Bio

David Wayne Spence was born on July 18, 1956, in Waco, Texas. He was raised in a challenging environment. He had a difficult childhood marked by family problems. His family life was unstable, which affected him deeply as a child. He often faced issues within the household, such as conflicts and potential neglect.

Growing up in Waco, Spence attended local schools. Throughout his early years, he struggled with personal issues. He had difficulty making friends and connecting with others. Spence often felt isolated from his peers. As a teenager, he became involved in negative influences and began experimenting with drugs and alcohol.

By the time Spence reached adulthood, he had developed a history of substance abuse. He worked as a roofer but had trouble maintaining stable employment due to his addiction problems. His life took a troubling turn as he continued to engage in risky behavior. These patterns would later contribute to significant legal troubles during his life.

Murder Story

On July 13, 1982, three teenagers from Waco, Texas, were murdered. The victims were Kenneth Franks, 18, and two 17-year-old girls, Jill Montgomery and Raylene Rice. Their bodies were discovered the following day in Speegleville Park, situated across a lake from Koehne Park, where they had last been seen alive.

David Wayne Spence, along with accomplices, was implicated in their deaths. Spence, who was already serving a sentence in prison for a different crime, was indicted for the murders. The prosecution asserted that this was a murder-for-hire plot gone wrong. They claimed that Spence and his associates had intended to kill a different girl linked to a convenience store owner, Muneer Deeb, out of jealousy related to an insurance payout. Instead, they mistakenly attacked the three teenagers.

The method of murder was brutal. All three victims were found bound and nude, each having suffered multiple stab wounds. Jill Montgomery's body bore bite marks that were later used as forensic evidence against Spence, linking him to the crimes.

Spence faced two separate trials for the murders of the teenagers. In both, the prosecution relied heavily on bite mark evidence and testimony from inmates, who claimed Spence had confessed to them. This inmate testimony was contentious, as some witnesses later recanted, stating they had received favors from the prosecution in exchange for their cooperation.

Despite claims of innocence from Spence and his defense team, he was convicted in both trials and received death sentences. His case drew national attention, leading to discussions on the reliability of bite mark evidence and the use of jailhouse informants in court.

After years of legal battles, Spence was executed by lethal injection on April 3, 1997. Even in his final statement, he maintained his innocence, expressing a wish that the families of the victims could find peace and understanding.