As news people, we are born to be curious. We always want to know more, and, apparently, so do you. What started as an idea to check out boxes in the Harris County evidence room turned into the award-winning true crime docuseries ‘The Evidence Room’ where we look in-depth into some of the most notorious criminal cases in the Houston area.
We’ve wrapped up season 3, but you can stream all every episode on demand on the free KPRC 2+ mobile app.
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Prison guard privately pulled Clara Harris aside
This case involves a dentist that made international headlines. A husband was murdered by his wife in a hotel parking lot after he was caught cheating. In this episode of ‘The Evidence Room’, Investigator Amy Davis talked about her talk with Clara Harris, now that she is out of prison.
Amy met with Clara at her home and they talked for about an hour. In the episode, Amy explains what Clara told her about that night and some things that happened when she was in jail. Clara told Amy one day while she was in custody a jailer pulled her aside and had a private talk with her. The jailer told her she was proud of her and what she did. Clara told Amy this shocked her; she didn’t know what to think.
Inside the evidence box, we found relationship books, Clara’s zebra print purse, and of course, the infamous video prosecutors say showed Harris driving in circles over her husband David Harris
You may remember in this case, Clara ran over and killed her husband outside a Nassau Bay hotel in 2002. A jury found her guilty of murder. She’s served her time and is working on a new career translating children’s books into braille.
Robert Durst hid out in Galveston living as a woman named Dorothy
Robert Durst spent most of his adult life under a cloud of suspicion. Episode 19 of ‘The Evidence Room’ looks at the case from the disappearance of his first wife to the death and dismemberment of his next-door neighbor, Durst was the target of multiple investigations in several states.
“He had a very sharp mind, he was a good businessman, but he’s also terribly flawed,” said retired KPRC 2 journalist Phil Archer. “He was always doing things that shocked or surprised people.”
In 2015, KPRC 2 spoke with Clair Schuler, who went by the stage name CC Ryder. He told us he thought Durst, who became a regular at Island drag shows, was an older divorcee coming to terms with his sexuality. Schuler said he helped Durst with make-up tips.
“When you saw him in drag honey, eww, it was not pretty. It was blue eye-shadow and red lips, not pretty,” Schuler said.
Schuler got quite the shock when police knocked on his door, asking questions about Durst’s neighbor, Morris Black.
“‘Hey, we’re here to interview you about the Robert Durst situation,’ And I was like, ‘Who is Robert Durst?’” Schuler said at the time.
In Sept. 2001, Durst was charged with murdering Black, dismembering his body, and throwing the parts into Galveston Bay. Archer said a teen boy fishing was the first to spot the body parts and alert the police. Archer said police found a slip of paper with the address of the boarding home where Black lived in one of the garbage bags containing a portion of his remains.
This is just part of the bizarre details from the life of Robert Durst. See more here.
How a woman stopped a serial killer
For episode 17 of ‘The Evidence Room’ Investigator Robert Arnold looked into the case of Carl “Coral” Eugene Watts. He was one of the most prolific serial killers in U.S. history, murdering dozens of women over an eight-year period that finally ended in 1982.
In this episode, Robert reveals how one of Watts’ would-be victims finally stopped him - and how he nearly became the first serial killer to be legally released from prison.
“He had three ways that he killed his victims - stabbing, strangulation and drowning. He never sexually assaulted anybody, and if he took anything they were very small trinkets for trophies. So robbery was not a motive as well,” said Director of Victim Services for Houston Crime Stoppers, Andy Kahan. “He was simply a cold-blooded killing machine.”
“How many murders do they believe Watts committed?” asked KPRC 2 Investigator Robert Arnold.
“I’m comfortable with saying he’s credited with over 40 because when you add Texas and Michigan, he was aligned with about 22. There were also five in Windsor, Canada, across the border. They have footage of his car going back and forth from Detroit to Windsor, Canada,” said Kahan. “Several women in Canada ended up being dead and some actually survived as well. One of them was also later able to identify him.”
‘The Sunday Morning Slasher’ was finally captured after trying to murder Lori Lister and her roommate, Melinda Aguilar, at their Houston apartment in May 1982. While Watts was trying to drown Lister in a bathtub, Aguilar escaped by jumping from a 2nd story balcony with her hands bound behind her back.
Season 3 finale - The Serial killings of Acres Homes
It was early 2006, and Houston police detective Darcus Shorten and her partner thought they were looking for a killer.
They had no idea.
In the Season 3 finale of ‘The Evidence Room,’ KPRC 2′s Robert Arnold returns to Acres Homes with Det. Shorten to explore how the neighborhood’s isolated feel made it the perfect hunting ground for not just one - but three serial predators who appeared to not know about each other.
“You know when you asked me about doing this, I knew it would be very, very complicated,” said. Det. Shorten. “Because the storyline can get confusing because so much was happening.”
Which makes how they put it all together - nothing short of amazing.
Whichever episode you gravitated towards, vote for them in ‘The Evidence Room’ first-ever watch party bracket!
Your vote just might win you a chance to join us at the first-ever KPRC 2 watch party on July 26. Complete with a viewing of the top-voted episode, dinner - and of course, an up-close look into the episode WITH the KPRC 2 Investigates Team. Ask the questions you might be left with, understand the process behind the show, and dive deeper into the evidence. Vote here!
You can find all of ‘The Evidence Room’ episodes here.
The KPRC 2 Investigates true crime docuseries ‘The Evidence Room’ recently received honors from the 44th Annual Telly Awards, which honors “innovative, inclusive, and disruptive work that breaks through the static.”
