Blood, No Body: The Murder of Richard Hernandez

• Trial starts May 23, 2011, supposedly.

• Seth has no problem cutting someone up in a tub. all people can say is that he needs help!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! fuck that give this guys the chair

• i love this guy

• Any updates on this case?

• I was shocked to see this while watching the first 48. I worked with Seth back in 1999-2000 at the walmart in the colony. He had longish hair down to his shoulders at the time. He seemed shy, but I would never have ever expected something like this happening. The kind of thing, when you look back you think "he was a bit off" mentally that is. I am still blown away by the whole thing. I don't know what the final out come of the case is, but I truly hope that one day the Hernandez family will be able to get some sort of closure. My heart goes out to them.

• I have watched The First 48 nearly everyday (guess I am addicted) but this story really made me more angrier than I think any of the cases I've seen in the Dallas area. I moved here around 3 years ago and seeing all the murder cases that happen here make me freaking scared so bad I almost feel like I need to always have eyes in the back of my head. RIP RICHARD HERNANDEZ. YOU ARE GONE BUT NEVER FORGOTTEN. I am so sorry for the family. I hope y'all can find closure because yall definitely deserve it more than ever.

• tiff what are you saying ? you witnessed it ?

• This happened in my apartments and that was the saddest thing i ever wittnessed. The family still must be hurt behind this brutal attack and murder. My heart goes out to them.

• The trial is scheduled for January 24, 2011, barring further delays. Hopefully, it will proceed at that time.

• i just seen this show on the tv and it has deeply caught my attention. i am training for detective in the state of ohio. and i was just wondering if there was ever a trial or if the body was found. i can say that when i make detective i personally am coming to texas to look more in depth into this case. it has touched me and i feel so sad for the family. i know what it is like to not have an answer to yhe crime comitted but to have the closure of a body, to not have a proper burial that is even harder. please someone let me konow if there is any news into this case that i can use. e-mail is badboymike86@yahoo.com. thank you and my condolences to the family.

• I am soooo deeply saddened. I just found out today about Richard. I met him at Wal-Mart while i was working there, but i have transferred to a couple of stores since then and lost contact with a lot of friends. He was a really great friend to me while I was there. He always was helping someone. I can't believe something so horrific like this happened to a sweet person like him. I'm really sorry for his family and for the family of seth winder. I will be keeping Richard's family and other friends in my thoughts and prayers.

• To Sarah. Seth's father and I wrote the book together. He gave his perspective on Seth's life and I only wrote about the disease and facts of the case. We are married. We wrote it to help other families who have mentally ill family members and to call attention to the need for their treatment and to change our current laws. You can get up on your high horse and scream all you want, but you know nothing about us or our intentions. No one has made any money off of this book at all. All we've done is spend our own money buying copies and sending it to people who might be able to help in this cause. If it sold any copies, we know nothing about it. No profits have been made at all. The trial was not delayed because of the book, but because his attorney had other cases that had to be tried first. Its been reset for August, but they are talking delay again. Don't judge others or their motives when you never even read the book. It was published months ago. Everyone in Seth's family is very sorry about what happened to the victim and are sympathetic to his family and friends. I have reached out to a couple of his friends and they have been understanding and kind. Why don't you talk to them and ask them about it. Its easy to blast someone you don't know anything about on a public forum isn't it? Schizophrenia is genetic. If you'd study the disease and try to understand it, it might be helpful. I tried for two years before thise happened with my husband to get help for his son and no one would help us. I did everything to try to prevent a tragedy from happeneing and no one in authority would do a damn thing. no one will make a profit off this book and if a few copies were sold, I would give the profit, which would be very tiny with this publisher to the Treatment Advocacy Center, a non profit, trying to help change our laws.

• OK SO..... In reply to Siri, Seth was most certainly gay/bi and was very secritive about it so your "One thing people haven´t paid attention to is the motive. I could see on 48 Hours that in the photo on the camera the guy was either naked or in his underwear on the victim´s sofa. I don´t think Winder is gay and I think he just wanted to utilize the victim financially and maybe that´s why he agreed to do some sexual favors. But because he isn´t gay he was disgusted by what he did and the victim and didn´t get enough money from the victim and all that lead to the murder. And since he was fascinated by knives and carving things he might have enjoyed the act of killing." Is a possibility. I had hung out with Seth many times actually close to the time this happened. I am sad to say I think it is more than possible that this did in fact happen by Seth's hand. I will say that many times he did mention something about people that needed things from him and that they would do things to him if he did not bring them money. I will be calling the Police to mention this maybe there was someone who helped him do this or made him get involved. Seth was a very gentle person and I say that even after the fact that he had a few outburst while we were in public. And would get very angry but he never NEVER got physical. But I dont think that it is impossible for him to have done this. I am sorry for the victims family.... I do think that the book that Seths family is writing is a good idea just so it can help others in the future.

