Justice For A Cowboy
NEW VIDEO! Was one of the richest Texans murdered… denied proper medical treatment… literally starved to death?
Robert East was a South Texas cowboy who struck it rich on oil and gas. What happened to him and all his money? We are seeking JUSTICE FOR A COWBOY.
We’re on the trail of a 20-year-old mystery: the events leading up to the death of Robert East. He was one of the richest men in Texas when he died.
“And now there are allegations the charitable trust set up after his death has defiled a cowboy’s legacy,” Wayne told the camera.
“You’ve done very well since his death. You’re the chief financial officer now,” Wayne said.
This is Veronica Paredez, chief financial officer of a Texas charitable foundation worth half a billion dollars.
“Why won’t you look at me? Why are you holding your head down?” Wayne said.
Watch her try to make a getaway.
“Why are you running away from questions? Are you going to hide in the women’s restroom?” Wayne said.
Paredez stays in the bathroom for a very long time to avoid us, but she apparently manages to call security.
“I’m going to have to ask you guys to leave,” a security officer said.
“I’m sorry,” Wayne said.
“I’m going to have to ask media to leave,” the security officer said.
“Why?” Wayne said.
“Because they told me to tell you to leave,” the security officer said.
From San Antonio to Floresville.
“I thought we were just going to make a house call and she’d come out and voluntarily talk to us,” Wayne said.
We tracked down this eyewitness to the final days of Robert East inside the funeral home where she worked.
The fight we encountered trying to get justice for a cowboy in Hebbronville.
“It’s going to be a criminal trespass for that address,” a deputy said.
Deputies swarm us just for taking pictures.
“Everybody sure is runnin’ from answering questions. Kinda makes you wonder,” Wayne said.
“Your law enforcement antennas went up,” Wayne said.
“Yes sir, things didn’t seem right,” Richard Jankowski said.
At a Dairy Queen in Woodsboro, Texas, we meet the new Refugio County judge, Richard Jankowski — a former DPS trooper and former president of the Troopers Association. The death of Robert East intrigued him too.
“A lot of people benefited from Robert dying,” Jankowski said.
“A lot,” Wayne said.
“A lot of people,” Jankowski said.
“Robert East has been dead for 19 years, so why is there still so much controversy about the way he died and how this East Foundation was created?” Wayne told the camera.
“Oh, it’s plain greed. That’s what it’s all about,” Stephen Michaud said.
Meet true crime author Stephen Michaud. His 1980 interview with Ted Bundy became a New York Times bestseller.
“Until now, the full truth of Robert’s story has never been told,” Michaud said.
The mystery surrounding the death of Robert East became “Robert’s Story,” published in 2022.
“I applauded your arrival because I did as much as I could and I did the best job I could, but there was stuff that I was not getting to,” Michaud said.
Robert East was a cattle rancher with hundreds of thousands of South Texas acres in his family name — kinfolk to the King Ranch family, part of South Texas royalty. He became very rich when oil and gas were discovered on what is known as the San Antonio Viejo.
“Robert East was a true Texas cowboy, a fan of Whataburger and the movie ‘Lonesome Dove,’” Wayne told the camera.
He loved the old way of doing things. He bought used vehicles for the ranch and had no central air conditioning in his home.
“Money didn’t mean anything to him. He had millions and millions of dollars in the bank,” Dick DeGuerin said.
Robert East viewed the deer on his land as pets, not to be hunted.
“I feel like he was taken advantage of,” Mike East said.
Mike East was Robert’s closest living relative — his nephew.
“By people that did not have his best interest at heart,” Mike East said.
The original trust documents Robert signed years before his death confirmed he wanted Mike to ensure his family land stayed in the family. But seven months before he died, Robert’s will was changed — in big ways.
“Did Robert East have the culpable mental state to know and understand what he was signing as he lay in what was ultimately his deathbed?” Jankowski said.
“Sir, can I please get you to raise your right hand and take the oath?” a 2006 deposition video shows.
This is Robert in February 2006. He was 86, making a rare courtroom appearance for a lawsuit deposition.
“Can you read this OK or not?” the video shows.
“I can’t see too good,” Robert said.
He couldn’t see well enough to read.
“When did you stop the hunting?” the video shows.
“I can’t remember,” Robert said.
He couldn’t remember well. He fell asleep a few times. Robert even wet himself during questioning.
Of course, Robert was aging, but there’s evidence the people running his ranch and business affairs sped up his decline and plotted to cheat the East family out of their inheritance.
Robert’s will and management trust were written in 1995. When he died, the East Foundation would protect his family from a huge tax bill.
There is lots of legal language, but it was clear Robert wanted his nephew Mike and his nieces to be part of the foundation.
He wanted the land used for ranching, education and wildlife conservation.
“He told me the same thing — no hunting,” Mike East said.
“He said, ‘I want things to stay exactly the same,’ which they’re not,” Ramiro Palacios said.
Ramiro Palacios and Eddie Lopez were caretakers of Robert East. They were eyewitnesses to his will being changed repeatedly as his health deteriorated.
“Robert wasn’t sure what he was signing,” Eddie Lopez said.
“He wasn’t 100% aware.”
The alleged girlfriend was Carilu Cantu, 19 when she met the 74-year-old Robert East.
“No,” she said when asked if she helped him sign documents.
“I have no comment.”
Signatures show a dramatic decline — from clear in 1995 to barely legible by 2006.
“I do not believe he would have understood the documents,” Jankowski said.
Six months after the deposition, the will was changed again. Family members were removed. Others were added to control the foundation.
Today, the foundation is worth hundreds of millions.
Mike East says Robert’s legacy is not being honored.
“No, I don’t think so,” he said.
The family alleges neglect, isolation and manipulation in Robert’s final months.
“They neglected him. That’s for sure,” Ramiro Palacios said.
No one has been criminally charged. The statute of limitations has passed.
But questions remain — about money, control and whether Robert East’s final wishes were ignored.
“If Robert East were alive today, he would turn over in his grave,” DeGuerin said.
Keep up with us on social media:
