Texas Tragedy: The Story of Priscilla Davis: A True Story of Money, Murder and Survival

by Greg Brown

The criminal prosecutions of Cullen Davis was explored on CBS' 48 HOURS on May 13, 2017. This book touches on the crimes, but tells more of what happened to Priscilla in the following years.In August of 1976, one of the most notorious murder scenes played out in Ft. Worth, Texas. Cullen Davis was one of the richest men in Texas and his second wife, Priscilla Davis, with whom he was divorcing, was shot in their mansion. Also shot and murdered were her twelve-year-old daughter and her thirty-year-old boyfriend, Stan Farr. Priscilla and two other people said it was Cullen. The culprit was wearing a wig so his identity was somewhat hidden but not completely. Cullen was arrested in the early morning hours of August 3, 1976, at the home of his girlfriend, Karen Master. He later went on trial for the murder of Priscilla's daughter. He was found not guilty but the next year he was put on trial for a murder-for-hire plot to kill the judge overseeing his divorce from Priscilla. He got off from that charge, too. Finally in 1979 he and Priscilla were divorced. Priscilla received 3.3 million dollars and Cullen was able to move back into his 19,000 square-foot mansion. This book explains the facts of that fateful August night and what happened in the courtrooms of Texas. But the majority chronicles the path Priscilla took after the trials of the 1970's. Priscilla was not done with Cullen yet and she would try tirelessly to obtain some kind of justice. She also decided to have a little fun along the way. The press loved Priscilla but the general public were split. She had been painted as a low-rent gold-digger in the Texas courtrooms but everyone also knew that Cullen was probably guilty of murder. In the end, only the two of them really knew the truth. This is the story of how Priscilla learned to live with the fact that Cullen would never have to pay for his actions and her reputation would be forever marred. In 1995, a 26-year-old man named Greg Brown moved in with Priscilla, who was now 53. They became lovers and Greg tells how Priscilla learned to make the most of tragic situations which were both of her making and not of her making. It's a story of struggle, love and compromise even in the most dire of circumstances.

Genres: Nonfiction, Biography

216 pages, Paperback

Published April 24, 2016

Reviews

[Jeff Dawson · Rating 2 out of 5]

The first part of the story centers around the murder trial of Cullen Davis and the events leading up to the fateful night. It’s basically all the newspaper stories dealing with the farce of justice. Absolutely no insight.

The second half is the author describing his life with Priscilla and their partying ways. How engaging is a story of going out and getting bombed every night? Not very.

The author had a great opportunity to describe the love affair the two shared. Instead, he strays and spends too much time on himself. I found the description of her giving him BJ completely out of place.

There is a slew of grammatical, formatting and fact issues. Came across as an unedited dash for cash.

Perhaps someday he’ll give revisit this work and give the subject matter the tribute it deserves. This is not it.

Two stars.

[Robin Ritter · Rating 3 out of 5]

My take

Good story, but I think the story of the actual murders and Cullen's trials could have been covered a little more.

[Jerry Jares · Rating 4 out of 5]

If you are from Texas, as I am, the names of Cullen and Priscilla Davis are etched into your psyche because the cases went on for years. One of the advantages of reading this book is seeing the long-term story spread out for clear understanding. Billionaire Cullen Davis weathered trials for multiple murders. Of all the people involved in the case, only Cullen Davis is still alive today.

I'd expected the story to be about the murders and trials. However, I was surprised to see that was wrong. Yes, the author discussed the murders and the trials. In 1976, the estranged couple Cullen and Priscilla Davis lived separate lives. Priscilla was trying to get a divorce from Cullen. She was his second wife; he was still trying to settle with his first wife and that divorce.

Cullen had left the palatial home in Fort Worth and was living with a new girlfriend. Priscilla lived in the 19,000 sq. ft. home with her new boyfriend, TCU basketball great Stan Farr. With them lived Andrea, Priscilla's daughter from a previous marriage. A man with a black wig entered the home and killed Stan Farr, Andrea (12 years old), and shot Priscilla once in the chest. A visitor was also permanently disabled by being shot but survived.

Priscilla immediately recognized Cullen and named him as the shooter. Cullen was arrested the next morning at his girlfriend's house. Cullen got the famous "RaceHorse Hanes" as his attorney. Being a billionaire, Cullen was found not guilty of killing the child, Andrea. The following year, he was tried (with a venue change) for a murder-for-hire plot to murder the judge listening to the divorce trial between Cullen and Priscilla. Cullen skated past that too. 

At the third trial, the billionaire escaped responsibility for Stan Farr's death. Priscilla kept waiting for justice for her daughter and herself. It never came. In 1979, the Davises were divorced, Priscilla got a $3.3 million settlement, and Cullen took back possession of his huge mansion. Priscilla was described as a low-life gold digger during all those court cases.

