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What To Know About A Texas Businessman’s Unsolved Murder Before ‘Cold Justice’ Returns
Texas towing company owner Jerry Don Humphrey was shot as he slept in 2003. Who pulled the trigger?
The results are truly impressive: Working side-by-side with local law enforcement, the “Cold Justice” investigative team has helped secure 21 convictions and 49 arrests in unsolved homicides across the U.S.
In the popular show’s season 6 premiere on Saturday, July 10 at 8/7c on Oxygen, veteran prosecutor Kelly Siegler is in Stafford, Texas with investigator Abbey Abbondandolo. Alongside Stafford police, they dig deep into an unsolved homicide to see that justice is done.
Here’s what you need to know about the shocking murder case, in which a hard-working Fort Bend County businessman and father was shot in cold blood as he slept.
Who was the victim?
Jerry Don Humphrey, 40, ran a tow truck company in Stafford, Texas, where he lived with his wife, Jody, and their two young daughters. He worked the night shift as a recovery agent, according to a Stafford Police Department spokesman.
When did the murder happen?
On December 22, 2003, just three days before Christmas, Humphrey’s father-in-law, who lived across the street, found him unresponsive after coming to the house to wake his son-in-law up for work.
“He called the police, and Humphrey was pronounced dead at the scene by fire and EMS personnel,” reported the Stafford Chronicle in 2003. It was the first murder reported by the Stafford Police Department in three years.
How was Humphrey killed?
An autopsy confirmed the cause of death was gunshot wounds. There were no signs of forced entry and nothing appeared to be missing from the home, according to the local news report.
The victim’s father-in-law had last seen Humphrey alive at 9:30 that morning. Jody Humphrey was at work, and their kids weren’t home at the time of the murder.
In its report of the murder, the Stafford Chronicle noted that no suspects or witnesses had immediately come forward.
What progress has been made since then?
The case has gone cold for years. The victim’s sister, Rita Humphrey, has been actively trying to help authorities move forward in the case. In a Facebook post she provided names and contact numbers for investigators in an attempt to make progress. She noted:
“My brother was killed in his home dec 22, 2003, I've been trying to help Stafford Police Dept advertise this Cold Case, if you could air this I would appreciate it so much. The person or persons responsible need to be caught!
Needless to say Christmas has not been the same!”
That has been the cruel reality for Humphrey’s loved ones for more than 17 years. So does the “Cold Justice” team make any progress in bringing Humphrey’s killer to justice?
To learn that and more about this case, watch the season 6 premiere of “Cold Justice” on Saturday, July 10 at 8/7c on Oxygen. Along with Abbondandolo, one in a revolving roster of detectives, Siegler partners up with Steve Spingola and Tonya Rider. Upcoming cases bring them to New Mexico and Mississippi.
