
that why they are seeing
Dr. Kit Harrison.
733
00:42:55,367 --> 00:42:59,133
And they will continue
to see him as the court has
allowed me today to do so.
734
00:42:59,867 --> 00:43:01,467
I wasn't comfortable
with my dad.
735
00:43:01,467 --> 00:43:03,166
My dad made my uncomfortable.
736
00:43:03,166 --> 00:43:06,166
I had fear of my dad.
737
00:43:06,166 --> 00:43:08,333
Not respect, I had fear.
738
00:43:09,467 --> 00:43:11,600
And I didn't wanna
live in fear.
739
00:43:17,066 --> 00:43:19,233
[Maier McDonald Maier]
The trial was held at the
Harris County courthouse,
740
00:43:19,300 --> 00:43:21,166
and it was jammed
with reporters.
741
00:43:21,166 --> 00:43:24,266
Interestingly, they could
only shoot through the window
of the courtroom.
742
00:43:24,266 --> 00:43:26,367
No audio was allowed.
743
00:43:26,367 --> 00:43:30,767
And Wanda showed up
looking like she was attending
a ladies fashion luncheon.
744
00:43:30,767 --> 00:43:33,667
[reporter]
While cheerleading is underway
in Channelview schools,
745
00:43:33,667 --> 00:43:36,333
the trial of the town's
most famous mother
746
00:43:36,400 --> 00:43:38,567
is opening with
dramatic testimony.
747
00:43:38,567 --> 00:43:43,333
We're not dealing with
some faux pas at a tea party
here, folks.
748
00:43:43,400 --> 00:43:45,266
[Maier] When the case
came to trail, it turned out
749
00:43:45,266 --> 00:43:49,467
that the state's star witness
for the prosecution
was Terry Harper.
750
00:43:49,467 --> 00:43:51,000
The one and only.
751
00:43:51,000 --> 00:43:52,934
Ne'er do well of Channelview.
752
00:43:53,000 --> 00:43:55,367
Black sheep
of the Harper family.
753
00:43:55,367 --> 00:43:58,000
And, um, well known
to the authorities.
754
00:44:00,166 --> 00:44:02,467
[Ken Odle]
I remember thinking,
755
00:44:02,467 --> 00:44:05,133
"He's definitely not
in Wanda Holloway's court.
756
00:44:05,200 --> 00:44:06,867
He's not a fan."
757
00:44:06,867 --> 00:44:13,133
And I didn't think he was
a particularly nice guy.
758
00:44:14,867 --> 00:44:16,767
[Maier] It's brought out
right upfront
759
00:44:16,767 --> 00:44:18,834
that he had
a chequered past.
760
00:44:18,900 --> 00:44:20,767
You know, had to
get that out of the way
761
00:44:20,767 --> 00:44:25,634
because it's obvious that
his credibility could have
lots of holes shot in it
762
00:44:25,700 --> 00:44:27,634
just based
on his criminal record.
763
00:44:27,700 --> 00:44:30,967
But he took the stand
and testified about
764
00:44:30,967 --> 00:44:34,133
how he came to be
in possession of
a tape recorder
765
00:44:34,200 --> 00:44:38,533
that night
in the Grandy's parking lot
to start taping Wanda.
766
00:44:38,600 --> 00:44:42,667
And when the courtroom
finally heard those tapes,
all hell broke loose.
767
00:44:42,667 --> 00:44:47,500
Tonight, the public is buzzing
about its first chance to hear
the tapes.
768
00:44:48,100 --> 00:44:50,000
[tape playing]
769
00:44:59,467 --> 00:45:02,066
What was on the tapes
was... was damaging.
770
00:45:02,066 --> 00:45:05,867
There were parts of it
that would make
your skin crawl.
771
00:45:05,867 --> 00:45:09,100
But the tapes were
what the tapes were.
772
00:45:09,100 --> 00:45:12,000
[tape playing]
773
00:45:16,467 --> 00:45:20,166
[Maier] The venom
is her voice was unmistakable.
774
00:45:20,166 --> 00:45:23,000
There was no way around
thinking that she meant
every word she said,
775
00:45:23,000 --> 00:45:25,634
and that she was willing
to go through with it.
776
00:45:25,700 --> 00:45:27,333
I mean, I think it affected
that whole trial,
777
00:45:27,400 --> 00:45:29,000
from the beginning
to the end.
778
00:45:30,000 --> 00:45:31,667
[Shanna]
I was watching the news
because that's
779
00:45:31,667 --> 00:45:33,467
the only information
I was getting
780
00:45:33,467 --> 00:45:35,834
because no one was
telling me anything.
781
00:45:35,900 --> 00:45:40,367
And so I'm hearing her
on those tapes,
782
00:45:40,367 --> 00:45:43,300
and she just sounds horrible.
783
00:45:44,967 --> 00:45:46,266
And I just
remember thinking,
784
00:45:46,266 --> 00:45:49,000
"Man, she's not gonna
get through this.
785
00:45:49,000 --> 00:45:51,600
They're not gonna
find her innocent.
They're just not."
786
00:46:13,867 --> 00:46:15,166
[prosecutor] Ma'am,
would you introduce yourself
787
00:46:15,166 --> 00:46:16,900
to the ladies and gentlemen
of the jury?
788
00:46:19,567 --> 00:46:22,166
[Marla Harper]
My name is Marla Harper.
789
00:46:22,166 --> 00:46:23,900
[prosecutor]
Who are you married to?
790
00:46:25,100 --> 00:46:27,867
[Marla] Terry Harper.
791
00:46:27,867 --> 00:46:31,767
[Maier] Of all the people,
Marla Harper ended up
as a witness for the defense,
792
00:46:31,767 --> 00:46:35,734
which was quite a stunning
turn of events.
793
00:46:35,800 --> 00:46:37,934
Terry and Marla Harper
proudly tell them
794
00:46:38,000 --> 00:46:40,333
that, um, she was,
at the same time,
795
00:46:40,400 --> 00:46:42,433
his sixth
and his seventh wife.
796
00:46:42,500 --> 00:46:45,667
Because during the course
of their, I would say, roughly
two-year relationship,
797
00:46:45,667 --> 00:46:49,066
they had broken up
and gotten divorced
once already
798
00:46:49,066 --> 00:46:52,133
and then gotten back together
and remarried already.
799
00:46:53,166 --> 00:46:55,333
[prosecutor] Were you
afraid of your husband?
800
00:46:55,400 --> 00:46:56,834
[Marla] Very much so.
801
00:46:57,266 --> 00:46:58,433
[prosecutor] Why?
802
00:46:58,433 --> 00:47:01,133
[Marla] Because of the abuse,
physically and mentally,
803
00:47:01,200 --> 00:47:03,500
that I had went through
since before I married him.
804
00:47:04,867 --> 00:47:09,166
[McKinney] She described him
as manipulative,
as vindictive.
805
00:47:09,166 --> 00:47:12,133
The picture of Terry
is nothing but a do gooder,
806
00:47:12,200 --> 00:47:15,266
and it could not have been
further from the truth.
807
00:47:15,266 --> 00:47:17,967
[reporter] Yesterday,
Harper's estranged wife,
Marla, said
808
00:47:17,967 --> 00:47:20,934
that she was threatened
and beaten by her husband
in the past.
809
00:47:21,000 --> 00:47:23,567
And as recently as last week,
she claimed that he beat her
810
00:47:23,567 --> 00:47:27,000
because Terry didn't
want Marla to testify
in this trial.
811
00:47:29,600 --> 00:47:32,767
[Maier] Marla knew something
about the whole setup
with the police
812
00:47:32,767 --> 00:47:34,767
and taping Wanda,
813
00:47:34,767 --> 00:47:37,266
and she thought there was
something fishy about it.
814
00:47:37,266 --> 00:47:39,867
So, it was quite
a dramatic revelation
815
00:47:39,867 --> 00:47:41,867
when she turned up
on the defense
816
00:47:41,867 --> 00:47:44,367
and testified that
there was a plot
817
00:47:44,367 --> 00:47:47,500
to, um, set Wanda up,
so to speak.
818
00:47:49,867 --> 00:47:52,467
[McKinney] If I had just heard
her story in a vacuum,
819
00:47:52,467 --> 00:47:54,634
it would have seemed
as strange as the story
820
00:47:54,700 --> 00:47:57,266
we had in the vacuum
to begin with was as well.
821
00:47:57,266 --> 00:48:01,467
But as we got through this,
we were able to put
the pieces together,
822
00:48:01,467 --> 00:48:04,166
paint the entire picture.
