The question of the custody of Shane Severance stepped to center stage in the summer of 2005. On June 16, Thomas Goff, attorney for Leslie Severance, conducted the deposition of Judy Davidson.
Goff asked about the relationship that Judy had with her son-in-law. “You said you didn’t like him from the start?”
“No, I didn’t. It’s not that I disliked him, I just had no reason to like him.”
“Had you ever met somebody from Maine before?”
“Not—I’m sure I have, but not that I’m aware of, no.”
“Was there some cultural differences, do you think, between the way he was raised and . . .”
Judy interrupted and managed to contradict herself in the span of a sentence. “He had been in Texas for years, so I’m sure there were some differences.”
“. . . What did you find out about his family just talking to him?”
“I found out that his brother had a car wreck. I found out that his mother had passed away. And other than that, nothing.”
“Did you ever just sit down with him and engage him and try to drag this out of him?”
“Why would I?” Judy asked. “I mean, that was his personal life. If he didn’t want to talk about it, I felt, you know, give him that much respect.”
“Do you know what interests he had or what he enjoyed doing?” Goff asked.
“He had a race car, and that’s all he ever wanted to do, as far as I’m aware of.”
“Okay. So did you have some conversations with Wendi about the marriage, for instance? Did you approve of the marriage?”
“No, I didn’t.”
“Did you tell her that you didn’t approve of the marriage?”
“Certainly.”
“Did you and Mike maintain a cordial relationship or try to maintain a cordial relationship?”
“We tried not to argue for Wendi and the baby’s sake. We stayed away from each other.”
Goff took Judy to the events of January 15. “She, as far as you know, was going to the . . . clinic where she lived . . . with Mike?” he asked.
“Yes,” Judy answered.
“And you further testified that she was in a good mood.”
“Yes.”
“And you didn’t—nothing out of the ordinary. You didn’t see anything that would have made you think something was wrong? Nothing was wrong?” Goff pressed.
“Not that I was aware of, no.”
“Okay. Now, and further, the statement that Wendi made to your son—and this was in March . . . that she arrived home . . . and found Mike’s body, is that correct?”
“From what I understand, yes.”
“Okay. So both of the children were with her when she found Mike’s body?”
“I assume so.”
“Including Tristan, of course. Tristan and Shane, is that right?”
“As far as I know. I don’t—I don’t know.”
“What other explanation could there be? Or do you know of any other explanation other than the children were with her? She left with the children.”
“Okay.”
“But I don’t know, because I wasn’t there.”
“Right. And Tristan is—was three, right?”
“Exactly.”
“Has Tristan ever told you he saw Mike’s body?” Goff asked.
“Never.”
“Was Tristan traumatized?”
“He was traumatized by the police.”
“Okay,” Goff said and repeated the question. “Was he traumatized from arriving home and Mike being dead?”
“Not that I know of, because I had no idea.”
“The police talked to Tristan?”
“They talked to him, ‘Hi,’ and, you know—”
“How was he traumatized by the police?”
“Because they were in and out of there several times a day for several months.”
“Are you unhappy about that?”
“No, I’m not unhappy,” Judy denied.
“Okay. So they didn’t interrogate Tristan?”
“Of course not.”
“Have you taken Tristan to a counselor?”
“Of course not.”
“Why ‘Of course not’?” Goff probed.
“Because there’s nothing wrong with Tristan. He’s happy. He’s healthy.”
“To see if he was traumatized by seeing his dead stepfather?”
“He’s not traumatized,” Judy insisted, and then she contradicted herself again. “How do I know that he’s not anything?”
“That’s my question. How could he have not seen Mike?”
“I have no idea . . . but he is fine. He’s healthy. He’s happy. Why send him to someone that’s going to traumatize him?”
“To see what he saw, perhaps?” Goff suggested.
“To confuse him, to traumatize him, to hurt him? To ask him questions he doesn’t know anything about? No, sir.”
“Wendi further told the police that she transported Mike’s body to the Sheen Ranch on Sutton Road. Where were the children when she did all this?”
“I have no idea,” Judy stated.
“Have you asked Wendi?”
“I’m not supposed to talk to Wendi about any of this, and we haven’t,” she snapped. “So, no, sir, I don’t know.”
“Who told you not to talk to Wendi about this?”
“Marshall said to begin with, you know, ‘Y’all do not talk about it’ . . . The attorneys have said, ‘Do not talk about it.’ The grand jury said, ‘Do not talk about anything that was discussed in the grand jury.’ So, yes, sir, I’m just trying to do what is right.”
“Okay. Well, I’m trying to figure out where the children were when Wendi took Mike’s body to the ranch.”
“Well, I’m sure everybody would like to know that question, but you’re asking the wrong person, because I don’t know.”
“You have no knowledge?” Goff pushed.
“I have no knowledge. All I know is, they’re both fine. They’re both safe. They’re both happy. And they’re both healthy.”
“Okay. I assume that a three-year-old, if he were along on that ride, would have known what was going on?”
“I have no idea.”
“But he’s not been traumatized?”
“No, sir.”
“Okay. But you still believe that what Wendi is saying is true? Or what she said was true?”
“I don’t have any reason to disbelieve it.”
“. . . She stated that she took Michael’s body to the ranch after she found him dead in the clinic. As far as you know, that’s true?”
“I have no reason to disbelieve that.”
“No reason at all?” Goff prodded.
Judy shook her head from side to side.
“Okay. Why did Wendi tell the police, or make the statement, that she knew members of her family hated him and that she believed a family member had killed him? What basis did she have to say that?”
“Because I very much so disliked Mike, and I told her that daily. And I’m sure, you know, that after a while it probably would get to you. I do not know. You would have to ask Wendi.”
