269. A Body, A Wallet, and a Web of Lies - The Murder of Bob Eidman

Summary

Murder With My Husband - Episode 269: A Body, A Wallet, and a Web of Lies - The Murder of Bob Eidman

Release Date: May 19, 2025
Hosts: Peyton Moreland & Garrett Moreland
Produced by: OH NO MEDIA

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Introduction

In Episode 269 of Murder With My Husband, hosts Peyton and Garrett Moreland delve into the intriguing and tragic case of Bob Eidman, an insurance agent whose life was brutally cut short in his St. Charles, Missouri office. This episode meticulously examines the circumstances surrounding Bob's murder, the ensuing investigation, and the unraveling of secrets that ultimately led to justice.

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The Murder of Bob Eidman

The episode begins by setting the scene in the tranquil suburban town of St. Charles, Missouri—a community where “everyone knows everyone” and violent crimes are rare. On a sunny Friday morning in June 2007, Bob Eidman, a 48-year-old insurance agent, faced a horrifying end.

[09:00] Peyton Moreland: “People have secrets, but sometimes those secrets become the key to unraveling a murder mystery.”

Bob arrived at his office as usual, only to be met by a mail carrier who later reported seeing an assailant and finding Bob lying motionless with multiple gunshot wounds. The precise nature of Bob's injuries—three close-range bullets, including a fatal shot through his eye—indicated a targeted attack rather than a random act of violence.

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Initial Investigation and Suspicions

As the investigation commenced, several peculiarities emerged. Notably, Bob's wallet was missing—a rare occurrence since he always kept it in his back pocket. Moreover, the office drawer that typically held his cash contained a mere $200, much less than expected. These inconsistencies led detectives to ponder whether robbery was the motive. However, the absence of forced entry suggested otherwise.

[12:02] Garrett Moreland: “Could Bob have taken a hit out on his own life? Was suicide a possibility?”

The police also considered that Bob was three months away from potentially shutting down his struggling business, adding financial stress to the list of possible motives.

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Diane Eidman: The Suspect

Diane Eidman, Bob's wife, naturally became a person of interest early in the investigation. Several factors contributed to this suspicion:

1. Financial Struggles: Diane confirmed that their business was faltering, aligning with the police’s theory of a potential motive.

2. Family History: Diane disclosed to a detective a dark family history—her mother, Lenore, was acquitted for the murder of Diane’s father under suspicious circumstances in 1984.

3. Contradictory Behavior: Witnesses noted that Diane appeared unusually calm and unemotional upon learning of Bob’s murder.

[21:00] Garrett Moreland: “It's always Diane when it comes to suspects, but is that really fair?”

Despite these red flags, Diane passed a polygraph test inconclusively, leaving her guilt unresolved.

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Unveiling Bob’s Secret Life

The investigation took a significant turn when police analyzed Bob’s computer, revealing his interactions on homosexual hookup websites. This discovery led to the revelation of Bob’s secret romantic relationship with Drew Smith, a man living three hours away. Their affair was more than just online communication; they had met in person multiple times, indicating a serious relationship that Bob intended to make public.

[27:05] Peyton Moreland: “Bob and Drew were deeply in love, but Drew had a solid alibi, eliminating him as a suspect.”

This revelation shifted the focus back to Diane, who had discovered Bob's affair by accessing his emails. Her knowledge of Bob's double life further intensified suspicions regarding her potential involvement in his murder.

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Breakthrough: DNA Evidence

Two years following Bob's murder, a pivotal breakthrough occurred. DNA extracted from the area where Bob's wallet was missing matched Paul White, a client of Bob's insurance business. Further investigation linked Paul to Cleo Hines, the owner of a white Ford Focus seen near the crime scene on the morning of the murder.

[29:24] Peyton Moreland: “This DNA match was the break the police needed to identify the real culprits.”

Despite initial denials, Paul White’s criminal history and connection to Bob's business made him a prime suspect. However, it wasn’t until a crashed car revealed both Bob’s business card and linked Paul directly to Cleo that the case began to close.

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Arrests and Confessions

Under mounting pressure, Cleo Hines eventually confessed to assisting in the robbery that led to Bob's murder, claiming he was coerced by Paul White. Paul himself confessed to the crime, detailing how financial desperation from gambling losses led him and Cleo to target Bob. They demanded cash from Bob, secured $300, and, feeling threatened when Bob couldn’t provide more, shot him multiple times.

[37:22] Peyton Moreland: “Paul and Cleo stole not just money, but Bob’s life and privacy.”