823
00:48:04,166 --> 00:48:07,734
[Marla] "Terry, you told me
when we went back together,
824
00:48:07,800 --> 00:48:09,967
that if you ever,
for any reason,
825
00:48:09,967 --> 00:48:13,066
brought a gun back
in this house for any reason,
826
00:48:13,066 --> 00:48:15,266
you wanted me to leave you.
827
00:48:15,266 --> 00:48:17,000
Well, you've got it.
828
00:48:18,567 --> 00:48:20,467
You are
a very dangerous person,
829
00:48:20,467 --> 00:48:23,233
and you and everyone else
knows it.
830
00:48:24,567 --> 00:48:26,333
Remember when you lied
to the police,
831
00:48:26,400 --> 00:48:28,934
and when you were bragging
about setting Wanda up?
832
00:48:29,000 --> 00:48:31,500
I taped you
and your conversation
with Tony.
833
00:48:31,967 --> 00:48:34,000
My attorney knows everything.
834
00:48:34,600 --> 00:48:36,333
PS,
835
00:48:36,400 --> 00:48:39,533
I hope you can eventually
straighten out your
terrible life."
836
00:48:40,767 --> 00:48:45,367
[McKinney] Marla testified
that Terry told her
it was his idea.
837
00:48:45,367 --> 00:48:49,000
She believed that Terry
actively disliked Wanda
838
00:48:49,000 --> 00:48:51,867
because she had gotten him
in trouble with his brother
839
00:48:51,867 --> 00:48:55,667
by telling Tony
that Terry was trying
to hit on her.
840
00:48:55,667 --> 00:48:57,667
And that gave him
the motivation
841
00:48:57,667 --> 00:49:02,400
to try and get back
in his brother's good graces
at the expense of Wanda.
842
00:49:06,166 --> 00:49:08,166
[Maier] When Wanda gave
a piece of paper to Shanna,
843
00:49:08,166 --> 00:49:10,166
that's when Terry,
he picked up the ball
844
00:49:10,166 --> 00:49:12,100
and started running with it.
845
00:49:13,066 --> 00:49:15,266
[prosecutor] Marla,
did you see your husband
846
00:49:15,266 --> 00:49:18,233
make a phone call
on the day before New Year's?
847
00:49:18,500 --> 00:49:19,567
[Marla] Yes.
848
00:49:19,567 --> 00:49:22,734
He was trying to get
in touch with his brother.
849
00:49:22,800 --> 00:49:26,233
[prosecutor] What did you
hear your husband say to his
brother in that conversation?
850
00:49:27,266 --> 00:49:29,767
[Marla] That he'd finally
gotten Wanda where
he wanted her.
851
00:49:29,767 --> 00:49:32,767
That Tony was finally
gonna get his kids.
852
00:49:32,767 --> 00:49:35,266
[prosecutor] How was Tony
gonna get his kids?
853
00:49:35,266 --> 00:49:37,867
[Marla] Well, he said
they were gonna
"burn the bitch"
854
00:49:37,867 --> 00:49:39,634
was his exact words.
855
00:49:40,800 --> 00:49:44,000
[prosecutor] Did they
talk about setting up
Wanda Holloway?
856
00:49:44,000 --> 00:49:45,767
[Marla] Yes, they did.
857
00:49:46,867 --> 00:49:51,233
[McKinney] Marla testified
that Terry and Tony ended up
being able to
858
00:49:51,300 --> 00:49:55,433
fashion a narrative
that made it believable
to the detectives.
859
00:49:55,500 --> 00:49:59,533
They finally gave him
a recorder to record some
conversations with Wanda,
860
00:49:59,600 --> 00:50:03,000
which is where
Terry and Tony's plan
861
00:50:03,000 --> 00:50:06,867
to... to lock Wanda into this
for Tony's benefit
862
00:50:06,867 --> 00:50:08,867
began to take shape and form.
863
00:50:08,867 --> 00:50:10,934
And that no matter
how many times Wanda said,
864
00:50:11,000 --> 00:50:13,266
"No, I don't want
to be a part of this.
Let it go,"
865
00:50:13,266 --> 00:50:15,834
they weren't going
to let it go.
866
00:50:15,900 --> 00:50:17,400
[tape playing]
867
00:50:36,367 --> 00:50:40,667
It definitely felt like
there was the potential
868
00:50:40,667 --> 00:50:47,000
that they had colluded
or schemed together
to make this happen.
869
00:50:47,000 --> 00:50:50,767
And as I was listening
to the tapes,
870
00:50:50,767 --> 00:50:54,767
part of me is saying,
"I can't believe
she just said that."
871
00:50:54,767 --> 00:50:56,634
Part of me is thinking,
872
00:50:56,700 --> 00:51:00,166
"Yeah, I can see
where they're giving her
enough rope
873
00:51:00,166 --> 00:51:02,667
to hang herself with."
874
00:51:02,667 --> 00:51:07,166
[McKinney] We now had Marla
who was saying Tony was
the puppet master, as it were.
875
00:51:07,166 --> 00:51:11,667
He was pointing Terry
in the direction of where
he needed to go
876
00:51:11,667 --> 00:51:14,900
to help Tony
and not help Wanda.
877
00:51:16,667 --> 00:51:22,600
I think that my dad
and my uncle set my mom up.
878
00:51:23,200 --> 00:51:25,934
It was just that...
879
00:51:26,400 --> 00:51:27,934
That game of...
880
00:51:29,000 --> 00:51:31,133
retaliation
against each other.
881
00:51:31,200 --> 00:51:37,033
And he just had
a really good opportunity
to nail it to her really hard.
882
00:51:37,100 --> 00:51:38,700
[King] How long
you know Wanda?
883
00:51:39,467 --> 00:51:41,100
Since, uh...
884
00:51:42,600 --> 00:51:45,033
We lived together
in the same neighborhood,
885
00:51:45,100 --> 00:51:47,767
a mile down the street
from each other,
all of our lives.
886
00:51:47,767 --> 00:51:49,900
And you think
she did do this?
887
00:51:50,667 --> 00:51:52,266
Contrived to do it?
888
00:51:52,266 --> 00:51:54,133
I don't have
a comment on that.
889
00:51:54,200 --> 00:51:55,734
[King] You don't
have an opinion?
890
00:51:59,500 --> 00:52:02,200
I'm not her judge and jury.
891
00:52:02,767 --> 00:52:03,934
[McKinney] By all accounts,
892
00:52:03,934 --> 00:52:06,333
and by the accounts of people
who testified at trail,
893
00:52:06,400 --> 00:52:09,667
money was probably
more important to Tony
than almost anything else.
894
00:52:09,667 --> 00:52:13,233
He saw himself as better
than everybody else.
895
00:52:13,300 --> 00:52:15,967
And having to pay
child support to her
896
00:52:15,967 --> 00:52:18,567
meant that she had
one up on him.
897
00:52:18,567 --> 00:52:20,934
And he just couldn't
let that continue to happen
898
00:52:21,000 --> 00:52:23,567
if he had a way
to get out it.
899
00:52:23,567 --> 00:52:26,734
I think my dad gets off
on power trips.
900
00:52:26,800 --> 00:52:29,100
Every weekend,
at some point,
901
00:52:29,100 --> 00:52:32,166
you could expect to sit
in the living room with my dad
902
00:52:32,166 --> 00:52:35,600
and be interrogated for...
903
00:52:37,066 --> 00:52:38,934
a good two hours.
904
00:52:39,700 --> 00:52:41,500
Like he was trying to get...
905
00:52:42,600 --> 00:52:45,133
[sighs] ...ammo
906
00:52:45,200 --> 00:52:47,834
for whatever it was
he was trying to get ammo for.
907
00:52:48,600 --> 00:52:51,634
So, with my mom,
908
00:52:51,700 --> 00:52:54,800
I think Dad saw an opportunity
909
00:52:55,367 --> 00:52:56,600
to...
910
00:52:58,700 --> 00:53:04,467
take an unfortunate situation
and play it to his advantage.
911
00:53:04,467 --> 00:53:08,333
And he... and he unfortunately
didn't think about his kids
912
00:53:08,400 --> 00:53:10,767
and just thought about
getting back at her.
913
00:53:10,767 --> 00:53:14,834
And sadly,
914
00:53:14,900 --> 00:53:20,166
I wish he had chosen
a different path.
915
00:53:20,166 --> 00:53:23,834
But that didn't happen
either now, did it?
916
00:53:23,900 --> 00:53:27,266
So we all get to suffer.
917
00:53:27,266 --> 00:53:30,433
[Maier] When Marla
returned to the courtroom
to be cross-examined,
918
00:53:30,500 --> 00:53:33,266
the prosecution
attacked her viciously.
