1 00:00:05,120 --> 00:00:06,240 The title of my, 2 00:00:06,559 --> 00:00:08,580 memoir is gonna be Blood and Ink, 3 00:00:09,599 --> 00:00:12,019 because that really kinda summarizes my whole family. 4 00:00:12,639 --> 00:00:15,219 Mike Cox was the reporter's reporter. 5 00:00:15,744 --> 00:00:17,765 You could say ink ran in his veins. 6 00:00:18,385 --> 00:00:20,545 Writing about cops and crime on the police 7 00:00:20,545 --> 00:00:22,565 beat has been his lifelong pursuit. 8 00:00:23,504 --> 00:00:26,144 Cox comes from a family where storytelling is 9 00:00:26,144 --> 00:00:28,785 a way of life, a tradition passed down 10 00:00:28,785 --> 00:00:29,605 through generations 11 00:00:30,064 --> 00:00:30,804 to him. 12 00:00:31,510 --> 00:00:34,149 His parents met covering the murder trial of 13 00:00:34,149 --> 00:00:35,530 a contract killer. 14 00:00:36,710 --> 00:00:39,130 I tell people that I am, literally the 15 00:00:39,429 --> 00:00:42,010 the product of 2 of man's more singular 16 00:00:42,070 --> 00:00:43,850 acts, one of them being murder. 17 00:00:44,215 --> 00:00:45,034 In 1943, 18 00:00:45,895 --> 00:00:47,895 a hit man was accused of the brutal 19 00:00:47,895 --> 00:00:49,835 murder of a doctor and his wife 20 00:00:50,215 --> 00:00:52,215 while their 2 year old daughter hid in 21 00:00:52,215 --> 00:00:52,875 a closet. 22 00:00:53,655 --> 00:00:56,715 The crime and trial unfolded in Littlefield, 23 00:00:57,094 --> 00:00:59,674 near Lubbock, in the lower Texas Panhandle. 24 00:01:00,989 --> 00:01:03,070 The old joke about the Panhandle is that 25 00:01:03,070 --> 00:01:04,209 there's nothing between, 26 00:01:05,069 --> 00:01:06,769 the North Pole and and 27 00:01:07,390 --> 00:01:09,890 the Texas Panhandle but a barbed wire fence. 28 00:01:20,204 --> 00:01:21,665 On a change of venue, 29 00:01:21,965 --> 00:01:23,905 the trial was moved to Sweetwater, 30 00:01:24,605 --> 00:01:26,064 located west of Abilene. 31 00:01:26,844 --> 00:01:30,145 Mike's future parents, Bill Cox and Betty Wilkie, 32 00:01:30,380 --> 00:01:32,079 were rival reporters. 33 00:01:32,939 --> 00:01:36,299 Betty scooped Bill by getting an exclusive jail 34 00:01:36,299 --> 00:01:39,040 cell interview with the accused contract killer. 35 00:01:39,819 --> 00:01:43,120 Bill protested to the district judge and received 36 00:01:43,260 --> 00:01:44,240 equal access. 37 00:01:45,265 --> 00:01:48,545 A romance blossomed, and the couple eloped aboard 38 00:01:48,545 --> 00:01:51,585 a private airplane owned by the newspaper where 39 00:01:51,585 --> 00:01:52,405 Bill worked. 40 00:01:53,025 --> 00:01:54,465 And it was, an old, 41 00:01:55,185 --> 00:01:58,085 open cockpit airplane. Even though this was 1947, 42 00:01:58,545 --> 00:02:00,965 it was sort of a glorified prop duster. 43 00:02:01,640 --> 00:02:03,719 And my mother always told me that, my 44 00:02:03,719 --> 00:02:06,200 dad had brought along a newspaper that had 45 00:02:06,200 --> 00:02:07,500 a big page 1 46 00:02:07,959 --> 00:02:09,659 story about him with his byline, 47 00:02:10,199 --> 00:02:10,699 and 48 00:02:11,159 --> 00:02:13,000 proudly showed it to my mother. Well, when 49 00:02:13,000 --> 00:02:15,159 they got over Paladiro Canyon, they got in 50 00:02:15,159 --> 00:02:16,300 some air turbulence, 51 00:02:16,794 --> 00:02:19,194 and my mother got nauseated and barfed all 52 00:02:19,194 --> 00:02:19,834 over his, 53 00:02:20,235 --> 00:02:21,134 front page 54 00:02:21,514 --> 00:02:22,014 byline. 55 00:02:22,474 --> 00:02:25,995 Storytelling and journalism were ingrained in Mike Cox's 56 00:02:25,995 --> 00:02:26,495 DNA. 57 00:02:27,275 --> 00:02:30,334 His father and grandfather were both veteran Texas 58 00:02:30,394 --> 00:02:30,894 newspapermen, 59 00:02:31,790 --> 00:02:33,729 magazine writers, and book authors. 60 00:02:34,349 --> 00:02:37,229 His maternal grandfather, L. A. Wilkie, launched his 61 00:02:37,229 --> 00:02:40,210 career during the tumultuous days of the Mexican 62 00:02:40,349 --> 00:02:40,849 Revolution, 63 00:02:41,310 --> 00:02:43,409 founding a newspaper in 1914. 64 00:02:45,044 --> 00:02:48,004 Cox grew up captivated by his grandfather's vivid 65 00:02:48,004 --> 00:02:51,784 recollections of the colorful figures he encountered, especially 66 00:02:52,085 --> 00:02:53,385 the Texas Rangers. 67 00:02:54,245 --> 00:02:57,925 This early influence shaped Cox's literary journey, leading 68 00:02:57,925 --> 00:03:00,520 him to author 4 volumes on the history 69 00:03:00,520 --> 00:03:01,260 of the Rangers, 70 00:03:01,719 --> 00:03:05,340 North America's oldest law enforcement agency in continuous 71 00:03:05,560 --> 00:03:06,060 service. 