Mike Cox’s name is synonymous with Texas crime reporting.
Cox spent decades covering grisly crimes, working as a police beat reporter and later as the Chief of Media Relations for the Texas Department of Public Safety and authoring books about the Texas Rangers.
His latest book, Getting Away with Murder: Learning from Dateline and Other True Crime Shows, blends his sharp wit with his vast experience in law enforcement, offering readers a tongue-in-cheek take on crime and the often bizarre ways criminals get caught.
As an enterprising police beat reporter for the Austin American Statesman, Mike broke the story about serial killer Henry Lee Lucas’ courtroom confession to 100 murders. Mike extensively interviewed Lucas in jail and wrote the definitive book about the case, The Confessions of Henry Lee Lucas.
During our interview, Cox reflects on his lifelong immersion in storytelling, his family’s deep connection to journalism, and how true crime shows like Dateline rekindled his passion for the subject.