Their confessions provided a clear motive—financial desperation and the desire to exploit Bob’s business practices that involved keeping cash on hand.

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Trial and Sentencing

Paul White and Cleo Hines were both charged with first-degree murder and first-degree robbery. Paul pled not guilty but was swiftly convicted and sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole. Cleo opted for an Alford plea, acknowledging the evidence against him without admitting guilt, resulting in a lesser charge of second-degree murder with first-degree robbery and a life sentence with the possibility of parole.

[38:21] Garrett Moreland: “They figured out who did it thanks to diligent police work and that crucial touch DNA evidence.”

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Conclusion: The True Motive

The case of Bob Eidman underscores how sometimes, the truth is buried in the most straightforward motives rather than the complex web of personal secrets that often distract investigations. While Diane Eidman initially stood as a suspect due to circumstantial evidence and family history, the reality was a desperate robbery gone fatally wrong.

[41:28] Peyton Moreland: “Bob and his family lost more than just money—they lost his privacy and, most tragically, his life.”

This episode highlights the importance of thorough and unbiased investigative work, reminding listeners that the most apparent suspects are not always the true culprits.

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Final Thoughts

Murder With My Husband Episode 269 expertly navigates the intricacies of a true crime case, balancing the exploration of personal lives with the pursuit of factual evidence. Through detailed storytelling and insightful analysis, Peyton and Garrett Moreland provide a compelling narrative that both engages and informs, ensuring that justice, albeit delayed, was ultimately served for Bob Eidman.

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Notable Quotes:

• [09:00] Peyton Moreland:
  “People have secrets, but sometimes those secrets become the key to unraveling a murder mystery.”

• [21:00] Garrett Moreland:
  “It's always Diane when it comes to suspects, but is that really fair?”

• [27:05] Peyton Moreland:
  “Bob and Drew were deeply in love, but Drew had a solid alibi, eliminating him as a suspect.”

• [37:22] Peyton Moreland:
  “Paul and Cleo stole not just money, but Bob’s life and privacy.”

• [41:28] Peyton Moreland:
  “Bob and his family lost more than just money—they lost his privacy and, most tragically, his life.”

---

This comprehensive summary captures the essence of Episode 269, providing listeners with a clear and engaging overview of the case, enriched with direct quotes and structured sections to facilitate understanding.

Transcript

[Peyton Moreland]

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[Peyton Moreland]

Loss treatment options for hers.com husband. Individual results may vary. Compounded products are not FDA approved or verified for safety, effectiveness or quality. Prescription required price varies based on product and subscription plan. See website for full details, restrictions and important safety information. You're listening to an Ono Media podcast. Hey everyone. Welcome back to the podcast. This is Murder with My Husband. I'm Peyton Moreland.

[Garrett Moreland]

And I'm Garret Moreland.

[Peyton Moreland]

And he's the husband.

[Garrett Moreland]

I'm the husband.

[Peyton Moreland]

We have amazing news for you. We have new merch.

[Garrett Moreland]

New merch. New merch. Really cool new merch. It's out.

[Peyton Moreland]

Loki. There's this one and it has a little skeleton and a broken heart. And it says me and murder with my husband till death.

[Garrett Moreland]

It's really cute. Just in time for summer.

[Peyton Moreland]

So cute.

[Garrett Moreland]

I actually wore one of the T shirts too. Where did I wear it? The other day I wore out to dinner because it's just like a sick graphic T shirt. So we got new merch. Go and check it out. I'm not gonna say it's my favorite because I think I feel like I say that every single time I launch new merch. So I'm just gonna say we got some really cool merch. It's live. Go check it out. I think we only, we only printed a certain amount and go get it. I'm gonna post a picture in it so you guys can all see what it looks like. But again, the blanks are really high quality. They're not just some random, random blanks that are, that are low quality. They're nice blanks. Yeah, that's what I got for you guys. So go and check it out. We love you guys. Merch, Merch. Merch. Peyton and I ordered all new podcast equipment because our old equipment for some reason decided to stop working. But I'm going to assume it's because I spilled coffee on it one time and that's why it's not working. So we ordered a bunch of new podcast equipment and we're hoping that we won't have any more errors or issues or. Yeah, we've just been getting a lot of corrupted files and we've tried changing everything except our equipment. So here we are. We change our equipment. Don't think we'll have any more issues. Thanks for sticking with us. Other than that, there hasn't been anything crazy that I've been up to. Just pickleball, golf, hanging out, working pickleball.