72 00:03:07,240 --> 00:03:09,400 As a senior in high school and editor 73 00:03:09,400 --> 00:03:11,879 of the school paper, Cox sold his first 74 00:03:11,879 --> 00:03:13,819 story to a true crime magazine. 75 00:03:14,894 --> 00:03:16,914 Around the same time, he wrote a teenage 76 00:03:16,974 --> 00:03:19,474 news column for the Austin American Statesman, 77 00:03:20,174 --> 00:03:21,314 making a famously 78 00:03:21,614 --> 00:03:24,594 flawed prediction that the Beatles would never outlast 79 00:03:24,734 --> 00:03:25,954 Sonny and Cher. 80 00:03:26,909 --> 00:03:29,329 I can relate. I made a similar misjudgment 81 00:03:29,549 --> 00:03:31,650 during a guest appearance on a high school 82 00:03:31,709 --> 00:03:33,009 radio show called 83 00:03:33,310 --> 00:03:35,169 Teen Beat on KPLT 84 00:03:35,549 --> 00:03:36,049 14:90 85 00:03:36,509 --> 00:03:37,009 AM, 86 00:03:37,549 --> 00:03:38,930 but that's another story. 87 00:03:39,784 --> 00:03:42,665 Besides writing the teen column, 17 year old 88 00:03:42,665 --> 00:03:44,284 Cox was working in production 89 00:03:44,585 --> 00:03:45,564 at The Statesman. 90 00:03:46,344 --> 00:03:47,645 In August 1966, 91 00:03:48,665 --> 00:03:50,125 his instinct for journalism 92 00:03:50,504 --> 00:03:53,145 sharpened when he heard a broadcast by a 93 00:03:53,145 --> 00:03:55,004 popular teen radio station 94 00:03:55,439 --> 00:03:57,599 that a sniper was on top of the 95 00:03:57,599 --> 00:03:59,379 University of Texas tower. 96 00:03:59,680 --> 00:04:01,840 The first bulletin that somebody was shooting from 97 00:04:01,840 --> 00:04:02,819 the UT tower, 98 00:04:03,519 --> 00:04:05,680 put on a snap on tie and white 99 00:04:05,680 --> 00:04:07,519 shirt and or white shirt and snap on 100 00:04:07,519 --> 00:04:09,860 tie and rushed to the UT campus. 101 00:04:10,305 --> 00:04:12,784 Cox got within the 4 block range of 102 00:04:12,784 --> 00:04:16,404 rifle fire from 25 year old Charles Whitman, 103 00:04:16,705 --> 00:04:18,564 who picked off students and pedestrians 104 00:04:19,105 --> 00:04:20,644 for 96 minutes. 105 00:04:21,665 --> 00:04:24,485 Whitman's shooting spree, which killed 15 people, 106 00:04:24,839 --> 00:04:26,459 including an unborn child, 107 00:04:27,000 --> 00:04:28,779 and injured 31 others, 108 00:04:29,319 --> 00:04:32,520 ended when 2 Austin police officers stormed the 109 00:04:32,520 --> 00:04:33,980 observation deck platform 110 00:04:34,439 --> 00:04:35,819 and shot him to death. 111 00:04:36,520 --> 00:04:38,459 Cox was on the trail of a story 112 00:04:38,675 --> 00:04:41,095 that would then become known as the deadliest 113 00:04:41,235 --> 00:04:43,254 mass shooting by a lone gunman 114 00:04:43,714 --> 00:04:44,935 in US history. 115 00:04:46,194 --> 00:04:47,495 I got back in my 116 00:04:47,875 --> 00:04:50,055 car and and drove back to the newsroom. 117 00:04:50,115 --> 00:04:52,350 And, of course, it was just in in 118 00:04:52,350 --> 00:04:53,329 chaos. And, 119 00:04:54,189 --> 00:04:55,729 I got assigned to, 120 00:04:56,350 --> 00:04:58,990 help a friend of mine, another reporter who 121 00:04:58,990 --> 00:05:00,990 was only a couple of years older than 122 00:05:00,990 --> 00:05:03,709 I was, maybe 3 years older. And the, 123 00:05:04,350 --> 00:05:06,930 I guess the city editor told us to 124 00:05:07,384 --> 00:05:10,504 try to find where Whitman lived. We already 125 00:05:10,504 --> 00:05:12,264 had the name. It hadn't been released to 126 00:05:12,264 --> 00:05:14,584 the public, but, the police reporter had gotten 127 00:05:14,584 --> 00:05:17,485 the name. And so, my friend and I 128 00:05:17,704 --> 00:05:19,644 rushed to the, to Whitman's 129 00:05:19,944 --> 00:05:20,444 residence, 130 00:05:20,920 --> 00:05:22,439 hoping that we could, you know, do the 131 00:05:22,439 --> 00:05:24,779 standard sort of thing of interviewing the neighbors. 132 00:05:24,839 --> 00:05:26,139 And when we got there, 133 00:05:27,080 --> 00:05:30,139 discovered that he had moved from that address. 134 00:05:31,000 --> 00:05:31,500 Unfazed, 135 00:05:31,879 --> 00:05:35,500 Cox persuaded a telephone operator to divulge Whitman's 136 00:05:35,639 --> 00:05:36,379 new address, 137 00:05:37,134 --> 00:05:39,235 a testament to his budding tenacity 138 00:05:39,694 --> 00:05:40,594 as a reporter. 139 00:05:41,055 --> 00:05:43,214 And so, you know, back then, of course, 140 00:05:43,214 --> 00:05:45,134 all you had to do was dial 0 141 00:05:45,134 --> 00:05:46,754 to speak to a phone operator. 142 00:05:47,055 --> 00:05:48,435 So I dialed 0 143 00:05:49,069 --> 00:05:51,949 and got a, an operator, a woman, woman 144 00:05:51,949 --> 00:05:52,449 operator. 