The Guessing Game

A report on the January 11, 1999 murder of Belinda Temple and her unborn child. A resident of Katy, Texas, Belinda was married to David Temple, once the celebrated defensive linebacker at his high school and now a successful and respected football coach, and mother to their one son, Evan. After an afternoon of errands with Evan, David returned home to what appeared to be forced entry and found Belinda in the couple’s bedroom closet, shot in the head.
A report on the January 11, 1999 murder of Belinda Temple and her unborn child. A resident of Katy, Texas, Belinda was married to David Temple, once the celebrated defensive linebacker at his high school and now a successful and respected football coach, and mother to their one son, Evan. After an afternoon of errands with Evan, David returned home to what appeared to be forced entry and found Belinda in the couple’s bedroom closet, shot in the head.
Homicide detectives believed that the crime scene had been staged -- nothing was stolen from the home and the way the pieces of glass fell from the broken back door of the Temple’s home seemed unusual, as if the glass was broken with the door already opened. Detectives were also troubled when they learned that David was having an affair with a fellow teacher, Heather Scott, who eventually became his second wife. Three months after the crime, a grand jury was convened, but nobody was indicted.
With no DNA evidence, no eyewitnesses, no murder weapon and no incriminating fingerprints linking David Temple to the crime, years passed until 2004, when Scott Peterson was convicted of killing his pregnant wife in a trial that captured the nation’s attention. The similarities in both murders gave authorities a renewed confidence in their circumstantial case against David. Prosecutor Kelly Siegler finally got some forensic evidence, when after years of laboratory snafus and delays; a critical FBI report came back and indicated traces of gunshot residue on David’s jacket.
On November 29, 2004, David was arrested for the murder of his wife, Belinda. After a contentious trial with David’s attorney, Dick DeGuerin, David was found guilty and sentenced to life in prison. He will be eligible for parole in 2037, when he will be 69 years old.

