Scary Terri | 2. The Last Will

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The Binge Cases: What She Buried 37 min 13 speakers 8 chapters transcribed
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What happened to Devereux Cleaver?

Jonathan Hirsch 0:41
Devereux Cleaver left behind a grieving family, but she also left behind a will that she'd written herself in her own handwriting. She was 13 years old when she apparently decided it was time to write her last will and testament.

What was Devereux's will about?

Advertisement Narrator 0:58
I give, devise, and bequeath all of my property, including all rights, titles, and interests of whatever character I may own. The document said, In and to any property, real, personal, or mixed, wherever situated, to Terry Johnson, who has been to me like a second mother.
Jonathan Hirsch 1:18
Terry Johnson. Otherwise known as Terry Hoffman. Sandra's friend. Terry Hoffman. And here's what's strange. The document was dated August 1978, six months before she died. The will indicated who would get Dev's basketball, her rock collection, but also the family trust.
Louise Watson 1:47
Devereaux had a $200,000, I believe, trust fund from grandparents. Terry would have made quite a cleanup.

Why did Sandra Cleaver and Louise Watson die?

Louise Watson 2:03
200,000.
Jonathan Hirsch 2:04
That was a lot of money back then. Almost a million bucks today. How the hell in all the 171 million acres of Texas does a teenager find themselves compelled to sign a will? And why Terry Hoffman? Both Chrissy and Gail believe that she created the will because her mom wanted her to. But I wonder if it's more complicated than that. What if Sandra didn't walk unwittingly into the water? Maybe she knew a swim on the peninsula that day was a death sentence. The question of why she'd signed a will was unanswered, incomplete. like an unsigned check she'd left on the kitchen table. Turns out that will didn't really hold up.
Louise Watson 3:00
It isn't legal in Texas, of course.
Jonathan Hirsch 3:04
But in the midst of their grief, it did hang in the air, the question of the will. Did somebody put her up to this? It was a wild and dangerous thought that bounced around in their heads like a caged animal. They just couldn't shake this feeling that maybe Sandra had convinced Dev to sign this will. And that even if she hadn't, Sandra might have known Terry had it out for their daughter.

What was Terry Hoffman's influence?

Jonathan Hirsch 3:37
And if Terry could get Sandra to let go of her daughter, what else could she get her to let go of?
Gail (Megan's Mom) 3:56
These shark eyes, those cold, dark eyes.
The most sophisticated sociopath I've ever observed.
Chuck 4:05
Left behind a series of bizarre diaries and writings associated with Terry Hoffman and a group she founded called the Conscious Development of Body, Mind, and Soul, Inc.
Kroom Beatty 4:14
You really see how evil she really was, like heartless.

How did the police investigate the deaths?

Are those items that are used to control and combat, shield against black lords? On both the Fifth Amendment. That it was a cult? I didn't know that.
Jonathan Hirsch 4:35
From Sony Music Entertainment, this is Scary Terry. I'm Jonathan Hirsch. Chapter 2, The Last Will. The Garden of the Gods in Colorado Springs. A beautiful, otherworldly stretch of park. Almost 500 acres of craggy, red rocks that stretch across the foothills surrounding the town. From the tops of the mountains, you can see never-ending peaks and valleys of tall aspen trees. Here you could climb above the earth and everything in it. Terry had purchased land in this area, further up the mountain near Cripple Creek, as a future site of a center for CDBMS. In 1981, just two years after Dev's death, Sandra wanted to go see their new property. And she asked her childhood nanny, Louise Watson, known as Wheezy, to tag along.
Louise Watson 5:48
Wheezy did not want to go on that trip to Colorado. But Sandra convinced her that it would be good for her and it would be a wonderful experience. And Wheezy didn't want to go.

What were the legal proceedings regarding the will?

Jonathan Hirsch 6:06
At this point, Wheezy was older. She may not have felt like she could say no to Sandra. Sandra was in her 40s, but Wheezy was 78. Why? Why? Why?
Louise Watson 6:16
Why? But then, as we got to thinking about it, Louise was very dependent on Sandra and, of course, was elderly. And I'm sure in some bizarre way, Sandra couldn't leave her alone and was convinced it was better for Louise to go with her.

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