145 00:05:52,910 --> 00:05:55,310 And one of the first times I used 146 00:05:55,310 --> 00:05:57,730 whatever sweet talking ability I have, 147 00:05:58,110 --> 00:06:00,269 I said, hey, I know y'all aren't supposed 148 00:06:00,269 --> 00:06:02,235 to do this, but a good buddy of 149 00:06:02,235 --> 00:06:02,735 mine 150 00:06:03,115 --> 00:06:04,714 lives here in town, and I I just 151 00:06:04,714 --> 00:06:07,274 came in for the earlier today, and I'd 152 00:06:07,274 --> 00:06:08,794 really like to get together with him. And, 153 00:06:09,035 --> 00:06:11,055 his name is Charlie Charles Whitman. 154 00:06:11,595 --> 00:06:13,134 The name had not been released. 155 00:06:13,639 --> 00:06:16,120 And so the operator said, well, okay. And 156 00:06:16,120 --> 00:06:18,600 so she looked looked him up and gave 157 00:06:18,600 --> 00:06:21,019 me his righteous address. And so, 158 00:06:21,480 --> 00:06:23,180 with that, we were able to, 159 00:06:23,560 --> 00:06:25,660 rush to his house in South Austin. 160 00:06:26,154 --> 00:06:27,995 The police hadn't gotten there because they didn't 161 00:06:27,995 --> 00:06:29,435 have any reason to go there at that 162 00:06:29,435 --> 00:06:31,134 time. They did not know that 163 00:06:31,514 --> 00:06:32,014 Whitman's, 164 00:06:32,634 --> 00:06:34,714 the dead body of Whitman's wife was just 165 00:06:34,714 --> 00:06:37,995 right inside his back door. Before his rampage 166 00:06:37,995 --> 00:06:39,935 from the University of Texas Tower, 167 00:06:40,439 --> 00:06:43,340 Charles Whitman had already committed 2 murders, 168 00:06:44,040 --> 00:06:46,600 stabbing both his wife and mother to death 169 00:06:46,600 --> 00:06:48,220 in their respective apartments. 170 00:06:49,400 --> 00:06:52,120 For Mike Cox, it was his first encounter 171 00:06:52,120 --> 00:06:53,259 with a mass murder, 172 00:06:54,014 --> 00:06:55,714 one of many to follow. 173 00:06:56,415 --> 00:06:57,154 In 1970, 174 00:06:57,535 --> 00:07:00,975 Cox joined the Austin American Statesman as a 175 00:07:00,975 --> 00:07:02,194 police beat reporter, 176 00:07:02,574 --> 00:07:04,975 where he broke the story of notorious serial 177 00:07:04,975 --> 00:07:05,475 killer 178 00:07:06,014 --> 00:07:07,475 Henry Lee Lucas. 179 00:07:08,290 --> 00:07:10,290 Over the years, he would cover hundreds of 180 00:07:10,290 --> 00:07:13,350 crime scenes, each more grisly than the last. 181 00:07:14,209 --> 00:07:16,850 15 years later, Cox transitioned to a new 182 00:07:16,850 --> 00:07:19,889 role, becoming the chief of media relations for 183 00:07:19,889 --> 00:07:22,444 the Texas Department of Public Safety 184 00:07:23,785 --> 00:07:26,605 which oversees state troopers and the legendary 185 00:07:26,905 --> 00:07:27,884 Texas Rangers. 186 00:07:28,905 --> 00:07:31,305 During his time at DPS, he bore witness 187 00:07:31,305 --> 00:07:33,245 to even more murder and mayhem, 188 00:07:33,800 --> 00:07:36,699 with some of the state's darkest moments unfolding 189 00:07:36,759 --> 00:07:37,660 before him. 190 00:07:38,360 --> 00:07:41,500 I met Mike while covering several high profile 191 00:07:41,560 --> 00:07:42,060 cases: 192 00:07:42,600 --> 00:07:44,620 the Luby's cafeteria massacre, 193 00:07:45,000 --> 00:07:47,980 the 51 day Branch Davidian cult siege, 194 00:07:48,615 --> 00:07:51,814 and the standoff with Republic of Texas separatists 195 00:07:51,814 --> 00:07:54,714 in the rugged mountains outside Fort Davis. 196 00:07:55,654 --> 00:07:57,415 You know, Mike, the thing that always struck 197 00:07:57,415 --> 00:08:00,394 me covering this murders, everything else is 198 00:08:01,014 --> 00:08:02,475 just how monstrous 199 00:08:03,009 --> 00:08:05,490 people can become in the things they do. 200 00:08:05,490 --> 00:08:07,349 It really kinda goes back to why 201 00:08:08,129 --> 00:08:09,110 by the time 202 00:08:10,050 --> 00:08:11,189 I left the DPS 203 00:08:12,129 --> 00:08:13,649 and during that period of time at the 204 00:08:13,649 --> 00:08:16,625 DPS, I had been deeply involved in the, 205 00:08:17,264 --> 00:08:20,384 mass murder at Luby's cafeteria in Killeen. I 206 00:08:20,384 --> 00:08:21,365 I walked among 207 00:08:21,824 --> 00:08:22,884 the 20 plus 208 00:08:23,264 --> 00:08:25,104 bodies, only an hour or so after they 209 00:08:25,104 --> 00:08:25,604 died, 210 00:08:26,544 --> 00:08:29,204 and that stuck with me to this day. 211 00:08:29,610 --> 00:08:32,009 And then I I helped count body bags 212 00:08:32,009 --> 00:08:32,250 at, 213 00:08:32,970 --> 00:08:34,990 Mount Carmel after the David Koresh, 214 00:08:36,329 --> 00:08:36,829 situation. 