Double Crossing DA
Two shots from a shotgun ended Hartsell Gray’s life. A Walker County grand jury in Huntsville called it murder. So why did Hart’s killer never face a jury?
It’s the latest Dolcefino true crime investigation, where we confront the killer Pat Conroy, search for justice and battle a DOUBLE CROSSING DA.
DOUBLE CROSSING DA
I have a question for the Walker County District Attorney Will Durham.
If someone shot and killed one of your relatives… God forbid… You would demand that killer face a jury.
So why are you denying equal treatment for the family of Hartsell Grey… It is time to tell his sister to want justice.
“Pat needs to be in prison…Seriously. That he is just walking around, living his good life. It’s wrong,” said Susan Grey.
59-year-old pat Conroy lives in a wooded area of Huntsville… Not in a prison cell… Even though there is no dispute that three years ago he gunned down his 70-year-old disabled cousin.
“Sir can I talk to you about what happened with your cousin Hart,” said Andrea.
“No, you cannot and you need to leave. You’re trespassing and I’m calling the law,” said Pat.
“I don’t know that the people of Huntsville are all that aware. This dude over here killed somebody,” said Susan Grey.
A grand jury did its part… Indicting Pat Conroy for murder.
The district attorney dropped those charges… Didn’t even give Grays family the dignity of telling them face to face.
“I’m pissed, I’m so curious as to why this guy with the pull and the power is protecting pat,” said Susan Grey.
District attorney Will Durham hasn’t just avoided our questions… He’s hidden evidence from us… Intentionally delaying our search for the truth. Now we’ve learned that the county is hiding what could be critical evidence from Hart Gray’s family.
“For some ungodly reason… I don’t know why, they never gave us his phone,” said Susan Grey.
Truth is worth fighting for sister wants justice.
“He was just a nice guy. He, you know, shirt off his back kind of thing. generous with his time, with whatever money he had, helping people out,” said Susan Grey.
Keepsakes from Hart include horse jewelry he gave her…
And his clothing that she just can’t part with.
“This is his shirt. I have a lot of his shirts. I wear them every day. So yeah, I keep him with me,” said Susan Grey.
Hart started living with Susan in 2017.
He had suffered a massive heart attack… Had survived quintuple bypass surgery.
“He was severely disabled. Some days he did not get out of bed. He couldn’t walk more than 20 paces before having to rest,” said Susan Grey.
That’s why being told that her brother was shot while attacking a cousin 14 years younger just didn’t make any sense.
She doesn’t believe for a minute that hart was a threat to pat’s life.
“There was deep grief for his death and deep anger that no one’s held accountable,” said Susan Grey.
“A man has been shot. oh my god,” said Karen Conroy
On august 7… 2023… Hart was an invited guest at Pat and Karen Conroy’s house.
“My husband is in my house, and my cousin is on the patio,” said Karen Conroy.
There was a fight…After a day of drinking… A fight that started in pat’s truck.
Pat bit part of hart’s ear off. Pat says hart cut his finger with a knife.
But only Hart’s blood was in the truck… None of pat’s… Suggesting Hart was clearly the first one attacked.
“My husband came in the house and he got the gun. That’s because he tried to come into the house, and my husband shot him. Oh my god,” said Karen Conroy
Hart-needed- access to Pat’s house after the fight to get his car keys.
“Hart had his suitcase and his car keys, and everything was in the house because he’d been there to stay for the weekend. So, then Hart needed to get in the house before he could leave, instead he got shot dead,” said Karen Conroy.
Gray went to the morgue… Pat was taken to Conroe hospital that night with a cut finger.
And pat was sad… Not for his cousin’s death… But for what his own family would be going through.
“My god, my family does not deserve this right now,” said Pat Conroy.
“What about my cousin lay on the ground here outside of my damn door,” said Pat Conroy.
Worrying about having to clean up his cousin’s blood…
“I need to get I mean, do I got to go pressure wash this stuff or,” said Pat Conroy.
Pat described what was going on when he pulled the trigger.
“So let me ask you this question. Why did you shoot him,” said Matt Morris.
“He was coming to kill me,” said Pat Conroy.
But the only weapon police found on hart was that knife… And he wasn’t wielding it… It was in his pocket.
“I was trying to calm him calm him down and say, don’t do that, you know, don’t do that and next thing I know, Hart was trying to come in come to my back door and my husband shot him two times,” said Karen Conroy.
“Okay. okay. so, you didn’t hear exchange of words or anything like that,” said Greg Williams.
