He worked in a variety of blue-collar occupations professionally. Sometimes now I think it was a dream. It was Burnett, with the sleeves of his suit jacket pushed up to his elbows, who commanded the courtroom. Have you met Laura Herring? Heron "Mack" Herrin. She was depressed and desperate to end her suffering. Mack sat behind the defense table in a dark suit, his head often bowed. She informed at least five students working on the play that she wanted to kill herself but didnt have the nerve. Although Mack was near the top of the high school caste system and Betty was at the bottom, they managed to strike up a friendship when she was a junior and he was a sophomore. September 2022 Reader Quiz: What Did You Learn? . Herring argued that the ban on same sex marriage violated the constitution and that he would not defend the ban. She loved the thrill of the spotlight and was gifted enough that she landed parts in three school plays when she was just a sophomore. At 62, he was utterly unremarkable. Teenagers filled many of the 160 seats in Judge Olsens courtroom, at times spilling over into the aisle and out the door. Ones dead, ones still alive. And because many people in town would prefer never to hear the words kiss and kill again, the case still touches a nerve. But the facts of her death had been muddled with time, and each story was as apocryphal as the last: She had fallen off a ladder in the auditorium and broken her neck, students said. During this time, she also won $10,000 on a game show . If anything, he became more popular than ever even. This year the new drama teacher had planned a spring production of Maxwell Andersons Winterset. None of the facts of the case came out., Moments after Sullivan rested his case, Burnett rose from his seat and thundered across the crowded courtroom, Stand up, Mack Herring! Herring shot and killed Betty Williams in 1961 after she had allegedly told him to do it. The case ran in newspapers throughout the United States. As word spread around Odessa that afternoon that Mack had been arrested for Bettys murder, the news was greeted with incredulity. I cant remember . Herring tied the knot on August 12, 1989, and have two children; daughter Peyton E. Herring, 26, and son Timothy R. Herring, 22. As a result, netizens are still perplexed over Bettys death. Following graduation, John enrolled at Texas Tech University. Herring. Wikipedia & Age Details. Attorney Warren Burnett (left) and Mack after hearing the final verdict. Betty, on the other hand, refused to conform to other peoples views. In Bettys dresser, he found her diary which contained all of her secrets including the details of her encounters with boys. In the meantime, Bettys volatile relationship with her father had worsened. The ex-marine was known to persuade judges with his dramatic arguments involving Shakespeare and Scripture. The strain of the proceedings sometimes showed, as when he laid his head in his hands during jury selection; otherwise, he was impassive. The couple got divorced when Herring was young, and he, his mother, and his sister moved to Loudoun County. Mrs. & Mr. She wore whatever clothing she wanted, did not accept her fathers religion, and had several relationships with boys from her school. of service. What happened next is important enough to that city of 120,000's sense of itself that, 58 years later, the event still forms an early paragraph of its Wikipedia page: Odessa is well known for its Kiss and Kill Murder in March 1961. On March 22, 1961, she was reported missing, and Herring took police to the body after he was interrogated. This is pure hell!, Betty was crushed to discover that fall that Odessa Highs new drama teacher did not see much promise in her and had relegated her to the role of stage manager for the spring production of Maxwell Andersons Winterset, a gloomy 1935 play based loosely on the Sacco-Vanzetti case. Burnett relied on his old playbook. The case is even sadder than it seems: the ex, fellow teen high schooler John "Mack" Herring, claimed that Betty was so despondent over their break-up that she begged him to kill her. After Mack broke up with her, Betty spiraled into depression. On June 27, 1962, the court sided with Sullivan, vacating the judgment and ordering a new trial. Betty had enlisted himthis worthy young manto do what she didnt have the courage to do herself. So rather than admit defeat Im going to beat a quick retreat into the no mans land of death. There are people willing to be my friends, but mostly they [are] either too ignorant to understand why Im like I am, and consequently offer my mind no challenge; or they havent the wits to match mine., At the top of Odessa High Schools rigid social hierarchy were the cashmere girls, as one alumna called themthe girls with perfect complexions from West Odessas better neighborhoods who were perennially voted most popular, best personality, and class favorite. We had our pictures made last week. According to the police officers present at the time, Mack showed no emotion during the process. He was deprived of the power of applying logic. However, the effects of this gross stress reaction were temporary. . After eleven hours of deliberation, during which jurors asked that Grices expert testimony be read back to them, they determined that Mack had, in fact, been temporarily insane on the night of the murder. Betty had talked about heaven a lot, he said, and had made it appear like a place you could reach