
What ‘Cheer’ Led To: How Viral Fame Upended Monica Aldama’s Life
Inside the Netflix star and competitive cheerleading coach’s fight against the fallout of instant stardom.
Inside the Netflix star and competitive cheerleading coach’s fight against the fallout of instant stardom.
I never knew my father, a decorated World War II pilot who died before I was born. But a trek at age 67 to the site where his airplane crashed brought me closer to him than I’d ever dared hope.
Only in Texas could crime stories contain such characters as a murderous cheer mom, a fraudulent fruitcake accountant, and a polo shirt–wearing bandit. Throughout the years, these criminals and more have found their bizarre, macabre, and even humorous true tales told within our pages.
In 1982 a man named Wayne East was convicted and sentenced to death for the murder of one of Abilene’s most prominent citizens. To this day, he maintains his innocence. And one member of the victim’s family believes him.
Mildred Dokupil in traditional Czech attire. From the 2019 photo essay “The Traditional Czech Gowns Capable of Withstanding Texas Heat.”
Since 1973, Texas Monthly has been a proud home for our state’s literary luminaries and intrepid investigators.