"Boerne gymnastics coach arrested for sexual abuse"

INVESTIGATIVE CATEGORY

Houston Chronicle
12/19/2022

The email from Anne Whitney to the Houston Chronicle arrived in June of last year. Whitney disclosed that she was a victim of sexual abuse when she was a child in the 1980s in Houston, by a gymnastics coach who was still actively coaching in Texas. And she was ready to talk about it.  

Whitney’s tip set forth a five-month investigation that resulted in the Chronicle publishing  “Texas gymnastics coach arrested, faces child sex abuse allegations dating to 1983 in Houston area.”  

Our reporting uncovered another 10-year-old victim from last year, whose mother spoke on the record for the story. We also learned of two other victims who declined to participate in the story, but one reported her assault to police which, in conjunction with our reporting, led to the arrest of Mike Spiller in November.  
The reporting process involved diligent fact checking of addresses, dates and documents stretching back decades. To verify parts of Whitney’s account, we reviewed old family calendars, a letter from her psychologist and a gym letter written by Spiller himself. In an attempt to background Spiller, we requested police records and employment records from multiple states/ jurisdictions, and spoke to numerous of his former gymnastics associates.  

We knew at least one person had reported Spiller to police in Boerne, Texas. Despite cooperation from the victim, our attempts to communicate with and obtain records from Boerne police were met with resistance.  
A version of the story was ready to publish in September, before law enforcement had taken any action against Spiller, but the newspaper’s lawyer delayed publication. After learning through a source that Spiller was arrested shortly before Thanksgiving, and after learning that Boerne police intended to hold a public press conference on the matter, we elected to publish.  

Reaction to the story was swift and overwhelming. More of Spiller’s victims from multiple counties came forward to make police reports. Victims also filed two civil lawsuits in relation to the case. The U.S. Center for SafeSport ruled Spiller ineligible from all U.S. Olympic activity. Spiller remains in jail awaiting arraignment on a second charge of indecency with a child, and more charges are expected to be filed later as the result of subsequent police reports.  

The breadth of the Chronicle’s reporting on this story was unmatched by any other outlet. Chronicle reporter Danielle Lerner invested immense time and resources in reporting, and in cultivating trust with Whitney and other survivors. That trust was essential in connecting with additional victims, many of whom spoke with Lerner upon Whitney’s recommendation.  

As such, much of the information released by Boerne police following Spiller’s arrest had already been reported in the Chronicle’s initial story. A member of the Kendall County DA’s office thanked Lerner for her work and said the district attorney was using the Chronicle’s story to help build their case against Spiller. In the aftermath of publication, Lerner heard from many victims who said they decided to make reports after reading the Chronicle’s investigation.  

PDF to content online

Submitted by Elizabeth Pudwill.