[Peyton Moreland]

Tell them what you did last night.

[Garrett Moreland]

My mom and I played in like a mini, like just a pickleball moneyball. And we got second. But we did lose to 15 year olds for first place. But they were really good. I'm not going to lie, they were really good. But hey, seconds better than last. That's all that matters. That was fun. That's kind of all I have for you guys this week. Love you guys. And let's get into this week's episode.

[Peyton Moreland]

Our sources for this episode are abc.com abcnews.go.com fox2now.com yahoo.com oxygen.com aol.com case law.findlaw.com STL today.com and happyscribe.com I think it's safe to say that most people have secrets. Little things they've done that they don't intend to share with anyone else. Whether it's a small thing about themselves or even a bigger thing, most people have something they probably plan to take to the grave. But sometimes those secrets do not get buried along with us. Especially when death culminates in a murder investigation. That's when our secrets matter. The Most what wasn't someone telling their friends or family? Who were they talking to that no one even knew about? And could that have led to their premature death? No matter how big or small, a victim's secrets are often the biggest clue in a murder investigation. At least that's what TV leads us to believe. But sometimes secrets are nothing more than a scandalous distraction. One that forces us to ignore reality. Because secrets aren't always deadly. Oftentimes, the answer to murder lies in the mundane. So let's dial back the clock to the year 2007 as we head to St. Charles, Missouri, just west of St. Louis. St. Charles is this suburban little town mostly filled with commuters. The sort of place where people have spent generations, where everyone knows everyone and is generally considered a peaceful, safe little community. It also happens to be where 48 year old Bob Eidman and his wife Diane call home. Now, everyone who knows Bob Eidman says that he is this teddy bear of a guy, only about 5 foot 6, but he has a huge personality. Incredibly bubbly and lovable. He's always cracking jokes. In fact, it seems like Bob was a bit of a class clown growing up too. When he wasn't pulling off pranks, he was testing the boundaries of authority. Every summer he was having to make up classwork in summer school. But Bob was also easily distracted by girls growing up. And shortly after graduating from high school was when Bob met the woman that he would spend the rest of his life with. And that was Diane Bowling. Now, not only was Diane a bit taller than Bob, she matched his sharp witted personality too. She could go toe to toe with Bob and put him in his place.

[Garrett Moreland]

I feel like we have a lot of Diane that are victims or like.

[Peyton Moreland]

Involved in these cases. Yeah, kind of do too.

[Garrett Moreland]

Like Dan's a very popular name. And I don't know, I'm guessing because maybe a lot of the cases we do a lot of them around the same time frame. And maybe Diane was just a popular name because I did just read on, I read an article, I forget where it was but the most popular name, girl name of 2024 was guess.

[Peyton Moreland]

2024? Yeah, something like Everly Olivia.

[Garrett Moreland]

Yeah, that's not close to Everly, but yes it is. But yes, Olivia was the most popular name of girls 2024. I forget what the guys was probably Garrett to be honest, but I'm not sure.

[Peyton Moreland]

Definitely not Garrett.

[Garrett Moreland]

Keep it rolling.

[Peyton Moreland]

So like I said, Diane could go toe to toe with Bob, she could put him in his place and that was something that bob loved about d. So come the year 2007, they had been married for 20 years. Though they never had any children together, they seemed to have built a nice life for themselves. Diane managed the kitchen at a local hospital, while Bob ran his own business. He was an insurance agent with his own office in a strip mall along a busy route that ran into St. Louis. But lately, Bob's business in 2007 had fallen on hard times. He wasn't getting as many clients as he used to, which was starting to stress him out a little bit. By June of 2007, he basically thought that he was going to stay afloat for a few more months before he would have to close shop entirely.

[Garrett Moreland]

Wow. Okay.

[Peyton Moreland]

But on the 8th of that month in June, Bob faced the unthinkable. It was a beautiful Sunny Friday, about 80 degrees, when Bob opened up his shop and took a seat at his desk. At around 11am that day, a mail carrier stopped by his office on her usual route.

[Garrett Moreland]

Okay, so if it's a male carrier, how that also works.

[Peyton Moreland]

Male. Male.

[Garrett Moreland]

Okay. If it's a guy.

[Peyton Moreland]

No, not male. Male. Male.

[Garrett Moreland]

Oh, okay. I'm sorry. It sounded like there was no distinction in between those.

[Peyton Moreland]

How do I say that?

[Garrett Moreland]

I don't know.