out and touch. He explained that on the night he killed her, he had believed he was doing the right thing. I dont [know] what I expected the note to say, but not that. Betty snuck out the back of her house and met with Ike. I hear her name on a daily basis, says theater arts teacher Carl Moore, who has taught at Odessa High for four years. He laid out his argument in an opinion piece in USA today, which you can read here. The two then walked to the pond, Betty removed her shoes and kneeled on a blanket that Mack had already laid out. I have spoken with Lieutenant Governor Fairfax and assured him that, should he ascend to the governorship, he will have my complete support and and commitment to ensuring his success and the success of our Commonwealth., Lieutenant Governor Fairfax has said, about Northams year book page, that he cannot condone the actions from his past that, at the very least, suggest a comfort with Virginias darker history of white supremacy, racial stereotyping, and intimidation., In December, Herring, a Democrat, told the Washington Post that he is planning to run for governor of Virginia in the next election. I wish it were that simple. It was a game of chicken, and she never backed out., March 20, 1961I want everyone to know that what Im about to do in no way implicates anyone else. As the booms and busts of the oil patch have brought new people to Odessa and taken others away, Mack has faded into the background. Universal Studios Is Coming to Frisco. When Betty said that life wasnt worth living without Mack, I understood it within the context of our family. Her murder and the verdicts that followed had stripped away any of his preconceptions about fairness and justice. Its ruined two lives. View the profiles of people named Mack Herring. The Washington Post has said that the woman also approached them with the story, but that they decided not to run it because they couldnt substantiate her allegations. Johnson advised him to leave the body, which was still clad in pale-pink pajamas, in the water. . She was deadlike that. He snapped his fingers for emphasis. To whom it may concern,The time has come to leave, and as I prepare to go, I find it difficult to write the words that will explain . Im waging a war within myself, a war to find the true me and I fear that I am losing the battle. Ike had been certain Betty was only joking when she had remarked earlier in the evening that Mack had promised to kill herso certain that he did not try to stop her when she climbed into Macks Jeep. I hope our story about Jerry makes it. .Memories, so many memories to come back and cloud my mind, memories that Ill carry through all eternity. Herring Is Married & Has Two Grown Children. Burial in Port Hudson National Cemetery. Mack Herring was a handsome football player with all the right friends. Its been nice knowing you, she said. He never took Betty to his neighbor Carol McCutchans house, where the in crowd gathered for dance parties and rounds of spin the bottle. No, I dont think I will, senior Mike Ware said, passing it off as a joke. We were shocked that one of our owna popular football player who had been to our parties and had dated our friendshad committed a heinous crime, says Jean Smith Kiker. The pre-trial took place in the nearby town of Kermit. On the drive out to the hunting lease, she was cheerful and chatted about how happy she was going to be when she was dead, Mack explained. . Herring says that, as attorney general, his priorities are cracking down on heroin dealers, and going after violent gang members, gun runners, and human traffickers. As he got closer, officers saw he was holding onto Bettys feet. He shot Betty in the head with a shotgun and dismembered her body parts there. Send me another picture if you have it. Next, nine character witnesses testified. The two started a romantic relationship during the summer of 1960, though from the outside it didnt seem like it. John was eventually charged for murder but was promptly acquitted. Herring had previously announced he would seek the democratic nomination for Governor following Northams term. Arguing for the state was 32-year-old district attorney Dan Sullivan, an earnest, if not particularly seasoned, lawyer who was out of his depth; in his sixteen months in office, he had prosecuted mostly oil-field theft cases and DWIs. When they arrived and got out of the car onto a dirt road, they followed the shoeprints to a pond. Herring was born Laura A. Huff, on August 6, 1960. At Kiss and Kill, John Mack Herring was the primary character. McAlpine also felt sure that Betty would not have wanted to sneak back into the house through the front door. She kept saying what it was going to be like in heaven. Then they had walked down to the pond together. Tom Foster writes about business, innovation, and creative people. Betty Williams was put to rest at the Sunset Memorial Gardens. . Odessa police youth officer Bobby McAlpine sat Mack down to answer a few questions. Her boyfriend, who was a varsity football player, had shot her onstage during a play. The two became lovers, but Herring later broke up with her. To combat the ghost story culture, the administration later painted the windows of the school auditorium. I thought, Good Lord, they must be talking about Betty Williams., . Stay tuned for details. Why dredge it up again? But others refuse to forget. Her father, John, was a carpenter who had difficulty finding steady work, and her