919
00:53:33,266 --> 00:53:35,033
[reporter]
In the cross examination,
920
00:53:35,100 --> 00:53:37,266
the District Attorney
Mike Anderson challenged
her testimony, saying,
921
00:53:37,266 --> 00:53:40,133
yes, she had been abused
and that she had a rough life,
922
00:53:40,200 --> 00:53:42,467
but that she had been
under psychiatric care
for many years,
923
00:53:42,467 --> 00:53:46,533
and that she couldn't
always be believed
what she said.
924
00:53:46,600 --> 00:53:48,734
[Maier] The easiest
and best way
to discredit Marla
925
00:53:48,800 --> 00:53:51,300
would be to look at
her own psychiatric history.
926
00:53:52,800 --> 00:53:54,934
It's natural
to attack the credibility
927
00:53:55,000 --> 00:53:58,166
of whatever witness
you're trying to attack
the credibility of.
928
00:53:58,166 --> 00:54:03,266
And unfortunately, Marla put
herself in the hospital
on numerous occasions.
929
00:54:03,266 --> 00:54:05,734
[prosecutor] Now, Marla,
you mentioned at one point
930
00:54:05,800 --> 00:54:08,967
that you had gone somewhere
because you hurt yourself.
931
00:54:08,967 --> 00:54:10,200
[Marla] Yes.
932
00:54:10,200 --> 00:54:12,834
Terry had raped me
and beaten me up
before we got married.
933
00:54:12,900 --> 00:54:14,934
[prosecutor] Uh, ma'am,
can I interject
something here?
934
00:54:15,000 --> 00:54:18,066
Your stepfather
had raped you?
Is that correct?
935
00:54:18,066 --> 00:54:19,066
[Marla] That's true.
936
00:54:19,066 --> 00:54:20,934
[prosecutor] And your brother
had raped you?
937
00:54:21,000 --> 00:54:22,600
[Marla] My half-brother.
938
00:54:22,600 --> 00:54:26,266
[prosecutor] And several
other people have tried
to rape you, have they not?
939
00:54:26,266 --> 00:54:27,767
[Marla] True.
940
00:54:27,767 --> 00:54:29,767
[prosecutor] Uh, but you told
the doctors that you had
941
00:54:29,767 --> 00:54:32,967
trouble distinguishing between
the truth and fiction.
942
00:54:32,967 --> 00:54:34,133
Yes?
943
00:54:34,133 --> 00:54:37,400
[Marla] Yeah, I did it
for my protection from Terry.
944
00:54:38,800 --> 00:54:40,433
[McKinney]
They attacked her personally.
945
00:54:41,000 --> 00:54:41,967
What they tried to sell
946
00:54:41,967 --> 00:54:44,934
and perhaps effectively
sold to the jury was
947
00:54:45,000 --> 00:54:50,166
the story that she's telling
is not credible because of
her mental health issues.
948
00:54:50,166 --> 00:54:54,166
And when you destroy
somebody's general
credibility,
949
00:54:54,166 --> 00:54:56,934
people tend to not believe
a lot of what they have
to say,
950
00:54:57,000 --> 00:54:58,667
even though it may be
the God's honest truth.
951
00:54:58,667 --> 00:55:02,033
I'm in shock,
I'm numb, I'm angry.
952
00:55:02,100 --> 00:55:05,433
And I'm not gonna rest
until the woman is set free
953
00:55:05,500 --> 00:55:07,433
because she's not guilty.
954
00:55:07,500 --> 00:55:10,834
[Carolyn Campbell]
Most of the adults
involved in this case
955
00:55:10,900 --> 00:55:12,266
were opportunistic.
956
00:55:12,266 --> 00:55:14,467
You just didn't know
who to believe.
957
00:55:14,467 --> 00:55:18,166
But I thought
she was believable.
958
00:55:18,166 --> 00:55:20,867
[Maier] In Marla's case,
the general reaction was,
959
00:55:20,867 --> 00:55:22,467
you know, you brought it
upon yourself
960
00:55:22,467 --> 00:55:24,266
if you've stayed
with this person.
961
00:55:24,266 --> 00:55:27,734
But when you're involved
in a situation like that,
962
00:55:27,800 --> 00:55:29,734
you feel emotionally
beaten down for one thing,
963
00:55:29,800 --> 00:55:31,200
and physically afraid
of what might happen.
964
00:55:31,200 --> 00:55:35,367
And trying to leave
often would escalate
a situation like that.
965
00:55:35,367 --> 00:55:38,133
[reporter] Today, Terry denied
beating his wife last week.
966
00:55:38,200 --> 00:55:41,166
But he did admit telling
Marla's psychologist
several months ago,
967
00:55:41,166 --> 00:55:45,000
"I was too drunk to remember
if I raped her."
968
00:55:46,500 --> 00:55:52,667
If a prosecutor tried
to discredit a woman today
for being crazy
969
00:55:52,667 --> 00:55:55,867
because she was abused,
it would backfire.
970
00:55:55,867 --> 00:56:00,066
And it would certainly have
helped Wanda Holloway today.
971
00:56:00,066 --> 00:56:03,133
But it just
didn't get the traction
972
00:56:03,200 --> 00:56:06,900
that that bigger
storyline did.
973
00:56:09,100 --> 00:56:11,233
[Maier] I called
the chapter in my book
about Wanda's defense,
974
00:56:11,300 --> 00:56:13,967
"If all else fails,
use a shotgun."
975
00:56:13,967 --> 00:56:17,367
Because every tactic
they could possibly dream up,
976
00:56:17,367 --> 00:56:20,400
they dragged out
and threw at the wall
to see what would stick.
977
00:56:22,867 --> 00:56:28,100
And they had Wanda
take the stand
in her own defense.
978
00:56:28,100 --> 00:56:30,634
[McKinney] The default
position for criminal
defense lawyers is
979
00:56:30,700 --> 00:56:33,367
don't put your client
on the witness stand.
980
00:56:33,367 --> 00:56:36,734
It's a quick way
to grab defeat from
the jaws of victory.
981
00:56:36,800 --> 00:56:39,233
Now, there are
exceptions to that.
982
00:56:39,300 --> 00:56:42,667
[reporter] When she took
the stand in her own defense,
Mrs. Holloway tearfully denied
983
00:56:42,667 --> 00:56:44,433
she wanted to have
anyone murdered.
984
00:56:44,500 --> 00:56:45,867
She said she went along
with the scheme
985
00:56:45,867 --> 00:56:49,433
because she was afraid
Harper would have somebody
murder her.
986
00:56:49,500 --> 00:56:50,934
[Maier] And they'd
ask her line by line,
987
00:56:51,000 --> 00:56:52,233
"What did you mean by that?
988
00:56:52,233 --> 00:56:54,567
What did you mean
when you said,
'You just want her gone'?"
989
00:56:54,567 --> 00:56:56,266
She said,
"I was just kidding.
990
00:56:56,266 --> 00:56:58,333
I just... You know,
I was going along with Terry.
991
00:56:58,400 --> 00:57:00,100
It was like a joke
we were having."
992
00:57:00,500 --> 00:57:02,367
There was simply no intent.
993
00:57:02,367 --> 00:57:03,667
If Wanda wanted
to go through with this,
994
00:57:03,667 --> 00:57:04,900
she would have
said upfront,
995
00:57:04,900 --> 00:57:07,233
"Yeah, let's kill 'em.
Let's kidnap 'em.
Here's the money."
996
00:57:07,300 --> 00:57:08,734
She didn't do that.
997
00:57:08,734 --> 00:57:12,667
But as the tapes progressed,
especially when the juries
had heard them,
998
00:57:12,667 --> 00:57:14,934
it was really hard to argue
that you were kidding.
999
00:57:15,000 --> 00:57:19,667
Imagine an invisible button
that only she knows about
that she can push.
1000
00:57:19,667 --> 00:57:22,500
And if she pushes it,
those two people die.
1001
00:57:24,667 --> 00:57:26,000
Well, she pushed it.
1002
00:57:26,000 --> 00:57:33,133
At the time, we all had
certain ingrained perceptions
of women.
1003
00:57:33,700 --> 00:57:35,767
You still see it today,
1004
00:57:35,767 --> 00:57:40,934
where an ambitious woman
becomes the villain
of virtually any story.
1005
00:57:42,800 --> 00:57:48,500
So, I think it was very easy
to cast Wanda as the villain.
1006
00:57:58,166 --> 00:58:01,367
[Shanna] Trial stuff
was not talked about
around me at all.
1007
00:58:01,367 --> 00:58:03,934
But you stand by your family.
1008
00:58:04,000 --> 00:58:09,033
And, um, I knew her
better than anybody else.
1009
00:58:09,100 --> 00:58:11,000
I knew what she did
wasn't a good thing,
1010
00:58:11,000 --> 00:58:14,066
but I knew
she wasn't all bad.
