Missouri man arrested in 35-year-old cold case murder investigation

BONNE TERRE, Mo. – Authorities arrested a Missouri man over the weekend in connection with a 35-year-old cold case murder investigation.

Wesley P. Marler, 69, of Bonne Terre, Missouri, was arrested Friday. He is accused in the death of Jimmie Wade Martin from Oct. 14, 1989, also in Bonne Terre, Missouri.

Investigators say Martin died after he was found beaten and wounded in front a home near the Coal Bin Tavern. While a suspect was reportedly charged at the time, the case never went to trial.

In December 2020, the St. Francois County Sheriff’s Office and Missouri Highway Patrol began a review of the investigation into Martin’s death. In a statement announcing that the case would be reopened three years ago, authorities say they hoped technologies that didn’t exist in 1989 can help bring resolution.

On August 22, 2024, a St. Francois County Grand Jury indicted Marler with one count of first-degree assault in connection with Martin’s death. A warrant was issued for Marler’s arrest last Friday, leading to his arrest, according to the Missouri State Highway Patrol.

Marler was sent to the St. Francois County Jail, where he is being held on a $500,000 bond.

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