HUNTSVILLE, Texas (KTRK) — Emotional appeals for help. A terrifying encounter. And a fatal ending.
In the summer of 1974, as the nation focused on the Watergate scandal, a crisis was unfolding within the Huntsville unit, known as “The Walls.” Three armed prisoners took over the prison’s education building, holding more than a dozen teachers and staff hostage for 11 days. When it was over, not everyone came out.
“It was absolutely shocking because I was wondering why, you know, that’s exactly what was shocking. They took the teachers,” said Ray Branch, whose father was inside.
The man behind it all, Fred Carrasco, was a notorious South Texas drug lord. He issued a chilling demand and warning, “Now there is only one way these people will see the light again, and that is for you to cooperate. You have the power.”
More than 50 years later, rare audio footage and film show the fear the hostages faced and the tragic end that took the lives of Elizabeth Yvonne “Vaughn” Beseda and Julia “Judy” Standley, two civilians who worked in the prison’s school district.
“I don’t think any of us really thought something like this would ever happen,” explained Wayne Scott, retired executive director of the Texas Department of Criminal Justice, who was nearly shot when the confrontation began. “When it does happen and there’s a loss of life, it’s very alarming and makes you take stock of your situation.”
In the latest episode of Texas True Crime, ABC13’s Jessica Willey relives stunning moments from 11 days of terror and sits down with those who were there all the way and with the families of the hostages who were anxiously awaiting their fate.
Frances Hunter, the daughter of one of the hostages, said: “They were ordinary people, and they did their best to survive.”
Watch Texas True Crime: 11 Days of Terror wherever you stream on ABC13.
Watch Texas True Crime on your favorite streaming devices, like Roku, FireTV, AppleTV, and GoogleTV. Just search “ABC13 Houston”.
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