“Did you have anything to do with Michael’s death?”
“No, sir, I did not.”
“So what family member do you think Wendi was talking about—that would have killed Mike?”
“I have no idea.”
“No idea. And you’ve never asked her?”
“No,” Judy said. “We don’t talk about that.”
Judy’s bitterness and lack of empathy became more apparent when Goff turned his questions to Mike’s family. She spoke of the care and protection she and her husband provided for Shane.
“And, Mr. Severance is concerned about Shane’s future,” Goff added.
“Mr. Severance doesn’t have to be concerned about Shane’s future. We have provided very well for our children, and we will provide very well for the next two if it has to be that way.”
“Well, what type of contact do you think is appropriate for Shane and his father’s family?”
“If Mr. Severance wants to see Shane, he can come to San Angelo.”
“He is coming to San Angelo tomorrow,” Goff informed her.
“Well, he can see him.”
“Okay. When?” Goff asked.
“What . . .” she began and then shifted, “After his deposition.”
“Well, he’ll be here this weekend. Can he see him this weekend?”
“He can see him after his deposition.”
“Why at the deposition? What good does that do?”
“It matters to me,” Judy insisted.
“Why?”
“Because you have put us through a lot, today, or me especially. And I think that Mr. Severance needs to have the hot seat as well. He has not been in the hot seat at all over any of this. We have nothing to do with any of this.”
“How should Mr. Severance be in the hot seat?”
“I don’t know. I just think that, you know, he should be aware of what’s going on also, not be calling names about anyone.”
“His son’s dead and your daughter is . . .”
Judy cut him off. “My daughter has been in jail. She has been scrutinized. We have been scrutinized by him as well as his family. So, you know, I think—And for him—You know, I just think he needs to answer some questions also.”
“What questions specifically do you have?”
“. . . I don’t have anything to say to Mr. Severance at this point. Our attorney will handle that.”
“So you are hostile to Mr. Severance?”
“No, sir, I am not hostile. I just . . .”
“Angry at him?”
“No, I’m not angry. I just—You know, right now I just think things need to be cleared, and maybe then after his deposition.”
Tim Edwards, the Davidsons’ custody attorney, interrupted the questioning to say that he would be available later to talk with Goff about the timing of Leslie’s visit with his grandson. Goff continued the interview, asking, “Do you feel that Mr. Severance shouldn’t see Shane for any reason?”
“Shane is at the age right now that he is very alert and wants to be with whom he knows. And putting Shane with Mr. Severance, whom he doesn’t know—He’s a total stranger. He has never been around him—Yeah, it’s going to be . . . very hard and very detrimental to Shane. So, yeah, I have some concerns.”
“You took Shane to a day care, is that right?”
“The people at the day care were total strangers?”
“No. I took Shane there and I took Tristan there and I stayed with them for hours and let them get acquainted with those people. They were my children’s day-care providers.”
“You understand that Mr. Severance is not wanting to take Shane back to Maine right now; he just wants to see him? . . . I’m really interested in your attitude about it and . . .”
“Well, I feel very bad for Mr. Severance; I do, in the fact that he’s lost his son. I feel empathy and sympathy, and I am so sorry. But at the same time, he needs to realize that Shane is a member of our family. He has been here with us since he was born. Shane doesn’t know him or his family at all.
“So that is going to be hard enough for me and Lloyd and Wendi to put him in the arms of someone that he doesn’t know and walk away, and he may cry. So, yes, sir, it’s going to be kind of hard.”
“. . . But you’re not opposed to Mr. Severance seeing the child while he’s here?”
“No,” Judy said, but then added, “A supervised visit.”
“. . . Why does it need to be supervised?”
“Because he doesn’t know the child, sir. The child doesn’t know him. So, therefore, it has to be someone that knows the child.”
“No, when I hear ‘supervised,’ it’s like there’s some problem with Mr. Severance or there’s some threat or danger,” Goff said. “You’re not saying that?”
“I’m not saying that, no. It’s just that he doesn’t know him, and Shane doesn’t know him. So why would we want to just let him have him and walk away?”
“You’re very protective of the children, is that right?” Goff asked.
“I’m very protective of my family. I am.”
“I’m getting the sense, and so I want to ask you if my opinion or what I’m hearing is correct, that you don’t think what Wendi’s admitted to, that is, dumping the body in the pond, is serious.”
“I did never,” Judy objected. “I’ve never said that, sir.”
“. . . So that’s why I’m asking you to clarify . . . Do you believe it’s serious?”
“I believe it’s very serious. I do. And nothing has ever happened in our family to traumatize a family like this.”
“Right.”
“So, I take it very seriously.”
“Okay . . . Do you believe, aside from who killed Mike, which will be determined later, do you believe that what Wendi did was wrong?”
“It was not right.”
“And I haven’t really asked this question. Do you think Mike was killed by another person, or do you think that there might be other possibilities?”
“There could be other possibilities,” Judy said.
“And what would those be?”
“Probably suicide. He could have done it to himself. He could have overdosed. I mean, there’s many other possibilities. I don’t know.”
“But you don’t know of any reason that Wendi had to hide his body, is that correct?”
“Not other than her really believing that maybe we did something, or I did something, and she was trying to protect her family.”
Goff deposed Lloyd, who repeated most of what Judy had already said without any real distinction until he came to the question of why Leslie Severance would have to have supervised visits with his grandson. Lloyd theorized that Les might be a “child molester or criminal.” Many in the room were shocked that such a vicious, unfounded and unnecessary comment was being made about a father who was still grieving the death of his son.
Judy and Lloyd made it clear that the family—their family—was of primary importance. How Wendi’s actions impacted the Severance family paled in comparison. They would stand behind their daughter, no matter what.