• As sad as this case is what do people want law enforcement to do? What can the justice system do? In order to have a person arrested on a 51/50 the accused individual has to be a threat to himself or others. This nut did not hurt anyone prior to killing this guy. If that were the case and law enforcement just took the word of an individual that wanted another person arrest because they said "A person is mentally ill?" The person calling the police have a gut feeling that somewhere in the future the person in question is going to kill someone? Anyone and everyone could be arrest with a phone call to the police. How absurd.......

• contd... I have just found more recent information stating that Seth was deemed fit for trial yet it has been FURTHER POSTPONED! BECAUSE THE GIRLFRIEND OF SETH'S FATHER has written A BOOK ON SETH!!!!!! If this isn't a slap in the face to the family and loved ones of the victim, I don't know what is! From my understanding it is still a manuscript waiting to be published but given the nature of the case I have no doubt it will be signed. How on earth is this trial being postponed so the family of a murder can make profits off a book? What on earth is this world coming too?

• I am from Canada and was unaware of this tragedy until today, when I watched a rerun of "The First 48". First and foremost my heart goes out to the victim's family, I hope in time you find peace in the memory of Richard. I too am very familiar with mental illness as I work in this field, in addition to working towards my Masters in Occupational Therapy. Hence I was very interested in Seth's current treatment and competency examinations. At first searching was difficult as most articles on the web are outdated.

• I think that Winder's should go to pison with a death sentence life without parola.. No one should kil anyone and get away with it.. People who kill others should be killed themselves... I believe that Winder's should be shot and killed for killing another humanbeing...

• does anyone know about the trail and how it went?

• ohhh mannn! that reallly suckkksss, did you know he died a virgin?

• Slipping Into Madness, The Seth Winder Story has recently been published and it gives the background information on him that his family knows is true.

• This guy is not crazy. He cut and hid the body and thought he wouldn´t be charged. I saw the look on his face after the cop told him he will be charged with murder. He was SO disappointed because when he cut up the guy and got rid of the body he was convinced that he wouldn´t be charged due to lack of evidence. He looked like he couldn´t even believe it when the cop told him he would be charged. And to every single question he replied "I don´t know". Not because he is crazy, not because he is stupid but because he didn´t want to implicate himself. To questions that didn´t involve the murder he answered normally. His MO was way too organized for him to be insane.It´s unbelievable how easily he fools people. Just by looking at him and his eyes you can tell he isn´t insane but quite intelligent and manipulative. For these people here who say they are mentally ill: in no way does it make you qualified to evaluate other people´s state of mind. In no way does it make you experts. You are not psychologists or psychiatrists. One thing people haven´t paid attention to is the motive. I could see on 48 Hours that in the photo on the camera the guy was either naked or in his underwear on the victim´s sofa. I don´t think Winder is gay and I think he just wanted to utilize the victim financially and maybe that´s why he agreed to do some sexual favors. But because he isn´t gay he was disgusted by what he did and the victim and didn´t get enough money from the victim and all that lead to the murder. And since he was fascinated by knives and carving things he might have enjoyed the act of killing.

• CAN'T REALLY SAY MUCH BUT MY PRAYERS AN THOUGHTS ARE WIT THE FAMILY AN FRIENDS OF RICHARD.NOBODY HAS THE RIGHT TO TAKE ANOTHER'S LYFE,THATS GODS CHOICE.I REALLY DO BELIEVE THAT IF THEY WOULD HAVE CHECKED THE LANDFILL WHERE THE GARBAGE WAS TAKEN, THEY WOULD HAVE FOUND RICHARD.THERE WAS BLOOD DROPS ALL THE WAY LEADING FROM HIS APT TO THE DUMPSTER.TO SAY TOO MUCH TRASH HAS ALREADY BEEN THROWN THERE IS JUST CRAZY. THE WAY I SEE IT IS IF THEY ARE WILLIN TO CHECK A LANDFILL WHERE TRASH IS DUMPED OUT IN S.A FOR BABY GABRIEL THEN THEY SHOULD BE WILLING TO DO THE SAME FOR RICHARD.HIS FAMILY DESERVES TO LAY HIM TO REST

• The trial has been reset to May 3, 2010

• The trial is set for Feb. 8 in the 367th district court in denton county, denton, texas. Its been put off several times, but this date is set and it should proceed as scheduled.

• Really?

• I turned on the tv and there was a show about the detectives arresting Winder and trying to get information as to where Richard is. They did a great job, and I pray for the family. I am a medium, and I felt Richard's presence here in my living room watching the show. His message for his family is that he is okay now, he is at peace, and sends love to his beautiful mammita and to the rest of his family. He says, Patterson street....under...23...and his body was transported in the back of a vehicle to the place. He says Winder was using drugs and lost his soul. I pray he finds his soul and I pray he never harms anyone again.