As I've thought about the author and why he wrote this book, I've come to the conclusion that he wanted to show the true scope of Priscilla's tragedy. Books have been written about the trials, and a movie told the story. However, Greg Brown wanted to tell Priscilla's story. However, I thought he brought too much attention to himself.

Greg Brown was no disinterested reporter; he was Priscilla's love interest for the last six years of her life. What makes this story bizarre is that Greg was a committed gay man who happened to fall in love with Priscilla. When they moved in together, Priscilla was fifty-three, and Greg was twenty-six. And yes, they had a sexual relationship (although I thought that was too much information).

Viewed back from the funeral, Priscilla had many friends (the funeral was packed) who talked about her generosity, loyalty to friends, and life-long friendships. Because she had nothing at the time of her death, friends came forward and donated a burial spot and helped pay for her funeral.

This is the story of Priscilla Davis, who had it all. Because she refused to live with the abuse, she got on the wrong side of a billionaire. This is how she continued living, trying to get justice in a system protecting the wealthy. Priscilla died at fifty-nine of breast cancer.

[Sharon Loveall · Rating 3 out of 5]

A sad tale of what money can and cannot buy

As a recent resident of Fort Worth, I had heard about Cullen Davis and the murders at his mansIon. The first part of the book chronicles Ms. Davis' life with Cullen and the murders at their mansion. The second part tells of her life after the money was gone. A detailed account of what happened and what became of Ms. Davis.

[Dawn · Rating 4 out of 5]

Easy and Quick

This book was a quick and easy read. Not a bad book. Didn't know any of the story before I started reading. Would like to watch the movie now though.

[Amber · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very sad

Great read but very sad that she never got the Justice she deserved for the death of her daughter... Nor Justice for the other members of the deceased families. RIP

[melissa Nielsen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Good Read

I grew up in the dallas/ft worth area and have always been curious about her. I think Greg should have been given more acknowledgment.

[Lavender · Rating 3 out of 5]

This tells the story of Priscilla Davis, her life and the aftermath of the tragedy that changed her life. Interesting read as I was not familiar with the case previously.

[Karen Parker · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good but looooong

This book was interesting but could have been half the length if all the repetition had been left out. I began to spot read by the end.

[Jason Hutchinson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Enjoyable read

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. Now I want to watch the movies to learn more about this fascinating lady. It’s a shame Cullen was never punished.

[Mollie Dox · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sad story. Hard to put down.

[Kim Hamilton · Rating 3 out of 5]

I’ve read so much about Priscilla and Cullen Davis over the years, so naturally I was drawn to this book. While the first third of the book is about the inexplicable murders he got away with, the rest of the book is a memoir by Priscilla’s last love.

[Purplekitty58 · Rating 4 out of 5]

I thought this book was well written and it kept my attention until the end. It was interesting to me because I remembered when the trial of Cullen Davis was taking place and this book has the tragic side of a true life story.

[Rachel Kampff · Rating 2 out of 5]

True Hero!

I am soo grateful to have found this read!
Priscilla was a true woman with grace and an inspiration to all!
She suffered tremendously and never lost her spirit of became bitter.
It is a real disappoint that you can get away with murder in TEXAS!
Only God can give us peace in knowing..no one gets away with evil!
Thank you for writing this book and loving her till the end!
I can only say, everyone should be blessed!
Tearfully and lovingly,
M

[Mike Gidley · Rating 2 out of 5]

Someone needs a proofreader

Interesting story but the book is poorly written. Lots of typos. Priscilla Davis lived her life of excess and entitlement to the extreme. She lived recklessly and her decisions were foolish at best. The saddest part of this book was not her death but rather her trainwreck of a life.

[april lewis · Rating 4 out of 5]

Surprisingly......pretty good.

I was pleasantly surprised at the completion of this book. Priscilla's love interest, Greg, narrated his life with her with dignity and it was quite clear that he loved her. Great story, I would recommend it as something to take along on a road trip.

[Cassandra A. Whitecotton · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very Tragic great read I don't know how she survived all that she endured in life and love. Culling got off Scott free.

Priscilla endured more than any person should have done. Culling roams free living his life as he took life he should've burned in Hello.

[Debbie Lietz · Rating 5 out of 5]

Hard to put down

Very interesting story of Priscilla in the years since the trials. Even though she was down, she was never out. Very interesting portrait of a truly lovely woman. Easy read, I read it in one evening. An interesting story and very well written.

[Jazmine · Rating 1 out of 5]

Only got through the prologue but I was immediately turned off. I want to hear about the victim's story, not the authors taupe suit and brand name of clothing.

[Stephanie (Booked-up) · Rating 5 out of 5]

Surprisingly this was a very good book and hard to put down.