She Spent 20 Years Hunting Her Best Friend’s Killer

This episode details the decades-long quest for justice led by Sheila Wysocki following the 1984 murder of her college roommate, Angie Samota. For twenty years, the case remained cold as investigators incorrectly focused on Samota’s acquaintances, eventually exhausting all leads. Driven by a personal vision, Wysocki pressured the Dallas Police Department and even became a private investigator to force a re-examination of the evidence. Her persistence led to a DNA breakthrough that exonerated her former friends and identified the real killer as Donald Bess, a serial rapist already in prison. The account highlights how tenacious civilian advocacy can overcome bureaucratic hu...