Terry Rose Sentenced to 40 Years for 1999 Murder of Kimberly Langwell

Terry Rose, 66, was sentenced to 40 years in prison in December 2025 after pleading guilty to the 1999 murder of Kimberly Langwell. The sentencing followed the discovery of Langwell's remains in June 2024, buried under a bedroom floor in Rose's Beaumont, Texas, home. The case, which had been unsolved for over two decades, was reopened in 2023, leading to a plea agreement that prevented Rose from appealing the conviction.

Background and Initial Investigation

Kimberly Langwell, 34, was reported missing on July 10, 1999, after she did not return home from work. Her locked vehicle was found abandoned in a pharmacy parking lot. Her purse, wallet, and keys were not inside. Langwell left behind a 15-year-old daughter, Tiffani McInnis.

Initial investigations by the Beaumont Police Department focused on several individuals, including Langwell's boyfriend at the time, Ken Weatherford, and a former supervisor, Frank McCormick, who had sent her letters. Investigative reports indicate both men were later ruled out as suspects.

Terry Rose, Langwell's ex-boyfriend, was also a person of interest from the beginning. The two had been in a relationship for approximately six years prior to her disappearance. According to police records, Rose was interviewed in 1999 and failed a polygraph test. He stated that Langwell had visited his home briefly on the evening she disappeared. At the time, authorities reported a lack of physical evidence, and the case went cold.

Case Reopening and Breakthrough

In 2023, the Beaumont Police Department, in collaboration with the television program "Cold Justice," reopened the investigation.

In April 2024, David Wiley, a friend of Terry Rose, provided a statement to investigators under an immunity agreement. Wiley stated that on the day Langwell disappeared, Rose called him for a ride from a Walmart parking lot while sitting in Langwell's car. Wiley also stated that Rose later confessed to shooting Langwell during an argument at his house and burying her body under a concrete slab in a bedroom. Investigative reports note that Wiley passed a polygraph test regarding this information.

Discovery of Remains

Based on the information from Wiley, investigators obtained a search warrant for Rose's property. On June 10, 2024, they used ground-penetrating radar and identified an anomaly under the flooring of a bedroom.

Excavation revealed a void containing human remains. The Jefferson County Medical Examiner's Office confirmed the remains were those of Kimberly Langwell through DNA and dental record analysis. The remains, which were wrapped in a blanket and completely skeletonized, showed evidence of a gunshot wound to the back of the skull. Personal items, including a pair of sunglasses, were also recovered from the void.

Terry Rose was arrested on June 13, 2024, and charged with murder.

Legal Proceedings and Sentencing

A plea agreement was reached one week before Rose's trial was scheduled to begin in December 2025. Rose pleaded guilty to murder in exchange for a maximum sentence of 40 years in prison without the possibility of parole or appeal.

At the sentencing hearing in Jefferson County court, David Wiley testified that Rose had confessed the murder to him in 1999 and that he regretted not coming forward sooner.

Langwell's daughter, Tiffani McInnis, provided a victim impact statement. She stated that major life events had been shadowed by her mother's absence and that no sentence could make the loss right.

The prosecution presented a recorded jail phone call between Rose and his son. In the recording, Rose referred to the day of the murder as "a bad day" and said he "dealt with it wrong." Derogatory comments about McInnis were also made during the call.

Judge Raquel West sentenced Rose to the maximum 40-year term under the plea agreement. During the hearing, Judge West stated there was a part of her that wished she had not accepted the plea and that she believed a jury might have given a longer sentence.

Jefferson County Prosecutor Luke Nichols stated the goal of the plea was to ensure a conviction without the risk of an appeal.

Formal Statements from Proceedings

Tiffani McInnis (victim's daughter): "Milestones that should have been shared with my mom... have all been shadowed by her absence."

David Wiley (witness): "I wish I'd came forward right when it happened."

Judge Raquel West: "There is a part of me that wishes I had not accepted this plea agreement... I do think a jury would've given you life or 99 years."

Terry Rose (in recorded jail call): "I had a bad day, I dealt with it wrong, I f***ed up."