1011
00:58:14,066 --> 00:58:18,133
She looked really bad,
but she's not all bad.
1012
00:58:21,066 --> 00:58:23,767
[reporter] Reporters
and onlookers from
around the world
1013
00:58:23,767 --> 00:58:26,634
are once again jammed
into a Harris County courtroom
1014
00:58:26,700 --> 00:58:30,433
for the final phase
of what has been
a sensational trial.
1015
00:58:32,066 --> 00:58:37,033
[Shanna] I only went
to the trail the day that
she was being sentenced.
1016
00:58:37,467 --> 00:58:40,533
And the reason for that was
1017
00:58:40,600 --> 00:58:42,467
I wanted to be able
to tell her "bye"
1018
00:58:42,467 --> 00:58:46,600
if she were found guilty.
1019
00:58:47,800 --> 00:58:50,133
[judge] Has the jury
reached a verdict?
1020
00:58:50,200 --> 00:58:52,000
Would you pass it
to the bailiff, please?
1021
00:59:03,100 --> 00:59:04,834
"We, the jury,
having found the defendant
1022
00:59:04,900 --> 00:59:06,867
guilty of solicitation
for capital murder
1023
00:59:06,867 --> 00:59:09,367
assess her
punishment at confinement
in the institutional division
1024
00:59:09,367 --> 00:59:12,767
of the Texas Department
of Criminal Justice
for 15 years
1025
00:59:12,767 --> 00:59:16,133
and assess a fine
in the amount of $10,000."
1026
00:59:16,200 --> 00:59:19,033
The verdict found Wanda
guilty of solicitation
of capital murder.
1027
00:59:20,667 --> 00:59:23,934
I was disappointed.
1028
00:59:24,000 --> 00:59:25,433
We thought there was
a reasonable shot
1029
00:59:25,500 --> 00:59:27,233
that she could get probation.
1030
00:59:27,300 --> 00:59:30,133
Fifteen years was probably
a bigger gut punch than the...
1031
00:59:30,700 --> 00:59:32,433
than the guilty verdict was.
1032
00:59:33,467 --> 00:59:38,166
[Swartz] The guilty verdict
seemed like a foregone
conclusion to me.
1033
00:59:38,166 --> 00:59:40,367
She had already been tried
in the press,
1034
00:59:40,367 --> 00:59:41,934
she'd been tried
in her neighborhood,
1035
00:59:42,000 --> 00:59:44,100
she'd been tried in Houston.
1036
00:59:44,100 --> 00:59:46,266
It was not surprising.
1037
00:59:46,266 --> 00:59:47,600
[reporter] Holloway,
visibly shaken,
1038
00:59:47,600 --> 00:59:50,934
hugged her daughter
before she was taken into
police custody.
1039
00:59:51,767 --> 00:59:53,967
[Shanna] Everything
just changed in an instant.
1040
00:59:53,967 --> 00:59:55,967
Like, Mom's gone.
1041
00:59:55,967 --> 00:59:59,667
And "Oh, my God,
I'm gonna have to go
live with my dad.
1042
00:59:59,667 --> 01:00:01,767
And I'm gonna run away.
1043
01:00:01,767 --> 01:00:05,467
I'm gonna run away
'cause I'm not living there.
[chuckles]
1044
01:00:05,467 --> 01:00:10,667
And, um, I'll just
go hide somewhere."
1045
01:00:10,667 --> 01:00:13,900
Like, this can't be happening.
Like, this is not happening.
1046
01:00:15,100 --> 01:00:17,834
'Cause I can't.
This is not gonna work.
1047
01:00:17,900 --> 01:00:19,767
I can't go without her
for 15 years.
1048
01:00:19,767 --> 01:00:22,233
Like, that's just
not gonna happen.
1049
01:00:29,567 --> 01:00:32,500
[announcer] Now,
Channel 2 news at 6:00.
1050
01:00:33,867 --> 01:00:36,166
[reporter 1] The cheerleader
mom case is not over.
1051
01:00:36,166 --> 01:00:40,233
In fact, today,
the whole sordid affair
took a dramatic twist.
1052
01:00:40,300 --> 01:00:42,567
-[reporter 2] Charles.
-This case continues to take
more turns
1053
01:00:42,567 --> 01:00:43,967
than a country road, Claire.
1054
01:00:43,967 --> 01:00:48,133
Attorneys for Wanda Holloway
have just filed a motion
for a new trial.
1055
01:00:48,200 --> 01:00:50,433
[reporter 3] Holloway's
lawyers discovered that
one of 12 jurors
1056
01:00:50,500 --> 01:00:54,166
who convicted Holloway
was himself convicted
of cocaine possession,
1057
01:00:54,166 --> 01:00:58,266
making him disqualified
to serve on the jury.
1058
01:00:58,266 --> 01:01:02,000
All of the members
of the possible jury panel
had been asked a question,
1059
01:01:02,000 --> 01:01:05,233
"Are any of you
currently on probation
for any crime?"
1060
01:01:05,300 --> 01:01:08,333
All, to a man
and women said,
"No, no, Your Honor."
1061
01:01:08,400 --> 01:01:09,967
But one of the members,
it turned out,
1062
01:01:09,967 --> 01:01:12,166
was on what's called
deferred adjudication,
1063
01:01:12,166 --> 01:01:14,767
which is a variation
of what probation is.
1064
01:01:14,767 --> 01:01:17,767
And this young man
didn't know the difference,
so he had answered,
1065
01:01:17,767 --> 01:01:19,667
"No, I'm not on probation."
1066
01:01:19,667 --> 01:01:23,000
And that was the ace
that they had in the deck
of cards to...
1067
01:01:23,000 --> 01:01:25,700
to have the case thrown out
just two weeks later.
1068
01:01:27,367 --> 01:01:30,767
And there was, at the time,
a little bit of resentment
1069
01:01:30,767 --> 01:01:37,000
because I speculated
that the defense knew.
1070
01:01:38,367 --> 01:01:42,667
We had filled out
such an extensive
questionnaire.
1071
01:01:42,667 --> 01:01:46,166
I felt like they had
probably caught it
ahead of time,
1072
01:01:46,166 --> 01:01:47,533
and didn't say anything.
1073
01:01:47,600 --> 01:01:50,867
And if the trail
had gone in Wanda's favor,
1074
01:01:50,867 --> 01:01:54,133
then that would have
never come up.
1075
01:01:54,200 --> 01:01:56,166
And it's to your advantage,
obviously, for a new trial.
1076
01:01:56,166 --> 01:01:58,233
-That's why I have
to press you on this.
-I understand.
1077
01:01:58,300 --> 01:01:59,066
You did not see him?
1078
01:01:59,066 --> 01:02:01,333
We did not know
that he was, um,
1079
01:02:01,400 --> 01:02:03,066
going through
further adjudication
at the time.
1080
01:02:03,066 --> 01:02:05,367
He was picked on the jury,
at the time he served
on the jury,
1081
01:02:05,367 --> 01:02:08,333
we did not discover that
till after the trial.
1082
01:02:08,400 --> 01:02:11,367
The four lawyers involved,
uh, me and and my partner
1083
01:02:11,367 --> 01:02:15,667
and the two prosecutors
all signed affidavits saying
1084
01:02:15,667 --> 01:02:19,066
"We didn't know it,
didn't see it,
didn't realize it."
1085
01:02:19,066 --> 01:02:22,634
And ultimately Judge Godwin
granted the new trial.
1086
01:02:25,567 --> 01:02:26,967
[Shanna] It was a win,
1087
01:02:26,967 --> 01:02:31,300
even if maybe people
didn't think justice
was served and whatnot.
1088
01:02:32,467 --> 01:02:35,166
No one got hurt,
no one ever was
going to get hurt.
1089
01:02:35,166 --> 01:02:41,433
It was just words
that she had spoken
in a very mean way,
1090
01:02:41,500 --> 01:02:44,600
and then made to look
really, really bad.
1091
01:02:45,500 --> 01:02:48,100
So, no, justice wasn't...
1092
01:02:49,667 --> 01:02:51,266
Wasn't my concern.
1093
01:02:51,266 --> 01:02:54,066
Having my life back to normal
was my concern.
1094
01:02:54,066 --> 01:02:55,266
I needed...
1095
01:02:55,266 --> 01:02:57,900
I needed my safety net.
I needed to be...
1096
01:02:59,000 --> 01:03:02,634
uh, protected.
And she was my protector.
1097
01:03:04,400 --> 01:03:09,800
And when she got out,
that's when she was finally
able to fight back.
1098
01:03:11,100 --> 01:03:12,834
[man] Standby in the studio.