[Peyton Moreland]

Male.

[Garrett Moreland]

Yeah. Yes.

[Peyton Moreland]

And that's when she saw the unthinkable. She dropped everything and began running up the street calling for help. She flagged down a police officer who happened to be passing by and told them that the man who ran the insurance company over there was lying on the floor motionless, and he had blood covering his face. So when more officers are called to the scene, they find Bob Aidman has been shot. There's three bullet wounds on his body, One on his chin, one on his neck, and the fatal shot being the one through his eye. Now, all of them appeared to have been fired at close range and all from the same gun, though there weren't any other signs of a struggle. From what police could tell, however, they realize at the crime scene that Bob's wallet is missing. And sources who know him say he always kept his wallet in his back pocket. So as they are sweeping the crime scene for clues, they gather any ammunition casings and fingerprints they can find, and they actually do something pretty smart. They cut out the fabric around Bob's back pocket where he usually kept his wallet. And they did this in order to search it for touch DNA. Because if someone took the wallet out of his back pocket, maybe they left something behind. Now, it doesn't take long for local reporters to catch wind of the Crime homicides only happen about once a year in St. Charles, so this is a pretty big local story. But Diane, Bob's wife, hears that something has happened down at Bob's office. And so she rushes to the scene. And when she gets there, she tells police, I've been trying to reach Bob all day. He never answered his phone. Is everything all right, though? By this point, Diane must know nothing is alright. And it's there at the scene of the crime. The police break the news to Diane. No. Bob has been murdered. Your husband has been murdered. Now, as I mentioned, murder isn't something the local police deal with a whole lot here in St. Charles. So they call in the help of the Major Case Squad. And the Major Case Squad has a pretty great track record. They claim that 80% of their cases get solved.

[Garrett Moreland]

Trying to figure out, I know we're early in the case, but I'm trying to figure out what's going on. Did Diane know the business was failing and wanted insurance money? Like, what's going on? You know what I'm saying?

[Peyton Moreland]

Yes, Quick.

[Garrett Moreland]

Was that correct?

[Peyton Moreland]

Quick to blame the wife.

[Garrett Moreland]

Well, quick to blame the significant other, always.

[Peyton Moreland]

And one of the first things that police start to investigate is what could have motivated someone to show up and shoot Bob Eidman in his office in broad daylight. Well, they think the answer to that might actually lie in Bob's business itself. Remember, Bob was an insurance salesman, but his clientele was sort of on the fringe. Bob dealt with the kind of people who were high risk drivers, people with bad credit and challenging histories, basically people who would have a hard time getting insurance through traditional methods. And since a lot of people would try and pay with bad checks that would bounce, Bob was only really accepting cash at this time, which meant Bob's office had a lot of cash in it at any given moment.

[Garrett Moreland]

Okay.

[Peyton Moreland]

And apparently Bob didn't have a lot of that money locked up in a safe either. He just kept it in a locked drawer in his desk. Now, whether or not any clients of his knew that, witnesses are unsure. But when police go to that desk drawer, they find there's only $200 inside. That is a heck of a lot less than what Bob was supposed to be keeping in there. So between that and his missing wallet, police are thinking, is this a robbery? But why wouldn't they take all the cash? Then why leave 200? Plus, there doesn't seem to have been any forced entry into the place. None of the typical signs you might expect if someone was trying to break in and rob this place. So police have to consider another possibility. After speaking with Bob's family and friends, they learned pretty quickly about the difficult times that Bob had fallen on that he was just three months away from basically shutting his business down. So they also wonder, what if Bob had taken a hit out on his own life? Could that have been something he was capable of or even considering ever picked.

[Garrett Moreland]

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[Peyton Moreland]

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[Peyton Moreland]

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[Garrett Moreland]

Let's go.

[Peyton Moreland]

It even captured the mail carrier running away from the scene that day.

[Garrett Moreland]

But what there was a guy carrier running.

[Peyton Moreland]

You're it. But what it also got was a white Ford Focus driving past Bob's business twice that morning, once at 10:50am and then again at 10:54am only that second time, it was much slower. It honestly looked like the Ford Focus was looking for something that's just six minutes before Bob was found dead. Now, the police are feeling pretty confident this car either saw something or was involved somehow. So they need to find out who owns it. Problem is there's about 5,000 white Ford Focuses on the roads in Missouri at this time. So it's kind of a needle in a haystack. But what seems like that same day they seem to catch a really lucky break because they discover not too far from Bob's business is a white car that has been crashed and abandoned off the side of a nearby road. And inside of this white car is Bob Eidman's business card. Now, you had to imagine what that's like for police. Okay, so they're doing this. They find the security footage. They're like, oh, this is our answer. Then they see the white car. They're like, shoot, we're kind of back to square one. How are we going to find this? And then they get a call that a white car has crashed and that Bob Eidman's card is inside.