215 00:08:37,610 --> 00:08:39,929 And then, again, I think I counted up 216 00:08:39,929 --> 00:08:41,629 one time, I I was the spokesman 217 00:08:42,254 --> 00:08:42,754 in 218 00:08:43,295 --> 00:08:45,774 13 cases where a trooper or a DPS 219 00:08:45,774 --> 00:08:46,274 officer, 220 00:08:47,215 --> 00:08:48,975 was killed in the line of duty, including 221 00:08:48,975 --> 00:08:50,115 1 Texas Ranger. 222 00:08:50,495 --> 00:08:52,174 So I had just, you know, by the 223 00:08:52,174 --> 00:08:53,154 time I left 224 00:08:53,695 --> 00:08:55,235 the DPS in 2000, 225 00:08:55,934 --> 00:08:56,674 I really 226 00:08:57,889 --> 00:08:59,350 it was pretty murdered out. 227 00:09:14,105 --> 00:09:16,845 Cox, as he puts it, had grown martyred 228 00:09:16,904 --> 00:09:20,044 out after years of covering grisly crimes. 229 00:09:20,825 --> 00:09:23,884 However, his wife's fondness for true crime television 230 00:09:23,945 --> 00:09:25,565 shows, especially Dateline, 231 00:09:26,480 --> 00:09:28,579 rekindled his passion for the subject. 232 00:09:29,360 --> 00:09:31,679 They set a regular date night to watch 233 00:09:31,679 --> 00:09:32,419 the show. 234 00:09:33,039 --> 00:09:35,360 What began as a lighthearted joke about the 235 00:09:35,360 --> 00:09:37,459 popularity of true crime shows 236 00:09:38,079 --> 00:09:40,659 eventually inspired Cox's latest book, 237 00:09:41,164 --> 00:09:42,544 Getting Away with Murder, 238 00:09:42,924 --> 00:09:46,304 Learning from Dateline and Other True Crime Shows. 239 00:09:47,004 --> 00:09:48,684 So it just occurred to me, you know, 240 00:09:48,684 --> 00:09:50,365 I ought to do kind of a fun 241 00:09:50,365 --> 00:09:52,704 little tongue in cheek book discussing 242 00:09:53,480 --> 00:09:56,620 stupid ways that, that people end up getting 243 00:09:56,759 --> 00:09:59,079 caught for murdering somebody and frame it in 244 00:09:59,079 --> 00:10:00,299 the context of, 245 00:10:02,039 --> 00:10:04,220 of, those that these were pro tips. 246 00:10:05,079 --> 00:10:06,600 And, of course, early in the book, I 247 00:10:06,600 --> 00:10:07,339 make a 248 00:10:08,045 --> 00:10:10,125 a declaration that I ran by my lawyer. 249 00:10:10,125 --> 00:10:11,264 And that is that, 250 00:10:11,965 --> 00:10:14,045 of course, I had no intention of actually 251 00:10:14,045 --> 00:10:14,785 trying to 252 00:10:15,245 --> 00:10:17,345 assist anyone in getting away 253 00:10:17,725 --> 00:10:18,465 with murder. 254 00:10:18,845 --> 00:10:21,105 This was written as a tongue in cheek, 255 00:10:21,644 --> 00:10:23,425 you know, spoof in a way. 256 00:10:23,759 --> 00:10:26,800 There have been several instances where life has 257 00:10:26,800 --> 00:10:30,720 eerily imitated art, with killers using true crime 258 00:10:30,720 --> 00:10:33,460 shows as a blueprint for planning their murders. 259 00:10:34,240 --> 00:10:35,620 But they got caught. 260 00:10:35,995 --> 00:10:38,014 I begin to notice this as a reporter. 261 00:10:38,394 --> 00:10:38,894 Most 262 00:10:40,075 --> 00:10:41,535 criminals, most murderers 263 00:10:41,915 --> 00:10:44,654 are just plain dumb. I doubt very seriously 264 00:10:44,875 --> 00:10:47,375 if many murderers spend much time watching Dateline 265 00:10:47,675 --> 00:10:49,980 or other shows or reading true crime books. 266 00:10:50,059 --> 00:10:52,220 There are still so many people out there 267 00:10:52,220 --> 00:10:53,600 who apparently believe 268 00:10:54,059 --> 00:10:56,620 that you can type into your computer how 269 00:10:56,620 --> 00:10:58,079 to get away with murder 270 00:10:58,860 --> 00:11:01,679 and that somehow that will not be seen 271 00:11:02,059 --> 00:11:03,759 when they start looking at your history. You 272 00:11:03,759 --> 00:11:05,894 know what I mean? Yes. So there's a 273 00:11:05,894 --> 00:11:07,815 lot of stupidity out there. Or you shop 274 00:11:07,815 --> 00:11:09,115 for the murder weapons. 275 00:11:09,495 --> 00:11:11,735 Yeah. Yeah. What's that ideal murder weapon? You 276 00:11:11,735 --> 00:11:13,575 know, how long does it take a body 277 00:11:13,575 --> 00:11:14,934 to decay? You know what I mean? Just, 278 00:11:14,934 --> 00:11:15,595 you know, 279 00:11:16,615 --> 00:11:18,389 on and on and on. You do have 280 00:11:18,389 --> 00:11:20,949 some funny tongue in cheek stuff. 