Andrew Wamsley

Case record: Andrew Wamsley

Status

Andrew Wamsley was sentenced to life in prison on March 10, 2006.

Background

Andrew Wamsley was an American man from Texas, born July 7, 1984. He was the second child born to Rick and Suzanna Wamsley.

Rick and Suzanna Wamsley were an upper class Mansfield, Texas couple. They were strict with their children.

Andrew began dating Chelsea Richardson in January 2003. Andrew’s parents disapproved of their son’s relationship with Chelsea and thereby cut him off.

Chelsea Lea Richardson was born March 26, 1984. She grew up in a working class neighborhood of Tarrant County, Texas. Chelsea and Andrew started conspiring to kill Andrew’s parents in October 2003. Chelsea and Susana Toledano were roommates at the time of the murder.

Susana Alejandra Toledano was born September 28, 1984. She was Chelsea Richardson’s roommate. Susana Toledano was reportedly forced by her co-defendants to shoot and stab Rick and Suzanna Wamsley on the night of December 11, 2003. She had also been made to shoot at the gas tank of the Wamsleys’ Jeep Laredo during a failed murder attempt that occurred on November 9, 2003.

Hilario Cardenas was an IHOP restaurant manager in Arlington, Texas. He conspired with the three other co-defendants on how to murder the Wamsleys and provided the gun that was used in the murders.

Andrew Wamsley had an older sister, Sarah Wamsley, born in 25.

The offence

On the evening of December 11, 2003, Rick and Suzanna Wamsley were shot and stabbed to death in their home by Andrew Wamsley’s friend Susana Toledano. The murders were part of a scheme orchestrated by Andrew Wamsley, his girlfriend Chelsea Richardson, and their friend Susana Toledano to collect on Andrew’s parents’ $1.65 million estate.

The three conspirators also wanted to kill Andrew’s older sister Sarah, but she was not home on the night of the murders.

The attack included the following details as described by investigators:

• Suzy was found lying on the living-room couch.
• The attackers shot her in the left ear with a large-caliber weapon, according to an autopsy report.
• She was then stabbed at least 18 times in the chest and neck.
• Rick was shot in the face and back and stabbed numerous times.
• Police found two sets of bloody shoeprints throughout the living room, dining room, and entryway.
• There was no sign of forced entry, and nothing appeared to be missing.

Police later estimated that the attacks occurred at 3 a.m. based on a neighbor’s report of hearing gunshots around that time.

The Dallas Observer report included a description of the confrontation and injuries in the following terms:

“She never knew what happened,” Standefer says.

“He goes for these people,” Standefer says.

“There was a horrible struggle,” the detective says.

“He fights them all the way through the living room,” Standefer says.

“He fought them to his very last breath.”

“I don't think they realized how hard it was to kill somebody,” Standefer says.

“So they went back and stabbed Suzy to make sure she was dead.”

Standefer declined to say which of the three he believes actually fired the shots or stabbed the victims.

No weapons were found.

Investigation

Mansfield Detective Ralph Standefer said the biggest break in the case came in late March when DNA tests matched a clump of hair found in Rick’s fist to Susana Toledano.

The 911 call was made from the Wamsley home at 11:40 p.m., but the caller either said nothing or put down the phone. Mansfield police arrived at 11:44 p.m. and knocked on the front door but got no response. Officers found the garage door open and also found the door leading from the garage into the house open.

Standefer said that by the time the 911 call was made, the Wamsleys had been dead at least eight to 12 hours.

Standefer believed Andrew, Richardson, and Toledano had arrived at the home sometime early on December 11. Police said the trio entered the dark house through the garage using a garage door opener.

Standefer said police did not know who dialed the phone, but he guessed from fingerprints that it was Andrew.

Early on, police considered Todd Cleveland a person of interest because of the bitter custody dispute, but Cleveland passed a polygraph test and was soon cleared.

There was no forced entry, and nothing appeared to be missing from the home.

