Lecture Notes: The Troubling Story of Travis

Introduction

• Subject: Travis, a 15-year-old boy from Arkansas
• Behavior: Known for stealing and getting suspended from school

The Initial Crime (1996)

• Plan: Travis and friend Andre plan to rob houses in their neighborhood
• Execution: Decide to rob two separate houses
  • Andre claims to have killed two people in a mansion and stole their car
• Outcome: Attempt to dispose of bodies fails; set mansion on fire
• Escape: Crash stolen car and flee on foot

Investigation and Arrest

• Discovery: Local resident finds the flipped car and reports the fire
• Police Actions:
  • Investigate and offer $10,000 reward for information
  • Travis initially passes multiple polygraph tests but fails on the fourth
  • Confession: Admits to robbery but claims Andre committed the murders
• Evidence: Travis's fingerprints found in the stolen car; Andre's not found
• Legal Consequences: Travis is charged with the murders and takes a plea deal for 28 years

The Role of Martha

• Background: Martha, the daughter of one of the murder victims, Sally
• Actions: Inherits mansion and turns it into a bed and breakfast
• Relationship with Travis:
  • Believes Travis's claim of innocence
  • Advocates for Travis, asks for case reopening, employs Travis’s mother

Travis’s Release and Employment (2018)

• Release: Serves sentence, released at age 37
• Employment: Martha employs Travis as a groundskeeper

The Second Incident

• Theft: Travis steals $10,000 cash from Martha’s house
• Consequences: Martha fires Travis, leading to his anger

Final Crime and Death

• Revenge: Travis attempts to rob Martha again, confronts her
• Tragic Outcome:
  • Travis stabs and kills Martha
  • Attempts to destroy evidence by setting the house on fire

Police Intervention

• Confrontation: Police arrive due to activated alarm
• Escape Attempt: Travis flees but ultimately drowns in a nearby lake

Conclusion

• The story highlights the cycle of crime and the tragic ending to a troubled life