T. Cullen Davis: The Best Justice Money Can Buy

Fort Worth Police rousted Cullen out of bed a half-hour after his brother called and he willingly went downtown to talk with police. Based on the eyewitness testimony of survivors, their investigation centered on Cullen from the get-go.

Cullen didnt help his case at all. At one point a Fort Worth police detective asked Davis why so many people had to die at the mansion. He took Cullens response as a confession.

Sometimes, a man dont need a reason, Cullen replied.

Unfortunately, the exchange took place before Davis was Mirandized and was inadmissible in court.

Within days, Cullen was charged with murder, but he easily met bail and was out on the street in a matter of hours. That irked prosecutors a bit, and they reviewed the evidence in the case and opted to up the ante and try Cullen for capital murder in the death of Andrea Wilborn. They could go for the death penalty because Cullen had been barred from the mansion and his appearance there on the night of the murder was therefore a burglary, a crime. The capital murder charge gave the law the opportunity to revoke Cullens bail and he was taken to the Tarrant County Jail to await trial.

From the beginning, the prosecutors knew that this case was far from a slam dunk.

This is the first time the defendant in a murder trial has more money than the State of Texas, one prosecutor told a friend.

Having money to burn gave Cullen Davis access to some of the best legal representation possible. His first choice for a lead defense counsel was Richard Racehorse Haynes, who was very expensive but worth every penny.