Shuvrajit Das Biswas
‘The Confession Killer’ is Netflix’s new and explosive docuseries that looks at Henry Lee Lucas, a man who claimed to have committed around 600 murders. A running joke is that he made Charles Manson look like Tom Sawyer. However, in a markedly different approach, the series brings to focus how the law enforcement agencies took advantage of Lucas’ willingness to confess to the murders.
The officials pinned hundreds of cases on him, closing them. However, the law functions differently. After the officials close the case, the lawyers pick it up, specifically, the District Attorney’s office. In the case of Henry Lee Lucas’ confessions, this led to a pretty intense tussle between the Texas Rangers and the McLennan County District Attorney, Vic Feazell.
If you notice the threads unraveling in the series, it is evident that Bob Prince, the Texas Ranger, and Vic Feazell, the District Attorney, are pitted on opposite sides. There are numerous accounts about how both sides believed they were right, but ultimately, they did not agree on the veracity of Henry Lee Lucas’ confessions. Considering that they were instrumental in Lucas’ case, you might wonder what happened to them. We have got you covered in that regard.
Bobby Prince Works For LaSalle Corrections Today
Captain Bob Prince was the head of the special Lucas task force that comprised of Texas Rangers. Formed in November 1983, the task force was not an investigative one but was meant to make access to Lucas easier for other law enforcement agencies. Eventually, the task force came under fire for allegations of having coerced, pressured and promised rewards to Lucas for his confessions.
While Prince has categorically denied all these charges, the filmmakers behind ‘The Confession Killer,’ Robert Kenner and Taki Oldham, have commented on his involvement and unwillingness to open the old cases. They stated that Prince was very defensive of the way the docuseries treated his teammate Boutwell badly. He wanted Boutwell to be there to defend himself. Moreover, they believe that even if Prince and Boutwell know that Lucas duped them, there is not much of a chance that they would be willing to re-open solved cases. This is mostly because the closure rate makes the department look good, and once a case is reopened, the law enforcement officials owe it to the constituents to find the truth.
Furthermore, Bob Prince has left his old job as a Texas Ranger. According to the latest reports, Prince is employed by LaSalle Corrections, which runs private prisons in Texas. He acts as the director of governmental affairs. His son, Randall Prince, has followed in his footsteps and was part of the Texas Rangers for four years before being promoted. Currently, he oversees the Rangers as the deputy director for the Department of Public Safety.
Vic Feazell Runs His Podcast
Vic Feazell first caught a whiff of Lucas’ possible disingenuousness when he confessed to murdering Joshlyn Annette Calvin. Feazell had already convicted someone of the crime and unearthed evidence that Lucas was in Florida at the time of the murder. With the DA on the trail, new evidence came to light that the police were feeding information to Lucas before the official confessions were made.
As a result of being the nail that stuck out, Feazell believes that the Texas Rangers and other law enforcement agencies targeted him. Apparently, he received threatening calls, and his dog was even poisoned. The Texas news station, WFAA-TV, even subjected him to an explosive investigative documentary where they alleged that Feazell took bribes from attorneys to close cases. It brought down an FBI investigation on his head, and he faced bribery charges, only to be cleared of them a year later.
He beat the case and essentially proved himself right, but Feazell had gotten disillusioned with politics. As a result, he resigned from his post in the District Attorney’s office in 1988. However, he had some scores to settle and took legal recourse. Feazell successfully sued WFAA-TV for libel, and in 1991, a jury sided with him, awarding him $58 million in damages. While Feazell might be done as a District Attorney, he certainly still loves the law.
Vic has his own practice, The Law Offices of Vic Feazell, in Austin and Waco, Texas. The offices handle personal injury cases mostly and some criminal cases. Feazell reportedly also runs his own podcast, ‘The Vic Feazell Show,’ where he discusses the story of Henry Lee Lucas, among other criminal cases.
As is evident, both Bobby Prince and Vic Feazell have gone on to have their own lives after Henry Lee Lucas’s astonishing claims. However, it would not be a stretch to say that this case is never too far from their minds.
Read More: How Many People Did Henry Lucas Kill?
