Hi friends!
We’ve got a lot to share this week, so let’s jump right in!
First, some exciting news: Wes has a new story out in Slate, and it’s a big one. It’s about a man named Winston Walters, a young citizen of the Comanche Nation who grew up catfish noodling in rural Oklahoma and, as a teenager, became a breakout star on the reality show Mudcats. Then, right as things were taking off for him, he was convicted in a brutal 2013 home invasion and sentenced to 92 years in prison. He’s always said he’s innocent, and over the years his case has taken on a life of its own online, with thousands of people pushing for his release.
Years later, the man Winston was convicted of shooting sends word through a prison guard that he’ll help get his sentence reduced … but only if Winston writes a letter first, admitting he did it. What Winston chooses to do is not what I expected, and I’ve been thinking about it ever since. As he put it, “A lie put me here. Will a lie get me out?”
You can read the whole thing here! (If that gift link is expired, here’s the regular link.)
And if you find yourself wanting more once you reach the end, you might be in luck: we’re hoping to turn Winston’s case into a future season of The Unforgotten.
A meaningful night for Shelley Watkins’ case
In lighter news, Carol and Claire’s live show in Kerens, TX, was last week! It was such a good night. After all these years of Carol telling Shelley’s story, getting to meet so many of you in person really meant a lot to her. She was even able to reveal some new information about the case that she hadn’t been able to make public before.
And if you couldn’t be there, we’ve got you — we’re tentatively planning to share the full episode next week, so keep an eye on your inbox.
More Devil Town around the corner!
Finally, a quick word on Devil Town. We know it’s been a little bit, and we want to let you know why. We’ve got three new episodes almost ready to go, but this batch gets into some really sensitive territory, and before we put it out, we want to be completely sure everything is accurate and airtight. We’re close now, and I think it’ll be worth the wait. It’ll be a deep dive into someone a lot of you have suspected since the beginning.
As always, thank you so much for your support of the show and for sticking with us! Talk soon!
— Aislyn