[Garrett Moreland]

Off topic for a second. I don't mean this any disrespect at all, because Bob is a victim here, but have you ever met a baby named Bob? Just curious. I don't think I've ever met a baby named Bob. If your baby's named Bob, fantastic. I just.

[Peyton Moreland]

There is a girl named Bobby at my school.

[Garrett Moreland]

You know how some names just seem like older names? Bob to me, is one of those names. Yeah, but I've never seen a baby.

[Peyton Moreland]

Bobby sounds like a baby name, but.

[Garrett Moreland]

I've never seen a baby. I've never seen a baby Bob.

[Peyton Moreland]

Or like a baby Robert.

[Garrett Moreland]

Yeah, or like a baby Robert. Yeah. There's just certain names that. Interesting. Anyways. All right, we can keep going.

[Peyton Moreland]

Now, the police locate the owner of this vehicle. It is a man named Travis Ensley. When he's called in for questioning, he's actually shocked to learn he's not just there because he abandoned his crashed vehicle and falsely reported it stolen. He's there because he is a person of interest in a murder investigation. And even worse, when they pull Travis in, he has blood on his shirt. And Travis is like, whoa, whoa, whoa, this is all a huge misunderstanding. He says he had been needing new insurance on his car, hence Bob's business card in his vehicle. So he says he went to Bob. He liked the guy, even gave him a good rate. But the night before Travis was questioned, he went out, he had a few drinks, and crashed his newly insured car drunkenly. Travis stumbled back home that night with a broken nose and then woke up the next morning to notice his car wasn't there. He'd forgotten that he crashed it the night before. He called his new insurance and reported it stolen before finally remembering, oh, actually, I think I left it on an embankment not far from my apartment. So police think this is a bit far fetched. But the blood on Travis's shirt does turn out to be his own. And Travis's alibi holds up as well. He wasn't at the scene of Bob's crime when it happened. Which means while Travis might have looked like the ideal suspect, police are kind of back to square one. Though, as always, there's one person they can't ignore in a murder investigation. As Garrett said, that is Diane.

[Garrett Moreland]

It's always Diane. So if your name is Diane. It is, you know, the wife, which.

[Peyton Moreland]

The spouse.

[Garrett Moreland]

It's always this. I mean, not always a spouse, but I. We don't know the stats on it. Huh. Like the percentage of times it's the spouse versus not the spouse.

[Peyton Moreland]

Well, that percentage is going to be different based on if it's the man or the woman.

[Garrett Moreland]

But you think so?

[Peyton Moreland]

Yes. If a woman gets murdered, the percentage that it was her spouse is probably way higher than if a man gets murdered in the percentage that it was his spouse.

[Garrett Moreland]

I don't know. No, I just don't know. I don't know the stats. I don't. I don't know what the stats are.

[Peyton Moreland]

It's got to be higher.

[Garrett Moreland]

I would assume so. But less men are probably murdered in general, so those stats aligns. That make sense.

[Peyton Moreland]

Yeah, I get what you're saying.

[Garrett Moreland]

Like, per capita sort of thing.

[Peyton Moreland]

Yeah, I do get what you're.

[Garrett Moreland]

So that's why I'm wondering, like, if the stats are. I don't know.

[Peyton Moreland]

Okay, Mr. Advanced Statistics. I wasn't thinking about that.

[Garrett Moreland]

That's what I took in college, everybody.

[Peyton Moreland]

So the spouse. And while they don't have any initial reason to believe Diane was involved, they ask her a few questions to rule her out. Anyway, though, the more they start talking to Diane, the more they wonder, okay, is she actually involved in this? Police's suspicions kind of start from the moment Diane actually showed up at the crime scene that day. Because some say that Diane, despite hearing the news that her husband's just been murdered, didn't really seem too surprised or emotional in the moment, though. I. I mean, I feel like this is in every single source of every case that we do. And I'm just like, when are we going to start learning that people's reactions in crisis and stress are so different, so vast? I don't think there's, like, a common reaction that we would expect. So to me, this just isn't evidence that someone is suspicious. But that's not the only thread they're following when it comes to Diane. She, too, tells police they were facing some financial issues. So it's not like Bob was keeping this a secret from Diane. Yep, there wasn't a lot of cash coming in. The business was floundering, and they were having a hard time paying the bills. And there's a couple of red flags that go off for detectives at this point, one of them being the fact that Diane seems to have a bad memory. Only when it comes to certain things, though, like her Social Security Number and whether or not Bob has any life insurance policies.

