William Irvan was sentenced to death by the State of Texas for the murder of Michele Denise Shadbolt
According to court documents William Irvan would go to a neighbors home where he would sexually assault and murder Michele Denise Shadbolt. The murder went unsolved for a long time until DNA tied Irvan to the murder
William Irvan would be arrested, convicted and sentenced to death
William Irvan Photos
William Irvan Now
| Name | Irvan, William | |
| TDCJ Number | 999472 | |
| Date of Birth | 07/11/1966 | |
| Date Received | 03/03/2004 | |
| Age (when Received) | 37 | |
| Education Level (Highest Grade Completed) | 10 | |
| Date of Offense | 02/14/1987 | |
| Age (at the time of Offense) | 20 | |
| County | Harris | |
| Race | White | |
| Gender | Male | |
| Hair Color | Brown | |
| Height (in Feet and Inches) | 5′ 11″ | |
| Weight (in Pounds) | 190 | |
| Eye Color | Brown | |
| Native County | Harris | |
| Native State | Texas |
William Irvan Case
William Davin “Diggy” Irvan was a longtime childhood neighbor of Michele Denise Shadbolt, found slain nearly 14 years ago in the north Harris County home where she grew up.
Irvan’s parents had been friends of Shadbolt’s family, even bringing them coffee and helping them remove the bloody carpet and furniture from their daughter’s home.
Her children, Shadbolt’s mother said, had played with Irvan since he was 4. “They grew up together like brothers and sisters,” she said.
But DNA evidence eventually linked Irvan, now 34, to the killing, and sheriff’s officers took their case to the district attorney’s office. It filed capital murder charges against him Wednesday.
Officers had long suspected Shadbolt’s estranged husband in the killing, but he was eventually cleared by DNA evidence.
The case remained dormant for years, until the sheriff’s Cold Case Squad renewed the probe in October 1998.
Detectives felt they had exhausted all leads. There had been no sign of forced entry into Shadbolt’s home, Detective Roger Wedgeworth said Wednesday, and “we asked the family if there was anybody they could think of who might possibly be a suspect — and Diggy’s name came up.”
Irvan, who was 19 when Shadbolt was killed, is serving a two-year sentence for robbery at the Goodman Unit in Jasper.
Shadbolt, 23, was found dead inside her home in the 100 block of West Doverfield on Valentine’s Day 1987. She had been stabbed, beaten and raped.
The accusation against Irvan is stunning and saddening for Shadbolt’s loved ones
It’s a relief to the highest degree, but it’s a sadness because of who it is,” Shadbolt’s mother, Jacqueline Barrett, 56, of Spring said Wednesday.
“I’m glad they finally found out who really did it. But then to find out who is responsible is awful — because my kids grew up with him. They grew up together like brothers and sisters. And that hurts, to think someone that close to you could do such an awful thing to your child.
Shadbolt had separated from her husband weeks before her death and was living with her 2-year-old daughter in the home.
A relative who had been baby-sitting Shadbolt’s daughter the night of the killing went to the home the following morning and found the body.
The living room was very bloody. Shadbolt had been stabbed numerous times and beaten severely in the head. Investigators later learned she had been sexually assaulted.
Detectives learned later that Shadbolt had been playing bingo with friends the night before and was last seen after midnight.
“And why he did it, I don’t know. I’d give anything in the world to know why,” Barrett said. “But the detectives have told me I’ll probably never get that answer. So I’ll have to live with that the rest of my life.”
William Irvan and his parents, whom Barrett had known since 1970, lived across the street from the family for years. He got married within two years of Shadbolt’s death, had two children and later divorced.
Shadbolt’s former husband, who lives in Spring, has an unlisted phone number and could not be reached for comment Wednesday