TEXAS TRUE-CRIME

Oil Tycoon Acquitted in 1970s Murder Trial Dies at 93

T. Cullen Davis was later acquitted again in a murder-for-hire plot.

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T. Cullen Davis, a Texas oil tycoon acquitted of murdering his stepdaughter at his secluded Fort Worth mansion, died Friday at his home. He was 93. In 1976, a gunman wearing a woman’s wig fatally shot Andrea Wilborn, Cullen Davis’ 12-year-old stepdaughter, and Stan Farr, Cullen Davis’ estranged wife’s 20-year-old boyfriend. Cullen Davis was accused of murder. His first trial ended in a mistrial because of juror misconduct. The second ended in an acquittal. At the time, Cullen Davis was said to be the wealthiest man to have stood trial for murder, according to the Associated Press. He was arrested again nine months later for allegedly hiring a hitman to kill his estranged wife, Priscilla Davis, and the judge overseeing their divorce proceedings. Cullen Davis was acquitted again. The story was featured on several prominent true-crime shows, including American Justice, 48 Hours, and Texas Justice. Cullen Davis’ stepson Trey Davis, who announced his death on Monday, told the Associated Press that his stepfather was someone who “stood with his arms wide open, willing to lovingly accept you regardless of where you stood in life.”