Police did not initially have much physical evidence linking Andrew and his girlfriend to the crime. A police affidavit described Rick’s last act after Toledano’s arrest:

“No, God, no!” Rick lunged in the dark for one of the killers, grabbing a small piece of scalp--no more than five to 10 strands of hair--as he fell to the floor.

Police found a broken blue hair clip nearby.

“Had he not had that hair in his hand, I don't think we would have ever got there,” Standefer says.

Investigators later tracked Toledano and then connected Cardenas, leading to the arrests of Richardson and Andrew.

Pre-offence events described in the case

On November 9, at about 2:30 p.m., Rick Wamsley was driving north on Interstate 35, taking Suzy and Sarah to a late lunch at Chili’s in Burleson. Something slammed into the car with a loud thud, and in the restaurant parking lot the Wamsleys found a bullet hole in the left rear panel of their Jeep Laredo.

The Wamsleys filed a police report. Rick told a detective that he remembered a white Mustang like Andrew’s passing the vehicle shortly before the noise. Sarah said that immediately after this happened, Suzy got on the phone to Andrew and said:

“Where the fuck are you?”

No witnesses were found and no arrests were made.

Timeline

• November 9, 2003 — A failed murder attempt involved the Wamsleys’ Jeep Laredo, with a bullet hole found in the left rear panel.
• December 11, 2003 — The Wamsleys were killed in their home; a 911 call was placed at 11:40 p.m.; Mansfield police arrived at 11:44 p.m.
• March 10, 2006 — Andrew Wamsley gave a deposition in the probate case invoking his Fifth Amendment right not to incriminate himself under oath.
• March 5, 2006 — Andrew Wamsley was convicted of capital murder.
• March 13, 2008 — Andrew’s conviction and life sentence were affirmed by the Second District of Texas Court of Appeals.
• April 5, 2004 — Residents heard that authorities in Illinois had arrested 19-year-old Susana Toledano alleging she was involved in the Wamsley murders.
• April 6, 2004 — Police arrested Hilario Cardenas, a 24-year-old night manager at an Arlington IHOP.
• April 8, 2004 — Mansfield police arrested Chelsea Richardson and Andrew Wamsley and charged them with solicitation of capital murder; Toledano joined the others held on a $1 million bond while police continued the investigation.
• April 19, 2004 — The complaint against Andrew was amended to say that he, not Cardenas, shot and stabbed his mother and father to death.
• April 4, 2004 — Toledano was arrested and her statement led police to the IHOP and Cardenas.
• April 7, 2004 — Andrew and Chelsea were arrested in the parking lot outside a Chicken Express near her home and were in jail since.
• May 9, 2004 — FBI agents, Texas Rangers, Mansfield police, and firefighters drained Brustrom’s pond as investigators sought bullets matched to the killings and the drive-by shooting.
• January 2005 — Susana Toledano pled guilty to murder.
• May 26, 2006 — Susana Toledano was sentenced to life in prison with the possibility of parole after 30 years; Hilario Cardenas received a 50-year sentence with parole eligibility in 2014.

Arrest

Mansfield police arrested Susana Toledano’s best friend Chelsea Richardson on the murder charges along with Chelsea’s boyfriend Andrew Wamsley and charged them with solicitation of capital murder, based on circumstantial evidence including Cardenas’ claim at the time that he was induced by Andrew and Richardson to kill the Wamsleys.

After Toledano’s arrest in Illinois, she was extradited to Texas and joined the others being held on a $1 million bond while police continued the investigation.

Andrew and Chelsea were arrested on April 7 in the parking lot outside a Chicken Express near her home.

Trial

Chelsea Richardson’s trial began in May 2005.

At Chelsea’s trial, Chelsea’s fellow prison inmates testified that she had admitted her role in the murders.

Susana Toledano also testified that Chelsea told her to kill the Wamsleys so they could share in the family’s estate.

After only 3 hours of deliberation, Chelsea was convicted of capital murder.

The jury deliberated for just more than two hours before unanimously sentencing Chelsea to lethal injection, on account of the crime’s brutal and premeditated nature, and that she was considered a “danger to society”. Chelsea became the first female sentenced to death in Tarrant County, Texas, later followed by Lisa Coleman.

