"My boy, may an old man's curse rest upon you if you do not try to avenge your father."

In 1868, an eight-year-old boy named Frank Eaton witnessed his father’s cold-blooded murder at the hands of lawless vigilantes. Most children would have been broken; Frank just got a gun.

In this week’s episode, Jess traces the incredible 97-year journey of the man who would become Pistol Pete. We’re diving deep into the dusty trails of the Old West to follow a legendary marksman who outshot the U.S. Cavalry at fifteen, served as a Deputy Marshal under the "Hanging Judge" Isaac Parker, and spent decades hunting down the men who destroyed his family.

But Frank Eaton’s story didn't end with a smoking gun. We explore his unlikely transition from a gritty frontier lawman to a beloved community fixture in Perkins, Oklahoma—and eventually, the living face of Oklahoma State University.

Tune in as we discuss:

• The Blood Debt: The high-stakes duels Frank fought to clear his father’s name.

• Kooky Facts: Why Frank was often seen walking barefoot on red-hot metal.

• The Mascot Wars: The modern-day legal battles between OSU, Wyoming, and New Mexico State over who owns the "rootin’-tootin’" legend.

• The Man Behind the Mask: How a 1923 parade changed the identity of Oklahoma sports forever.

Whether you're an OSU fan or just a lover of wild frontier history, this is the story of a man who lived by the gun and died a legend.

Pistols firing! 🔫🍊

Sources:

• Wikipedia - Frank Eaton

• Frank Eaton Historical Home

• National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum

• Oklahoma Senate

• Oklahoma State University

• Visit Stillwater OK.com

• Cowboy State Daily

This week, your favorite cousins wrap up the crimes of Glen Ake and Steve Hatch.

Ake and Hatch were arrested in Colorado and returned to Oklahoma after being linked to the murders of Reverend and Mrs. Douglass, as well as related crimes in Texas. Six weeks after the killings, the manhunt ended on Thanksgiving Eve 1979; Oklahoma officials moved quickly to secure custody. Evidence against them included statements each man made, ballistic links, and testimony from eyewitness survivors Brooks and Leslie Douglass, and girlfriend, Ginger Keefe. Hatch was tried first, convicted, and sentenced to death; Ake’s 1980 trial resulted in death sentences for the murders and extraordinary prison terms for the attempted murders. Subsequent appeals, retrials, and legal rulings (including questions about Ake’s psychiatric evaluation) led to mixed outcomes.

Brooks and Leslie survived but endured repeated court appearances and years of retraumatization as appeals required them to testify multiple times. They rebuilt their lives: Brooks finished college, served in ROTC, attended law school, entered politics—winning an Oklahoma State Senate seat at 27—and championed victims’ rights, authoring the Oklahoma Victims Bill of Rights in 1992; Leslie completed college and graduate school, becoming a teacher and assistant principal. In 1995 Brooks met Ake in prison. The siblings later participated in the film adaptation of their story, and Brooks died in 2020; Leslie continues to live in Oklahoma with her family and the legacy of advocating for victims’.

Due to the brutal nature of the crimes, listener discretion is advised.

Sources:

• Oklahoma Court of Criminal Appeals

• The Oklahoman; 2022; 2022

• Wikipedia

• Murderpedia

• Dateline

• Heaven’s Rain

• They Will Kill You

Wowza! We’ve already made it through the first full week of 2026! This week, Tiff’s listener pick takes us back to 1979 when OK was rocked by the brutal murders of Rev. Richard and Mrs. Marilyn Douglass.

Rev. Richard Douglass was the lead pastor at Putnam City Baptist Church in Oklahoma City. Marilyn Lacy Douglass chose to focus on raising their two children, Brooks and Leslie. The couple married on July 8, 1961, and spent several years as Southern Baptist missionaries in the Amazon region of Belém, Brazil, a formative period for the family before they later settled in rural Okarche, Oklahoma. Their life together—marked by devotion, faith, and service—became the backdrop for the film The Amendment (formerly Heaven’s Rain).

On the evening of October 15, 1979, two men, later identified as Steven Keith Hatch and Glen Burton Ake, forced their way into the Douglass home after committing another robbery, tied the family, and brutally executed Rev. Douglass and Marilyn while their children, 16-year-old Brooks and 12-year-old Leslie, were bound and wounded. The attackers shot the four family members; Brooks and Leslie survived despite severe injuries, escaping and seeking help. Investigators quickly traced the suspects through descriptions and the stolen yellow Chevy; Ake and Hatch fled, committing similar violent crimes across multiple states before being captured weeks later. The case drew massive public attention, and an exhaustive manhunt that ended with the suspects’ arrest six weeks after the murders.

Due the grave nature of these crimes, listener discretion is advised.

Join your favorite cousins for their first True Crime case of 2026…Part 1 of the story of Glen Ake and Steve Hatch.

Sources:

• Oklahoma Court of Criminal Appeals

• The Oklahoman; 2022; 2022

• Wikipedia

• Murderpedia

• Dateline

• Heaven’s Rain

• They Will Kill You