Crime Stories with Nancy Grace - Killers Amongst Us: David Temple beloved coach, murderer?

Episode Date: June 23, 2020

David Temple spent a decade in prison after a jury convicted him of murdering his wife, Belinda Lucas Temple. She was 8 months pregnant when killed by a shotgun blast in her Katy, Texas, home in 1999. Prosecutors argued her husband wanted to get rid of her so he could marry his mistress. The conviction was tossed when an appeals court ruled prosecutor misconduct denied Temple a fair trial. Is there justice for Belinda Temple? Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This is an iHeart Podcast. Hi guys, Nancy Grace here. Welcome back to Killers Amongst Us, a production of iHeartMedia and Crime Online. To the world around them, David and Belinda Temple weren't the golden couple. He's a big man on campus, a football star. She missed school spirit. Their lives all centered around football. He even proposes on the 50-yard line.

How did it go so horribly wrong? I'm Nancy Grace, and this is Killers Amongst Us. David's prowess on the football field earns him a full college scholarship to Stephen F. Austin University in Texas. David Temple, a Texas football star. Everyone wanted to know him, be recognized by him. His stunning, charismatic wife, Belinda.

They clicked immediately. They were gifted with looks, charm, and talent. David Temple and Belinda Temple, the all-American couple. They've been described as the golden boy and the sunshine lady a million times. Everything seemed right in their marriage. Belinda, gorgeous, and her twin sister Brenda grew up in a very loving home in Nacogdoches, Texas. Temple, David Temple, grew up in Katy, Texas, not too far away, and was a Katy High School gridiron star. People treated him like royalty. You know, that guy that comes down the high school hallways and the crowd just kind of parts to let him come through. That's David Temple.

I'm Nancy Grace. Killers amongst us. Thank you for being with us. You know, joining me right now is renowned defense attorney, family law specialist Randall Kessler, forensics expert, professor of forensics at Jacksonville State University, and author of Blood Beneath My Feet on Amazon, Joseph Scott Morgan, forensic psychiatrist joining me out of the Florida jurisdiction Dr. Daniel Bober but right now I want to go to Katie Times owner in Katie Texas Brandy Chiazzini with me and Brandy not only are you with the Katie Times but you're from Nacogdo. Tell me about Nacogdoches because I've got it in my head, Brandy, that it reminds me of where I grew up. And that was in rural Bibb County, middle Georgia. We like

to say middle Georgia, not South Georgia. Now, I don't know what is that subtle, but apparently very important distinction, but I'm from middle Georgia And we can't really even say Macon, Georgia, because we were out in the unincorporated county on a red dirt road and well water. Where the bookmobile would bring books to the rural and or underprivileged children. But I got to tell you something. It was beautiful growing up there far away from crime or any idea of hate or not getting along it was a really rural bucolic setting and that's how I have in my mind that Nagadochus is well I would say that Nagadochus is like that as long as you add a bunch of very very tall trees lots of pine trees

lots of pine trees tell me about Nacogdoches now Nacogdoches again is where Belinda grew up Belinda grew up in Nacogdoches David grew up in Katy and that's really how this whole thing starts now I I didn't mean to interrupt you go ahead and tell me about Nacogdoches. Well, so Nacogdoches is considered one of the oldest towns in Texas. So there was a settlement there about 10,000 years ago. It was the site of the Caddo Indians. Man, when you say old, you really meant it. Okay, now, what, did you say 10,000 years ago? Yes, that there are some artifacts that they have found in the Nacogdoches area that date back

that far. Wow. Okay. But I want to hear about everyday living as it is now. Tell me about Nacogdoches, although I appreciate the ancient artifacts, I do. But tell me about life now. I mean, when I grew up, my grandmother, Lucy, okay. Okay, all of you guys, stop groaning, especially you, Kessler. I'm sure you want to go out and charge your exorbitant hourly fee, and Joe Scott Morgan wants to go examine some blood, and Bober wants to go examine some person with, you know, criminally insane. But just hold on, okay, because where I grew up, my mama, Lucy, my grandmother for a long time worked behind the counter at the Woolworth's diner. There was actually a bar in the non-alcoholic

sense where you could go and order grilled cheese. And that was the big thing. It was by the Piggly Wiggly. And that was the big thing. I could go there and Mama would fix me a grilled cheese and chocolate milk. I was in heaven. That was the big thing. Then we got the Dairy Queen. So we were really, really in high cotton then. So Brandy, owner of the Katie Times, now that I've told you all about something irrelevant, you tell me about Nacogdoches. Well, Nacogdoches is the quintessential small college town.