Andrew Wamsley went to trial in 2006. He was convicted of capital murder on March 5, 2006.

The jury did not view Andrew as a future danger to society and sentenced him to life in prison.

Sentencing

Chelsea Richardson was sentenced to lethal injection, based on the jury’s determination of the brutal and premeditated nature of the crime and that she was considered a “danger to society”.

Susana Toledano pled guilty to murder in January 2005 and was sentenced on May 26, 2006, to life in prison with the possibility of parole after 30 years. As part of her plea deal, she testified against Chelsea and Andrew at their subsequent trials. Susana was eligible for parole in 2034.

For his role, Hilario Cardenas pled guilty to conspiracy to commit murder and received a 50-year sentence with parole eligibility in 2014.

Appeals

Andrew Wamsley’s conviction and life sentence were affirmed by the Second District of Texas Court of Appeals on March 13, 2008.

Other details

Sarah Wamsley’s probate and legal involvement

Sarah Wamsley filed papers in probate court to block her brother’s inheritance of any family assets, blaming Andrew for the murders and accusing him of trying to kill her as well. She asked the judge to prevent Andrew from spending any of the estate’s money.

In early March, Sarah filed her lawsuit, trying to block her brother from collecting her father’s life insurance or other funds. She alleged that he “was the principal or an accomplice in willfully bringing about the death” of Rick Wamsley. The judge granted Sarah’s request for a temporary restraining order against her brother.

A letter from Detective Barbara Slayton-Bell, victims assistance coordinator with Mansfield police, to the Texas attorney general was included in court filings. It stated:

“During the course of the investigation, suspects were identified to include both Sarah and Andrew Wamsley (victim's daughter and son). Sarah Wamsley has cooperated with the Mansfield police department's investigation in every way and was subsequently eliminated as a suspect... ”

“Evidence obtained during the investigation is vast and substantial, however at this time not able to produce probable cause. Considerable reasonable suspicion surrounds Andrew Wamsley as a suspect in this case and as such he should not be considered for any type of benefit from the deaths of his parents Rick and Suzanna Wamsley.”

Forensics and evidence processing

Police found a large amount of human blood in Andrew’s Mustang once it was impounded, mostly in the back passenger seat but on the two front seats as well. The seats had been thoroughly cleaned, and the blood could not be identified further.

Police issued subpoenas compelling eight people, including Andrew, Sarah, Chelsea, and Toledano, to submit DNA evidence. Toledano was included because her hair was dyed, as were the strands in Rick’s hand.

Mansfield police were aggressively pursuing the case and homing in on Andrew, Chelsea, and their friends.

Arrest-related statements and investigative interpretations

Standefer described Rick’s death and the actions taken by attackers as part of an alleged plan.

Standefer also said that the 911 call was delayed and that he guessed it was Andrew because of fingerprints:

“It's not because he feels bad, but he wants to speed the process up,” Standefer says.

“He was so focused on the money aspect; the longer it dragged on, he wasn't going to get his money. ”

“I think he had a really skewed concept of how that happened, like your parents are deceased, and the next week you get a check.”

Standefer believed Andrew, Richardson, and Toledano returned after killing Rick to check if one gunshot had done the job, and then stabbed Suzy again:

Property search and bullets recovered

On May 9, as neighbors wandered onto Brustrom’s property, agents drained her pond throughout the day. In the muck at the bottom, investigators scooped up bullets later matched to those from the Wamsley killings and the drive-by shooting.

Chelsea’s defense and attorney statements included in the record

Chelsea initially agreed to an interview but changed her mind when her attorney Mike Maloney refused to allow it.

A paralegal who works for Maloney said Chelsea denied having anything to do with the murders. The record also states that attorneys for Wamsley and Toledano did not return phone calls.

Cardenas’ statements and polygraph references

At the time of his arrest, Ray Hall Jr. was described as court-appointed attorney representing Cardenas. Hall said that when Cardenas was arrested, he did not even know the Wamsleys had been murdered.

The record said Cardenas’ story changed a number of times, police said. Hall described Cardenas as a man working 12-hour days to provide for his wife and child.