• I just saw this on A&E and I have one legal comment/question. I have seen instances where cases have been won even though a body was never recovered based on the amount of blood at the scene and other evidence. It seems to me that, in this instance, with the amount of blood found both at the scene of the crime, as well as at the Seth Winder's campsite could be a factor in the prosecution. But what I think would be the clincher, is the fact that they found a substantial amount of his stomach fat in his tub!! You wouldn't be able to remove so much stomach fat, chunks mind you, without the victim being SUBSTANTIALLY 'affected'! Unless the killer was a surgeon carrying all necessary equipment to sew him back up, treat him, etc. And when you put the two together, the blood ALL over the apartment, smeared all over the walls and so on, and the body fat... to me, there is no doubt a guilty verdict COULD be found! Of course, I do not know Texas law, but with the District Attorney's office agreeing that this case could be pursued, their laws must allow for such a case to be prosecuted. Does anyone know anything about this factor in the case? I just learned about it so I have not had time to fully look into this particular case, it's just the first thing that came to mind when I found out about the outcome. One more note, I really like the lead investigator in this case, he seems quite different than most...perhaps he has not yet been hardened, but he seems like a truly decent human being and genuinely nice guy.

• is there an update on this case? Did it go to trial yet?

• Is this the Richard that has family in Bloomfield, New Mexico? Tell me it isn't him.

• I went to school with Seth (the accused) and I think he is guilty. I'll elaborate on that later but first.... Search DFW landfill? It is obvious to me that none of you have ever been to a busy landfill (or in the trash business) and I find it amazing that you're slamming the police. DFW Landfill in Lewisville, TX takes in about 5,500 TONS (or 11,000,000 lbs) of trash EVERY DAY. When the scales go offline at the enterance for 15-20 minutes, the LONG line of trucks waiting to empty is amazing. Humans are incredibly wasteful. BTW, Mr. Hernandez had already been missing for at least 2 days BEFORE the detectives even started. At 11 million pounds a day, that is a LOT of trash to sort through. (you can't just shut down an area of the landfill to search for a few months here in DFW like you can in Lubbock.) Yes I know that 25-50 people searching a day for 2 months found a body in Lubbock but the amount of trash dumped per day is a FRACTION of what DFW Landfill is. (Plus they don't use 80,000LB or 120K Packers to pack in Lubbock. i've been to TEXAS TECH so I know that area and its volume) You might see 60 fully loaded trash trucks dump at DFW in just 1 hour. Cadavar Dogs, although great, can't do too well in a landfill. The cross contamination of everything overwhelms their sense of smell. Also,a HUGE amount of gas seeps out of the ground from trash decomp. They do gas recovery at DFW Landfill and are capturing about 32.7 MILLION kilowatts worth of gas annually. That is enough to power 5,000 homes for a year. In short, the body may not even be at DFW Landfill and Seth just needs TO FESS UP. Much more practical. I also went to The Colony High School (class of 97) and lived in The Colony for 16 years. I wasn't a close friend of Seth but I remember seeing him around school... I always thought he was a nut. (not to mention he did a lot of drugs...) I really doubt his IQ was 130. I would say 90 to 109 AT MOST. That is 50% of the pop. avg. Only 2.2% of the population has an IQ of 130+ and I guarantee Seth is nowhere near 130. RIP to the victim and my thoughts are with his loved ones.

• You know, I think it is really sad that people want to continue dragging this out. Dont you believe to those(like myself)who knew Rich would want this laid to rest? I greive for the Hernandez family and keep them in my prayers.

• cheryl your wrong he knew he was crazy our gov. knew he was crazy his own family knew he was crazy yet hes walking the streets free to kill when rich died. he was running from help he didnt care and it showed rich may not be his only vic. we will never know and if what you say is true why didnt he buy food and clothing yet he baught things he could trade for drugs thats theft and thats a sane mind at work!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

• Trial date is set for Feb. 8, 2010.

• Crazy people never think they are crazy. It is easy for someone who has never suffered from a mental illness or had to deal with a mentally ill person to say that a person appears sane or knew what they were doing. I am a mentally ill person. I hate saying that. I hated having to admit it and I really hated having to do something about it. I looked for places to voluntarily check myself in to get help and was met with all kinds of asinine obstacles. The point is I didn't get the help I needed. I turned to drugs. They helped me keep from exploding and kept my thoughts repressed. Once I got the help I needed, I look back now and wonder who was that person? And I don't remember a lot of things that person did. People from that past always come up to me, start talking, and then realize I don't know who in the heck they are. Then they will ask me, "You don't remember me, do you?" And I say no. When they try to get me to "remember the time" as Michael Jackson says in one of his songs--I still don't remember. No one has considered that when Seth answered, "I don't know" to the police questions that instead of being clever and cunning, maybe he really didn't know. As for his using the card at Target and Starbucks, once again it is amazing how the mentally ill mind thinks. You cannot make sense out of the insensible and you cannot rationalize the irrational. But you can realize that whatever is in their mind is real to them. So whatever reason he told himself as to why he had that card made sense to him. The fact that he used it for such mundane things lets you know it wasn't robbery or theft. Somewhere in his mind he felt he had a legitimate right to use that card. When you don't take your medication the illness takes control of you so insidiously that you don't realize it until you are snapped out of it again. I am so sorry for BOTH victims and their families. I saw this story on the first 48 and was so intrigued. This is the first time I have ever felt moved to post a comment about a situation such as this but I felt pushed to. Mental illness is very real. It can also be very well hidden. Anyone who thinks Seth was sane at the time of his actions may want to look into the many types of mental illnesses and the effects on the people who are ill and the family members who love them enough to continue to try to deal with them. The fact that Richard had dealt with him and helped him that long sort of made him think he had nothing to fear from Seth. You always have to be careful around mentally ill people--especially those with disorders known to have violent effects.