1 about 281 00:11:20,949 --> 00:11:21,449 to, 282 00:11:22,069 --> 00:11:25,029 feed your your victim to an alligator. But 283 00:11:25,029 --> 00:11:26,809 then you warn that a hungry, 284 00:11:27,350 --> 00:11:28,329 angry alligator 285 00:11:28,870 --> 00:11:31,769 might decide you look tastier than your intended 286 00:11:31,829 --> 00:11:33,924 victim. That's right. You know, it's got to 287 00:11:33,924 --> 00:11:36,485 be careful. And, there are just, you know, 288 00:11:36,485 --> 00:11:38,804 endless ways that you can do get in 289 00:11:38,804 --> 00:11:40,345 trouble, you know, trying to, 290 00:11:41,285 --> 00:11:43,924 trying to kill somebody or trying to dispose 291 00:11:43,924 --> 00:11:45,940 of the body. And did you see a 292 00:11:45,940 --> 00:11:48,259 case in Dateline or somewhere where somebody did 293 00:11:48,259 --> 00:11:50,340 do that or tried to do that? Yes. 294 00:11:50,340 --> 00:11:52,120 I think there was one in Florida 295 00:11:52,740 --> 00:11:53,480 where somebody 296 00:11:53,860 --> 00:11:56,980 ostensibly went, duck hunting with a friend and 297 00:11:56,980 --> 00:11:57,879 never returned. 298 00:11:58,634 --> 00:12:01,355 And I think that, the theory was that 299 00:12:01,355 --> 00:12:02,495 person ended up, 300 00:12:03,434 --> 00:12:04,654 supporting an alligator's 301 00:12:05,195 --> 00:12:05,695 diet. 302 00:12:06,075 --> 00:12:07,754 You know, as you said, I try to 303 00:12:07,754 --> 00:12:09,754 think of other funny things. I mean, you 304 00:12:09,754 --> 00:12:10,254 know, 305 00:12:10,580 --> 00:12:11,320 some people, 306 00:12:11,700 --> 00:12:13,940 are very faithful in keeping their diaries, but 307 00:12:13,940 --> 00:12:14,580 I said that, 308 00:12:15,220 --> 00:12:17,539 you know, best not to write down in 309 00:12:17,539 --> 00:12:20,179 your diary, your your the steps you went 310 00:12:20,179 --> 00:12:20,740 through to, 311 00:12:21,700 --> 00:12:24,179 kill your wife and collect her insurance money. 312 00:12:24,179 --> 00:12:24,580 And then, 313 00:12:25,475 --> 00:12:27,495 there are the ultimate 314 00:12:28,035 --> 00:12:30,115 way to get away with murder, as I 315 00:12:30,115 --> 00:12:32,035 point out in the book, is don't do 316 00:12:32,035 --> 00:12:33,894 it. You know, I mean, you're not gonna 317 00:12:34,435 --> 00:12:36,274 never get caught for murder if you don't 318 00:12:36,274 --> 00:12:38,855 don't, don't kill somebody. And the other absolute 319 00:12:38,915 --> 00:12:41,250 is that if you do kill somebody, 320 00:12:42,190 --> 00:12:43,730 don't tell anybody. 321 00:12:44,350 --> 00:12:46,910 You know, people seem to seem to forget 322 00:12:46,910 --> 00:12:49,490 that jail cell phone or that jail 323 00:12:49,790 --> 00:12:52,850 in prison phone calls are, you know, automatically, 324 00:12:53,950 --> 00:12:54,450 recorded. 325 00:12:55,235 --> 00:12:55,735 They 326 00:12:56,514 --> 00:12:58,595 they seem to think somehow that it's smart 327 00:12:58,595 --> 00:13:01,654 or beneficial for them to tell their cellmate, 328 00:13:02,034 --> 00:13:04,375 brag to their cellmate about what they did. 329 00:13:04,674 --> 00:13:05,815 I mean, you know, 330 00:13:06,274 --> 00:13:07,334 stupidity is 331 00:13:07,714 --> 00:13:09,815 a key factor in many people getting 332 00:13:10,329 --> 00:13:13,209 getting caught. The cellmate is a criminal who's 333 00:13:13,209 --> 00:13:14,589 always ready to 334 00:13:14,970 --> 00:13:17,549 snitch you out to get their sentence reduced. 335 00:13:18,490 --> 00:13:19,870 So Oh, absolutely. Absolutely. 336 00:13:20,570 --> 00:13:22,169 You got a section of the book called 337 00:13:22,169 --> 00:13:25,389 Devil's Dictionary of True Crime Shows Speak. 338 00:13:25,774 --> 00:13:26,434 And it's 339 00:13:26,735 --> 00:13:27,955 all the cliches 340 00:13:28,654 --> 00:13:29,154 like 341 00:13:29,695 --> 00:13:32,815 a quiet, well mannered young man, the loner 342 00:13:32,815 --> 00:13:33,955 who kept to himself, 343 00:13:35,615 --> 00:13:37,715 provide closure to the family. 344 00:13:38,095 --> 00:13:40,014 Yeah. I think I'd have to call that 345 00:13:40,014 --> 00:13:40,754 my favorite 346 00:13:41,309 --> 00:13:43,309 favorite part of the of the book. You 347 00:13:43,309 --> 00:13:45,870 know, I've as a long time writer, I 348 00:13:45,870 --> 00:13:46,529 have always, 349 00:13:47,549 --> 00:13:50,910 tried to, issue cliches in my writing and 350 00:13:50,910 --> 00:13:51,070 and, 351 00:13:51,870 --> 00:13:52,370 I 352 00:13:52,830 --> 00:13:55,465 can spot the cliche fairly well. But, so, 353 00:13:55,465 --> 00:13:57,144 in this case, you know, I knew a 354 00:13:57,144 --> 00:13:59,784 lot of them. I picked up more in 355 00:13:59,784 --> 00:14:00,284 watching, 356 00:14:00,745 --> 00:14:02,044 Dateline and others. 