Austin College Professor Writes of West Texas Murder Case; Story of Odessa, Texas, "Kiss and Kill Murder" Told

Wednesday, September 22, 2004
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SHERMAN, TEXAS -- Shelton Williams, professor of political science and international studies at Austin College, has written several books within his academic expertise of American foreign policy and nuclear proliferation throughout his career. His latest book, Washed In The Blood, to be released Oct. 1, takes on a much different topic: the Odessa, Texas, "Kiss and Kill"murder of the 1960s. Williams, a classmate, cousin, and confidante of the young woman who died, retells the story and its aftermath in the new book. He provides a first-person account of the events leading up to the death, recounts the trial of the young man who took the life of Betty Williams, and describes the work of defense attorney Warren Burnett. Texas Monthly senior editor Gary Cartwright called Washed In The Blood "the stuff of great literature. Except it's tragically real." Buzz Bissinger, author of Friday Night Lights, called it "hypnotic, eerie, a spine-tingling murder mystery and haunting memoir." Washed In the Blood is being published by Bristol Publishing Company of Lubbock, Texas, and will be released Oct. 1. Austin College, affiliated with the Presbyterian Church (USA), is an independent, liberal arts college located 60 miles north of Dallas in Sherman, Texas. Chartered in November 1849, it is the oldest college in Texas under original charter and name as recognized by the State Historical Survey Committee.U.S. News & World Report ranked Austin College among the top 100 colleges in the category of "Best Liberal Arts Colleges" for 2005. Austin College also ranked among the "Best 357 Colleges" in the 2005 Princeton Review, was profiled in Loren Pope's Colleges That Change Lives, and was profiled in the2005 edition of Kaplan's Insiders Guide to the 331 Most Interesting Colleges.
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Published Wednesday, September 22, 2004
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