Bio

David Roland Waters was born in 1947 in the United States. He had a troubled early life, marked by a number of criminal activities. At age 17, he was involved in a serious crime where he and three other teenagers were convicted of killing a boy over a small argument about gasoline. Waters was sentenced to 30 to 60 years in prison for this crime but was paroled after serving about 12 years.

After his release, Waters had several run-ins with the law. He had a history of violent behavior, including an incident in the late 1970s where he was accused of assaulting his mother. He faced more legal troubles in the 1980s for offenses such as forgery. Following these incidents, Waters moved around, living in various states, including Florida, before ending up in Texas.

In 1993, he found a job as a typesetter for the organization American Atheists, which was led by Madalyn Murray O'Hair. He quickly climbed the ranks to become the office manager. However, his time there was not without conflict. In 1994, he was involved in a theft of over $54,000 from the organization. After this theft was discovered, Waters pleaded guilty to the charges to avoid a potentially longer sentence as a habitual offender, due to his past crimes.

Waters’ behavior at American Atheists became increasingly erratic after he was exposed by O'Hair in the organization's internal communications. He became resentful of her and showed signs of a troubled mental state. His fallout with O'Hair and the rest of the family would later play a crucial role in the events that unfolded in the 1990s.

In the years leading up to the family’s disappearance, Waters had reportedly expressed violent fantasies about O'Hair. After she and her family vanished in 1995, he became a significant focus of the investigation, with a troubled past and a known history of violence working against him.

Murder Story

On September 28, 1995, Madalyn Murray O'Hair, her son Jon Garth Murray, and her adopted daughter Robin Murray O'Hair were kidnapped from their office in Austin, Texas. David Roland Waters, a former office manager for the American Atheists organization, was involved in the crime along with accomplices Gary Paul Karr and Danny Raymond Fry. The kidnapping was a part of a plot to extort money from the family.

After the kidnapping, the victims were forced to withdraw large sums of money. Jon Murray, in particular, was coerced into liquidating assets and was involved in a significant transaction involving the purchase of gold coins worth $600,000. The trio used the O'Hairs' money and credit cards for various purchases during the time they were missing.

As the days passed, the victims were never seen again. Their last communication was on September 28, 1995. On October 2, 1995, authorities found the body of Danny Fry by the Trinity River, which had been mutilated. Fry had been murdered after the O'Hair family was taken captive. His body had been dismembered and left without his head and hands.

In the months following the disappearances, the investigation began to focus on Waters. His criminal history and previous conflict with Madalyn O'Hair raised suspicions. Over time, it became clear to investigators that he had kidnapped the O'Hairs for financial gain and was likely responsible for their murders.

In 1998, after various leads unfolded, further investigations uncovered damning evidence against Waters and Karr, including witness testimonies and findings from searches of their properties. By early 2001, Waters finally confessed to the kidnapping and murder. He led police to the locations where the bodies were buried, revealing that the O'Hairs had been dismembered and their remains scattered.

The remains were later identified through dental records and DNA evidence, confirming the tragic end of Madalyn Murray O'Hair, Jon Garth Murray, and Robin Murray O'Hair. David Roland Waters was sentenced to prison for his role in the crimes, and he died in 2003 while incarcerated.