Originally posted onFebruary 8, 2025 @ 4:46 pm
Death by Fame Recap for Reality Bites
-This week’s episode of Death by Fame is titled Reality Bites and covers the story of Bayou Billionaires star Valerie Dowden Wells, who was killed in a murder-suicide by Robert Paul Gaddy.
-Valerie’s parents Kitten and Gerald remember her as a loving, caring person who loved to take care of others. Her brother and mom recall her being involved in sports and cheerleading. She had wanted to be a model but was not tall enough.
-Valerie would go on to go to beauty school and would work with her mom. She would also get married and have children. Her husband got into a car accident, leaving him with brain damage. Valerie tried to care for him, but they would soon divorce.
-A few years later, Valerie would have another baby and get married. Despite the happiness in her life, she would be diagnosed with MS and be forced to leave her job in the beauty industry. She began working as a paralegal, where she was well liked by everyone.
-In 2008, the area where Valerie and her family lived, known as the Haynesville Shale came into prominence. The gas producing area would allow those who lived there to strike it rich. It was life changing for the families in the area due to the money….but would soon allow the Dowden family to become reality stars.
-The family was soon on their way to fame, but one person was not allowed on set or on the property while the show was being filmed….Valerie’s husband Robert. He was considered to be problematic and nobody in the family liked how he treated Valerie.
-The family loved to film the show and were game to do anything the producers wanted, especially Valerie. She even went as far as to portray herself as single, despite being technically still married to Robert.
-The show became a hit and the family loved the fame, even though they would deal with some hate online.
-People saw there was something wrong with Valerie, but she refused to talk about her MS or marriage troubles.
-The show ended after two seasons and was a bittersweet experience for the family.
-Valerie would go on to leave Robert and then reconnect with an old friend Robert Paul Gaddy. Everyone thought this would be wonderful for her, but ex-husband Robert would continue to cause problems.
-The men would fight and cause problems for Valerie, even causing her to lose her job.
-On November 7, 2016, Valerie and her daughter Nikki spent the day together. Valerie had been planning on going a job interview that her ex-husband Robert set up for her, but Nikki told her that this was a bad idea. They would argue about it, but Valerie insisted on going.
-Valerie would drop Nikki off at dance practice, saying she loved her and didn’t want to fight. Nikki was still upset and tried one more time to convince Valerie not to do the interview. Little did she know that this would be the last time she would see or speak to her mother.
-Two bodies were found in the parking lot of a fast food restaurant. They had both been shot. A car had hit a curb and upon further investigation, it was discovered that Valerie was in the car and the person outside the car was Robert Paul.
-Nikki and Kitten recall getting the news and how it completely shattered everyone. They all believed the killer was her ex, but soon realized the killer was actually Robert Paul.
-Valerie had been shot multiple times after arguing with Robert Paul followed her into a parking lot. The car would drift into the curb and then Robert Paul turned the gun on himself.
-Investigators tried to figure out a motive as to why Robert Paul would kill her and found out he had a lot of arrests for everything from drugs to animal cruelty.
-Apparently, Valerie wanted to end the relationship and go back to her ex-husband, but Robert Paul was having none of it, leading to the murder suicide.
-The family is still grieving and in shock over Valerie’s death. Her children wish she could have been a Glamma to their babies and keep her memory alive via videos, pictures and stories.
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