Kiss and Kill: The Murder of Betty Williams
For this case, I watched an episode of A Crime to Remember. It’s season 3 episode 8, titled ‘Bye Bye Betty.’
A 17-year-old high school student is reported missing.
Background
Elizabeth Jean Williams was born on August 11, 1943, in Marion, Illinois. At the time of her death, Betty and her deeply religious family were living in Odessa, Texas.
Betty enjoyed working with the youth group at her local church. However, she considered herself to be a rebel compared to some of the other religious people in Odessa. She was in the drama club at school and had been planning to attend theater school after graduation.
Betty Williams
The Disappearance
On March 22, 1961, Betty was reported missing by her parents.
By the time the police arrived at Odessa High School, there were already rumors going around about what could have happened to Betty.
The police spoke to a group of Betty’s friends from the drama club. They told the police that Betty was known to sneak out of her house to meet boys and sometimes have relations with them in their cars.
Betty’s friends told the police that Betty had only been serious about one of these boys, a popular football player named John Mack Herring. They had dated in the summer but broke up.
After the breakup, Betty had also been involved with an older man who was a radio station DJ. Betty’s friends have been afraid to say anything because they feared the police would tell her deeply religious parents.
Betty’s Request
Betty’s friends kept the biggest bombshell for last. Betty had been asking several of her friends if they would kill her.
Several incidents happened that caused Betty to see her life differently and maybe even cause her to become depressed.
Betty had hooked up with one of Mack’s friends, another football player. It spread around the school and many of the popular students called Betty horrible names because of it.
Betty’s father found her diary where she wrote about her sexual experiences. He was devastated by this due to their religion and values.
Betty lost the lead part in the play to one of her best friends and had to watch her friend act with Mack. It was at one of these practices that she began asking her friends if they would kill her.
The Timeline
Betty’s friend, Ike, another football player, told the police that he took Betty home after play practice. However, he said he came back and parked in the alley next to her house.
Ike said that while they were in his car, Mack showed up in his car. Betty seemed surprised that Mack showed up. Betty got into Mack’s car and Ike drove away.
Mack was questioned next. He said he had last seen Betty at play rehearsal and that they both went home. The police confronted him with the information that Ike had just told them. He said they drove around and talked, but he dropped her off at her house around midnight.
Mack eventually confessed that he drove Betty to his dad’s hunting property. He agreed to take the police to the spot. They drove 26 miles out of town to Winkler County. Mack took the police to a stock pond and led them to Betty’s body which was in the water.
Betty was still in her pink pajamas. She had been shot in the head with a 12 gauge shotgun. She had been weighted down with weights. Mack said he did it because Betty had asked him to kill her.
Mack said when Betty first asked him they just laughed it off, but she wouldn’t stop asking. Mack and Betty practiced running lines together for the play. Mack said he finally agreed after she continuously asked him and they began making plans.
Mack got the wires and weights from the theater. Mack drove to Betty’s to pick her up.
Before he killed her, Mack had asked Betty for a kiss to remember her. He told Betty to kneel while he stood behind her, and then shot her.
Mack was arrested and charged with first-degree murder.
John Mack Herring
The Hearing
The community blamed Betty for ruining Mack’s life. There were also rumors that Betty had been pregnant, but this was ruled out during the autopsy.
Many also claimed that Betty had wanted the attention from Mack to stay on her. They said she wanted Mack to beg her to stay alive and possibly rekindle their relationship.
At Mack’s hearing, his attorney argued that Mack had been temporarily insane at the time of the murder. Betty had been begging Mack to kill her and she finally wore him down.
A letter written by Betty was presented at the trial. Betty wrote that she didn’t want anyone else to be implicated in what she was going to do. The letter said:
“I want everyone to know that what I’m about to do in no way implicates anyone else. I say this to make sure that no blame falls on anyone other than myself.
I have depressing problems that concern, for the most part, myself. I’m waging a war within myself… So rather than admit defeat I’m going to beat a quick retreat into the no man’s land of death.
As I have only the will and not the fortitude necessary, a friend of mine, seeing how great is my torment, has graciously consented to look after the details.
His name is Mack Herring and I pray that he will not have to suffer for what he is doing for my sake. I take upon myself all blame, for there it lies, on me alone!”
The jury found that Mack was temporarily insane at the time of the murder.
Other
The ruling in Mack’s insanity hearing was overturned on appeal. A trial took place in November 1962. He was found not guilty by reason of temporary insanity.
Mack passed away in January 2019 at the age of 75.
Many have said that Betty’s ghost still haunts Odessa High School, especially the auditorium.
FINAL THOUGHTS
It’s clear that Betty had been going through a lot before her death. She was hurting and not that many people cared besides maybe one or two of her friends. We all have or have had those relationships in high school or college where we think we’re in love. Betty thought that Mack loved her and maybe she was hoping that he would beg her to stay. Mack went on to go to college and work while Betty was forgotten about.
Sources
https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/92973471/elizabeth-jean-williams
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kiss_and_Kill
https://www.texasmonthly.com/true-crime/a-kiss-before-dying/
https://www.cbs7.com/content/news/FIRST-ON-CBS7-Kiss-and-Kill-killer-has-died-504111961.html
https://knue.com/kiss-kill-murder-ghost-odessa/
