Vic Feazell is an American lawyer who served as district attorney of McLennan County, Texas, from 1983 until his resignation in 1988. He is known for prosecuting the 1982 Lake Waco triple murders and for investigating the confessions of Henry Lee Lucas, and he later built a personal injury and criminal defense practice in Waco and Austin.
Background
Vic Feazell was born on June 8, 1951, in Monroe, Louisiana, and was raised in Texas. Monroe is a city in northeastern Louisiana, while his later career developed in Central Texas, where elected county district attorneys directed felony prosecutions.
At seventeen he passed the civil service examination and was hired by the Austin Police Department, the municipal police force of the Texas state capital. A supervisor who recognized his abilities told him he needed a college education, and he set about finding a way to attend college.
Education
Feazell received a bachelor's degree from Mary Hardin-Baylor College in 1972. The institution began in 1845 as the female department of Baylor University in Independence, Texas. After moving to Belton in 1886, it was renamed in honor of its benefactor, Mary Hardin-Baylor. It became fully coeducational in 1971 and obtained university status in 1978; today it is the University of Mary Hardin-Baylor, a Baptist-affiliated institution.
He earned his Juris Doctor from Baylor University School of Law in May 1979. Established in 1857, the school was the first law school in Texas and the second west of the Mississippi River, and it was reestablished in 1920 after closing in 1883. Its curriculum is known for a Practice Court program that gives students courtroom experience.
Feazell's documented career began with the Austin Police Department, which he joined in 1968 and left in 1969. He then moved into community mental health work. From 1975 to 1979 he directed a drug abuse treatment program run by Heart of Texas Mental Health-Mental Retardation in Waco. Texas community mental health and mental retardation centers were local agencies that provided treatment and counseling services for people with mental illness, developmental disabilities, and substance-use problems.
He practiced law privately in Waco from 1979 to 1982 and announced his candidacy for district attorney of McLennan County in 1982. He defeated the incumbent and took office in 1983, becoming one of the youngest district attorneys in the county's history. During his first term he prosecuted the 1982 Lake Waco triple murders and aided in the investigation and prosecution of Spence, Deeb, and the Melendez brothers.
His office also examined the confessions of Henry Lee Lucas, who had confessed to many murders across the United States. Feazell questioned the Texas Rangers' reliance on Lucas's confessions, which had been used to close more than 300 homicide investigations. A later report suggested that Lucas could not have committed some of the murders to which he had confessed, including ones in McLennan County. Voters re-elected Feazell to a second term.
The dispute brought him into conflict with state law enforcement. While James B. Adams directed the Texas Department of Public Safety, that agency investigated Feazell. After a raid on his home and office, he was charged with bribery, and he was found not guilty on all charges on June 29, 1987. He announced his resignation as district attorney in September 1988.
After leaving office, Feazell practiced privately in Austin from 1989 to 1994, and during those years he served as pro bono defense counsel for Henry Lee Lucas. From 1995 he was of counsel to Rosenthal and Watson in Austin. In June 1986 he had filed a libel suit against Belo Broadcasting Corp., the owner of WFAA-TV in Dallas, which resulted in a verdict of $58 million, described as a record at the time.
In the early 2000s he founded The Law Offices of Vic Feazell, with offices in Austin and Waco. The firm concentrates on personal injury cases and occasionally handles criminal defense matters. He is admitted to practice before the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals and federal district courts in Texas.
In 2019 Feazell began hosting The Vic Feazell Show, a podcast in which he discusses his career and cases. That year his role in the Lucas investigation was also featured in the Netflix documentary The Confession Killer.
Achievements
Obtained a $58 million libel verdict against Belo Broadcasting Corp., which was described at the time as a record and was recognized by the Guinness Book of World Records for the largest libel award in United States history.
As district attorney, initiated an investigation into the Texas Rangers' reliance on the confessions of Henry Lee Lucas, which had been used to close more than 300 homicide investigations.
Led the investigation and prosecution of the 1982 Lake Waco triple murders during his first term as district attorney of McLennan County.
(Podcast hosted by Feazell that features interviews about ...)
2019
Religion
Feazell has been publicly described as an ordained minister and a yogi, but his denomination and religious practice are not documented. His novel Rhinos Sharks & Unicorns has been described by a reviewer as containing a considerable amount of spirituality, and his public statements connect his work with the idea of giving back to others.
