Cullen Davis, former Fort Worth oil tycoon acquitted of murder and attempted murder, dies at 93

Thomas Cullen Davis, the former oil tycoon from Fort Worth who was acquitted of murder and attempted murder in the '70s, has died at the age of 93.

Cullen Davis, at one point one of the richest men in America, was acquitted of the 1976 shootings that left his 12-year-old stepdaughter and a man dead.

Flooded with family oil money, Cullen Davis was born in Fort Worth on Sept. 22, 1933.

His father was the legendary oil tycoon Kenneth W. Stinky Davis, who started Ken Davis Industries International.

But perhaps one of the most notable moments surrounding the Fort Worth millionaire's life is murder.

In August 1976, while in the middle of a divorce from his second wife, Priscilla, Cullen Davis was charged in the shooting deaths of 12-year-old Andrea Wilborn and 30-year-old Stan Farr, Priscilla Davis' daughter and boyfriend. 

Priscilla Davis and a friend were shot in the chest, but survived.

In 1977, with the world watching, the 13-week trial was moved to Amarillo thanks to star defense attorney Richard "Racehorse" Haynes, who faced then-Tarrant County District Attorney Tim Curry. It's said to be the most expensive murder trial in Texas history.

Cullen Davis was found not guilty.

One year later, he was accused of hiring a hitman to kill Priscilla Davis along with the judge in his divorce case. He was acquitted of attempted murder charges in that case.

If it sounds like a movie script, it is. What happened that late August night at the 13,000-square-foot Stonegate Mansion on Fort Worth's Southside became the backdrop for the 1995 TV movie "Texas Justice."

The fame, good or bad, couldn't save his fortune.

Cullen Davis declared bankruptcy after losing most of his oil fortune during the 1980s recession.

He died Friday at his home in Colleyville. He was 93 years old.