So much of the community is based around Stephen F. Austin University, which is right in the middle of town. There are lots and lots of trees everywhere. And one of the great things on campus is a little log cabin that is original to that area from when the first settlers came to Texas. Wait, are you telling me that American Indians lived in a log cabin? No, no. The first American settlers came to that area. Now, the American Indians are not going to like that you said that. Just know that. And I just want to put it out there. I have nothing to do, no control over what she just said.

All right? So I get it. Stephen Austin University has a log cabin on campus that was one of the, the or one of the very first? It was one of the very first. Settlement. Wow. Okay.

Now, what was life like growing up in Nacogdoches you know I would say what we always thought it was was fairly you know typical of any other small American town the kids went out on Friday nights football was king you had went out and partied on Saturday night with all your friends and there were you know several specific places that you hung out especially as a college student there were a couple of clubs that were the popular places to go and there were a couple of key restaurants that you always went to on a regular basis now i don't know what you're saying in high school you went to on a regular basis. Now, I don't know what you're saying. In high school, you went to a club. All we got to do was go to Shakey's Pizza, and that was a big night. And if I was not home by a quarter of 11, my father would and did come looking for me. I'm not going to tell you what happened when he found me either, but I'd like to forget that moment. But what do you mean

clubs in high school? Oh, there were. You mean like. There were a lot of dance. Boos? Oh, no, there were a lot of dance clubs there in Nacogdoches, mainly because it was a college town. And back then in the 80s, Nacogdoches and Stephen F. Austin was known as a party school. Hmm. So a lot of the kids in the area would graduate from high school and go to Stephen F. Austin. That was a standard path if you wanted to get a college education, was to just go right there in your backyard. Well, this is what I know about Stephen F. Austin. I know that it's a public university in Nacogdoches,

and it was originally founded as a teacher's college in 1923 and named after a guy that helped establish Texas, Stephen Austin. And I'm really curious about its football program. But hey, I'm getting ahead of myself. Brandi Chiancini, owner of the Katie Times. So that is where Belinda grows up. And she heads to Stephen F. Austin State University. But what was her family like? I was recently giving a speech in Port Huron, way up on the Canadian border. And believe it or not, out of the blue ran into her sister. And I was amazed because, you know, I've felt that I knew her sister for a

really long time. But tell me about her family life, Belinda's family life growing up. Well, growing up, she and her twin sister, they were very active in sports. Belinda herself played basketball and was named all district as a senior at Nacogdoches High School. She graduated from there in 1987. She was also voted the girl with the most school spirit at Nacogdoches High School. Okay, I'm identifying with that to Randy Kessler, defense attorney. I guess you're not surprised that I won Miss School Spirit several times in a row. Not at all. Just know that deep inside, you are arguing with Miss School Spirit. And what have you done with your life? Huh? Look at that. Amazing, right? But you know, to Joseph Scott Morgan,

when you are, I mean, you and I know what lies ahead in this, in this story, but it always is, when you go onto a crime scene, Joe Scott Morgan, I used to do this all the time when I was investigating. And this was a very poignant moment for me. And it happened all the time. I would go to a crime scene or someone's home or meet with their sister. And I would get a glimpse of the players as they were in their youth before life took a toll on them. Does that, when you are ever on a crime scene, or you're called out, or you're investigating, do you ever think, how in the world did we get here?