1099
01:03:13,166 --> 01:03:15,367
Four. Ready? Two...
1100
01:03:15,367 --> 01:03:17,367
[reporter] In an exclusive
Channel 2 interview,
1101
01:03:17,367 --> 01:03:19,233
Wanda Holloway
breaks her silence
1102
01:03:19,300 --> 01:03:21,467
about the cheerleader
murder-for-hire plot.
1103
01:03:21,467 --> 01:03:24,266
I was set-up.
1104
01:03:24,266 --> 01:03:26,133
I was trapped, yes.
1105
01:03:26,200 --> 01:03:27,634
[McKinney]
Once the trial was over...
1106
01:03:27,634 --> 01:03:31,100
Because all of the press
till that point had been
everyone else talking
1107
01:03:31,100 --> 01:03:32,634
about what Wanda had done.
1108
01:03:32,700 --> 01:03:35,433
And it was important to her,
it was important to us
1109
01:03:35,500 --> 01:03:37,967
to get the full story
before the public.
1110
01:03:37,967 --> 01:03:40,166
[Wanda Holloway]
The whole thing
started off innocent.
1111
01:03:40,166 --> 01:03:41,400
So, it just evolved
and it just got...
1112
01:03:41,400 --> 01:03:43,367
It just mushroomed.
It just kept getting
bigger and bigger.
1113
01:03:43,367 --> 01:03:45,066
And I just couldn't get out.
I didn't know how to get out
of it.
1114
01:03:45,066 --> 01:03:50,266
She will do whatever it takes
to see that she does not go
to jail.
1115
01:03:50,266 --> 01:03:53,567
Wanda Holloway was guilty
of no more than being stupid
and gullible.
1116
01:03:53,567 --> 01:03:56,266
[reporter]
Well, how in the hell did you
get into this mess?
1117
01:03:56,266 --> 01:03:58,800
By running my mouth
and talking
to the wrong person.
1118
01:04:00,500 --> 01:04:04,166
[Shanna] My mom
finally got the chance
to have her story heard.
1119
01:04:04,166 --> 01:04:07,667
So they put her on every
news and media outlet
they could,
1120
01:04:07,667 --> 01:04:10,200
and that included Donahue.
1121
01:04:13,100 --> 01:04:18,400
Wanda Webb Holloway
is here with her daughter,
Shanna Harper.
1122
01:04:18,900 --> 01:04:21,266
It was, kind of,
surreal, you know.
1123
01:04:21,266 --> 01:04:24,467
I mean, I've known her
since the first grade.
1124
01:04:24,467 --> 01:04:25,967
And here she is on Donahue.
1125
01:04:25,967 --> 01:04:28,367
That was big time
back then, you know?
1126
01:04:28,367 --> 01:04:30,567
Shanna, let me start with you.
1127
01:04:30,567 --> 01:04:32,667
Do you believe
your mother is innocent?
1128
01:04:32,667 --> 01:04:34,266
Yes, sir, I do.
1129
01:04:34,266 --> 01:04:36,934
I remember the audience.
1130
01:04:37,000 --> 01:04:39,033
And they were
receptive to me,
1131
01:04:39,867 --> 01:04:43,100
um, not so much to my mom.
1132
01:04:43,767 --> 01:04:45,967
Wanda,
why would you even think
1133
01:04:45,967 --> 01:04:48,734
of... of involving
in a murder?
1134
01:04:48,800 --> 01:04:49,967
I mean, what's it gonna
do to her daughter?
1135
01:04:49,967 --> 01:04:50,800
[Donahue] She's denying
she did.
1136
01:04:50,800 --> 01:04:53,767
[woman stutters]
It's terrible for her.
1137
01:04:53,767 --> 01:04:55,967
[Shanna] It was intense,
it was bad.
1138
01:04:55,967 --> 01:04:59,266
I mean, people were,
like, booing.
1139
01:04:59,266 --> 01:05:01,533
I think that your relationship
with your daughter
is obsessive.
1140
01:05:01,600 --> 01:05:03,367
I mean, because
this is my mother here,
you know.
1141
01:05:03,367 --> 01:05:05,333
But she doesn't go
killing everybody, you know.
1142
01:05:05,400 --> 01:05:06,600
I want a job.
1143
01:05:06,600 --> 01:05:09,400
She's not killing
somebody right now
so I can get a job.
1144
01:05:10,467 --> 01:05:12,066
[Shanna] It was just ugly.
1145
01:05:12,066 --> 01:05:14,333
Um, I remember thinking,
"What is wrong
with you people?
1146
01:05:14,400 --> 01:05:15,667
Do y'all not
see me sitting here?"
1147
01:05:15,667 --> 01:05:18,533
I mean, I was, kind of,
at least hoping
that would be a...
1148
01:05:18,900 --> 01:05:20,233
a shield maybe.
1149
01:05:20,300 --> 01:05:23,934
Maybe a softener,
you know, of the blows.
1150
01:05:24,000 --> 01:05:27,367
Maybe, like, the, you know,
her daughter's right there,
we're not gonna act too crazy.
1151
01:05:27,367 --> 01:05:29,166
But no, they didn't care.
1152
01:05:29,166 --> 01:05:31,033
Did you know
something was going on?
1153
01:05:31,100 --> 01:05:32,767
Because with all
the denial here,
1154
01:05:32,767 --> 01:05:35,767
I mean, if your mom,
you know, was being
harassed by your uncle,
1155
01:05:35,767 --> 01:05:37,667
and you're so close,
would she have talked
to you about it?
1156
01:05:37,667 --> 01:05:40,033
You had no clue
anything was going on?
1157
01:05:40,100 --> 01:05:43,467
I did not know that
they were conspiring
or anything like that.
1158
01:05:43,467 --> 01:05:47,000
Why is it so easy to believe
that I could want
1159
01:05:47,000 --> 01:05:50,233
my daughter's
competition killed,
1160
01:05:50,300 --> 01:05:53,767
and not believable
that two people could have
got together,
1161
01:05:53,767 --> 01:05:57,433
two brothers could have
gotten together and conspired
to set me up?
1162
01:05:57,500 --> 01:06:00,066
I think people just believe
what they see in the media,
1163
01:06:00,066 --> 01:06:01,367
and you're guilty.
1164
01:06:01,367 --> 01:06:02,600
You're guilty.
1165
01:06:03,100 --> 01:06:04,967
I don't wanna hear
your reason.
1166
01:06:04,967 --> 01:06:07,367
There's no good explanation.
1167
01:06:07,367 --> 01:06:09,233
You're guilty,
and we don't like you.
1168
01:06:09,300 --> 01:06:12,133
[woman] And if Wanda Holloway
is guilty of what she did,
1169
01:06:12,200 --> 01:06:14,233
I think she is
one very scary woman.
1170
01:06:15,000 --> 01:06:17,934
[applause]
1171
01:06:18,000 --> 01:06:20,533
It was ultimately
traumatizing for me,
1172
01:06:20,600 --> 01:06:24,300
and I think it ultimately,
uh, caused me health issues.
1173
01:06:25,166 --> 01:06:27,667
I couldn't tell the truth
in that moment,
1174
01:06:27,667 --> 01:06:31,667
and it was like
my nerves just snapped.
1175
01:06:31,667 --> 01:06:33,467
Couldn't handle it anymore.
1176
01:06:33,467 --> 01:06:35,667
And it was a good thing
it ended when it did
1177
01:06:35,667 --> 01:06:38,433
because I needed
to get off that stage.
1178
01:06:43,467 --> 01:06:45,300
So, it's been a minute.
1179
01:06:46,767 --> 01:06:50,266
Is this the entrance now?
1180
01:06:50,266 --> 01:06:52,634
Yeah, it used to be
a white and blue building.
1181
01:06:56,100 --> 01:06:57,700
[man] Did you
like this school?
1182
01:07:00,967 --> 01:07:02,500
[Shanna] Mm-hm.
1183
01:07:03,900 --> 01:07:06,133
It was junior high,
and I just...
1184
01:07:06,767 --> 01:07:09,033
I don't think anybody
likes junior high.
1185
01:07:10,100 --> 01:07:14,266
I think high school
was harder for me
1186
01:07:14,266 --> 01:07:16,767
when I had to first
go back to ninth grade.
1187
01:07:16,767 --> 01:07:19,667
You know, starting high school
is, is intimidating enough,
1188
01:07:19,667 --> 01:07:24,900
but with that stigma
attached to me,
it was pretty difficult.
1189
01:07:33,467 --> 01:07:35,000
Dear diary...
1190
01:07:37,266 --> 01:07:41,533
When school started
back in the ninth grade,
1191
01:07:41,600 --> 01:07:44,000
I just wanted to disappear.