mother, Mary, had taken a job at J.C. Penney to help make ends meet. We talked a while and agreed our friendship was more valuable than an argument about her, Bill testified. And as more information came out, we were shocked to learn that Mack, and a lot of the other boys we knew, had been spending time with Betty after they had taken their girlfriends home. But despite the gruesomeness of the crime and the first-degree murder charges that were filed against him, Mack was not ostracized by his peers. People around the nation were fascinated by the case, especially since Herring came out and admitted to killing his then girlfriend. Did Maxine Die In Hollyoaks? I just stood there with the gun, Mack told reporters. After two hours in the auditorium, Sanchez and her friends were so unnerved, and so certain that they had felt Bettys presence, that they decided to leave. Records may include photos, original documents, family history, relatives, specific dates, locations and full names. Mark Rankin Herring (born September 25, 1961) [1] is an American lawyer and politician who served as the 47th Attorney General of Virginia from 2014 to 2022. I hope shes the best.BettyP.S. He held various jobs, such as being a carpenter, a dock foreman at a chemical compound, a welder, and an electrician. Betty had been known as a loose and immoral girl. Herring wrote, It is no longer possible for Governor Northam to lead our Commonwealth and it is time for him to step down. If he was going out there to hunt, he was going to kill.. I really dont feel much different. I remember seeing how she struggled with some of the hardships raising my sister and I, he told Richmonds Style Weekly. He was a lifetime member of Person St. UMC; was a. And no, he hadnt waited to see that shed gotten inside safely. At the time, Mack said, he thought he was doing her a favor, but he now knew it was wrong. . A meager yard of packed dirt and weeds led to the street, and an old rusted pickup sat in the driveway. . His answer struck McAlpine as peculiar; the officer knew that Betty had been dressed for bed when she had slipped out of the house that night. Though other classmates had believed that Betty was joking when she had asked them to kill her, Mack maintained that her pleas had had a profound effect on him. When he had dropped Betty off at ten oclock, he said, she had suggested that he return in half an hour and meet her in the alley behind her house. It sounds ridiculous even now writing it. What pushed him to do it, none of us knew. Mack was taken from class and questioned by officer Bobby McAlpine. He showed them where his and Bettys footprintshis large, hers smallled down a steep incline to a stock tank. Not Mack! a sixteen-year-old girl shrieked as she collapsed in tears against a wall in the police station. As for Macks case, Burnetts first move was to get Mack out of going to trial by using a law no one had ever resorted to before. She boasted of climbing up to the auditorium rafters, intending to throw herself onto the stage below, only to find that she lacked the courage. Mack Herring was a handsome football player with all the right friends. In the Kiss and Kill case, he hatched a plan that he hoped would prevent Mack from ever standing trial for murder, using a defense strategy that had never, to anyones recollection, been used before. Betty said that the situation at home was bad, says the friend, who asked not to be named. According to legend, by parking across the street from the school at midnight and either flashing the headlights three times or honking and calling out her name, Betty would appear in the auditoriums windows. MyHeritage Family Trees; Geni World Family Tree; South Carolina, Deaths, 1915-1943; . These were highly unpopular opinions to have at the time, but that didnt stop Betty from writing her thoughts down on paper and distributing them as letters throughout her school. As a result, the school painted over the windows and eventually covered them with bricks. He claimed to have committed the crime with a twelve-gauge shotgun that Betty herself had picked out. Betty dreamed of becoming a Broadway star and always took part in her high schools plays. Bettys parents, lost in their grief, were her only visible supporters; her father occasionally leaned forward so as not to miss a word of testimony, dabbing at his eyes with a white handkerchief. This story is from Texas Monthlys archives. After a few moments, he began to drag something to the edge of the pond. But as desperately as she wanted to propel herself out of Odessa, she was fatalistic about the future. I dont know, Mack stammered. The couple has two children: a 24 year old daughter, Peyton, and a 21 year old son, Tim. When Ronnie White, who graduated from Odessa High the year that the murder took place, returned to his alma mater to teach history, in 1978, he was astonished to hear students talking about the former drama student named Betty whose spirit supposedly haunted the auditorium and the popular football player who had had a hand in her killing. John Mack Herring attended Texas Tech University, married and divorced twice, and worked as a dock foreman, a carpenter, a welder, and spent 25 years as an electrician. Nine character witnessesincluding Odessa Highs head football coach, Lacy Turnerspoke on Macks behalf; many of them concurred that Mack must have been temporarily insane at the time of the crime. Mack, who had once worried aloud to a reporter that he would be sent to the electric chair, was a free man. HerringForAG She lived in a small, well-worn frame house on an unpaved street not far from the oil fields west of town, where gas flares burned and drilling-rig lights illuminated the desert at night. The oldest of four children, she knew that her parents could not afford to send her away to college, and her part-time job at Woolworths barely paid enough to finance any kind of getaway. They reside in Leesburg, Virginia. In the event that both Governor Northam and Lieutenant Governor Justin Fairfax resign, attorney general Mark Herring would be next in line to take over as governor of Virginia. 