357 00:14:02,585 --> 00:14:05,144 You know, I say things like the line, 358 00:14:05,144 --> 00:14:07,990 quote, He swept her off her feet, right 359 00:14:07,990 --> 00:14:10,730 into a shallow grave, that is. And, 360 00:14:11,670 --> 00:14:14,090 she was finally leaving him this time. Unfortunately, 361 00:14:14,230 --> 00:14:16,629 she waited too long. I've always loved what 362 00:14:16,629 --> 00:14:19,269 Ambrose Bierce did with his Devil's Dictionary, you 363 00:14:19,269 --> 00:14:21,210 know, well more than a century ago. 364 00:14:21,914 --> 00:14:24,154 And of course, the absolute classic is she 365 00:14:24,154 --> 00:14:26,014 lit up the room. You know, every 366 00:14:26,394 --> 00:14:26,894 every 367 00:14:27,995 --> 00:14:29,695 that is said of almost every, 368 00:14:30,715 --> 00:14:32,894 woman who is is is murdered. 369 00:14:33,355 --> 00:14:35,115 But as I say, if you light up 370 00:14:35,115 --> 00:14:37,375 the room, very often time, eternal darkness 371 00:14:38,370 --> 00:14:41,669 follows. But who are these writers that regurgitate? 372 00:14:41,970 --> 00:14:44,449 And these shows are full of it. And, 373 00:14:44,449 --> 00:14:47,889 you know, you and David Simon who've who 374 00:14:47,889 --> 00:14:49,889 wrote Homicide and all, you don't find that 375 00:14:49,889 --> 00:14:50,549 in those? 376 00:14:51,495 --> 00:14:53,975 Well, you know, another fascinating thing that I've 377 00:14:53,975 --> 00:14:54,475 noticed 378 00:14:54,855 --> 00:14:57,115 in watching Dateline and The Elk, 379 00:14:57,654 --> 00:14:59,115 and that is that cops 380 00:14:59,654 --> 00:15:00,875 have fallen back 381 00:15:01,575 --> 00:15:03,654 on these cliches. And I think part of 382 00:15:03,654 --> 00:15:05,115 it is that the 383 00:15:05,500 --> 00:15:09,259 whoever's interviewing them is is basically feeding them 384 00:15:09,259 --> 00:15:10,139 the line like, 385 00:15:10,620 --> 00:15:13,340 you know, the the interviewer will say, well, 386 00:15:13,340 --> 00:15:15,500 that must have broken the case wide open. 387 00:15:15,500 --> 00:15:17,259 And and, you know, sure enough, the cop 388 00:15:17,259 --> 00:15:18,855 will come back and say, oh, yeah. That, 389 00:15:18,934 --> 00:15:20,774 you know, that that broke the case wide 390 00:15:20,774 --> 00:15:23,595 open. And, you know, you just hear that 391 00:15:24,134 --> 00:15:25,434 almost in every 392 00:15:26,134 --> 00:15:27,115 every show, 393 00:15:27,735 --> 00:15:29,735 and and there's, of course, many, many more 394 00:15:29,735 --> 00:15:31,975 that you hear. Well, you got another section 395 00:15:31,975 --> 00:15:35,399 that's that's amusing here. And true crime show 396 00:15:35,399 --> 00:15:39,340 snacks to die for. Yeah. Like 45 caliber 397 00:15:39,399 --> 00:15:41,240 Devil Days. Do you did you have a 398 00:15:41,240 --> 00:15:41,740 favorite, 399 00:15:42,840 --> 00:15:44,540 snack on here? Car bomb 400 00:15:44,919 --> 00:15:45,419 salsa. 401 00:15:47,054 --> 00:15:47,774 Well, I, 402 00:15:48,095 --> 00:15:50,335 my cousin, is the one that I think 403 00:15:50,335 --> 00:15:53,215 had the idea for offering some, recipes. And 404 00:15:53,215 --> 00:15:55,455 then we all all of us came up 405 00:15:55,455 --> 00:15:56,674 with funny names 406 00:15:57,054 --> 00:15:58,975 and then worked backwards. You know what I 407 00:15:58,975 --> 00:16:00,975 mean? I I think I came up with 408 00:16:00,975 --> 00:16:02,034 car bomb salsa. 409 00:16:02,490 --> 00:16:04,570 I think that one comes from my wife, 410 00:16:04,570 --> 00:16:05,070 Beverly, 411 00:16:05,529 --> 00:16:06,090 and then, 412 00:16:06,649 --> 00:16:07,870 Ditto for the 45 413 00:16:08,250 --> 00:16:09,309 caliber a. 414 00:16:09,769 --> 00:16:12,269 I will give credit to my cousin, 415 00:16:12,649 --> 00:16:14,570 and I think it's the best name in 416 00:16:14,570 --> 00:16:16,590 the in the section, and that was 417 00:16:17,004 --> 00:16:18,304 FBI Scream. 418 00:16:20,044 --> 00:16:20,704 That was 419 00:16:21,164 --> 00:16:22,144 that was hers. 420 00:16:22,684 --> 00:16:23,184 And, 421 00:16:23,964 --> 00:16:25,504 you know, I think that's pretty 422 00:16:25,884 --> 00:16:28,605 pretty darn funny. Yeah. Well, you've got another 423 00:16:28,605 --> 00:16:31,424 section called, you may be a true crime 424 00:16:31,485 --> 00:16:31,950 addict 425 00:16:32,350 --> 00:16:34,509 if, which reminds me the old stand up 426 00:16:34,509 --> 00:16:36,990 routine, you may be a redneck if. Yep. 427 00:16:36,990 --> 00:16:38,290 Yep. Yep. That's certainly, 428 00:16:39,309 --> 00:16:42,590 that's certainly informed by Jeff Jeff Foxworthy, who, 429 00:16:43,965 --> 00:16:45,725 you know, I greatly admire. I guess he's 430 00:16:45,725 --> 00:16:47,884 not performing that much anymore, but that was 431 00:16:47,884 --> 00:16:48,945 one of