• i just watched the show FIRST 48 where the episode was beased on this crime and i have to say i could not help ut cry when the detective briefed the family about the the intergation. Seth is a sick human being and i hope he rots in jail. Seth laughed and grinned as he was qusetioned about Ricahrd's murder and that just digusted me. Insane or not the fucker knew waht the hell he was doing. Seth probably wanted moner for drugs or something and Richard didnt give him anything so his next thing was to what kill the poor guy for a fucking PS2 and some sonic buger wtf? I hope the community in that Texas area speak out about this and get this sick sck of low life shyt to confess or at least tell where Richard is. Dispite Richard's sexual preference, he his human and has family and deserves to rest peacefully.

• I can't believe there is all this outpour for Seth and nobody is concerned about the victim. I just saw the first 48 episode and was blown away by the chain of events. Yes Seth is mentally ill, but like others commented before, he used his credit cards to buy a playstation and was sane enough to dump bloody clothes, backpacks, and keep the knife he used. I was a little confused about why they never mentioned anything about DNA. And I am confused why the dump wasn't searched. I hope the Hernandez family finds peace and Seth goes to Huntsville!

• Please keep me in the loop as far as any updates on this very sad and tragic case. I just saw the AE show detailing the case...and it left me feeling really empty inside. Any and all information will be greatly appreciated.

• someone should look in the landfill. i don't know the exact case name but a woman was found in a landfill years after her disappearance it is possible, just because you have a suspect in custody doesn't mean the case is closed, there is still a man out there waiting for a proper burial and a family waiting to give it to him. and landfills must keep records to narrow down the search. my opinion wont change what is being done if anything, i just think the family needs some closure and a conviction is not that.

• I have a feeling that Hernandez's body is in the landfill, and it's going to be difficult to find it now, rather than back in September when they needed to look for it, but for whatever reason....chose not to! Can it still be done? Absolutely! The time involved will be more now due to the increased garbage that has come in over the months. Hernandez deserves to be put to a peaceful rest, and Winder deserves the electric chair!

• 2 weeks before the murder Seth emailed me and was begging me to let him stay at my house in Lubbock. He said he needed to get away from everything. I can't help asking myself if I had agreed to let him stay with me, if the crime would have not taken place! My prayers go out to both families.

• Pinkie knows the brick wall as the Winder family does and did. I'm a friend and we all tried time and again to get help long before this happened. The laws need to be changed!!!!!!! The charge was dropped from capital murder to murder one several months ago. Seth has been judged mentally incompetent to stand trial at this time and will be transferred to a mental facility for treatment and stabilization. When he is stabilized, he will be returned to Denton County for trial. That is where things stand at this time.

• Pinkie knows the brick wall as the Winder family does and did. I'm a friend and we all tried time and again to get help long before this happened. The laws need to be changed!!!!!!! The charge was dropped from capital murder to murder one several months ago. Seth has been judged mentally incompetent to stand trial at this time and will be transferred to a mental facility for treatment and stabilization. When he is stabilized, he will be returned to Denton County for trial. That is where things stand at this time.

• I went to school with Seth. Like 6th grade on. He was kinda off in the mental department. Looks like it got worse. I dont feel for him one bit. If you kill you should be killed. If your nuts and kill. You should still be killed. Killing is bad omkay! Freaking NUT JOB! Sorry for your loss will not do the hernandez family any good if you ask me. A verdict of Death may start to even the score some. Good luck to the Hernandez family and may justice be served.

• A football sized trash field, perhaps 30 feet deep containing a dismembered body? Yep, the cops should have been able to knock that out in an afternoon.

• Do any of you realize that YOU could have been killed by Seth Winder? So many of you choose to believe people aren't mentally ill because they can do normal things. I was married to a man who became mentally ill and I tried everthing possible to get help. It was all a brick wall. Yes, he was sane most of the time but you could never predict when he would go into the insane mode. It was horrible and heart breaking. He was arrested several times but was always released early as the courts told me to get him help? They could never tell me how to get him help! As his illness progressed, I left because I realized he was capable of killing me and our children. We had to go into hiding and that's a very difficult thing to do this day and time. He killed two people a year after I left! Now people blame me for the killings? I'm the cause and not the mental illness. I do not feel guilty! It wasn't my fault! I did everything right and was turned down time after time. Until we all wake up and pass bills to open more government hospitals (we used to have several until Reagan closed them) we will continue to see these insane killings. Mr Hernandez didn't deserve this but we continue to allow it to happen. I'm sorry doesn't matter now people. Mr Hernandez is gone! He's not coming back! His family will suffer with this the rest of their lives! They too are being punished for the lack of mental health help in this country. Seth Winder is insane and there are sooo many more like him. They are among us and this will continue to happen! The Winder family is also suffering. They aren't the cause of his insanity and did everything possible to help him. They know my brick wall well! Now the family of Richard Hernandez knows it. YOU CAN BE THE NEXT VICTIM!

