The Murder of Paula Davenport Part 2: Catastrophe

Gone Cold - Texas True Crime

Vincent Strange

True Crime, Society & Culture, News

4.6 • 1.8K Ratings

🗓️ 6 May 2024

⏱️ 41 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

As the Fort Worth Police investigated the murder of 24-year-old Hurst, Texas resident Paula Jean Puckett Davenport, evidence and leads ran out fast. But it didn’t mean they were short of a suspect. In fact, the cops were almost certain they knew exactly who killed Paula in the parking lot of the Brunswick Bowlerland. Everything led back to her physically and psychologically abusive ex-husband. He had motive and his shaky alibi left plenty of opportunity. The man was without a doubt capable, police believed. When a witness to the murder emerged, Detective Claude Davis thought he was zeroing in, and that he’d give the Puckett Family justice. However, the witness was a minor – and her parents refused to let her be involved. Part 2 of 2.

We’d like to extend a special thanks to Sara and Eddy Puckett for their contributions to this episode. Thanks also to Buster O’Keefe.

If you have any information about the murder of Paula Jean Puckett Davenport, please contact the Fort Worth Police Cold Case Unit at 817 392 4307.

If you’re experiencing domestic abuse, please get help by calling the National Domestic Abuse Hotline at 800-799-SAFE, or 800-799-7233. You can also text “start,” S-T-A-R-T to 88788 or visit thehotline.org

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The Fort Worth Star-Telegram was used as a source for this episode.

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Transcript

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0:00.0	The Gone Cold Podcasts may contain violent or graphic subject matter.
0:05.0	Listener discretion is advised.
0:07.0	At approximately 115 a.m. on Friday, September 28th, 1973. Two men fled the Shep's food store located in
0:18.6	East Dallas just outside the Shep's Dairy Factory.
0:23.8	Inside, 52-year-old William Stewart Moon, laid bleeding on the floor,
0:30.0	shot once in the temple with a 22 caliber firearm in a robbery.
0:35.0	Moon, who'd been promoted to manager the previous day, died not long after at Parkland Hospital's critical care unit.
0:45.0	The men who'd fled after robbing the store made out with little.
0:49.8	Moon died ultimately for a cigar box full of rolled coins and his unloaded revolver.
0:57.2	The following day Herman Sheps, the president of the company, announced a large reward leading to the arrest and conviction of the men who'd
1:06.2	taken the life of the company's loyal employee and friend.
1:11.3	The reward led to a lot of heat being brought down on the assailants, and a month later,
1:16.6	23-year-old Howie Ray Robinson turned himself in to Dallas Police.
1:22.0	He and another man, 26- old Ernest Benjamin Smith, entered the store,
1:27.2	Robinson said, while 35 year old George Robinson remained outside in a car with the motor running.
1:35.6	Howie Ray Robinson said he didn't know Smith was planning on robbing the store
1:40.5	and only found out that was the plan when he returned to the front of the establishment
1:45.4	after grabbing some items to purchase from the back.
1:49.4	When he approached the counter, Robinson told police, Smith and Shep's store manager William Moon both had
1:56.8	pistols drawn, pointing them at one another in a sort of standoff. Smith saw Robinson approach, the man claimed, and dropped below the counter.
2:08.6	When he did, William Moon adjusted his aim at Robinson.
2:13.0	Robinson quickly drew his weapon and fired it into the store manager's head.
	...

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