1192
01:07:45,667 --> 01:07:47,700
I wanted to be left alone.
1193
01:07:50,767 --> 01:07:54,700
Everyone,
without meeting her,
1194
01:07:55,867 --> 01:07:57,367
saw her as the bad guy.
1195
01:07:57,367 --> 01:08:00,367
Or at least
by association, you know,
1196
01:08:00,367 --> 01:08:02,233
because it was her mother.
1197
01:08:09,900 --> 01:08:12,567
[Shanna] My locker,
Amber's locker,
1198
01:08:12,567 --> 01:08:16,667
and her brother Aaron's locker
were all next to each other
1199
01:08:16,667 --> 01:08:18,567
because it was alphabetical,
1200
01:08:18,567 --> 01:08:21,133
and I was Harper,
they were Heath.
1201
01:08:21,200 --> 01:08:22,800
And that was a problem.
1202
01:08:25,100 --> 01:08:29,834
We had to co-exist
through the years together
in classes
1203
01:08:29,900 --> 01:08:32,834
where we might have
even sat by each other,
1204
01:08:32,900 --> 01:08:35,133
or whatever,
but we never talked.
1205
01:08:41,400 --> 01:08:44,800
I think many a time
I wanted to apologize,
but I...
1206
01:08:46,567 --> 01:08:48,066
didn't.
1207
01:08:49,600 --> 01:08:53,266
If somebody wanted to invite
everybody to go do something,
1208
01:08:53,266 --> 01:08:55,700
you really gonna invite
Amber and Shanna?
1209
01:08:59,100 --> 01:09:00,700
[Shanna]
Nobody messed with me.
1210
01:09:00,700 --> 01:09:03,433
And I don't know if it's
because of what my mom did
and they were scared,
1211
01:09:03,500 --> 01:09:05,934
or if they were just
minding their manners.
1212
01:09:07,367 --> 01:09:11,567
All of a sudden, I cared what
everybody thought and
then that's when
1213
01:09:11,567 --> 01:09:16,300
my life just took a turn for
the worst in every
possible way.
1214
01:09:22,767 --> 01:09:24,734
I lost myself.
1215
01:09:25,467 --> 01:09:26,634
Totally.
1216
01:09:27,867 --> 01:09:29,066
-[woman] Hello.
-[man] Yes, go ahead.
1217
01:09:29,066 --> 01:09:30,567
[woman] Yes, I was
wondering Mr. Harper,
1218
01:09:30,567 --> 01:09:33,367
are they gonna make
a movie out of this story?
1219
01:09:33,367 --> 01:09:35,166
-I don't know--
-[King] I bet on it.
1220
01:09:35,166 --> 01:09:39,734
We've had over 20 offers,
uh, from different people.
1221
01:09:39,800 --> 01:09:41,767
[King] Do you wanna
make a movie of this?
1222
01:09:41,767 --> 01:09:45,433
I don't know. We haven't made
a final decision on that.
1223
01:09:45,500 --> 01:09:49,367
[McKinney] Tony had
purported to sell, uh,
1224
01:09:49,367 --> 01:09:52,467
Shanna's and
her brother's rights to HBO,
1225
01:09:52,467 --> 01:09:56,533
but the biggest problem at
that time was that
the temporary orders
1226
01:09:56,600 --> 01:09:59,066
in the family law case
that Tony had asked for,
1227
01:09:59,066 --> 01:10:01,533
prevented him from being able
to do that on his own.
1228
01:10:01,600 --> 01:10:04,000
They required both him
and Wanda to agree to it.
1229
01:10:04,000 --> 01:10:06,433
And Wanda had,
in fact, not agreed.
1230
01:10:06,500 --> 01:10:11,333
[Shanna] I remember my dad
took me out to a
Steak and Ale one night.
1231
01:10:11,400 --> 01:10:13,767
And he said we were
having dinner with
1232
01:10:13,767 --> 01:10:17,133
some friends of his,
I think some
business associates.
1233
01:10:19,266 --> 01:10:22,333
And that was fine, um...
1234
01:10:22,600 --> 01:10:25,266
Until they started
1235
01:10:25,266 --> 01:10:27,634
asking questions about Mom.
1236
01:10:30,166 --> 01:10:33,066
And I'm not an idiot,
and I knew
1237
01:10:33,066 --> 01:10:36,033
this was more than just
some friends of his
1238
01:10:36,100 --> 01:10:38,800
that were business associates
having dinner with us.
1239
01:10:39,367 --> 01:10:41,800
They were
television producers.
1240
01:10:43,000 --> 01:10:47,867
So I went to the restroom
and I got in touch
with my mom.
1241
01:10:47,867 --> 01:10:53,333
And said, "Hey, we're having
dinner and they're asking me
questions about you.
1242
01:10:54,000 --> 01:10:56,266
And, um,
I don't know what to do."
1243
01:10:56,266 --> 01:11:00,867
She told me not to
say anything, so I stopped
answering their questions.
1244
01:11:00,867 --> 01:11:06,133
Later, the court appointed
a lawyer for me and got it
settled in family court.
1245
01:11:06,200 --> 01:11:10,734
My mom had nothing to do
with it. It was the judge who
choose HBO, not me.
1246
01:11:10,800 --> 01:11:13,867
I wasn't opposed to
selling my rights,
1247
01:11:13,867 --> 01:11:15,567
but my dad forced the issue.
1248
01:11:15,567 --> 01:11:18,533
Because mine were gonna
bring in more money.
1249
01:11:20,100 --> 01:11:21,767
Plain and simple.
1250
01:11:21,767 --> 01:11:24,934
And I still was forced
to sell my movie rights.
1251
01:11:25,367 --> 01:11:27,233
Just for the record.
1252
01:11:28,100 --> 01:11:30,667
Some of the money
went into a trust for me,
1253
01:11:30,667 --> 01:11:34,033
but my dad didn't
get any of it. Why should he?
1254
01:11:35,667 --> 01:11:37,433
Really rubbed my dad wrong
1255
01:11:37,500 --> 01:11:40,700
that he didn't get those
movie right-- that
movie right money.
1256
01:11:41,367 --> 01:11:45,300
'Cause I'd hear about it
years later.
1257
01:11:47,567 --> 01:11:49,467
[woman] The Positively
True Adventures
1258
01:11:49,467 --> 01:11:52,533
of the Alleged Texas
Cheerleader-Murdering Mom.
1259
01:11:52,767 --> 01:11:54,934
Next on HBO.
1260
01:11:55,000 --> 01:11:57,867
-[man 1] That's terrific.
-[man 2] That's great.
1261
01:11:57,867 --> 01:12:00,934
[woman] That's
really the title?
1262
01:12:01,000 --> 01:12:03,266
-I got a hold of this guy.
-[laughs] Okay, what's the
deal? Tell me the scoop.
1263
01:12:03,266 --> 01:12:04,867
-That's what I need
to know from you.
-Okay.
1264
01:12:04,867 --> 01:12:07,467
Exactly what you want done.
1265
01:12:07,467 --> 01:12:11,634
The HBO movie was, uh,
it was a spoof on everybody.
1266
01:12:11,700 --> 01:12:13,567
It flattered no one.
1267
01:12:13,567 --> 01:12:16,567
Nobody came out
looking good in that movie.
1268
01:12:16,567 --> 01:12:19,133
[movie Wanda] The things
you do for your kids, God!
1269
01:12:19,200 --> 01:12:20,700
Hmm.
1270
01:12:21,166 --> 01:12:22,667
This bitch is crazy.
1271
01:12:22,667 --> 01:12:24,467
I laughed.
1272
01:12:24,467 --> 01:12:26,767
I laughed. They--
1273
01:12:26,767 --> 01:12:29,367
They made a mockery
out of the case.
1274
01:12:29,367 --> 01:12:32,634
I actually liked it.
I thought it was
a very amusing
1275
01:12:32,700 --> 01:12:34,000
take on the drama.
1276
01:12:34,000 --> 01:12:36,567
There's a couple of cops here
and if they take me down
to jail
1277
01:12:36,567 --> 01:12:40,133
for solicitation of murder,
can you come get me?
1278
01:12:40,200 --> 01:12:43,400
Hold on.
Where is my husband's...
1279
01:12:44,367 --> 01:12:48,033
[Shanna] I didn't know
what dark comedy was.
1280
01:12:48,100 --> 01:12:52,600
So, when I went to
the movie premier in LA,
1281
01:12:52,900 --> 01:12:54,567
um,
1282
01:12:54,567 --> 01:12:58,166
I'm sitting there and there's,
you know, hundreds of people
1283
01:12:58,166 --> 01:13:00,200
packed in this movie theater.
1284
01:13:01,300 --> 01:13:05,667
And, I just remember people
laughing at things
that I just thought,
1285
01:13:05,667 --> 01:13:09,500
"That's not even funny.
And that's not even
how it went."
1286
01:13:10,667 --> 01:13:13,500
Momma, when they make
the movie can I play myself?
1287
01:13:15,367 --> 01:13:17,600
That's what
I'm planning, sister.
1288
01:13:18,166 --> 01:13:20,934
That's what I'm planning.
1289
01:13:21,000 --> 01:13:23,533
Holly Hunter was there,
but she didn't want to
speak to me.
1290
01:13:23,600 --> 01:13:27,634
I wanted to speak to her,
I just wanted to meet her.
I wasn't mad at her or
1291
01:13:27,700 --> 01:13:32,567
ashamed of her performance.
I thought she did her job.
[laughs] You know?
1292
01:13:32,567 --> 01:13:37,467
Um, it did concern me that
she didn't want to meet me.
1293
01:13:37,467 --> 01:13:41,533
It made it worse.
I guess it made it
more shameful.
1294
01:13:43,166 --> 01:13:44,734
So where do you keep it all?
1295
01:13:46,166 --> 01:13:50,000
You stuff it down inside
somewhere, I guess.
1296
01:13:50,000 --> 01:13:55,700
And it will eventually
catch up with you
if you don't deal with it.
1297
01:13:59,667 --> 01:14:02,266
[reporter 1] A Texas woman has
been sentenced to
ten years in prison,
1298
01:14:02,266 --> 01:14:05,100
after pleading no contest
to a murder for hire scheme
1299
01:14:05,100 --> 01:14:07,266
to promote her daughter's
cheerleading career.
1300
01:14:07,266 --> 01:14:09,533
[reporter 2] Holloway was
sentenced with
the understanding
1301
01:14:09,600 --> 01:14:12,100
she could be out
in six months.
1302
01:14:12,100 --> 01:14:16,233
[Shanna] I was in my
first year of college,
living with my boyfriend.
1303
01:14:16,300 --> 01:14:21,567
And my mom, she came over
and sat us down,
1304
01:14:21,567 --> 01:14:26,800
she goes, "Basically,
I'm gonna have to away
for about six months."
1305
01:14:27,266 --> 01:14:29,233
And then,
1306
01:14:29,300 --> 01:14:32,000
you know, she said,
Gatesville, which is
the prison
1307
01:14:32,000 --> 01:14:34,166
that she was, I guess,
assigned to.
1308
01:14:34,166 --> 01:14:35,800
Which was super scary.
1309
01:14:36,567 --> 01:14:38,300
I was scared for her safety.
1310
01:14:39,734 --> 01:14:42,000
[McKinney] Gatesville,
it pretty much housed
1311
01:14:42,000 --> 01:14:44,900
all the women in Texas
who had been sent to prison.
1312
01:14:44,967 --> 01:14:49,300
And, in some respects,
the things you see on TV
about prisons are very true.
1313
01:14:50,166 --> 01:14:52,233
There are a lot of gangs,
1314
01:14:52,300 --> 01:14:53,900
there's a lot of violence,
1315
01:14:53,967 --> 01:14:56,233
there's a lot of drugs.
1316
01:14:56,300 --> 01:15:00,166
It is certainly true that
people in prisons who
have harmed kids,
1317
01:15:00,166 --> 01:15:04,266
are treated differently
by other inmates.
1318
01:15:04,266 --> 01:15:09,467
[Shanna] They assured me that
she would be away from
other inmates because
1319
01:15:09,467 --> 01:15:14,000
there was the fear of
something happening
to her in there.
1320
01:15:14,867 --> 01:15:19,367
But one of the first things
I heard back is that
1321
01:15:19,367 --> 01:15:21,066
they didn't keep her separate.
1322
01:15:21,767 --> 01:15:23,300
And I just
1323
01:15:24,166 --> 01:15:25,767
lost it.
1324
01:15:25,767 --> 01:15:26,934
[static]
1325
01:15:27,867 --> 01:15:30,634
I just could just
see her getting like
1326
01:15:30,700 --> 01:15:33,266
beat up, shivved.
1327
01:15:33,266 --> 01:15:36,500
And like, you know,
nobody there to help her.
1328
01:15:38,266 --> 01:15:40,133
I was cussing
1329
01:15:40,200 --> 01:15:44,333
at my grandma, which is not
something I do. [laughing]
1330
01:15:44,400 --> 01:15:48,367
"Y'all fix this! Get her
attorneys to fix this.
This is not what they said."
1331
01:15:48,367 --> 01:15:50,634
Like, "this is not okay,
you have to do something."
1332
01:15:51,767 --> 01:15:55,600
I was so angry and scared
for my mom that it just
1333
01:15:56,500 --> 01:15:57,634
came out.
1334
01:15:58,166 --> 01:16:00,734
I couldn't
stay strong anymore.
1335
01:16:00,734 --> 01:16:03,133
The guilt was too much.
1336
01:16:04,834 --> 01:16:06,867
Wait, I need
to back up. [sighs]
1337
01:16:06,867 --> 01:16:10,433
I need to tell you
why I felt guilty.
1338
01:16:12,166 --> 01:16:15,066
And I've only told this to
two people in my life before,
1339
01:16:15,066 --> 01:16:18,200
because it makes my mom
look really bad.
1340
01:16:21,467 --> 01:16:27,000
I knew more about what
my mom was up to than
I've been letting on.
1341
01:16:30,467 --> 01:16:32,767
We were alone in the kitchen,
1342
01:16:32,767 --> 01:16:36,567
we had just had dinner and
she made a comment about,
1343
01:16:36,567 --> 01:16:40,000
you know, what if something
happened to Verna and Amber.
1344
01:16:40,000 --> 01:16:42,233
We just didn't have to
deal with them anymore?
1345
01:16:43,567 --> 01:16:44,967
And I'm like,
1346
01:16:45,567 --> 01:16:48,667
"What do you mean?
Be more specific."
1347
01:16:48,667 --> 01:16:50,967
"You know, like,
if they just like,
1348
01:16:52,367 --> 01:16:55,834
crashed off a mountain
or something, off a cliff.
1349
01:16:55,834 --> 01:16:57,700
And we just didn't have to
deal with them anymore."
1350
01:16:58,934 --> 01:17:01,433
And, at first,
1351
01:17:01,500 --> 01:17:05,166
I remember thinking
in my mind the
1352
01:17:05,166 --> 01:17:06,967
cartoon scenario,
1353
01:17:06,967 --> 01:17:12,166
where you see these little
cartoon characters
going over a cliff.
1354
01:17:12,166 --> 01:17:16,867
And then, I think I was
kind of taken aback and
brought more to reality.
1355
01:17:16,867 --> 01:17:22,367
And visualized it like
actually, something like that
tragically happening.
1356
01:17:22,367 --> 01:17:27,367
And I believe I told her,
"That would definitely
make things easier,
1357
01:17:27,367 --> 01:17:29,800
but, you know,
that's not okay."
1358
01:17:31,734 --> 01:17:34,066
And then it just
kind of went quiet.
1359
01:17:34,066 --> 01:17:36,533
Because I remember
thinking to myself,
1360
01:17:37,000 --> 01:17:38,800
"She's not serious, is she?
1361
01:17:39,734 --> 01:17:42,500
Like, surely,
she's not serious."
1362
01:17:43,667 --> 01:17:46,433
But then,
1363
01:17:46,500 --> 01:17:50,133
she asked if I would give
my uncle her phone number
at Christmas.
1364
01:17:52,100 --> 01:17:53,834
I thought that was odd.
1365
01:17:55,967 --> 01:18:01,233
The next week, she tried
sneaking out of church
using some lame excuse.
1366
01:18:01,300 --> 01:18:04,567
I just remember, "She's lying
to me. Like, what
is she doing?" Like, what--
1367
01:18:04,567 --> 01:18:09,000
"What's going on? Is she
having an affair?" [laughs]
You know, I didn't know.
1368
01:18:09,066 --> 01:18:12,800
I knew something was wrong
and I didn't tell anybody, but
1369
01:18:12,867 --> 01:18:14,400
who would believe me?
1370
01:18:14,400 --> 01:18:18,867
Only person I could've thought
that I could've told somebody,
was my step-dad.
1371
01:18:18,867 --> 01:18:23,266
And I didn't, I didn't mention
it to my step-dad,
because if I had've
1372
01:18:23,266 --> 01:18:26,734
he probably would've
looked at me like I was crazy.
1373
01:18:26,734 --> 01:18:28,266
[woman] Your mom, would she
have talked to you about it?