Politics
Feazell was a Democrat. His documented political career consisted of elected office as district attorney of McLennan County, Texas, where he was elected in 1982 after a contest in the Democratic primary and took office in 1983. His record also includes attendance at the Delaware State Democratic Convention in Houston in 1988.
In Texas during the 1980s, the Democratic Party remained the dominant party in many state and county offices, although Republican strength was growing. Its platform combined support for public institutions with a wide coalition of voters, and county district attorneys, who were elected in partisan contests, set local prosecution priorities within the state's criminal justice system.
Feazell's later public positions moved toward opposition to capital punishment. He stated that he believed justice had been served in the Lake Waco case, yet he became a vocal opponent of the death penalty. His investigation of the Texas Rangers' reliance on the confessions of Henry Lee Lucas also placed him in conflict with state law enforcement authorities.
Views
Feazell has publicly described his professional aims as practicing law, winning jury trials, enjoying life, and giving back. His legal novel Rhinos Sharks & Unicorns combines courtroom drama with spiritual themes, according to a published review.
Membership
Feazell is a life member of the National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers, a national organization founded in 1958 that works to advance the practice of criminal defense and protect the rights of the accused. He is also a member of the Texas Criminal Defense Lawyers Association, the statewide organization of defense attorneys in Texas.
He was a member of the Texas Trial Lawyers Association, a statewide association of trial lawyers who represent injured people. His license to practice in Texas was issued in May 1979, and membership in the State Bar of Texas, the state's integrated bar through which Texas attorneys are licensed and regulated, dates from that year.
From 1984 to 1987 he served as president of the McLennan County Peace Officers Association, a local association of law enforcement officers in Waco.
Life member
National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers
,
United States
Texas Criminal Defense Lawyers Association
,
United States
Texas Trial Lawyers Association
,
United States
State Bar of Texas
,
United States
May 28, 1979 - present
President
McLennan County Peace Officers Association
,
United States
1984 - 1987
Interests
Filmmaking was an avocation for Feazell, and he founded One Horn Productions. He has also described himself as a yogi.
Connections
Feazell has one child, Gregory Victor Feazell, who was his son. Gregory died, and his death was remembered on The Vic Feazell Show. Feazell's former wife, Bernadette Feazell, later gave an account of his arrest and trial on the same podcast.
Son:
Gregory Victor Feazell
He died, and his death was remembered on The Vic Feazell Show.
Wife:
Bernadette Feazell
Her account of his arrest and trial was featured on The Vic Feazell Show.
References
Vic Feazell
Encyclopedia article describing his tenure as district attorney, his investigation of Henry Lee Lucas's confessions, and his later legal practice.
Persistent Prosecutor
Waco History archival file describing his role in the investigation and prosecution of the Lake Waco murders.
Rhinos Sharks & Unicorns
Kirkus Reviews assessment of his legal novel, which it described as an entertaining read with spiritual themes.
2014
A Resolution Honoring Vic Feazell
State Bar of Texas resolution honoring his service to McLennan County and Texas, summarizing his career and notable cases.
Vic Feazell Biography
Official biography describing his career from police service through his district attorney tenure and private practice.
NACDL Find a Lawyer Profile: Vic Feazell
Directory profile confirming his life membership in the National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers and recording his education.
Presented by the University of Mary Hardin-Baylor in Belton, Texas, in 1985.
Presented by the University of Mary Hardin-Baylor in Belton, Texas, in 1985.
Peace Officer of the Year,
United States
Presented by the Waco JC's (Waco Junior Chamber of Commerce) in 1986.
Presented by the Waco JC's (Waco Junior Chamber of Commerce) in 1986.
Outstanding Pro Bono Advocate Award,
United States
Presented by the Waco-McLennan County Young Lawyers Association in 2018.
Presented by the Waco-McLennan County Young Lawyers Association in 2018.
State Bar of Texas Resolution Honoring Vic Feazell,
United States
The State Bar of Texas honored him for his service to the people of McLennan County and the state of Texas, citing his career as a prosecutor and his high-profile cases.
The State Bar of Texas honored him for his service to the people of McLennan County and the state of Texas, citing his career as a prosecutor and his high-profile cases.