• i just saw first 48 this story is so sad my heart goes out to the hernandez family. seth was insane but still not a reason to kill someone

• A football sized trash field, perhaps 30 feet deep containing a dismembered body? Yep, the cops should have been able to knock that out in an afternoon.

• The biggest mistake by the DPD was not searching the landfill. I have a feeling that had they looked, they would have found something. How could they not follow up on such a promising lead? For goodness sake, there was blood in the garbage bin! Had it been someone famous, or wealthy, they would bend over backwards to search the landfill...sad...

• I always have expressed my utmost sympathy to Richard and his family. I am close to some in Seth's family and tried with them long before this happened to get something done. Believe me his family is deeply sorry and even though I am not a family member, I have seen the depth of their sorrow and felt it deeply myself. Just because I believe Seth is mentally ill does not mean I excuse his actions in any way. I believe that everyone has to abide by the laws, no matter what. Once something like this happens, your freedom should be gone forever. Even if someone is judged to be mentally ill does not mean I think they should ever be released.

• I always have expressed my utmost sympathy to Richard and his family. I am close to some in Seth's family and tried with them long before this happened to get something done. Believe me his family is deeply sorry and even though I am not a family member, I have seen the depth of their sorrow and felt it deeply myself. Just because I believe Seth is mentally ill does not mean I excuse his actions in any way. I believe that everyone has to abide by the laws, no matter what. Once something like this happens, your freedom should be gone forever. Even if someone is judged to be mentally ill does not mean I think they should ever be released.

• i think that's gay they didn't check the field when they could have and maybe have found something and even if they didn't find anything. Seth new excatlly where Richards body was left he did not want them to find out where his body was left and even though Seth was mentaly ill there was no excuse for him not to tell where the body was. well if they do end up finding the body i hope to see it on the first 48 so we could find out some more information on what happen to Richard and where the found the body and showing Seth telling where his body is or if he does tell where the boy is. R.I.P Richard

• I want to remind everyone that without a body, they can still determine a person died because of the amount of blood loss they find. That's exactly what happened in this situation. They deemed it necessary to call it a homicide because no person can live with the excessive blood loss which was found in Richard's apartment. Now, for those saying they should have done more and only watched the A&E 48 Hours show, you do not know everything that happened behind the cameras. You must realize the producers deliberately cut scenes out of the show to make it more time, viewer friendly. So do not believe everything you see or read or hear in the media. They will falsely report stories to create a more dramatic affect for those of you who do not know any better. Now, for those who are defending Seth: You must remember he was SANE enough to avoid answering all the detectives questions. If you have nothing to hide, then why hide anything? His body language, eyes, and hands said so much about his guilt; not to mention the overwhelming amount of evidence. If you want to defend him, that is your right, but not one of you, from what I have seen, have expressed any remorse to the Hernandez family for their loss. You are only interested in the loss of your friend's freedom. I noticed DannyC has briefly compared this to a conspiracy if it hadn't been for the evidence linking Seth. If he was legally declared insane to begin with, he should have been in a mental institution and not on the streets. But you are correct in saying that it is not chilling when Seth's myspace profile states in "Who I'd Like to Meet" "You". That is the prime example of the media dramatizing a seemingly innocent statement. Hell, even I have "You" in that portion of my myspace, but it's not creepy. I just want the reality to show proof that there is reasonable questioning of Seth Winder's innocence. And may God comfort and strengthen Richard Hernandez's family. You are in my heart and prayers, always.

• how did it come together to easy ? he was spending riches money , was in possesion of riches things, his things were covered in blood the possable murder weapon in his campground, and the i dont know response to the police! and then the i dont remember ! crazy seth is not ! a druggie he is and a cold blooded killer besides if he does have some sort of mental illness he refused help and by doing so made himself 100% liable for his actions!!!!! to easy my butt do the crime do the time, eye for an eye is how it should be but all you nuts seem to think the killer should have more rights than the victoms that is sad! looking at it from another angle well so sorry your friend crossed the line of right and wrong no one ever wants to beleave someone they knew or there own family member could ever do such an evil act its sad i agree but once that line is crossed you cant go back!! seth needs to man up and confess and then we all can move on. ididnt know seth but i knew rich and he was a wonderful friend. and a gentle soul...

• This didnt come together to easy, it was seth's dumb A$$ that use Richard credit card after he murdered him. I honestly feel that if had not used Richard credit card he would have never been caught. Im just glad the dumb A$$ used it. IF YOU DO THE CRIME YOU MUST DO THE TIME. Coming from someone who new Richard, Seth deserves the same thing that he put Richard through. It is hard to think of what happened. I cant wrap my mind around someone being able to do that to someone else. My thoughts and prayers are with Richards Family.