Police alleged that Cardenas backed away as the couple pushed him to shoot Rick and Suzy. Hall said Cardenas kept coming up with excuses that he had to work.

The record described a purchase of a gun from the street and sale to Andrew for $200, and described Cardenas flunking one polygraph and later passing another.

Custody-dispute background involving Sarah

The record included details of Sarah’s history:

• Sarah was sent to a psychiatric facility for the first time when she was 16.
• A former boyfriend said: “She was admitted to Millwood because her parents said she was rebellious,” and “They were looking for a pill to fix her.”
• Later, Sarah was diagnosed as bipolar.
• In March 1997, Rick and Suzanna kicked Sarah out and threw her belongings in the front yard.
• Sarah moved in with Todd Cleveland, a Mansfield community college student, and they dated only briefly.
• Sarah had a daughter with Cleveland in January 1999.
• Sarah gave up custody to Cleveland but retained visitation rights.
• Sarah worked as a teller at a finance company but struggled with alcohol abuse, according to friends and court records.
• On March 29, 2002, Sarah was arrested after plowing her car into a fence and trying to flee from police.
• Sarah pleaded no contest to DWI.
• Several times Sarah told co-workers she was going to “hurt herself.”
• Once while at work she swallowed a handful of anti-depressants and was taken to a hospital in time to have her stomach pumped.
• A psychiatrist noted that Sarah suffered from depression and cited possible “emotional abuse by mother” and “minimal support from family.”
• In 2001, Sarah filed a lawsuit to regain custody of her daughter.
• The record stated that Cleveland earned his license as a master plumber and married another young woman.
• Sarah was described as living with her paternal grandparents in Oklahoma.

When reached, Sarah declined to be interviewed but said the comment about emotional abuse by her mother was “absolutely false.”

Andrew’s work and relationships background described

The record described Andrew as impulsive and included anecdotes:

• A neighbor said “Andrew used to always say how he hated his dad” and “He's a jackass.”
• Out to dinner for his father’s birthday, Andrew threw a bowl of queso dip across the room after his father refused to order an extra one.
• Another incident included Rick insisting that Andrew give him an overdue video so he could return it to the store; Andrew refused to stop watching, and Andrew threw the video at his father, hitting him in the head hard enough to draw blood.
• The record said one confrontation was serious enough to result in police visiting the Turnberry house on a domestic disturbance call, but no arrests were made.
• Andrew quit his job as a shift manager at Putt-Putt Golf rather than be fired, according to the record.
• A former co-worker Jonathan Aston said: “He's kind of a jerk, actually, very arrogant,” and “He thought highly of himself. He was one of those managers that nobody wanted to work on his shift.”
• Andrew expressed frustration that his parents would not let him work on his car, a 1998 white Mustang, for which they had given him the car but not the title.

The record included that Andrew and Chelsea’s relationship included time spent at an IHOP behind the Parks at Arlington Mall playing Yu-Gi-Oh and complaining, and that night manager Hilario Cardenas began stopping by during his shift.

The record included the title and text of a page in the Everman High School 2003 senior yearbook:

• The page featured mottos “Naughty & Nice,” “Smile Now, Cry Later” and “Up to No Good.”
• It anchored a poem titled “Friends Are Forever,” written by Chelsea:

“Who hold[s] my hand in tragedy/And stick up in a fallacy/Morals, value, strength, courage and sticking to you/That's what my friends see.”

The record also described Andrew meeting Chelsea and their time visiting Brustrom’s place in Burleson and includes details of Brustrom’s property and appearance.

Parole eligibility and place of incarceration

Andrew was serving his sentence at the Connally Unit in Kenedy, Texas. Barring a successful appeal, Andrew was described as being eligible for parole in 2044.

Co-defendants and plea outcomes

The record stated that Susana Toledano pled guilty to murder in January 2005 to avoid the death penalty.

Chelsea filed appeals to get her sentence commuted to life.

It also stated that Hilario Cardenas pled guilty to conspiracy to commit murder and received a 50-year sentence with parole eligibility in 2014.