The defendant and his crime

On the night of Nov 13, 1973, Martha Janette Williams, a secretary for Fantastic Photo on West Mockingbird Lane in Dallas, was working alone in the office. Mark Milton Moore, a caretaker at the building, picked up Curtis Lee Jones at 11pm and went to the building. When he entered the office where Williams was, she appeared startled and the men left. Later, they discussed robbing ‘the girl in the office’ and returned and apparently took money from the petty cash box. Moore told Jones that Williams had recognised him and they had to take her with them. Jones was ordered to put her in the boot of their car, and he drove that car towards the Trinity River. Moore followed in another car. After an unsuccessful attempt to sink the car, Moore shot Miss Williams with a .410 shotgun.

The autopsy showed four gunshot wounds and bruises around her face were consistent with having been struck repeatedly. There were also indications of rape.

This is Mark Milton Moore, the defendant in the

following murder case

Moore confessed to the crime, parts of which are outlined as follows:

“I had a .410 shotgun in my car. It was a rusty old thing. I went over to the office on Mockingbird and went into the building. The girl was scared and I said I was sorry. Me and Curtis were talking about robbing the girl in the office. When we got there Curtis got the .410 out of the car. He had a stocking over his face. We went in and the girl screamed. We asked her for her money but she said she didn’t have any. I told Curtis she had seen me and would know who I was. I told Curtis to put her in the boot of the car and he did. Then we drove towards the river and we tried to drive the car off into the water. It went in but would not sink so Curtis said we are going to have to shoot her. Curtis opened the boot and I shot her about twice with the bolt action .410 shotgun. We shut the boot we left and went straight home. We got home about 2am.”

Moore’s Rap Sheet

Shoplifting age 15Disorderly conduct age 17Joyriding age 22Possession of marijuana age 22