Episode 252

full
Published on:

28th Oct 2026

13 Calls: The Erin Caffey Case

⚠️ Content advisory: This episode discusses the murders of a mother and two children, and later a survivor's thoughts of suicide. If you or someone you know is struggling, call or text 988 (Suicide & Crisis Lifeline, U.S.).

On March 1, 2008, in Alba, Texas, Penny Caffey and her sons, Matthew, 13, and Tyler, 8, were killed and their home was then set on fire. Terry Caffey was shot multiple times and crawled hundreds of yards to a neighbor's house for help. Within hours, investigators believed his 16-year-old daughter, Erin, was involved.

This episode looks at what Terry and Penny could see in the weeks before, what the phone records and evidence show about that night, the four different stories Erin has told, and why Terry still believes his daughter didn't plan it. We also cover Erin's 2026 habeas case, which is currently pending as of this episode.

📚 [SOURCES]

Court & official records

• Texas Court of Criminal Appeals, Ex parte Erin Michelle Caffey, WR-97,754-01/-02/-03 — remand order and dissenting opinion (Aug. 20, 2026); notices (Aug. 20 and Sept. 25, 2026)

• Texas Department of Criminal Justice, Inmate Search (inmate.tdcj.texas.gov), accessed Oct. 2026

• Recorded hospital interview with Erin Caffey, March 1, 2008

• Recorded interview with Terry Caffey, March 3, 2008

• Pamela Colloff, "Flesh and Blood," Texas Monthly, June 2009

• Associated Press reporting, March 2008 and January 2009 (via NBC News, Fox News, SFGate and KETR)

• Herald-Banner, March 3, 2008

• KLTV coverage, March 2008 – January 2009

• ABC News, June 2012

Interviews & accounts

• Terry Caffey & James H. Pence, Terror by Night (Tyndale, 2009)

• Terry Caffey, testimony at West Baptist Church, 2013

• Dr. Phil, two-part episode, 2014

• Killer Women with Piers Morgan, ITV, May 2016

• Tyler Morning Telegraph video feature

Where accounts conflict, the episode says so. Opinion is labeled as opinion.

🖼️ Some images in this episode are AI-generated illustrations. Photos of the people involved, the trailer and inside the courtroom are real.

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Kristine W

Hi! Hello! I’m Kristine.
You might know me from Beach House 34, but the podcast/vodcast is evolving. Welcome to TrueCrime.fm.

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