Watch the full story on "20/20" TONIGHT at 8 p.m. eventAction: 'click_ads' ANGELO, TEXAS Dr. Wendi Mae Davidson, 28, was sentenced to 25 years in prison last month after pleading no contest to charges she murdered her husband, Dyess Air Force Base Staff Sgt. "At the time I didn't realize there was an issue but looking back you know, like hindsight's 20/20 and everything, so looking back obviously there was a problem, that's not normal.". eventAction: 'click_image_ads' This naturally aroused suspicions, and when law enforcement officials searched the ranch, located around 20 miles from San Angelo, Texas, they found Michaels body inside a pond on the property, held down by weights. The couple had given birth to their first child. eventAction: 'render' To the outside world, they were perceived to be a normal family until Severance went missing in 2005 and shocked the community. : She was a new young veterinarian with her own clinic. So now, if you wish to know more about their then-toddler son, including how he was affected by the tragic ordeal and his current standing, weve got the details for you. Wendi was arrested for the murder of Mike Severance and after 32 days behind bars, her parents raised the $500,000 bond to get her released. We aren't any worse than the other small towns dotting this entire continent. Even well done fiction shows that no one person is all evil and another all good. is the true, shocking story of a war hero and a marriage that ended in cold-blooded murder. What comes next after Texas school shooting? Severance quicklylearned how to line dance and two-step after realizing it was a great way to meetwomen. Investigators described a corpse that was weighted down with two cinder blocks, a rock, a boat anchor, and other equipment. For the work I began with THROUGH THE WINDOW, I received the "Defender of Innocence" award from the Downstate Illinois Innocence Project. I am the author of fourteen true crime books published by St. Martin's Press and Berkley Books including the Edgar Award nominated WRITTEN IN BLOOD and the best-selling MOMMY'S LITTLE GIRL. Shewas denied parole in 2019, and her next eligible parole date is in May 2024. Im not going tolieI didnt like him. hitType: 'event', , St. Martin's True Crime; 1st edition (August 12, 2009), Publication date Powered by WordPress.com VIP. Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information. After the ruling on the tracker, Davidson took a plea deal and pleaded no contest to her husband's murder. After Davidson was released from jail on bond, a toxicology report revealed that Severance had been poisoned by animal tranquilizers that Davidson would have had access to in her clinic. "I did what I did, I think it was horrible, I think that I made a bad choice, there were better choices to be made. Create your free profile and get access to exclusive content. It would be his familys first opportunity to meetDavidsonand the kids. All Rights Reserved. This is a rivoting story that kept me glued to the facts to the very end. And, Ms Fanning, the polygamists are gone too, fyi. After viewing product detail pages, look here to find an easy way to navigate back to pages you are interested in. Additionally, I have written ten mystery novels including five in the Lucinda Pierce series from Severn House. People who commit crimes, they have reasons. }); More than 15 years after he was given animal tranquilizers and stabbed 41 times by his wife, the motive behind the gruesome murder of Texas Air Force Sergeant Michael Severance remains a mystery. However, the case turned on its head when authorities found Michaels deceased body about two months later, drowned inside a pond in a remote ranch. Wendi Mae Davidson spoke to ABC's Matt Gutman in 2021. I love Diane Fanning. pg.acq.push(function() { Wendi Mae Davidson - killed her husband by injecting him with drugs that were normally used to euthanize animals. That evening,Davidsons brothercontacted the San Angelo Police Department. The couple was supposed to fly out to Maine on January 16, 2005, but Wendi called Michaels parents to say she couldnt find him anywhere. The Severance family was granted temporary guardianship of Shane at one point, while Tristan was given to Wendis parents once her legal troubles began, leading to a bitter and lengthy battle for the formers custody. eventCategory: event.slot.getSlotElementId(), : Prior to that, she worked at the Advanced Animal Care clinic on Sherwood Way as a veterinarian. From what we can tell, as of writing, since Shane is 17-years-old and prefers to keep away from the limelight, hes a high school senior in his hometown of San Angelo, Texas. However, Michaels phone and wallet were still at home, and his family thought it was uncharacteristic of him to leave abruptly. Last year, she was denied an early release from prison after a seven-member Texas Board of Pardons and Paroles voted to deny her request for parole and cited the brutal nature of her crime. Very enjoyable. At the time of Michaels disappearance, he had already completed five deployments in the Middle East and was preparing for his sixths deployment in Canada. OSI was later able to track her to the remote ranch and authorities found his body. Nevertheless, Wendi is ineligible for parole at the time of writing and remains behind bars at the Dr. Lane Murray Unit in Gatesville, Texas. Crime News is your destination for true crime stories from around the world, breaking crime news, and information about Oxygen's original true crime shows and documentaries. } ", "I think my husband was a victim, I think my children were victims," she said. The family dynamics are bizarre and remind me a lot of the Casey Anthony family. Sorry, there was a problem