his absolute 432 00:16:49,565 --> 00:16:52,225 classic riffs was, you may be a redneck 433 00:16:52,285 --> 00:16:53,504 if. And so, yeah, 434 00:16:53,805 --> 00:16:54,384 I started 435 00:16:55,965 --> 00:16:58,305 looking for things online, and then I started 436 00:16:59,360 --> 00:17:01,220 thinking, you know, of other things 437 00:17:01,679 --> 00:17:04,019 that just popped into my head as, hopefully, 438 00:17:04,079 --> 00:17:06,660 humorous. Yeah. One of them, you fantasized 439 00:17:07,039 --> 00:17:09,460 about how you'd get away with the perfect 440 00:17:09,519 --> 00:17:10,579 murder. Or 441 00:17:11,365 --> 00:17:13,684 5 minutes before daylight starts your dog or 442 00:17:13,684 --> 00:17:15,065 cat sitting expectantly 443 00:17:15,444 --> 00:17:17,704 on your recliner waiting for you. 444 00:17:18,325 --> 00:17:21,044 Yeah. That's right. And our, that's kind of 445 00:17:21,044 --> 00:17:21,784 where our 446 00:17:22,644 --> 00:17:24,164 our dog is. I mean, she's, 447 00:17:24,724 --> 00:17:26,105 she's very used to 448 00:17:26,970 --> 00:17:27,769 sitting with us, 449 00:17:28,250 --> 00:17:29,230 as we're watching 450 00:17:29,849 --> 00:17:32,410 watching Dateline. It should either be in my 451 00:17:32,410 --> 00:17:34,190 wife's chair or my easy chair. 452 00:17:34,650 --> 00:17:37,289 You know, another thing too, just overall, I 453 00:17:37,289 --> 00:17:37,789 mean, 454 00:17:38,730 --> 00:17:41,390 God knows there's so many horrible, 455 00:17:42,234 --> 00:17:44,654 deadly, serious things going on in the world. 456 00:17:45,115 --> 00:17:48,075 And, it's, you know, obviously well documented that 457 00:17:48,075 --> 00:17:50,734 laughter and and, even a chuckle produces, 458 00:17:51,595 --> 00:17:53,034 feel good heartburns like, 459 00:17:53,914 --> 00:17:54,414 dopamine. 460 00:17:55,049 --> 00:17:57,150 So if there's ever a time 461 00:17:57,769 --> 00:18:00,190 Texas and the nation and the world itself 462 00:18:00,330 --> 00:18:00,830 is 463 00:18:01,289 --> 00:18:02,330 needful of, 464 00:18:03,130 --> 00:18:03,950 some humor, 465 00:18:05,049 --> 00:18:06,410 I I I don't know when it would 466 00:18:06,410 --> 00:18:08,035 be. I mean, you know, they just, you 467 00:18:08,035 --> 00:18:09,015 know, from politics 468 00:18:09,634 --> 00:18:12,955 to Mideast wars to climate change to Mhmm. 469 00:18:13,154 --> 00:18:16,035 Whatever. We need something to laugh about. In 470 00:18:16,035 --> 00:18:16,694 his book, 471 00:18:17,154 --> 00:18:19,714 Cox shares his list of the 10 must 472 00:18:19,714 --> 00:18:21,095 read true crime books 473 00:18:21,500 --> 00:18:23,440 that are impossible to put down. 474 00:18:23,980 --> 00:18:26,559 Truman Capote's In Cold Blood 475 00:18:26,940 --> 00:18:28,160 takes the top spot. 476 00:18:29,259 --> 00:18:30,880 That book came out in 1965 477 00:18:31,420 --> 00:18:33,674 just as I was, you know, beginning to 478 00:18:34,475 --> 00:18:36,634 my interest in true crime was really beginning 479 00:18:36,634 --> 00:18:37,535 to take off. 480 00:18:37,835 --> 00:18:40,075 And I remember buying that book at a, 481 00:18:40,475 --> 00:18:41,934 a long since vanished, 482 00:18:42,715 --> 00:18:45,275 bookstore that was right across from the, University 483 00:18:45,275 --> 00:18:46,414 of Texas on Guadalupe. 484 00:18:46,970 --> 00:18:48,570 And man, I mean, it was it it 485 00:18:48,570 --> 00:18:49,549 it was just, 486 00:18:51,369 --> 00:18:53,210 brilliantly written. I mean, I I could I 487 00:18:53,210 --> 00:18:54,970 could not I didn't wanna put it down. 488 00:18:54,970 --> 00:18:57,289 I mean, you know, name your cliche and 489 00:18:57,289 --> 00:18:58,250 it it, 490 00:18:59,545 --> 00:19:01,545 it connects to how I reacted to that 491 00:19:01,545 --> 00:19:04,265 book. I've got a good friend who felt 492 00:19:04,265 --> 00:19:05,945 the same way about it, and he said 493 00:19:05,945 --> 00:19:06,765 that he 494 00:19:07,384 --> 00:19:10,684 recently reread it for the first time since 495 00:19:10,904 --> 00:19:11,404 1950s, 496 00:19:12,265 --> 00:19:13,484 65 or 66. 497 00:19:14,450 --> 00:19:15,750 And he said he found 498 00:19:16,930 --> 00:19:19,910 a whole new layer of nuance to it, 499 00:19:20,529 --> 00:19:22,450 that he had missed the first time. And 500 00:19:22,450 --> 00:19:24,690 so I God knows I've got so many 501 00:19:24,690 --> 00:19:26,049 books that I want to read, I don't 502 00:19:26,049 --> 00:19:28,275 know if I'll ever reread it. But, that 503 00:19:28,275 --> 00:19:30,295 certainly says a lot about a book that 504 00:19:30,515 --> 00:19:32,115 you can read it once and then come 505 00:19:32,115 --> 00:19:33,815 back and read it, you know, a lifetime 506 00:19:33,875 --> 00:19:34,775 later, practically, 507 00:19:35,075 --> 00:19:37,015 and still get new stuff out of it. 508 00:19:37,634 --> 00:19:39,654 When it comes to true crime consumption, 509 00:19:39,955 --> 00:19:42,695 millions of Americans are repeat offenders. 