[Garrett Moreland]

Wait, no way. You're just like, I. Yeah, I don't remember my Social Security number. Sorry.

[Peyton Moreland]

Now, Diane says she's only had crazy one through her workplace, the life insurance. But it was for no more than $5,000, and it was her life insurance policy. What she seemingly forgets to tell police is Bob did have his own, and Diane was about to receive more than $300,000 after Bob's death.

[Garrett Moreland]

That's a lot of money, considering the situation they're in as well.

[Peyton Moreland]

Yes, though it's not until police start checking with insurance companies that they actually realize this. Diane never tells them herself. So, of course, because she keeps this from them, it makes her look suspicious. And that's not the worst of it. See, Diane has some family secrets as well, ones that don't exactly look great for her when she mentions them to detectives. On the day of Bob's death, Diane speaks with a female detective and sort of opens up to her and she says, look, don't take this as a confession, but this same thing happened to my dad. And here's what she means. When Diane was 26 years old, so about two decades prior, her father was working as a St. Louis police officer. But on the morning of April 6, 1984, at around 2:30am her mother dials 911 and claims someone broke into the house, stole his gun and shot him to death. Now, when police get to the house, they find Diane's mother, Lenore. She has no tears, her hair is fully done, and when police question her, she's casually smoking a cigarette. She has no emotion.

[Garrett Moreland]

The freak sounds a little.

[Peyton Moreland]

A little familiar. Well, Lenore tells the police there's been a man following them lately, and he's been leaving notes at the house, including one on the night Diane's father died, that said, this is for what you did to me. But as police really get into their investigation, they learned there was no forced entry into the home. The door to the garage where Lenore said the man broke in was dead bolted shut, among many other clues. And eventually it was Lenore, Diane's mother, who was charged with murdering her husband, Diane's father. So you can kind of see why Diane mentions this to police, because it would be suspicious if she didn't say, hey, my mom was. Was arrested and charged for shooting my dad in the face. And now my husband has been shot in the face.

[Garrett Moreland]

And also, maybe she's just taken after her mom.

[Peyton Moreland]

So the similarities are a little glaring, especially when they Hear that? Bob was scared to death of Lenore. That's his mother in law. Particularly because she was actually waiting in their home as she awaited trial. And rightfully so. I mean, he had an accused murderer sleeping under the same roof as him. So Bob was always locking their bedroom door. He was afraid to be be alone in the house with his mother in law. But in a pretty shocking turn of events, Lenore was actually found not guilty by a jury, and she was acquitted for that crime.

[Garrett Moreland]

Oh, okay.

[Peyton Moreland]

I'm not sure how this entire thing affected Bob and Diane's marriage, but the verdict probably didn't put him at ease. And it unfortunately wasn't giving police any confidence in Diane either. So the next time the police speak with Diane, they ask her, hey, why don't you just take a polygraph test so we can clear your name?

[Garrett Moreland]

Do any detectives that are listening to this, do you guys still use polygraph tests? Like, are they still weighted pretty heavily, or is it just something to scare whoever they're trying to.

[Peyton Moreland]

I would think it'd be more like that use as a tactic to be like, you failed.

[Garrett Moreland]

Because no one even. I mean, everyone knows at this point that they're not. They can't be used in court. Yeah, I don't know. It's interesting. Like, I'm wondering, like, if they're even really used that much, because now it's almost like a game. Like, people on social media do polygraph tests with, like, their friends and stuff like that. Like, they're so unserious at this point.

[Peyton Moreland]

Yeah. So Diane agrees, and she tells police she has absolutely nothing to hide. She had nothing to do with her husband's murder. And her results come back inconclusive. She doesn't fail, but they can't get a read on her. So the next step is for police to get a closer look at Bob's personal life. And Diane agrees to let them take his computer for analysis. And what they find there honestly changes the course of this investigation. So one of the first things they find on Bob's computer is that he has been visiting homosexual websites. And not just pornography. It's more like hookup websites. Think Grindr before.

[Garrett Moreland]

Like Grindr.