Or get a glimpse of these people before they hit the headlines? Yeah, Nancy, that's, it's a long, crooked path lots of times when you look at how these lives just kind of intersect and wind up in these horrific situations. I make this comment many times when I'm speaking publicly and also to my students at JSU. I'll say that as crime scene investigators, as death investigators, we're always having to look at things, look at the abnormal in the context of the normal. And sometimes it's really quite striking. Wow. That's an incredible quote right there. Looking at the abnormal in the context of the normal.

Did I get it best backwards or is that what you said? Yes, ma'am. That's absolutely correct. And to Dr. Daniel Vover, so often we look at crime stories or crime scenes or read the news, and we look at these players as if we're looking at a tarantula under a glass box, like they're different from us but you hear what brandy kiancini at katie times is saying belinda grew up as a basketball star and as miss school spirit i mean what could be more wholesome and more scrubbed in sunshine than that you know what

nancy i always say with people you get two things what you see and what they want to show you and a lot of times families have secrets and things are never what they seem from outward appearances. Melinda grew up in a very loving home. She excelled in basketball, missed school spirit. She was definitely a looker. Really, really pretty young girl. What about him? Well, he was Mr. Football football he was part of the football

team there at katie high school and katie is a powerhouse in texas sport and in particular in texas football and because he was a star linebacker his senior year everybody knew him you know that's funny you said that brandy because it suddenly just at that moment took me back to my freshman year at valdosta state college now it's valdosta university on pretty much at the florida georgia border and i remember the first friday night i was at college i was in my dorm and all of a sudden I heard what sounded like the drum beats of a war party. It sounded like a war beat. And I said, what is that? Well, the local football team, Lowndes County is like what you're saying.

It was the state powerhouse. And all the way across town, you could hear the band music because it was Friday night. They were getting ready to play football. At my little high school, you know, football was a big deal and a huge big deal. The only sport for girls was basketball. 25 girls tried out. 24 girls made the team. I was the one that got cut, just so you know. Not bitter. Not bitter.

It's because they only had X number of uniforms, so somebody had to go, and it was me. Hence my career in cheerleading. And that's how I really learned about football. I watched so many football games as a cheerleader. But I remember that drumbeat. And I hear what you're saying, Brandi. Football was king. Now, so where does David Temple fit into that?

Well, he was the star. He was one of the top players on their team. And his senior year, they had an undefeated season and were district champions. And that goes a long way here in Texas. So after he graduated, he went to SFA and played football there. Now tell me about his family. Well, his parents are there in Katy, and he has a brother who is now married, and they were pretty close and were very supportive of him and what he wanted to do and where he wanted to go. Well what did he want to do and where did he want to go? Well he wanted to go as far as he could with his football career and

eventually become a teacher and that's what most you, what a lot of guys will do when they want to play football. They play as long as they can, and then they coach it because they absolutely love the game. Well, I've got to tell you something in this day and age. You know, Brandy, when my son was three, he had a horrible blow to the head at a birthday party. And he was in the hospital for four days. At age three, he had a horrible concussion. Excuse me, age four. And I have, you know, it goes, I've always encouraged him to play soccer, play golf, play something other than football.

The other day he was in the front yard. Somebody gave him a football. He got it out. He threw it across the front yard. I went, oh, dear Lord in heaven. He had an arm like a bullet. Oh, I hope no football coach sees that because you cannot take another blow to the head. But Brandy, I hear what you're saying. So they both end up headed to Stephen F. Austin State University. Listen. David's prowess on the football field. Stephen F. Austin University in Texas. Once there, it's not surprising that girls flock to David's side,

and he feels entitled to the prettiest girl in the room. Then one day in the fall of 1990, David sees a striking blonde around campus. Her name is Belinda. Belinda was working with the football team. She was in the athletic program at the same college, and they met through the football program there, and they clicked immediately. Not only is Belinda gorgeous, she has a great personality. She's always had a smile on her face and she loved life. She loved people.

She was just a wonderful person, you know, and everyone that didn't know her wanted to know her as soon as they met her, just simply because she was so much fun to be around. You are hearing our friends Nicole Blackman and Catherine Casey on Scorned. Wow. So they meet at Stephen Austin University, and apparently it's love at first sight. And David is completely taken with Belinda. It's love at first sight he was very affectionate with her he always had his arm around her he would always touch her or play with her hair David could be incredibly romantic he was the kind of guy who showed up with roses and left little love notes on a windshield when he saw his girlfriend's car.

