Shock twist in murder cold case after twin sisters launched podcast to track down their father's killer

Twin sisters from Missouri have helped secure a major breakthrough in the cold case murder of their father - as cops announce an arrest 35 years on. 

Andrea Lynn and Angela Williams have been on a mission to find out who killed their father, Jimmie Wade Martin, who died on October 14, 1989. 

Martin was fatally struck in the head during a bar brawl at the Coal Bin Tavern, in the east Missouri city of Bon Terre, and the killer fled without a trace for decades. 

'I want the truth,' Williams told KMOV. 'We can't even go anywhere without someone going, "Do you know who killed your dad?"'

But last month, Missouri State Highway Patrol's Division of Drug and Crime Control detained a suspect - 69-year-old Wesley P. Marler. He has denied the charge.

His arrest came after Martin's daughters resurrected the case in 2017 when investigators hit a wall. 

They became citizen detectives - returning to the scene of the crime to scour the bar for any clues, and interviewing residents nearby.

One key interviewee was David B. White - a man who was initially arrested and charged over the murder in 1989. 

The case against White was dropped after three years just days before he was due to stand trial when cops apparently realized they had snared the wrong man. 

In 2017, Lynn and Williams met with White, who gave them a tranche of evidence police had shared with him about their father's case. 

Williams said the files were eye-opening. Their first challenge was to convince law enforcement it was worth re-visiting the case. 

'We felt so alone. We couldn't get anywhere. We had all this information but didn't know where to turn,' Williams told KMOV.

The police did eventually refresh the case in December 2020 in response to the family's efforts.  

At this point, the twins' cousins Shawn Martin and Chris Hulsey joined the mission to track down the killer. They suggested launching a crime podcast in 2022. 

Dubbed 'Small Town Forgotten', Hulsey hosted conversations with other members of the family who outlined the evidence they had gathered. 

'I've known about this story my entire life. I remember my mom telling me about what happened,' he told KMOV.

'Before this, I didn't know much about Jimmie,' he added. 'I was four years old when he died. Now, I feel like I know a lot about him.' 

Missouri State Highway Patrol. Lieutenant Donnie Crump said the podcast convinced investigators to revive their investigation.   

'Would we be here without the podcast? No way,' Williams told KMOV. 

Then last month, police made a breakthrough with the arrest of Marler - in what the family hopes is the first step toward the 35-year cold case being cracked. 

Lynn and Williams said the arrest fit with their own investigations and rumors in the town. 

They said their emotionally turbulent investigation also came with an unexpected silver lining, after hearing the same thing from townspeople when they asked them what Martin treasured most in life. 

'Every single one of them said family,' Williams said. 'How ironic is it that his family are the ones who worked so hard to get justice for him?' 

Marler was indicted on August 22 by a St. Francois County grand jury and charged with one count of first-degree assault.

He made his first court appearance, pleading not guilty, before being held on a $500,000 bond. 

Marler will next appear at a bond reduction hearing, where his lawyers are set to argue that his bond should be removed because he has no plans to run away. 

However, questions swirl around why prosecutors are pursuing a first-degree assault charge rather than murder. It may be because it's easier to prove.  

But for Martin's family, their main emotion is relief that they finally got a long-awaited breakthrough in the decades-old murder case.   

'It was a long time coming,' Williams told KMOV.