Death of teenager still haunts friends 42 years later
After 4 decades, cold case of slain teen musician reopened
No one was ever brought to justice.
“He was butchered,” said Odom.
“He didn’t have a chance to live,” Rhoades said.
But the two men said they have hope that justice may indeed be done. Victoria County sheriff’s investigator Tony Daniel said Godfrey’s killing is one cold case of three he is now actively pursuing.
" Odom believes to this day Godfrey met his attacker playing music in one of the bars near the area where the body was found."
“I have a passion to do this kind of work,” said Daniel, who has numerous homicide convictions under his belt and years of experience investigating such crimes.
Daniel said he is looking at several suspects, all of whom are still alive. And with revolutionary advances in forensic science and DNA analysis since 1976, Daniel said he is optimistic.
But the investigator also asked for help from the public.
“If somebody calls in and talks to me, I can make that decision on whether it’s vital to the case or not,” Daniel said. “I’m not going to ignore it.”
The months that immediately preceded Godfrey’s death were a time of youthful excitement, Odom and Rhoades said.
As members of Southern Wind, a Victoria-born rock band started by Odom and another friend, the friends spent most of their free time practicing, hanging out and regularly playing at Son Valley Ranch and other Victoria venues as well as frat parties, bars and the occasional hotel lounge in Houston, Austin, Corpus Christi and elsewhere in South and Central Texas."
After 4 decades, cold case of slain teen musician reopened
- By Jon Wilcox | jwilcox@vicad.com
- Apr 6, 2019
No one was ever brought to justice.
“He was butchered,” said Odom.
“He didn’t have a chance to live,” Rhoades said.
But the two men said they have hope that justice may indeed be done. Victoria County sheriff’s investigator Tony Daniel said Godfrey’s killing is one cold case of three he is now actively pursuing.
" Odom believes to this day Godfrey met his attacker playing music in one of the bars near the area where the body was found."
“I have a passion to do this kind of work,” said Daniel, who has numerous homicide convictions under his belt and years of experience investigating such crimes.
Daniel said he is looking at several suspects, all of whom are still alive. And with revolutionary advances in forensic science and DNA analysis since 1976, Daniel said he is optimistic.
But the investigator also asked for help from the public.
“If somebody calls in and talks to me, I can make that decision on whether it’s vital to the case or not,” Daniel said. “I’m not going to ignore it.”
The months that immediately preceded Godfrey’s death were a time of youthful excitement, Odom and Rhoades said.
As members of Southern Wind, a Victoria-born rock band started by Odom and another friend, the friends spent most of their free time practicing, hanging out and regularly playing at Son Valley Ranch and other Victoria venues as well as frat parties, bars and the occasional hotel lounge in Houston, Austin, Corpus Christi and elsewhere in South and Central Texas."
