The IRE Resource Center is a major research library containing more than 23,250 investigative stories — both print and broadcast. These stories are searchable online or by contacting the Resource Center directly (573-882-3364 or rescntr@ire.org) where a researcher can help you pinpoint what you need. Browse or search the tipsheet section of our library below. Stories are not available for download but can be easily ordered by contacting the Resource Center:
Search results for "Steve McVicker" ...
-
Billie Bob's (Mis)fortune
The Houston Press profiles lottery winner Billie Bob Harrell, who took his life less than two years after winning a $31 million jackpot. Harrell never found Easy Street. Winning the lottery lead Harrell into divorce and financial overextension. He cashed in his half of 10 years worth of lottery payments worth 6 million for $2.25 million -- still five weeks later he took his own life. "Winning the lottery was the worst thing that ever happened to me," he said.
Tags: lottery winners
-
Trouble in mind
The Houston Press reports that "as many as 17 percent of those (140,000) inmates are either mentally ill or mentally retarded, yet the Texas Department of Criminal Justice has fewer than 4,600 beds designated for the mentally impaired... the number of state-funded nonprison beds for the mentally challenged has dropped from 8,000 to fewer than 5,500. In essence, the state of Texas is warehousing its mental patients in its prison system..."
-
The Further Adventures of King Con
McVicker tells the story of Steven Russell, a con-man who has escaped from the Texas prison system four times. The article gives detailed information on the way in which Russell conned his way out of jail and how, each time, he was caught.
Tags: jailbreaks; Steven Russell; Steve McVicker
-
Making a Killing
In the 1970s, Walter Waldhauser, Jr. was involved in four insurance and inheritance-related murders for hire. After serving less than a third of his time, Waldhauser was paroled and is now the president of a viatical company which buys the life insurance policy of terminally ill patients - for pennies on the dollar - and pockets the money when they die.
Tags: AIDS