Kriti Mehrotra
When Betty Lou Gray was found shot to death alongside her friend Reeda Roundy in arguably one of the worst ways imaginable back in late July 1989, the entire nation was left shaken to its core. However, it wasn’t until 1993 that their perpetrator was finally arrested, as per ‘Evil Lives Here: Greed, Jealousy, Malice,’ only for it to turn out to be the former’s husband, William “Bill” Gray. He was subsequently charged, tried, arrested, as well as sentenced, throughout which the most ardent supporter for justice against him was actually the daughter he shared with his ex-wife, Sara Kussy.
Sara Kussy Once Believed She Had an Almost Idyllic Childhood
It was back around the early 1960s that Sara was born to Betty Lou and William “Bill” Gray as their eldest, followed by a boy a mere 18 months later and completing their family. As per her accounts, she believed the siblings were raised in a happy and healthy home in Fontana, California, with parents who were not only together but also rarely raised their voices at one another or fought. However, the reality was much different because while her mother was as caring as she could be, her father was not the man who she believed was their protector and provider in every sense.
According to Sara, Bill could never really hold jobs because he always believed he was destined for more or deserved more pay, leading to her mother often having to come up with ideas to keep their family afloat. This included putting the second home they had on their estate for rent, having a barn, and eventually establishing a cake business, along with much more, only for there to be issues every step of the way. The then teen said that, although she was young when one of their tenants allegedly left the house in the middle of the night, apparently with a few of her dad’s rifles, he was furious.
Sara actually said that her father later returned home with his weapons in hand, stating that the tenant got what he deserved, so she believes he possibly killed the man in some way. She also asserted in the show that when their barn caught on fire, Bill was uncharacteristically calm about it — uncharacteristically because she had seen him lose his cool several times. In fact, she stated that once, when she and her mother were arguing over some missing money, he grabbed his wife by the throat and pushed her against the wall before threatening her, which scared the then-teen to no extent.
Sara Kussy Fought Hard for Justice
Despite the fact Sara had seen her father do several odd things and believed him to be a fraud, she never thought he could be extreme. Yes, she thought he burned their barn before eventually also burning down his pawn shop in order to expand using the insurance payout, and yes, she claims he once made her sign her mother’s name on her life insurance policy worth $250,000, but she never imagined him to have gone extreme. Nevertheless, when she got the news of her mother having been killed while at a friend’s in Idaho, she knew something was amiss because of her father’s reaction.
Again, Sara thought he was too calm for what had happened, especially since the initial belief was an occult sacrifice, considering the writings on the scene in Bettty’s blood. Moreover, and more importantly, the second she told her father that night that she was pregnant with her first child – something she was actually coming over to tell them anyway – he said something along the lines of, “Oh my god. If I had only known,” making her believe he was the one to have killed her mother. Yet, as time passed, she came to know that while her parents were still living in the same home, they were separated because she was having an affair, telling her friends that he’d be responsible if something happened to her.
Therefore, armed with all this information and growing suspicions, Sara went to the police, who shared with her that they also had evidence supporting this double homicide allegation, but it was all circumstantial. Therefore, despite her work with the police, it wasn’t until 1993 that Bill was arrested from outside her home, with rifles, ammunition, and $80,00 cash in his car, making her believe she was his next target for going against him. Nevertheless, instead of growing afraid, she doubled down on her efforts and actually testified against him during his trial for murder, all the while expressing she loved him and only wanted the truth.
Sara Kussy Has Moved Forward in Life
Despite the fact the loss of Betty at Bill’s hands continues to hang over Sara’s head like a dark cloud, especially owing to the complex, traumatic emotions it brought, she now appears to have moved on. After all, the last time she ever even tried making contact with her father was a week after his conviction, when she went to see him with a bible in hand in the hopes he would finally come clean. But alas, all he did was tell the guards he didn’t have a daughter as a way to refuse to meet her, and then, in 2010, he died in his sleep while still incarcerated.
As for Sara, from what we can tell, she has since proudly relocated from California to Jackson, Wyoming, where she is surrounded by a happy, loving family of her own. This Central Wyoming College graduate seems to be a happily married mother of two adult children, meaning she now appears to be living her life on her own terms to the best of her abilities. The 61-year-old honestly seems happy, which is all that matters in the long run.
Read More: Betty Gray and Reeda Roundy Murders: How Did William “Bill” Gray Die?
