Alexis Robie, Gay Smither, Investigation Discovery, Jack Roady, James Holland, Kathy Dobry, Killer Confessions: Case Files of a Texas Ranger, reviews, Ronda Keller, Ryan Stephenson, Steve Jeter, Texas, true crime, TV, William Reece
January 19, 2026
by Carla Hay
“Killer Confessions: Case Files of a Texas Ranger”
Culture Representation: The documentary series “Killer Confessions: Case Files of a Texas Ranger” features a predominantly white group of people who are featured in true crime cases that involved investigations by Texas ranger James Holland.
Culture Clash: Holland has been able to get difficult confessions from various criminals.
Culture Audience: “Killer Confessions: Case Files of a Texas Ranger” will appeal primarily to people who are interested in true crime documentaries that feature video footage of criminal confessions.
“Killer Confessions: Case Files of a Texas Ranger” is yet another true crime show in a long list of true crime shows where a detective on numerous criminal cases is the show’s host/star, who talks about a different case per episode. Investigation Discovery has been offering these types of shows for many years, most notably with retired Colorado police detective Joe Kenda.
“Killer Confessions: Case Files of a Texas Ranger,” with each episode centering on Texas ranger James Holland talking about his most notable cases, tends to get repetitive in stating that he is self-admittedly smug and arrogant However, the video confessions are compelling to watch. The show’s pacing is a little too slow, but viewer interest can be maintained based on the types of cases that are covered in the series.
The series premiere episode—titled “Pathologically Evil” and directed by Alexis Robie—examines the complicated case of serial killer William Reece, a former truck driver who was born on July 1, 1959, in Oklahoma. Reece is serving three life sentences for murders that he committed in 1997. He targeted young women and girls as his victims. Before he was convicted of murder, he served time in prison for two 1986 rapes and a 1997 kidnapping.
In 2021, Reece was convicted of the murder of 19-year-old Tiffany Johnston, who went missing in Bethany, Oklahoma. In 2022, he was convicted of the murders of 12-year-old Laura Smither, who went missing in Friendswood, Texas; 20-year-old Kelly Cox, who went missing in Denton, Texas; and Jessica Cain, who went missing in Tiki Island, Texas. Reece pleaded guilty to the murders of Smither, Cox and Cain and pleaded not guilty to the murder of Johnston because he claims he killed Johnston in self-defense.
Laura Smither’s mother Gay Smither is interviewed in the episode. She vividly describes the agony of losing Laura, who disappeared when she went out for a morning jog. Tiffany Johnston’s mother Kathy Dobry talks about how Johnston was last seen at a car wash. Both mothers describe their daughters as vibrant, lovable people whose lives were cruelly taken away from them.
Because “Killer Confessions: Case Files of a Texas Ranger” is a show about confessions that led to criminal convictions, the prime suspects are revealed early on in the show’s episode. The episode about serial killer Reece gives a summary of each of his victims’ disappearances and how their bodies were found. DNA evidence was the main reason why Reece became a prime suspect. In his confessions, Reece admitted that he also sexually assaulted his victims, but he made it sound like his victims instigated some kind of conflict with him first. Investigators involved in the case say that in reality, Reece most likely was a predator to his victims, with the intention to harm them.
Holland’s long interviews of Reece in 2016 are credited with being the catalyst for Reece confessing to murders where the bodies had not been found yet, but Reece told in his confessions where the bodies were. Reece was interviewed by Holland at the Department of Corrections in Huntsville, Texas. Holland (whose nicknames are Jim or Jimmy) explains that his strategy in his interviews with Reece was to act like a know-it-all expert and to make Reece feel like he was on the same intelligence level.
Holland showed sympathy to Reece in the interrogations, but Holland said this sympathy was an all act to get Reece to confess. It’s a controversial tactic for police investigators to establish a friendly rapport with someone suspected of being a serial killer, but Holland said it was a performance that worked for him in this situation. Holland freely admits that he did most of the talking during these interviews, in contrast to many other investigators who use a technique where the goal is for the person being interviewed to do most of the talking.
This episode of “Killer Confessions: Case Files of a Texas Ranger” has an exclusive interview with Reece’s second ex-wife Ronda Keller. It’s her first TV interview that she’s done about Reece. Keller married Reece in 1984, two years after his Reece’s first ex-wife divorced him for the second time. It’s not mentioned in the documentary when Keller divorced Reece. In her interview, Keller describes Reece (whom she married in 1984) as a very convincing liar and someone who knew how to charm women before they could see his nasty side.
She gives an example: On their first date, Keller says that Reece took her to a Jack in the Box fast food restaurant, where he flirted with a female employee and got a free meal out of this flirtation. “That should’ve been a sign,” Keller says about any early red flags in their relationship.
The episode also has a 1997 hand-held video of Reece flirting with two teenage girls (whose faces are blurred out to protect their privacy) at a place called the Busy Bee Cafe. He convinces one of the girls, who looks like she’s about 15 to 17 years old, to sit on his lap, and he lightly puts his hands around his neck. It’s creepy to see this video footage, considering that Reece later admitted he used strangulation as one way to murder.
Also interviewed in this episode are Steve Jeter, a retired Texas Ranger; Jack Roady, district attorney of Galveston County in Texas; and Ryan Stephenson, retired assistant district attorney of Oklahoma County in Oklahoma. Jeter describes Holland as a “maverick” interrogator but also one of the most arrogant people’s he’s ever met. However, Jeter says he respects Holland as a law enforcement officer who’s accomplished things that others couldn’t do.
There might be a little bit of personal friction between Jeter and Holland because Jeter was sidelined in the interviews with Reece. Holland says when he first started to interview Reece, Jeter was in the room too. In order to get Jeter to leave the room, Holland admits he started calling Jeter a “pretty boy,” which Holland said was a way for Reece to warm up to Holland for being a bully to Jeter. The tactic worked because Jeter ended up letting Holland take over the interview that resulted in Reece’s confessions.
Holland makes this remark toward the end of the episode about getting the confessions from Reece: “I know what I brought in that room were things Reece had never seen before. The job of a ranger, I believe, is to stand up for those who can’t stand up for themselves.”
As a storyteller, Holland’s self-congratulatory style might not be to everyone’s taste. He doesn’t really care if he comes across as likable, but he does seem to care about being perceived as one of the best Texas Rangers ever. At the very least, if people watch “Killer Confessions: Case Files of a Texas Ranger,” they’ll probably see confession videos where Holland goes up against a criminal whose ego might be as huge as his.
Investigation Discovery premiered “Killer Confessions: Case Files of a Texas Ranger” on January 13, 2026.