[Peyton Moreland]

Yeah. So that leads detectives to subpoena Bob's phone records, because now they're wondering, is this a secret love affair that went sideways? Someone looking to blackmail or even extort Bob? And when they look into his call history, they find that Bob has been chatting with one person pretty consistently for a while. Someone who lives out of town about three hours away. It's a man named Drew Smith. Here's the thing, though. Drew and Bob weren't just having some long distance, emotional affair. Apparently, they'd meet up in motels closer to Drew's hometown whenever Bob could get away. So police think we got to talk to Drew, obviously, because he's basically Bob's lover. And honestly, what they uncover is pretty heartbreaking because not only did Bob feel like he was living this double life, it turns out, according to Drew, he and Bob really were in love. They spoke to each other several times a day. And I guess Bob was telling himself he wanted to eventually just come out to his wife and then have a relationship with Drew. Drew even had a tattoo for Bob on his arm. Meanwhile, Bob had been keeping little souvenirs from their meetups and dates together. Now, Drew has an alibi for where he was during the time of Bob's death, and he passes a polygraph. So he's kind of ruled out as a suspect pretty quickly. But police discover something else. The secret life that Bob was living. Well, it wasn't so secret after all. Diane, Bob's wife, had stumbled across some of the emails Bob had been sending to Drew. So she knew, basically, she knew about this love affair. And when she confronted Bob about it, he apparently denied it all. But Diane was like, no, this is real. So.

[Garrett Moreland]

And at that point.

[Peyton Moreland]

Right.

[Garrett Moreland]

Why deny it? Right.

[Peyton Moreland]

Because you kind of were just given your reason, your opportunity.

[Garrett Moreland]

Yeah. Yeah.

[Peyton Moreland]

So now the. Well, I don't know. So now the focus returns back to Diane. Could she have been angry about this relationship? Maybe hired someone to put.

[Garrett Moreland]

No, I don't see that happening. Could be wrong.

[Peyton Moreland]

The problem is, though, there's only circumstantial evidence when it comes to Diane. Nothing concrete whatsoever connecting her physically to the crime. So Bob's case starts to run cold until about two years later, when St. Charles police get a call from a DNA investigative team.

[Garrett Moreland]

Wow.

[Peyton Moreland]

Okay, so remember how the police cut out Bob's pocket where his wallet usually was? The thinking was that if someone yanked his wallet from his pocket, there would be touch DNA. Well, in 2009, investigators learn the DNA they pulled from that pocket finally has a match. And it's someone the police would have never guessed. This man's name is Paul White, and he was a customer at Bob's insurance agency. There were even files on Bob's desk when he died with Paul's name on them. So it's a current client. They also discover that a month or so after the murder, Paul White was a passenger in a Car that was stopped for a traffic violation. It was expired registration. The driver's name was cleo hines. And Cleo hines drove a light colored ford focus, Just like the one that was seen driving past Bob's office in the minutes before and after the murder. Now, paul is pretty easy to find because he's in prison. When his name finally pops up in this case, it's for a completely unrelated charge though for forgery, actually. But that's not the only thing on Paul white's rap sheet. I mean, this guy's been charged with a bunch of different things over the years, Mostly forgery and theft. I don't think murder was on that list yet. However, when police show up to the prison to question Paul, he completely denies having anything to do with bob's murder. Actually says it was physically impossible for his DNA to be on that pair of pants. So with Paul not willing to show any of his cards, detectives realize they need to pivot. And now they are looking at the man who was driving the car during that traffic violation. The owner of the white ford focus. Cleo. You guys, we are jumping into an ad. And lately I have been making a big effort to be more intentional with how I grocery shop, Both for my health and my wallet. I'm so over wandering the store for so long, reading all the labels, just trying to find what's healthy but not really knowing what is. So that's when I decided to give thrive market a try. And can I tell you, it has been a game changer. I'm still getting all of my favorite clean brands, but for way less money and zero compromises on quality. Thrive market is like your favorite health food store, but it's all online and it's more affordable. I'm talking about premium brands like primal kitchen, simple mills, all delivered to your door and up to 30% less than what you'd pay at traditional stores. So you guys, if you are wanting healthy brands, brands that you know, everything they sell is non gmo, meets incredibly high standards. They actually ban over a thousand ingredients that are still allowed in u. S. Products. So you know when you are using thrive market, you are getting clean food. And the site is super easy to shop. You can filter by diet, Gluten free, paleo, keto, low sugar, vegan. You're not wasting any time reading every label trying to figure out what fits you. I even stock up on wellness essentials like magnesium, omega 3s, herbal teas. It's not just food, you guys. They have the healthy supplements too. All vetted and way More affordable than you would expect. I use Thrive Market because it's easy. I can find all the things that Garrett and I are looking for in one place. So skip the junk without overspending. Head over to thrive market.com/mwmh to get 30% off your first order and a free $60 gift. That's thrive market.com/mwmH. Thrive market.com/mwmh.