5. Mack, in effect, would have a chance at acquittal before his murder trial had even begun. He sold his 400 acres of land to Atkinson in 1813 for $400. He died on January 5, 2019, at the age of 75, according to CBS. Nevertheless, Betty sat in the car and wrote a letter for Mack to keep. But in 2014, after being elected to his first term as attorney general, he announced that he had changed his position. October 2022 Reader Quiz: What Did You Learn? While boys were free to do as they pleased, good girls were expected to obey an unspoken code of conduct. But the only reaction she was able to provoke was a few eye rolls. Nothing suggested that he had once been sharply handsome or held a great deal of promise. Ill not trouble you again, and Mack, I havent forgotten the good times we had. I asked Burnett why and he said, Church aint over till they sing., At 34, Burnett was already considered one of the finest trial lawyers around, having earned the sobriquet the boy wonder of the West. An ex-Marine who, at the age of 25, had been the youngest prosecutor in Texas, Burnett always brought a sense of theater to the courtroom. She was seen as a slut and a diabolical manipulator, says Shelton Williams. Everything looked different to me afterward. Sullivan put on the best case he could given the extraordinary limitations he was working with. At a time when Betty felt marginalized by those around her and forsaken by the one boy she loved, death seemed to hold its own allure. During the fall, Betty made a move on Bill Rose, one of Macks best friends. Two days later, on March 22, 1961, the Odessa Police Department received a frantic phone call from Mary Williams, who reported that her daughter was missing. He was allegedly the ex-boyfriend of the victim, Betty Williams. While she aspired to one day appear on the Broadway stage, in the meantime she planned to live at home after graduation and attend Odessa College, just up the street. It was the week before Wintersetwas scheduled to premiere, and students were busy running their lines and painting the set as they readied for the final dress rehearsal. She told me, I have to get him back. Her mood turned darker after her father rummaged through her dresser drawers, looking for evidence of her disobedience. He and his wife were pleased to send both of their children to St. Ann School. Herring wrote, in part, In my independent constitutional judgment, Virginias ban on marriage equality violates the 14th Amendment to the United States Constitution. Ever since Tom Selleck and Jillie Mack got married, they have both been extremely devoted to the family they've built together. Mark Herring has been married to his wife, Laura, for 27 years; they met the summer before he began law school. A few classmates also confessed that Betty had asked them to kill her. In retrospect, he told the jury, I know that everything about it was wrong.. As she turned to go, she said to Ike, Ive got to call his bluff, even if he kills me.. They reside in Leesburg, Virginia. Ike Nail recounted to police what had happened the night before. Access is free so discover Mack Herring's story today. Ive never been so humiliated and torn to pieces as I am now, Betty wrote to a friend. His own neighborhood lacks the gracious lawns and spreading trees of his childhood; the house, which is a bit down at the heels, looks like the province of a man who lives alone. In his cross-examination, the district attorney pressed Mack to explain at what moment, exactly, he had decided to kill Betty. I remember her saying, in a very ugly way, That girl was nothing. To some observers, it seemed as if Bettys transgressions had eclipsed those of the teenager whod killed her. The response was always the same: There goes Betty again, trying to be the center of attention. After she began acting even more erratically than usual, John searched Bettys bedroom looking for an explanation. He had parked his Jeep a short distance from the stock tank, and he and Betty had sat there for a while and talked. She hoped to one day become an actress, and in her bedroom, where movie posters and playbills covered the walls, she devoured magazines like the Hollywood scandal sheet Confidential. She claimed to have halfheartedly tried to kill herself by taking four aspirin. He never had any trouble with the law again. Marvin Grice, a psychiatrist who had examined Mack a few days after his arrest, said he was not a danger to others. Mother Milanka Ljubicic And Father, Rishi Sunak slams food tsars warning that bringing cakes into the office is like SMOKING, What Happened To Hoshi Dating? She began making comments to her friends about wishing to die so she could leave this world for a better place. But the stories about Betty never went away. John Mack Herring was one of the popular kids at Odessa