loading this page. As per reports, Michael Severance and Wendi Mae Davidson welcomed a beautiful baby boy into their lives, whom they proudly named Shane Michael Severance, just before the fall of 2004. Texas airman is poisoned by wife, brutally stabbed 41 times and dumped in pond, motive remains a mystery. In an interview with the San Angelo Police Department, Davidson said she had last seen Severance on the morning of January 15 and that he had left behind both his car and his cell phone. , Language The OSI with San Angelo PD performed a search of the couples home and Davidsons veterinary practice,retrievingthe hard drive from her computer. Wendi Mae Davidson spoke to ABC's "20/20" in 2021. He talked about Michaels body being in one of the ponds at the ranch. Despite what Davidson said, there was never any evidence to suggest that her husband had a problem with drugs or alcohol. He had been stabbed 41 times and was weighed down with more than 140 pounds of car parts, tires, and cinder blocks so his body wound not float to the surface. "At the time I didn't realize there was an issue but looking back you know, like hindsight's 20/20 and everything, so looking back obviously there was a problem, that's not normal.". Bring your club to Amazon Book Clubs, start a new book club and invite your friends to join, or find a club thats right for you for free. CLIP 10/12/22. }); Prosecutors argued that since officers thought Severance was AWOL at the time, OSI gained the necessary permissions and approval to utilize tracking devices. She filed for divorce the very next day. Maine Man Vanished 4 Months After Wedding. Severance's toxicology report revealed that he had been poisoned with animal tranquilizers and then stabbed 41 times posthumously. eventAction: 'click_adunit' Just shaking my head the whole time. Now she said she is ready to tell her side of the story. When OSI took over, they were able to operate under different constraints than local police and had been given permission to place a tracking device in Davidson's car, according to ABC. Redemption links and eBooks cannot be resold. After Davidson was charged, her defense team quickly filed a motion to suppress the evidence gained from the tracking device in her car -- claiming it was illegally obtained -- since, by law, officers need to get a court order to allow them to attach a tracker to a person's vehicle. document.querySelector("#google_image_div").addEventListener('click',function(){ Reviewed in the United States on February 4, 2011. Former Texas veterinarian and mother of two Wendi Mae Davidson is currently serving 25 years in prison for murdering her husband in 2005. 4. The OSI hit a breakthrough almost immediately when, along with the San Angelo PD, they performed a search of the couple's home and Davidsons veterinary practice, and uncovered a hard drive with seemingly incriminating evidence. } However, at the time he went missing, Severance was on leave and an official OSI inquiry could not begin until after he was expected to be back on base. "The record indicates the instant offense has elements of brutality, violence, assaultive behavior, or conscious selection of victims vulnerability indicating a conscious disregard for the lives, safety, or property of others, such that the offender poses a continuing threat to public safety," the board ruled. Please include what you were doing when this page came up and the Cloudflare Ray ID found at the bottom of this page. Davidson loved working with animals and attended Texas A&M University with the intention of becoming a veterinarian. }); Why are people hesitant to trust a COVID-19 vaccine? . ABC Wendi Mae Davidson details what she did after discovering husband's body By Matt Lombardi, Cari Strassberg, Haley Yamada Share Former Texas veterinarian and mother of two Wendi Mae Davidson is currently serving 25 years in prison for murdering her husband in 2005. I want at least one why. pg.acq.push(function() { 20/20: Dead Man Talking takes the viewer through the gruesome murder and follows the police investigation that eventually accused Wendi of the crime. To hear more, watch Snapped now onOxygen.com. It just could have been presented in a more thoughtful and objective way. Shane thus grew up with both sides of the family, from where he seemingly learned that his parents are much more than just this tragedy. hitType: 'event', She then tried weights to his feet before dumping the body in the pond. Using your mobile phone camera - scan the code below and download the Kindle app. Now she said she is ready to tell her side of the story. She claimed to have a horse there that she took care of. We affirm the trial court's order denying Wendi's petition to modify. "He was all concerned about -- he didn't want to be deployed, because he was afraid that something bad was going to happen," Davidson told police in 2005. She claimedSeverancehad been drinking a lot because he was beingdeployedto Afghanistan and that he may haverun away. However, when officers got warrants for Wendis computer, they saw she had googled how to decompose a body in water. , File size ga('create', 'UA-67136960-15', 'auto', 'ads'); "My parents drove up, and me and my brother were telling them everything that happened, which was that I had found him dead and dumped his body in the pond.". Pro se appellant Wendi Mae Davidson complains of the trial court's order in her suit to modify parent-child relationship (SAPCR) seeking increased contact with her son, S.S., who was fifteen years old when the order was signed. In September 2004, just a few weeks after the birth of their son, they tied the knot at a Texas courthouse. She wassentenced to 25 years in prison, according to Texas CBS affiliateKBTX-TV.