• In Lubbock they found a girls body in the dump 2½ years after she was murdered. It took them searching the dump for 2 months but it can be done. http://www.lubbockonline.com/stories/102406/upd_4448288.shtml

• I dont necessarily think that I am the dumbest person on earth. Maybe I guess. I think that it was just wishful thinking. Nobody deserves to be murdered and I am sorry for any disrespect that you feel my blog may have caused. I was just trying to look at it from another angle. Be the devils advocate. Even if it was not my crazy, middle school friend that was the suspect, I guess I still would have thought that it came together just a little too easy. Once again Sorry,

• hey trisha you must be the dumbest person on earth all the evidence is right there in plain site murder weapon bloody clothes ect. as for the dna ect that takes weeks to process stop watching csi its not real you cant put all the peices to gether in an hour................ as for the dump the police cant just stop and shut down the waste dump it could take weeks to find anything if they found it at all.... where is all the waste going to go until they re opened it...the firs 48 is about getting a lead or a suspect which they did seth its to help solve the crime besides all the in depth evidence will come out in court not on a one hour tv show dumb ass, they cant give the viewing audeance everything besides the case is only a few mo old, your a freak as disturbing as seth if in your opinion he is innocent. right mind or not you dont kill someone. i beleave they have the right person and all the facts will come out in court. rip rich love ya ms.

• Even if they did DNA testing it doesn't prove enough that he killed him (which he probably did). If he didn't do it, he would have told them another party was involved by now. he'll probably never see hard time. He will more than likely be relegated to a psych ward for the rest of his life. As for the body... it has to be in Texas in that area somewhere. if it is in the dump, they will never find it.

• Well I for one would like to see some hard evidence. I dont understand how it is so hard for the police to at least try to find the body at the dump. With the resources provided them by our tax dollars they state that "searching the dump would be impossible, a football size at about 15 feet deep" I am sorry but this is ridiculous. People drag lakes for this same reason. Also, where is the DNA, hair, fingerprints that link Seth to the actual murder, unless they are saving it until they go to trial. I have no doubt that he was somehow involved, but I for one do not believe that he was the murderer. I think that he is being taken advantage of by someone,I dont see a murderer turn around and use the victims credit cards. I just dont see him committing this horrible crime, even in a schitzoprenic episode. He used to live at the complex, maybe he was just there, the crime occurred, maybe by someone he knew, and now he is just scared to talk. And of the blood on the sword, could that not have been from the birds that were hanging around his campsite. If they find no more evidence then they have then somehow I believe that he is just a scapegoat, for both the perpetrator of the crime, and also the police department. Does the fact that it was on a television show have any bearing on the outcome? And if they were aware that Seth was not in the right state of mind, why did they not go about interrogating him in a different manner. This case needs more investigating, and I am fearful, that by "cracking this case in the first 48 hours" the authorities have the wrong person in jail. Maybe this is all hopeful thinking because this boy was an amazing soul, and I pray that the outcome finds another explanation. I have not seen Seth for a very long time, but if the victims family knew him at all, they would demand further investigation. My prayers are with you all. May justice be served, no matter what the cause.

• i knew rich rather well worked with him for 4 yrs. i know that he was dismembered so findinf the body might be difficult but his family needs to kno that we all care for them too. I saw the show as well and am trryin to get a copy made so i can send it to his friends and family

• I too saw the show and was fascinated. Having been a judicial clerk in the past I have seen quite a few murder trials and this case is one of the more chilling I've seen. I assume (if Mr. Winder is determined fit to stand trial) that given the lack of a body in evidence there will experts to testify that the blood is the victim's and that given the amount found in the home, the blood loss was so great he could not survive. I realize DNA testing probably takes more than 48 hours so results of a match to the victim could not be obtained on the show but I was surprised no detectives even mentioned running the tests on the apartment and the sword and clothes found in the tent. I'd like to think it was the editing but it made the investigation seem substandard. I also was disappointed they didn't search the landfill for the body. I don't think they need it for a conviction so it likely makes no sense now in a cost-benefit sense but they opted not to search before they found most of the key evidence so the choice was surprising at the time. Plus, I'd like to see the family get closure.

• I cant believe this happened. I live in The Colony, TX and was one of the people who saw him walking around and arose curiostiy as to why he was always walking around. I believe its where his parents lived and he went to high school. My friends spotted him wearing a backpack screaming and frantically talking to himself and reported him. This was an odd case, and he was in need of serious help. Its unfortunate it wasnt taken care of sooner.

