Kaufman County was still reeling from the Jan. 31 execution of prosecutor Mark Hasse, 57, when the unthinkable happened: another murder of a public official, only this time his wife was killed, as well.
For the second time in 2013, the eyes of the nation turned to the tight-knit community of Kaufman, which was once again stunned and shaken, this time by the brutal slayings of District Attorney Mike McLelland, 63, and his wife, Cynthia, 65, who were gunned down in their home in rural Forney on March 30.
Some two months earlier, Hasse, assistant district attorney, was shot and killed in broad daylight while walking to work, about a block from the Kaufman County Courthouse.
Authorities including the FBI and Texas Rangers investigated the murders while the county remained on heightened alert. A 24-hour security guard was assigned to the interim district attorney, and extra security measures were put in place at the courthouse, including a body guard posted to Kaufman County Judge Bruce Wood.
As of press time, Eric Lyle Williams, a former Kaufman County justice of the peace, and his wife, Kim Lene Williams, were in custody on charges related to the murders of all three victims. Last year Eric Williams was convicted on theft charges, a case in which he was prosecuted by both McLelland and Hasse. As a result of his conviction, Williams lost his position as justice of the peace and had his law license suspended.
In the midst of responding to requests from national media outlets, Judge Wood took a moment to share his thoughts with County Progress. We are thankful to Judge Wood, and we extend our support and prayers to the Kaufman County family.
Honoring Our Fallen
I was at home in Terrell on Saturday evening, March 30, finishing up work on my 2012 Income Tax Return when my cell phone rang at approximately 6:30 p.m. I noticed the call was from Sheriff David Byrnes. The sheriff does not typically call me on the weekends, so I thought to myself, “This must be good news. The sheriff is calling to tell me they have arrested someone in the murder of ADA Mark Hasse.”
In fact, it was not good news. Rather, it was just the opposite.
“Judge, I am headed to Mike and Cynthia McLelland’s house where they both have been shot to death. I wanted you to be informed.”
I told the sheriff I was on my way, and that I would see him shortly. I then immediately called each one of our county commissioners to let them know what happened.
I arrived at the home soon thereafter, and Sheriff Byrnes gave me an update since his arrival at the McLelland home. He described a horrible crime scene.
Within moments the murder scene was swarming with law enforcement personnel from Kaufman County, Texas Rangers, and the Department of Public Safety, as well as the FBI and other federal agencies. All of the responding agencies were focused on maintaining the integrity of the crime scene.
I stayed for a couple of hours at the scene and did my best to provide support and be available to help, all the while making sure I did not interfere with law enforcement.
I made the decision the next day, Easter Sunday, that the Kaufman County Courthouse and other county facilities would open for business as usual on Monday,
April 1. Plenty of extra security was in place that Monday morning when we all arrived for work.
All of the members of the Kaufman County District Attorney’s Office were at work on Monday fulfilling their duties. In addition to Mark, Mike and Cynthia, those employees are the real heroes. I am almost sure all other county offices were fully staffed that day, as well.
Our employees are saddened, shaken, and concerned for their personal safety, and that is understandable. As each day passes, we are slowly returning to our routines. We will not soon return to the normal we enjoyed before the horrible series of events that began on Jan. 31 with the murder of Mark Hasse, and continued some two months later with the murders on March 30 of Mike and Cynthia.
The members of the Kaufman County Commissioners Court have been so very supportive of our employees, and each one has pledged to do whatever he can to assist the county as we move forward with our professional and personal lives. I would like to extend my thanks to Commissioners Jimmy Vrzalik, Ray Clark, Kenneth Schoen and Tom Manning for their leadership and support.
We are a county of approx-imately 105,000 people, and each commissioner has worked diligently to maintain our level of service to our citizens as we move through this difficult time. We are a close-knit group that functions very well together.
We have joined together twice now to take part in a special flag ceremony honoring Mark, Mike and Cynthia, who touched our lives while they were with us here on earth. I have no doubt their influence will continue to affect all of us in the future. We will return to a state of normalcy at some point in the future, each in our own way, but we shall never forget these three wonderful people.
We will continue to remember them and pray for their families in the days, weeks, and months ahead.