The Artist (November 2011)
Thirty years ago, Mary Eula Sears, a 77-year-old woman who loved to paint flowers and landscapes, was brutally murdered in her Abilene home. A jury found a local ne’er-do-well guilty of the crime and sentenced him to death. But three decades later, the verdict still divides this tough West Texas town—and the victim’s family. Here are some of her works.