• You know this is just very sad for everyone involved. I am very close to someone in Seth's family and believe me they tried numerous times to get help for him. I tried with law enforcement officials myself over and over. As we were told time and again, he had to threaten someone or hurt someone or himself before they would intervene.After this happened I realized that it was our laws that needed to be changed so I started that online petition and tried to speak out about that issue. Treatment Advocacy Center is a non profit group in Virginia that is working to change laws across the country, but its difficult and slow. I can't tell you I understand the depth of Seth's mental illness because I don't, but I can say I observed very bizarre behavior and was very, very concerned. We spent a lot of time discussing what we could try to do and did try numerous times, but we kept going to law enforcement. I didn't really know what to do, asked advice from mental health professionals and they all told me the same thing, no one gets help until after a tragedy. Believe me, Seth's family is devastated over this, I am too. I feel so deeply sorry for Richard's family and friends. I grieve for them and for Richard. It troubles me so that we tried and I witnessed so many attempts by his family to help and it still ended up in tragedy. No one wanted this to happen of course. I don't think his family is trying to make excuses. They know. Its hard to believe your family member could do something like this. I know that mental illness like this hits males in their late teens and early twenties. I struggled years ago with a family member with mental issues trying to get help for her and she would never seek it herself either. It was the same type of situation and she ended up dying tragically. I could not help her then and all these years later, I see the same system not working again two decades later. Now ultimately the jury that will be seated will have to make the decision in this sad and tragic case. I do believe that we can help future families by changing the laws. In Bexar County in Texas they have a great program in place, a jail diversion program, that gets the mentally ill inmates into treatment and out of jail. This could certainly be put into usage statewide if our legislators will only listen and look at this program.

• I think Seth is more non-crazy than most people give him credit for. While he did use the credit cards, etc - he did not answer any questions about the murder itself. If you are an avid First 48 fan, you will note that week after week we see suspects confess while you want them to - you kind of want them not to. I REALLY wanted Seth to confess because he just seemed like he knew exactly what was going on and playing everyone for a fool. I feel for Richard's family and hope they can find some resolution, but I also thought it was lame not to search the field. They have dogs specifically for that purpose - to find dead bodies. Sad situation all around.

• I will not try to understand where either family or group of friends is coming from but I do feel extremely sad for all parties involved. With that said, I wish people would stop defending Seth. He may have been a very caring, sweet person and yes his family might be great people but why does that give Seth the right to act the way he did and do the things he did. From what I have read his family and friends all tried to help him and mental health issues or not he is an adult and that does NOT give him the right to go off the handle. Ya sometimes I feel like just braking down and feel like just giving up on everything but I get up every day and go to work and try to be a productive member of society. These days everyone wants to be protected and supported by the law and community. Well guess what I believe you have to somewhat give back to recieve help and I dont believe it matters "how" you give back, whether it be working or treating your family well, or NOT using drugs all the time or EXCEPTING HELP THAT IS OFFERED NUMEROUS TIMES. YOU CAN NOT HELP SOMEONE WHO DOES NOT WANT HELP. Seth choose to live the way he did and CHOOSE not to except the help that was offered. Im sure somewhere at somepoint Seth was a caring, good person and yes he may have suffered from mental health issues that none of us can understand but he CHOOSE to live his life without correcting any of those issues. I truly do believe Seth did the crime and whether it was because of his mental illness or not he still killed a man. Now Im sure his family did everything they could to try to help Seth but there are some people you just cant help. Again I do have so much empathy for his family and cant imagine how they feel. They have lost a son in more ways than one. I do believe that mental health is a true and real heath issue but he also choose to do ALOT of hard drugs for many years which probably had a lot to do with his severe mental heath issues. I just wish people would not make exuses for him. Feel sad for him or with him and support him all you want but please just stop pretending like his mental health issues were the only reason he did what he did. A long time of doing drugs can do SO MUCH to someone and even if he had mental health issues from a very young age he also started the drugs at a very young age which took his mental health to a whole new level. I DONT CARE WHY HE DID WHAT HE DID OR WHAT MADE HIM DO IT, HE DID IT AND HE DID SOMETHING THE MAJORITY OF US COULD NOT DO EVEN AT OUR WEAKEST, CRAZIEST, MOST UNCHARACTERISTIC MOMENT.

• I was pissed off that the body was not found, I understand that seth had a mental problem but that is not a good excuse..sure he could say he had a mental breakdown during that episode, but he can't literally be insane 24/7 he knew what he did because he was doing illegal things by using the victims credit card over a period of time..he played stupid while being interrogated, especially when he gave a stupid smirk.. I hope that he ends up in jail.. actually I hope he gets the death penalty.

• I personally did not know richard on the level most of yall do, however i did meet him once maybe a month before his death. my mom and brothers use to work at the walmart with him and my mama said exactly what yall are. that he was a kind hearted, warm, sweet, beautiful person. i have friends that live in those same apartments and me and my mom drove past the day the cops were there. WE ACTUALLY SEEN THE FIRST 48 CREW AND THE COPS...little did we know it involved richard until a few hours later. both me and my mom cried so hard...why richard?! what kinda a lunatic can chop up a human being with a samuri sword?! i pray that richard has found peace, i pray for his family and friends. i cannot wait until the day i can see him again and actually get to know him cause it saddens me that i didnt get that chance when he was alive, so until that day comes...RICHARD, you will not be forgotten and you are ALWAYS loved!! GOD BLESS YOU SOUL AND MAY HE GIVE YOU GOLD WINGS TO SOAR ON!!

