In a case that shocked the quiet Texan town of Katy, a young mother, Belinda Temple, was shot dead in her own home in 1999. Her husband, David Temple, was a respected football coach in the area, that is until he was arrested for her murder.
By all accounts, people saw the Temples as a happy couple who were devoted to their three-year-old son Evan and who were now expecting their second child.
On January 11, 1999, David Temple claims he returned to his house to find evidence of a burglary. He then says he found his wife’s body lying face-down in the master bedroom closet.
Belinda had been shot once with a 12-gauge shotgun, which, according to the medical examiner, killed her and her unborn child instantly. The murder weapon was never found.
When police learned of an affair between David and a woman named Heather Scott, they began to suspect him of having a motive to murder his wife.
Police were suspicious of valuable items that were left in the home, which led them to suspect the murder was not the result of a burglary.
David and Heather married just two years after Belinda was murdered, which raised suspicions further. However, officers were unable to pin the crime on him.
Watch the Latest on our YouTube ChannelDavid Temple was eventually arrested in November 2004, and a jury finally convicted him of murder in 2007. However, in 2012 Temple’s defense attorney managed to negotiate a retrial after the original prosecutor was accused of withholding evidence.
A second suspect in Belinda Temple’s murder
In the meantime, a second suspect had come to light, Riley Joe Sanders. Sanders was a teenage neighbor of the Temples who had been found to be playing truant at the time of the murder.
A 12-gauge shotgun was found to belong to his father, but there was no proof that it was the murder weapon. He was questioned at the time but maintained his innocence.
It was later revealed that friends of Sanders had committed burglaries in the area. Then a witness came forward and claimed Sanders committed the burglary of the Temple home and had admitted to shooting his shotgun during the burglary.
In December 2016, Temple was released from prison. However, a retrial in August 2019 saw Temple convicted once again of murdering his wife. However, a mistrial was declared over the punishment phase after the jury failed to reach a verdict on the sentence.
This year a new jury will decide on sentencing and whether Temple will be returning to prison.
Temple still maintains his innocence, claiming that the murder was the result of a burglary.
More from 20/20 on ID
Follow the links to read about more murderers profiled on 20/20 on ID.
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An obsessive fan murdered aspiring actress and former model, Rebecca Schaeffer. Robert John Bardo traveled from his home in Arizona to West Hollywood to kill the actress in cold blood in a crime that shocked Hollywood.
Watch 20/20 on ID on Sunday, March 29, from 9/8c on Investigation Discovery.