Love cheat murdered his pregnant wife with shotgun - then MARRIED his mistress

04 June 2023 , 06:01

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Temple was sentenced to life in prison

The walls of the nursery had been painted bright yellow and a wooden cot was lovingly dressed with handmade ruffled bedding. Heavily pregnant Belinda Temple was so ready for her baby girl to arrive.

It was January 1999, and Belinda, 30, was eight months pregnant. She already had a three-year-old son named Evan with her husband David Temple, and she was thrilled to discover she was having a daughter. To match with the E of Evan, they’d chosen the name Erin for their unborn baby.

Belinda had met her husband at Stephen F Austin University in Nacogdoches in 1989. Temple played on the football team and was nicknamed Temple of Doom. Belinda was an athlete too and naturally competitive. They quickly fell in love and after a year, Temple proposed on the football field.

The couple both did a master’s degree in education and then moved back to Temple’s quiet hometown of Katy, Texas, where they married and had their son.

Belinda met Temple in high school

Naturally nurturing Belinda became a special education teacher at Katy High School, where her husband had attended growing up. Temple worked as a teacher and football coach at Alief Hastings High School.

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On January 11, 1999, Evan’s day care called Belinda at work to say the little boy wasn’t feeling well and asked her to take him home. Belinda went to get Evan and when Temple took over at home, she headed back to work. When Belinda finished at 3.30pm, she went home via Temple’s parents, who gave her some homemade soup for poorly Evan.

Just after 5.30pm, Temple’s neighbour heard banging on his door. It was Temple holding his son. “Call 911,” he cried, handing Evan over. “Someone’s broken into the house.” Temple ran back to the house where his pregnant wife was face down in the master bedroom wardrobe, with a gunshot wound to the back of her head.

As emergency services rushed to the scene, Temple spoke to a 911 dispatcher. “Does she have a pulse?” they asked. “No, she’s dead,” he cried. “Oh God. Oh Jesus Christ.” The dispatcher urged him to do CPR to try and save their unborn child but when paramedics arrived, mum and baby couldn’t be saved.

Belinda had a shotgun blast in the back of her head, likely from a 12-gauge shotgun. Temple said he’d been out running errands with Evan when he’d returned and discovered that Belinda had been attacked during what appeared to be a home invasion. Their garden gate was open, and the window in the back door was broken. The TV had been knocked over and drawers had been opened.

Temple with Belinda and their son, Evan

Staged break-in

The quiet neighbourhood was rocked by the violent attack on a pregnant woman in her own home, but as the police started to investigate, many aspects of the robbery didn’t add up.

Officers believed the scene looked staged and that the type of crime was extremely unusual in the area, especially in the afternoon, just as school had finished. Drawers at the home had been opened but not looked through, and glass had been smashed on the door, but it hadn’t landed where it naturally would have, suggesting the door was open when it was smashed. There was jewellery in plain sight that hadn’t been taken and while the TV was on its side, it was still plugged in. Had it been knocked over to look like a break-in?

When the emergency services had arrived, deputies had struggled to get past the Temples’ large Chow Chow dog, who was barking at the fence. How had an intruder slipped by, killed Belinda and escaped?

When Temple was questioned, he said Belinda had gone upstairs for a lie down when she’d got in from work and he’d taken Evan to the park, a grocery store and then Home Depot. CCTV put Temple in the stores, but there was a window of time where he could have killed his wife.

There was another suspect – a teenager who’d been reported by Belinda for playing truant. His parents had withdrawn his driving privileges and he was accused of holding a grudge against Belinda. But he denied this and there was no evidence to connect him to the murder.

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Heather spoke at Temple’s second trial

Officers remained focused on Temple. They heard from witnesses that Belinda was unhappy that he was spending an increasing amount of time away from home, hanging out in bars and strip clubs. And there was more. Shortly before Belinda died, Temple had started having an affair with a colleague, Heather Scott. They’d even gone away together, with Temple pretending he was on a hunting trip. Had he killed his wife and unborn baby to be with his mistress?

With the medical examiner unable to pinpoint the time of death, and a lack of physical evidence, the police couldn’t connect Temple to the killing.

In June 2001, just over two years after Belinda was killed, Temple and Heather married and raised Evan together.

The police didn’t give up trying to get justice. They displayed a billboard offering a reward and continued to run forensic tests. Temple’s shoes tested negative for blood and glass, but clothing was also sent to the FBI crime lab.

It would take four years for the results to come back, and when they did, they revealed gunshot residue on the clothes that Belinda and Temple were wearing on the day of the killing. Temple was finally arrested in November 2004.

Heather and Temple began an affair

When the case came to trial, three years later in October 2007, it was the start of a long legal battle with many setbacks. Temple’s defence said the FBI lab where the clothes were tested shared a ventilation system with a shooting range. Had the residue come from the vents? The judge threw the evidence out.

The prosecution pushed on and claimed that Temple was unhappy in his marriage and wanted to be with his mistress. The jury agreed and Temple was found guilty of murder and sentenced to life in prison. But the case was far from over.

Five years later, the teenager who was said to be angry with Belinda was then accused by a witness of admitting he’d been part of a burglary that went wrong. A dog had been shot and put in the closet. Was he actually referring to Belinda?

Temple’s defence argued that there had been extensive legal reports on the case, some referring to the teenager, that they hadn’t had access to. They applied to have the conviction overturned and in 2016, Temple was granted a new trial.

Temple was released and spent two and a half years a free man until 2019, when he faced his second trial. As it began, Temple’s then wife, and former mistress, unexpectedly filed for divorce.

While his lawyers pointed the finger at the “disgruntled teen”, who was cleared of any wrongdoing, the prosecution said hunter Temple had access to a 12-gauge shotgun. He had time to dump the weapon while he was between stores.

Life behind bars

In August 2019, Temple was convicted for a second time. During the sentencing hearing Evan, then 24, took the stand. He said he considered Heather Scott to be his mother and believed his dad hadn’t killed his biological mother.

The jury had to agree on a sentence, but they were deadlocked, and the punishment phase was declared a mistrial – again, another huge setback for Belinda’s family.

Temple remained behind bars, while the pandemic delayed things further. Finally in April 2023, there was another sentencing hearing with the evidence replayed again.

Heather Scott took the stand and testified that she’d had an affair but told Temple they had to stop. Three days before Belinda was killed, Temple told her, “I’m totally falling in love with you.”

Finally, 24 years after Belinda and her unborn baby were killed, the jury agreed that Temple, now 54, would serve life in prison with the chance of parole. Belinda’s brother, Brian Lucas, called Temple “despicable”.

Belinda’s twin sister, Brenda Lucas, said he’d taken her best friend and the chance to watch her niece grow up. “Belinda should be teaching and enjoying life with family and friends,” she said.

Belinda was betrayed by her high-school sweetheart. She’d been waiting for a new life, but tragically, death came calling first.

Gail Shortland