1374
01:18:28,266 --> 01:18:30,467
You had no clue
anything was going on?
1375
01:18:30,467 --> 01:18:34,200
Did not know that
they were conspiring
or anything like that.
1376
01:18:35,100 --> 01:18:38,900
[Shanna] As that kid,
it all revolved around me.
1377
01:18:39,166 --> 01:18:41,000
And if I had just,
1378
01:18:41,066 --> 01:18:44,100
done better,
if I'd just made it,
1379
01:18:44,100 --> 01:18:48,233
none of this
would've happened.
That was my punishment.
1380
01:18:48,300 --> 01:18:50,266
So maybe I sentenced myself.
1381
01:18:50,266 --> 01:18:52,900
Because I felt guilty,
1382
01:18:52,967 --> 01:18:55,800
I knew something wasn't right
and I didn't stop it.
1383
01:19:01,000 --> 01:19:02,967
Going into my 20's,
1384
01:19:02,967 --> 01:19:06,266
it would've been great had
I picked up my life and
1385
01:19:06,266 --> 01:19:08,567
got going and everything
1386
01:19:08,567 --> 01:19:11,367
was dandy but
it wasn't that way.
1387
01:19:11,367 --> 01:19:14,834
And a lot of that was based on
the fact that my self-esteem
was gone.
1388
01:19:14,834 --> 01:19:17,567
I was not the same person
1389
01:19:17,567 --> 01:19:20,066
that I had been before
all of this happened.
1390
01:19:20,934 --> 01:19:24,066
I didn't know
I was not mentally healthy.
1391
01:19:24,066 --> 01:19:26,133
I just stuffed things down and
1392
01:19:26,200 --> 01:19:31,567
tried to find anybody who was
gonna make me whole again,
you know, fix me,
1393
01:19:31,567 --> 01:19:34,233
save me, be my hero.
1394
01:19:36,567 --> 01:19:39,367
I ended up in
abusive relationships.
1395
01:19:39,367 --> 01:19:43,066
And I punished myself
for years.
1396
01:19:43,767 --> 01:19:45,300
I literally
1397
01:19:46,367 --> 01:19:47,800
ended up
1398
01:19:49,100 --> 01:19:51,800
in my kitchen, on the floor,
1399
01:19:53,066 --> 01:19:56,667
bawling my eyes out and
just praying to God,
1400
01:19:56,667 --> 01:20:00,066
"Please just take me.
I do not want
to be here anymore."
1401
01:20:02,567 --> 01:20:07,467
I had no drive,
I had no purpose, I had no--
1402
01:20:07,467 --> 01:20:10,467
I just didn't have a will
to be here.
1403
01:20:10,467 --> 01:20:14,734
Like, this isn't--
this can't be
what I'm here for.
1404
01:20:15,867 --> 01:20:20,400
So I got off the floor,
and I started
life coaching myself.
1405
01:20:21,300 --> 01:20:23,533
Started focusing
on my thoughts.
1406
01:20:24,667 --> 01:20:27,467
You know, is the thought
that I'm having
right now negative?
1407
01:20:27,467 --> 01:20:31,367
If it is, how can I change it
and make it something
more positive?
1408
01:20:31,367 --> 01:20:35,533
And I had to do that and
do that and do that until
it became a habit.
1409
01:20:37,667 --> 01:20:40,233
And then ultimately,
I realized,
1410
01:20:41,000 --> 01:20:43,133
I'm my own hero.
1411
01:20:44,767 --> 01:20:47,300
Other people are not here
to make you happy.
1412
01:20:48,000 --> 01:20:49,800
Only you can do that.
1413
01:20:53,000 --> 01:20:55,734
[Campbell] As a reporter,
I'm there on that
1414
01:20:55,800 --> 01:20:59,767
probably worst day
of your life, when I'm
covering the story.
1415
01:20:59,767 --> 01:21:03,900
And you never get to go back
and say, "How'd you come out?"
1416
01:21:05,967 --> 01:21:09,266
[Maier] You know, certainly,
I think Shanna's been
the victim of all of this,
1417
01:21:09,266 --> 01:21:12,133
in every possible way.
1418
01:21:12,200 --> 01:21:13,967
If there was anytime
she could've stopped it,
1419
01:21:13,967 --> 01:21:15,967
it would've been when she was
a three-year-old to say,
1420
01:21:15,967 --> 01:21:17,900
"Please stop making me
do these things!
1421
01:21:17,967 --> 01:21:19,634
I'm not you!"
1422
01:21:21,767 --> 01:21:23,467
[Swartz] Now I have
a child of my own,
1423
01:21:23,467 --> 01:21:26,567
so I'm a lot more
sympathetic and empathetic
1424
01:21:26,567 --> 01:21:29,367
to a lot of her motivations,
not killing someone,
1425
01:21:29,367 --> 01:21:32,867
but other-- you know,
wanting the best
for her child.
1426
01:21:32,867 --> 01:21:36,333
So I wonder if
I did that story now,
1427
01:21:36,400 --> 01:21:38,700
how--
if I'd do it differently.
1428
01:21:39,734 --> 01:21:41,166
[Campbell] We're human.
1429
01:21:41,166 --> 01:21:44,500
And I think
we look for answers.
1430
01:21:45,100 --> 01:21:47,567
"Why did she do that?" And
1431
01:21:47,567 --> 01:21:51,333
what makes you fall victim?
Even if she was entrapped,
1432
01:21:51,400 --> 01:21:53,433
what made her fall victim?
1433
01:21:53,500 --> 01:21:56,333
And I have had to
come to grips with,
1434
01:21:56,400 --> 01:21:59,200
sometimes you just don't have
1435
01:21:59,400 --> 01:22:00,700
a reason.
1436
01:22:00,700 --> 01:22:05,634
Sometimes the only explanation
is that we just do dumb stuff.
1437
01:22:06,867 --> 01:22:11,800
So, um, I think Wanda Holloway
in the end is just human,
1438
01:22:11,867 --> 01:22:15,900
and did dumb stuff, and
I'm glad Shanna survived it.
1439
01:22:44,967 --> 01:22:47,233
[Shanna] August 1st, 2023.
1440
01:22:47,767 --> 01:22:49,367
Dear diary,
1441
01:22:49,367 --> 01:22:52,867
These days, mom and I
aren't as close
as we could be.
1442
01:22:52,867 --> 01:22:57,600
But I have no doubt that she
and I will always be there for
each other, no matter what.
1443
01:22:59,166 --> 01:23:03,133
My daughter and I have,
you know, do and have
a very close relationship.
1444
01:23:03,200 --> 01:23:05,100
And I consider myself
a friend,
1445
01:23:05,100 --> 01:23:07,100
as well as a parent
to my children.
1446
01:23:07,100 --> 01:23:10,233
And I take a lot
of pride in that fact.
1447
01:23:10,300 --> 01:23:12,333
[Shanna] We never talk about
her getting arrested,
1448
01:23:12,767 --> 01:23:15,100
we never talk about the tapes,
1449
01:23:15,100 --> 01:23:18,266
we never talk about
the past much.
1450
01:23:18,266 --> 01:23:21,367
When I told her I was doing
this documentary, she said,
1451
01:23:21,367 --> 01:23:24,700
"Why do you wanna go bringing
all that up again?
Nobody got hurt."
1452
01:23:26,066 --> 01:23:27,667
"Except you."
1453
01:23:27,667 --> 01:23:29,166
[Wanda] The night that
they arrested me
1454
01:23:29,166 --> 01:23:31,233
Shanna accepted that
very well.
1455
01:23:31,300 --> 01:23:34,133
She took it and said,
"Okay, Momma, I understand."
1456
01:23:34,200 --> 01:23:37,967
She said, "I know you
didn't do this. I know you're
not this type of person."
1457
01:23:37,967 --> 01:23:43,066
[Shanna] She's starting to
realize the toll this has
taken on me and my life.
1458
01:23:43,066 --> 01:23:45,133
The damage it's done.
1459
01:23:45,200 --> 01:23:46,800
I mean that's
what parents are for.
1460
01:23:46,867 --> 01:23:48,867
You know, is to see that their
children's needs are met
1461
01:23:48,867 --> 01:23:51,233
and to help them
in any way they can.
1462
01:23:51,300 --> 01:23:53,266
[Shanna] She knows
she messed up royally.
1463
01:23:53,266 --> 01:23:57,333
And she's apologized for it
more than once.
1464
01:23:57,400 --> 01:24:01,000
She's trying to do better now,
and that's all I can ask
1465
01:24:01,400 --> 01:24:02,500
of anyone.
1466
01:24:06,467 --> 01:24:07,867
Signed, Shanna.