High School. She confessed to having climbed the auditoriums rafters but couldnt bring herself to jump. As promised, at ten-thirty Betty had snuck out the back door and slipped into his car. Early life and education. I am consumed with this burning emptiness and loneliness that has taken charge of me, body and soul. Mr. Maxwell Glen Mack Herring, Sr., 47, of 3916 Five Bridge Road, Clinton, NC. May they forgive me . He retired with 35 yrs. Powered by. As I have only the will and not the fortitude necessary, a friend of mine, seeing how great is my torment, has graciously consented to look after the details.His name is Mack Herring and I pray that he will not have to suffer for what he is doing for my sake. Kiss and Kill Murder Victim Betty Williams Still Haunts the High School in Odessa, #Texas https://t.co/SA1o0Mtj0k. Authorities asked him to remove Bettys body from the pond. Previously, such an act was frowned upon. The first person Burnett called to the stand was Macks father, O. H. Herring, who told the jury that on the day of his sons arrest, Mack had handed him a letter Betty had written. You can read his full statement about that here. Worst of all, it was now public that she had been involved with various boys, which boosted peoples views on her immorality. But she asked him for one. The students all claimed it had been an obvious joke, as Betty liked being dramatic and craved attention. Williams, who had counter-cultural views, was not considered popular, while Herring, an American football player, was considered to be popular. We were all supportive, because we couldnt believe it, says a former Tri-Hi-Y girl who asked not to be identified. Ive done a lot of things, I know, that were bad and cheap, but I swear before God that I didnt mean them to be like that. Even when she began acting more erratically during rehearsals for Winterset, her peers wrote off her overwrought confessions about wanting to die as nothing more than a theater girls high school histrionics. If anything, he became more popular than ever even gaining a group of fangirls who were dubbed Macks Girls. Betty, who had always enjoyed being outrageous, talked about wanting to die to whoever would listen. Herring later said he remembered seeing his mothers struggles, as a single parent raising a family. Near it was blood splatter. Mack led officers to his fathers hunting lease, 26 miles northwest of town, on a lonely piece of scrubland studded with pump jacks. According to the Texas law, an offender was allowed to be set free if proven they had been temporarily insane at the time of the crime. Acts from her rebellious period had been exposed, such as her sneaking out of her house during the night. She tricked that boy into killing her. Bettys classmates in Winterset, which was canceled after the news of Macks arrest, puzzled over her intentions on the last night of her life. Read more here about our archive digitization project. O.H. "Mac" was born June 12, 1962 in Charlotte, to Ralph Investigators called for an ambulance to be sent to the scene without sounding its siren, but reporters were not far behind. But she asked him for one last favor: to kill her. Betty immediately recognized the approaching car as Macks. We should most likely treat her death as a homicide. John Williams was a devout Baptist who opposed sinful and immoral acts such as dating. Around Bettys waist were tied two lead weights. In the meantime, journalists had gathered at the scene. Girls visited him at home and boasted of knowing him. Coach Alexei Popyrin Former player Xavier, Florida Gov. It was as cold-blooded and premeditated as it could be. She was killed by her ex-boyfriend John Mack Herring (September 23, 1943[1] January 5, 2019) at her own request in Winkler County, Texas. Herring read to the jury, held that Betty alone was to blame for her death. In an impassioned closing argument that Burnett delivered before a standing-room-only crowd, he hammered home the fact that nearly two years after Bettys murder, the prosecution had still not established a motive. The two teenagers had parked in the alley for a while, but they had been startled to see headlights coming toward them. She even went so far as to write out a wildly melodramatic note clearing him of culpability were he to be apprehended for her murder, a note that Howard would later say had seemed like a joke. This has not been a free ride for Mack, says his childhood friend Larry Francell. Viewers are anxious about Gino Odjick, The people want to know does Matteo Messina Denaro has Figli. Maxine Alice McCune Mack Herring, died at her residence in Baker on Monday, July 26, 2010, at age 73. Mack, who declined to be interviewed for this article, looked indistinguishable from any other working man in Odessa, right down to his beat-up truck with the toolbox in the bed. We figured that if Mack did it, then there had to be a good reason., After the arrest, the gossip centered less on Mack than it did on Betty. 40: Daughter: Goodys Herring. One of those boys was Mack Herring. But to the astonishment of courthouse observers and over the strenuous objections of the prosecution, Judge Olsen granted Burnetts motion for the pretrial hearing. Mrs. When you handed me that note this morning, you virtually changed the course of my life. Ive never been so hurt in my life and I guess your note was the jolt I needed to get me back on the straight and narrow.
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