ABC 20/20 “There is a Monster In Me” July 25 2025

On Friday, July 25, 2025, at 9:01 p.m. EDT, 20/20 revisits a decades-old Texas mystery in the gripping encore episode There is a Monster In Me. Hosted by correspondent Chris Connelly, the two-hour special takes viewers deep into the chilling case of Susan Woods, whose brutal 1987 murder haunted her community and left her family searching for justice for more than 30 years.

Susan Woods was found naked and murdered in her home in Stephenville, Texas. With no signs of forced entry, police initially suspected her estranged husband, Michael Woods. But when fingerprints at the scene failed to match his, the investigation stalled and eventually went cold. For years, the case remained unsolved, with more questions than answers.

It wasn’t until two decades later that retired lieutenant Don Miller decided to revisit the evidence. Thanks to advancements in fingerprint technology and persistent detective work, the prints were finally matched to Scott Hatley—a local man with a violent past. Still, the full truth about the crime remained buried until 2022, when Hatley was found dead in a trailer alongside handwritten journals in which he confessed to Susan’s murder in disturbing detail.

20/20 includes powerful interviews with Michael Woods, who lived under suspicion for years, and Shannon Myers Barrientos, whose determination played a critical role in breaking the case. The program also features insight from Don Miller, the detective who ultimately closed one of Stephenville’s most heartbreaking chapters.

Through firsthand accounts and newly revealed details, There is a Monster In Me unpacks the long journey to justice and the twisted mind of a killer whose final words helped explain what happened on that tragic night.

Watch this compelling 20/20 encore Friday night on ABC, with streaming available the next day on Hulu.