510 00:19:43,679 --> 00:19:46,419 Women make up the largest percentage of televised 511 00:19:46,639 --> 00:19:47,700 true crime viewers. 512 00:19:48,399 --> 00:19:51,359 And Cox says Taylor Swift is Dateline's most 513 00:19:51,359 --> 00:19:52,500 famous fan. 514 00:19:52,960 --> 00:19:55,059 The singer songwriter revealed that 515 00:19:55,440 --> 00:19:58,305 nobody, No Crime, a country song in her 516 00:19:58,305 --> 00:19:58,805 2020 517 00:19:59,265 --> 00:20:00,325 album Evermore, 518 00:20:00,945 --> 00:20:02,404 was inspired by Dateline. 519 00:20:03,345 --> 00:20:06,144 Cox says watching Dateline made his wife more 520 00:20:06,144 --> 00:20:06,644 cautious 521 00:20:07,105 --> 00:20:09,684 about the evil things that can happen. 522 00:20:10,109 --> 00:20:13,309 I think women are able to identify with 523 00:20:13,309 --> 00:20:14,609 that more so 524 00:20:15,069 --> 00:20:17,869 than a man. And I think also from 525 00:20:17,869 --> 00:20:19,150 some of the stuff that I read, and 526 00:20:19,150 --> 00:20:20,690 I think I use it in the book, 527 00:20:20,829 --> 00:20:23,569 is that some women watch these shows, 528 00:20:24,434 --> 00:20:26,774 with a with a mind of 529 00:20:27,474 --> 00:20:27,875 toward, 530 00:20:28,595 --> 00:20:30,674 you know, learning from them in in ways 531 00:20:30,674 --> 00:20:32,515 that they can stay safe. You know, I 532 00:20:32,515 --> 00:20:35,474 mean, they they learn, you know, don't have 533 00:20:35,474 --> 00:20:37,559 a fight with your husband and walk out 534 00:20:37,559 --> 00:20:39,399 at 3 o'clock in the morning and start 535 00:20:39,399 --> 00:20:41,579 walking down a lonely road, you know. 536 00:20:42,119 --> 00:20:43,579 I mean, stuff like that. 537 00:20:44,039 --> 00:20:46,279 And then I I just think there's something, 538 00:20:46,279 --> 00:20:47,419 I mean, you know, 539 00:20:47,960 --> 00:20:50,279 the the interest in true crime goes back 540 00:20:50,279 --> 00:20:51,179 really to 541 00:20:51,880 --> 00:20:54,755 about the time that movable type was invented, 542 00:20:54,815 --> 00:20:57,394 if not even farther back, you know? Because 543 00:20:57,695 --> 00:20:59,555 people just seem to have a fascination 544 00:21:00,654 --> 00:21:01,055 about, 545 00:21:01,535 --> 00:21:02,515 you know, 546 00:21:02,975 --> 00:21:05,375 why would somebody want to kill somebody else? 547 00:21:05,375 --> 00:21:07,609 And how did they get caught? You know, 548 00:21:07,609 --> 00:21:08,090 how did, 549 00:21:08,970 --> 00:21:10,910 the police finally figure out who done it? 550 00:21:11,130 --> 00:21:13,369 And, you know, on a lower level, it's 551 00:21:13,369 --> 00:21:15,309 kind of, you know, like the old, 552 00:21:15,930 --> 00:21:19,289 very popular board game Clue, you know? Was 553 00:21:19,289 --> 00:21:19,789 it, 554 00:21:20,255 --> 00:21:22,255 was it missus White with the rope or 555 00:21:22,255 --> 00:21:22,755 or, 556 00:21:23,215 --> 00:21:25,235 in the kitchen with the with the 557 00:21:26,174 --> 00:21:26,674 chandelier 558 00:21:27,055 --> 00:21:28,914 or the candlestick holder? 559 00:21:29,375 --> 00:21:31,615 For many, you know, it sort of becomes 560 00:21:31,615 --> 00:21:32,994 a a parlor game. 561 00:21:33,549 --> 00:21:34,930 Mike Cox's lifelong 562 00:21:35,309 --> 00:21:38,769 immersion in crime as a reporter, author, and 563 00:21:39,070 --> 00:21:41,170 spokesperson for the Texas DPS 564 00:21:42,109 --> 00:21:44,609 gave him a rare perspective on the subject. 565 00:21:45,230 --> 00:21:47,230 His latest book, How to Get Away with 566 00:21:47,230 --> 00:21:50,144 Murder, Learning from Dateline and Other True Crime 567 00:21:50,144 --> 00:21:50,644 Shows, 568 00:21:51,345 --> 00:21:53,505 isn't just a reflection on the dark side 569 00:21:53,505 --> 00:21:54,484 of human nature. 570 00:21:55,025 --> 00:21:57,204 It's a funny dive into the fascinating 571 00:21:57,505 --> 00:22:00,065 intersection of real crime and the media that 572 00:22:00,065 --> 00:22:01,019 chronicles it. 573 00:22:01,900 --> 00:22:04,859 After decades of covering murder and mayhem, it's 574 00:22:04,859 --> 00:22:07,500 clear that Mike Cox isn't just reporting the 575 00:22:07,500 --> 00:22:08,000 story. 576 00:22:08,779 --> 00:22:10,160 He's still living it, 577 00:22:10,868 --> 00:22:12,729 one case at a time.