It's a whirlwind courtship. Classmates even give them the nickname, the golden couple. And after dating for just 11 months, David proposes. He came over and asked for a hand in marriage, and we thought that was a neat thing. When he proposed, he did it in a very remarkable, unforgettable way. He proposed on the football field where he had all of his great victories, and he got down on his knees and asked her to marry him, and she agreed to. He did everything the fairytale way, very, very romantic. She loved him very much. He was her world. She wanted to be a wife. She wanted to be a mother. That's what she

wanted to do. It does sound like a fairytale. Those were our friends, Nicole Blackman and Catherine Casey, and interesting, Tom Lucas, that is Belinda's dad talking about the proposal with me Randy Kessler Joseph Scott Morgan Dr. Daniel Bober and Brandy Kiosini Katie Times owner Brandy tell me about the proposal and the wedding well so he proposed on the football field that was a very important thing for him. And they were married in 1992 in Nacogdoches, which is her hometown. Brandy, hold on. You know, I'm so happy I get to correct you.

It wasn't just the football field. It was the 50-yard line, is my understanding. It was the 50-yard line. I'm so happy about my irrelevant fact. Okay, go ahead. He, you know, one of the things that a lot of people don't realize is that he was part of the championship team at SFA for their conference. And that happened in 1989. And then they met in 1990 and then got married in 1992. So where he proposed to her had a lot of significance for him

because they won a lot of games during his time there. You know, to forensic psychiatrist Dr. Daniel Bober joining me, Dr. Bober, a lot of people would, you know, have a field day with the fact that he proposed on the 50-yard line of a football field. You know, I don't know that I would read that much into it. He's a young guy and he can't really, this is his world world and I don't think he at that time could think beyond that proposal location but what do you make of it I don't think much can be gleaned from that I mean I think he probably thought it was a pretty neat and interesting thing but like you said that's his world that's what he's surrounded by so for him it probably

made perfect sense now some people would argue that she's just another victory. She's like another trophy because he is proposing right there on the 50-yard line. And, you know, I guess there's some validity to that. Weigh in, Dr. Robbie Ludwig. Few people meet and fall in love in college. It's really a time of innocence. And college can feel like the real world. But as we know, real life is far more complex and challenging. And so there's this kind of pseudo reality that happens within a collegiate environment, especially when you have somebody who is a star football player, who has some celebrity.

It can create an environment that feels like everything is within your control. And just on top of that, you know, really what we know about younger relationships and why it's so important to really give yourself time before making a final choice in a spouse is that really the frontal cortex of your brain is not fully developed. So your ability really to understand cause and effect and to really know who you are doesn't happen until slightly later in life. Take a listen to our friends at 48 Hours. Off the field, he was a bit

of a romantic, especially when it came to an attractive phys ed major, Belinda Lucas. She's just naturally God-given beauty, but on the inside, she's prettier than she was because she would do anything for anybody. Tom and Carol Lucas for her hand. That is very old-fashioned to ask for. What did you make of that? I made, you know, this pretty neat guy. I didn't think young men did that in these days. With her parents' blessing, David proposed to Belinda in the most sentimental setting he could imagine.

I took her down to the 50-yard line and got down on my knee and told her how much I loved her. And I'm sure she didn't hear me. You're hearing Belinda's parents and David Temple speaking about the proposal, the engagement, and then the wedding, Brandi. Tell me about the wedding. Well, I would say it was a typical East Texas wedding with flowers and happiness and you know in in east texas you know especially in the 80s and 90s there was lots of big hair so you know you it was just indicative of the time everything was big so it was big hair big flowers big you know, attendance. So lots of happiness. It was a truly joyous time.