• I just watched the First 48 on this....you mean to tell me they were too lazy to dig thru a football field sized area of trash? I'm sure its easier said than done, but drops of blood to the dumpster was a dead giveaway. 130 seems like a pretty high IQ score for a guy that would go on a shopping spree with his victims credit card.

• I just watched the show tonight and couldn't help but wonder if he WASN'T all the insane....at least not enough to know that what he did was wrong. Those books were pretty advanced reading and he seemed to know how to evade questions without giving any sort of hint as to how the interrogators should proceed. I'm saddened for the Hernandez family and hope that one day he gives up the location so that the victim's family can have the closure they need.

• Please consider signing the online petition at www.ipetitions.com/petition/Law4U. We really need to change out laws. Our legislators are about to go into session. I have had this petition up since September and would like to get some more signatures to send to my state senator from Texas. Thank you for your time and consideration in this matter. It can be signed anonymously if you wish.

• This is so sad. I will pray for his family tonight. RIP Richard... Maya

• i just watched this incredibly sad case on THE FIRST 48 HOURS and found it extremely disturbing. Not only does my heart go out to the Hernandez family but to Seths family as well.Mental health issues are a stigma in out society..as if by not dealing with the problem there is no "problem"..until the unthinkable happens and it becomes everyones topic of the day.Our goverment needs to step up to the plate and implement new laws that would allow family members to get help for their loved ones without battling brick walls..and shame on the Army for just cutting him loose. It seems to me that the red flags were there and documented.. but red tape and rights got in the way. If you are that mentally ill then you are not capable of making healthy choices so therefore someone else should have been able to make them on your behalf.Who stands accountable? Only an insane guy that that the people who cared tried to help, but could not. Everyone has lost on this..

• I just watched a show tonight called 48 Hours and was wondering if the police thought about checking the place where the garbage is hauled to. It's been quite a few months now and will be harder to find his body. They will need the help of dogs. I can't beleive that they would just give up the search, especially when their first hunch could be right.

• This case was just profiled by A&E's The First 48. I'll be keeping tabs on the trial. I hope that Mr. Winder will come out of the abyss he's in. I hope Mr. Hernandez's family will find peace. I hope the police will find Mr. Hernandez's remains. May God bless them all.

• He was just indicted on capital murder charges, no trial date has been set yet.

• I was just wondering if anyone has heard anything else about this? Have they found his body? Richard will be missed by alot of people, he deserves to be put to rest.

• Steve, Do you have any updates on this story?

• When I first heard about this terrible news I could not believe it. Richard and my mom and another friend used to hang out and go clubing. I knew Richard by my mom becuase she would always tell me how funny and smweet he was. She would also tell me that he had a great personality and always listend to you when you needed advice. Richard will be missed by anyone who has come in contact with him. I pray that his family will be strong and remember him forever. Richard Hernandez(R.I.P.)...D.M.

• I knew Richard for some time from working at Walmart. To say that there was not a kinder soul for a person is an understatement. After reading this story, I have to wonder if it was not Richard's kind and gentle nature that made him vulnerable to this monster. Richard was the kind of person that would have offered him help if approached. I'm so deeply saddened but still in so much shock and disbelief, I have not yet been able to fully grasp that I will never see my friend Richard again. My greatest wish now is that Richard be at peace.

• The first thing that we have to say is that we are deeply saddened by what happened to rich. We worked with him at Wal-Mart for about 3 - 3 1/2 years and every time that we went into Wal-Mart after that we would see him and he was always a happy person no matter what.. We pray for him and his family. Rich always had a smile from ear to ear and yes he would always stop and listen to you even if he didn't have the time. It is sad to know that he is gone and we will forever miss his smiling face. Deepest wishes to his family.

• I made his Myspace profile when we hung out that day... he wasn't too serious about it, and honestly, I doubt he remembers the login for it or even that it exists.... Those 2 pics are from MY collection. And yes, William Blake - Ancient of Days. You're a little naive for saying it's chilling that he said "You" in the Who I'd like to meet section. He is a friendly, peaceful guy...someone who had a lot of issues and who I thought with some friendship, he might snap out of it. I am deeply saddened at what has happened to my friend and especially to Richard and his family. Just know that no one could ever see Seth doing anything like this. It's almost like a conspiracy, if it weren't for all the evidence and his usage of Richard's debit card. I pray God's light will shine down the full truth of the situation.

• i was so saddened when i heard of this story.i worked with Richard at the superwalmart 7 months ago,he was a great co -worker ,he was there for everyone,he would ask me what certain phrases meant in laos so he could say them to my son . when ever i needed to talk about the problems at work Richard was the man to go to he never said no i don't have time right now,he justed stop and listened and he would lend advise in a very sinsere way... he will be missed by me and my son,he was a very sincere man.this was wrong what happened to him,it should have never happened to anyone let alone richard .....I pray for his family and friends especially at walmart where he had sincere friends all over the store ..he will be missed deeply.. and i pray for god to forgive seth for what he has done to Richard ...Sandralee

TotalComments: 82