50 years later, murders at Davis mansion still stir conversations

50 years later, murders at Davis mansion still stir conversations

Published on July 28, 2026

T. Cullen Davis and the 1976 murders at his opulent Stonegate Mansion combined enormous wealth, a bitter divorce, high-profile attorneys and two sensational criminal trials.

The case captivated Fort Worth residents for months and, to this day, remains one of the most talked-about criminal cases in Texas history.

Some background

By the mid-1970s, Cullen Davis was one of the wealthiest oilmen in the U.S. and had built the lavish Stonegate Mansion off of South Hulen Street in Fort Worth. Then, the mansion was surrounded by cotton fields, country roads, railroad yards and little else. Today, the site is part of an active residential and commercial corridor.

Davis' marriage to the flamboyant Priscilla Davis had collapsed into an acrimonious divorce. A court awarded Priscilla temporary possession of the mansion while the divorce proceeded, a ruling that reportedly infuriated Davis.

The shootings

On the night of Aug. 2, 1976, an intruder dressed in black and wearing a woman's black wig entered the mansion. During the attack, Andrea Wilborn, Priscilla's 12-year-old daughter from a previous marriage, was shot and killed. Stan Farr, Priscilla's 30-year-old boyfriend and former TCU basketball standout, was shot four times and killed. Priscilla Davis was shot in the chest but survived. Family friend Gus "Bubba" Gavrel Jr. was shot and permanently paralyzed. Another visitor, Beverly Bass, narrowly escaped injury.

Both Priscilla and Gavrel identified Cullen as the gunman.

The murder trial

The case generated extraordinary publicity. Because of intense media coverage in Fort Worth, the trial was moved to Amarillo. Defense attorney Richard "Racehorse" Haynes took his legendary courtroom style to Amarillo to cross-examine prosecution witnesses with dramatic flair.

The prosecution argued that Davis entered the mansion in disguise, disconnected the alarm system, murdered Andrea and Farr, attempted to kill Priscilla and shot Gavrel as he fled.

The defense challenged the eyewitness identifications, questioned the physical evidence and argued that the prosecution could not prove guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.

After a lengthy trial, in November 1977, the jury found Davis not guilty of murder.

A second trial

The legal saga did not end there.

In 1978, federal investigators accused Cullen of attempting to hire a hitman to murder Priscilla, the judge handling his divorce and others connected to the case.

An undercover FBI operation recorded conversations in which Cullen allegedly paid who he believed was a contract killer. Despite the recordings, Cullen was again acquitted in 1979 after the defense attacked the credibility of the government's key witness and argued entrapment.

Stonegate's legacy in Fort Worth

The Davis case is one of those events where the physical setting can't be separated from the crime itself. The Stonegate Mansion became almost a character in the story - a fortress of wealth that became, over the course of about 15 minutes, a labyrinth of violence.

Albert S. Komatsu (1926-2024) designed Stonegate Mansion in 1972. He was an influential Fort Worth architect whose projects helped define the city's modernist architecture in the 1960s and 70s.

Komatsu created something unlike the traditional estates dotting Fort Worth's west side. Instead of a stately Colonial or Mediterranean mansion, Stonegate was modern. It sprawled over about 19,000 square feet, stepping down a hillside overlooking southwest Fort Worth. The design emphasized changing elevations, interior courtyards, balconies, glass walls and long sightlines. Narrow stairways connected split levels. Hallways often turned unexpectedly. The house contained an indoor swimming pool, tunnels for mechanical systems and service access, a massive master suite and more than 100 paintings on display.

Visitors frequently remarked that it felt more like an exclusive hotel or corporate retreat than a residence.

After the murders, the house sat vacant for years. It was eventually retrofitted as a Mexican restaurant and later an event venue where wedding guests danced atop the boarded-over swimming pool. Both businesses eventually left the mansion.

Stonegate Mansion was demolished in September 2021, nearly 45 years after the murders. By then, it had suffered extensive deterioration from water damage, vandalism and deferred maintenance.

The house is gone, but the site on Stonegate Boulevard remains recognizable. Much of the original estate property still exists as part of a gated residential development. The distinctive hillside setting overlooking southwest Fort Worth is unchanged. Some parts of the landscaping, grading, retaining walls and driveway alignment survived the demolition, although the mansion itself was completely removed.

By the time it was razed, the building had become more famous for its place in Texas criminal history than for its architectural merits.

Photo: Stonegate Mansion was built by wealthy oil heir T. Cullen Davis. On Aug. 2, 1976, the expansive home was the scene of two murders and two attempted murders by an armed intruder. (Photos courtesy of University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History.) https://texashistory.unt.edu

Photo: In 1976, the mansion stood alone off of South Hulen Street. Today, the site is surrounded by a housing development, apartments and busy retail shops.

Photo: Two Fort Worth police officers survey the crime scene at Stonegate Mansion.

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