Texas vs. Davis: The Only Complete Account of the Bizarre Thomas Cullen Davis Murder Case

by Mike Cochran

At last, the definitive account of the sensational Cullen Davis case written by the award-winning reporter who covered the entire four-year story from the night of the mansion murders through the three circus-like trials to the news-making revelations still surfacing as the book went to press. Texas vs. Davis uncovers information never before printed anywhere and witnesses who never testified. Davis family members disclose personal insights for the first time; a woman who claims she was with Cullen the night of the murders speaks up; a hired gun spills the beans about his employer - for starters. Thomas Cullen Davis (born September 22, 1933 in Fort Worth, Texas) is an American oil heir. He was acquitted of the murders of his stepdaughter and his estranged wife's boyfriend, then hiring a hitman to kill his estranged wife and a judge. A billionaire at the time, he is the wealthiest man to have stood trial for murder in the United States.

Genres: True Crime, Nonfiction, Crime

373 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1980

Reviews

[Gary · Rating 5 out of 5]

Money. Murder, Mystery, and the criminal justice system. This is the original. This story could very well be compared to the O.J. Simpson trial.

An excellent read!

[NS · Rating 4 out of 5]

a criminal case i had never heard about. local to dfw it reads and sounds like the OJ Case with all the crazy stuff going on and then a multi murder case, divorce case, and then 2 murders for hire case all in 1 family. excellent read. written in 1970s language which was enjoyable but certainly dates views of the world. could be 100 pages shorter. tons of info. the author is very good, but just could have made it a more compact read. Definitely a great case to read about if you're into true crime.

[Josh · Rating 3 out of 5]

I wanted to read this due to its local interest. It was ok, but not as well done as I'd hoped it would be.

[Ed Vaughn · Rating 4 out of 5]

Over 40 years later and still readable and hard to believe.

[Elizabeth · Rating 3 out of 5]

Texas Vs. Davis chronicles the story of Cullen Davis, an individual who seems to live an enchanted life. With a Father who is a self made millionarie many times over when he leaves college Cullen already has a job waiting for him in his Father's company. Over the years Cullen seems to lead a charmed life at least looking in from the outside; living the American dream on a grand scale, raising children, traveling, working at the top of a huge corporation. Of course there are always ups and downs but the world thinks that Cullen is taking the punches as they come. After divorcing his first wife Cullen marries Priscilla, after this event, the story really begins to unfold, after a short period of "wedded bliss" fighting starts, including physical and emotional abuse on both sides but the heavier abuse comes from Cullen and is aimed at Priscilla.
The couple separates and divorce proceedings come to a head; upsetting Cullen who feels financially worn down by Priscilla. And furious at the presiding divorce judge.

Not too long after Cullen's payments to Priscilla are increased; Priscilla and her companion, as well as other victims (including a 12 year old child) will suffer heinous crimes in Cullen and Priscilla's mansion one night after returning from an outing that will start a round of trials, mistrials, and verdicts that will leave the reader speechless at just how blind justice can really be when money is involved, and the victims are forgotten.

Texas Vs. Davis for me was a very dry read. To be fair it is not my favorite genre, and once I got to a certain point I knew I had to finish just because I needed to know what the verdict in each of Cullen's trials would be. If you are interested in this particular case then I would definitely recommend this book. I did enjoy some of the bantering back and forth of the lawyers; also the book is separated into three sections and there were quotes at the beginning of each section. I felt that these quotes did a great job in portraying the relevant 'mood' for that section of the book. Cochran seems to be a good writer and even though this type of book isn't my cup of tea. I will admit I did not put it down the last 100 pages or so. The story is just so dramatic, three trials, contract killers, three wives, extortion. I've gotta admit in this case justice really was blind. Blind to the truth.