You know, looking at a picture of them driving away from their wedding and Belinda's just beautiful. She's got on an off the shoulder wedding dress. It looks a little bit like Princess Diana's dress and her hair beautiful she's wearing pearls he's driving he still has on his his black tux he's looking handsome and i'm just looking at all the wedding photos right now and they really really are just stunning. She's beautiful. He looks so happy. We're talking about the wedding of Belinda and David Temple. So off they go to set the world on fire, hand in hand. Then when the honeymoon is over, they settle in for happily ever after. Let's go to cut four. David gets a job teaching

at a local high school where he also becomes an assistant football coach. And Belinda gets a teaching job at David's alma mater, Katie High School. She's adored by her colleagues. We called her our sunshine lady. She would send cute little emails to teachers, and she was just a bubbly young woman and loved teaching. You were hearing our friend Nicole Blackman speaking at Scorned. You know, it seems like it's a picture-perfect life. So Brandi Chiancini with me, owner of the Katie Times, it seems like they really took to teaching. Oh, they did. They, you know, there's a lot to being a teacher. It can't just be a

vocation. It has to be a passion. And that is exactly what it was for both of them for him it made sense he started in sports and was a football player uh went into college got his you know got his degrees and then went to uh a late hastings high school and was a coach and a teacher and so that makes absolute sense for bel Belinda, it absolutely was a passion. When she got her job at Katie High School, she was a special education teacher. When you think about teachers, it is not an easy job in the best of circumstances. When you deal with special needs children on a variety of levels, you have to be completely adaptable to each individual student in every aspect of what they need times 10.

And she was, by all accounts, extremely happy in her job. She loved it. She loved her students, and she would always go the extra mile for them. Here's our friend Richard Schlesinger. They married and both ended up working with children. Belinda, they married and both ended up working with children. Belinda taught special ed at Katie High where her husband had ruled on the football field. She was such a great teacher because she loved kids and she understood the kids so well. Debbie Berger who taught in the same classroom was a close friend. She was a strong person, very direct but yet very loving and warm. I like love. That goes in my new lamp.

David landed a job in a nearby town teaching and coaching alongside his old rival, Wade Luker. I thought he was as good a coach as I've ever worked with, and I've coached for 36 years. He'd take guys that maybe weren't as good, and he was always trying to bring their level up. You know, it's interesting to Dr. Daniel Bober, forensic psychiatrist, the significance of going back home after college, when you graduate, you start a new life, but you return home to Katy, Texas. What does that mean, if anything, to you? He goes back to where he was, the big man on campus, to get a job right back at his old high school. Well, Nancy, what that tells me is that, you know, he kind of goes back to the place where he had his status, where he was, you know, on top. And I think that happens

for a lot of people when they, you know, are in an area where that was where they were prominent. They want to go back to sort of relive those glory days, if you will. What about it, Brandy? Brandy Chiancini with me, owner of the Katie Times. It may mean nothing, but it may mean something. Tell me about it. Well, I would agree. In a lot of instances, when you have young people who are very popular in their community, especially in a smaller community as Katie was back then, they go off to college, they earn their degree, and they want to come back because they want to relive that time. And they want to be close to their families when they start their own families. So it makes complete sense that that's where they went. So the two are back and it's not long until they

discover they're going to have a baby to really complete that perfect picture. How long have they been married, Brandi, before she gets pregnant? They were married a little over two years when she got pregnant. And Evan was born in 1995. So Brandi, what could you tell me about their neighborhood? Where did they live? Where did they settle down and have the first baby? Well, they lived in a small neighborhood right, right in the middle of Katy. And it was a great little house and it was a great place to start a family. This was a community of a lot of small families and it was just a great starter place. It wasn't long after that

that she finds out she's pregnant again. In my world, that was the happiest time in my life when I realized my dream of having a child was coming true after the murder of my fiance so many years before. I thought it would never happen. And not only did it happen, I had blessings rain down on my head. I never imagined. I had twins. But for Belinda, it was bittersweet. When David tells Belinda, he's not sure if he still loves her. She's completely devastated. It would be a matter of months before everything blows sky high. Nancy Grace, killers amongst us. Goodbye, friend. This is an iHeart Podcast.