his name was billy earl johnson . the cops nude he was a tough guy from east texas, an area about 90 miles from carrollton, home to those piney woods. billy was the ringleader of a colorful crew. many petty criminals, related to billy by blood or marriage. >> certainly a strange cast of characters. east texas folks and some people might depict them as the he hog gang. >> a gang just getting by in a region struggling to make it. >> there's a lot of drugs and methamphetamine. someone makes money, extra money, they handed out to each other. >> it is meeting with investigators, he was a man on a mission who wanted to cut a deal and fast. >> i got grandkids that i want to spend the rest of my life with. i want to be free. and i went out this weekend. >> he told the cops he knew things about the shooting that they did not including the identity of the hit team. he played hardball even as he mixed his metaphors. >> i got the big ace in the hole. i got the ball in my court. if y'all want the attempted murder self, you've got