No “stop or I’ll shoot” no warning at all. No explanation why if Pat was in fear of his life… Why was his back door still open.
“I don’t even know if the door got open. Did I shoot him through the door? did they say,” said Pat Conroy.
“So, he’s in the house hart’s still outside okay, shut and lock your damn door call the police,” said Susan Gray.
Hart was shot in his front torso… Another shotgun wound was found in his back.
The coroner could not say which was fired first.
“Front and back. not that is not self-defense that is cold-blooded or psychotic. take your pick,” said Susan Gray.
“I don’t know what set him off. He just went fucking crazy,” said Pat Conroy.
At the time pat didn’t mention the whole I bit part of his ear off.
A detective writes in the police report… “It is not possible to bite your own ear off”
They didn’t know that until the autopsy… And when they confronted pat about it… Pat lawyered up.
“It was a clear presumptive self-defense case,” said Brian Cantrell.
Brian Cantrell was pat’s lawyer.
He got the D.A. to give pat a do over interview.
“The reason the grand jury decided what they decided is because my client never spoke to anyone,” said Brian Cantrell.
Well, we know that’s not true because we have the recordings.
Pat’s story changed. He claimed hart had stepped on the threshold of his back door.
And Cantrell claimed hart’s blood gave clues that Hart could have been the aggressor.
But we’ve read the reports… The medications in hart’s system were all prescribed and his blood/alcohol was below the legal limit.
And according to the sheriff’s report… Hart and Pat had visited 2 other people that day and no one noticed any unusual behavior.
He was fine and I never heard anything about any doctor’s warning about any side effects,” said Susan Gray.
“So do you buy this argument that he had some kind of a psychotic episode,” said Andrea.
“I think it’s much more likely that pat did,” said Pat Conroy.
But we have seen no evidence, investigators even bothered to take a blood sample from Pat.
“Why was he does not drug tested? no blood alcohol taken. I mean, if he doesn’t even know what happened, he’s got to be off his gourd,” said Susan Gray.
Susan says our investigation has really been an eye-opener. Things that detectives would never let them his own family see… And a lot of the truth is still being denied by us.
“Y’all got the camera stuff where you can see pat saying, did I shoot him through the door? It’s like, you don’t even know what you did,” said Susan Gray.
Our investigation also found evidence from body camera audio that the deputies either knew Pat, Pat’s daughter, or mutual friends.
And reassuring words for the Conroy family even before Hart’s body was cold.
“Hey listen there’s an explanation for everything,” said Matt Morris.
“Well just take a deep breath and know that in the end everything’s going to be okay. No matter what, everything’s going to eventually be okay. alright? alright,” said Greg Williams.
Pat didn’t disclose he had just assaulted hart…
Multiple conflicting statements… He gave conflicting statements…
And his mind was on apparently more important things.
We compiled a detailed report based on the documents and video the da chose to let us see… He’s ignored months of requests to see the rest… To explain to us why he threw out a grand jury indictment. That’s rare. And they have refused to give harts family his phone back.
Is there something on that phone that would speak for hart now that he can’t? A text message? A video?
“My personal theory is pat was high as a kite. And that Pat had some kind of psychotic break. But since he never got tested for anything, you can’t say,” said Susan Gray
In his only phone call with Harts family. The DA blamed the dismissal on the stand your ground self-defense.
Castle laws allowing force to be used if someone unlawfully enters your home.
The crime scene video and photos don’t show Hart inside the home.
But several feet dead in front of the back door.
“The question for a defendant pleading self-defense is not whether he in fact had no choice, but whether he made a reasonable judgment under the circumstances that he had no option other than to use deadly force to protect himself,” said Geoffrey Corn
Like closing the door… Or was it opened so that Pat Conroy could see Hart to fire his shotgun.
“I don’t honestly see how an honest jury could see all the evidence that is out there and not convicted of something,” said Susan Gray.
Susan’s not the only one with lingering questions… Many of you have questions too.
“What’s the point of empaneling a grand jury if a corrupt D.A. is going to ignore the true bill on something as serious as a murder charge?”
“The dude shot and killed an unarmed man under the influence of alcohol. there are so many ways it could’ve been avoided.”
“This is why we have juries. right,” said Geoffrey Corn.
“I’d like to know why they’re not prosecuting. you’re basically condoning murder doing this,” said Susan Gray.
Two shots from a shotgun ended Hartsell Gray’s life. A Walker County grand jury in Huntsville called it murder. So why did Hart’s killer never face a jury?
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