[Garrett Moreland]

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[Peyton Moreland]

What they learn is Cleo was living with Paul before his arrest. So they think, all right, we're starting to get somewhere. They have this relation, like a personal relationship at least. Maybe we should bring Cleo in for questioning. Maybe he'll flip on Paul. I mean, maybe he was the getaway driver. And almost the second he sits his butt down in the hot seat, he cracks like an egg. It's like, yes, okay, I was involved in Bob's murder, but I was just the getaway driver. I swear. In fact, he doubles down saying, no, Paul actually forced me to do this. He literally held me at gunpoint and made me drive him there and back.

[Garrett Moreland]

Okay.

[Peyton Moreland]

Cleo claims that the night before, Paul had lost over twelve hundred dollars at a casino and was desperate to make up for it. He told Cleo he knew a guy that kept a bunch of cash at his business on site and they were going to go rob him. This was literally a day of decision. He said Paul had actually woken him up that morning with a pistol to his head, forcing him to get up and do it. And when Cleo was asked what kind of gun Paul was wielding that day. Cleo said it was a 9 millimeter Glock. This is the same exact kind of gun that was used to kill Bob. So police now know this is likely the truth, or at least Paul and Cleo are in fact involved in Bob's murder. Maybe. We don't know the specifics. Was he actually forced, but they believe now that these are the two guys. But the entire time Cleo is insisting like, I never got out of the car. All I did was drive Paul to the scene. He got out, he got the cash and got back in the car, and I drove away. So now police realize we gotta go back to Paul and let him know Cleo's turned on him. And this time, not knowing that his buddy is speaking out against him, Paul says, okay, I'm gonna confess. I did kill Bob Eidman that day, but I didn't do it alone. Paul says the morning of the crime, both he and Cleo lost money at the casino. They went around town looking for people to rob and at one point considered targeting people coming out of Walmart. But when they realized there were too many cameras, Paul came up with another idea. They should just go after his insurance agent, Bob Heidman. Paul knew Bob kept a bunch of cash on site because his wife had seen it when she went to sign for her insurance policy about a month or two earlier. And then Paul says the two of them drove to Bob's office together. They both got out of the car, they both put on masks and went into Bob's office, where they demanded he give them the cash. Bob gave them 300 bucks that he had on hand. But when they demanded more and Bob said he didn't have it, they ripped his wallet out of his pants in a spur of a moment decision, decided to shoot Bob several times and left.

[Garrett Moreland]

What the. It's so sad, Bob.

[Peyton Moreland]

300.

[Garrett Moreland]

Bob's just trying his hardest to make money and work, and then he gets.

[Peyton Moreland]

Killed by a random client who he had done nothing wrong to. For $300. Paul and $300 split the 300, 150 each.

[Garrett Moreland]

That's insane.

[Peyton Moreland]

Now, I will say Paul changes his story a lot during his confession. So this is the best version I kind of wrapped up for you. But I will add this. Neither Paul nor Cleo ever mentioned Diane. They were both asked individually if they had ever heard of Diane. And they were like, no. Which means Diane Eidman, who was probably the main person of interest in this simply because of her family history. What happened between her dad and mom, her not so good memory, her husband's affair.

[Garrett Moreland]

What a coincidence, right?

[Peyton Moreland]

Well, she's cleared. All because of a little touch DNA on a pair of pants. Like literally because they cut out this pocket.

[Garrett Moreland]

They figured out, they figured out who it was, whoever did that, whatever CSI came in, whatever is going on, good job that thought.

[Peyton Moreland]

Let's just cut it out because I mean, you can't test everything for touch DNA. This is the issue with crime scenes is like you, you would hope that they could go around to every square footage of a building and test everywhere, but that's not. You have to check, you have to test the most common places, a place someone would touch or grab. So it was so smart for them to test that pocket. Now, Paul White and Cleo Hines are both charged with first degree murder and first degree robbery. Paul pleads not guilty to the charges. His trial only lasted three days. The jury's deliberations are quick and just two and a half hours, they come back with a verdict of guilty on all counts. He's later sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole. Now Cleo Hines, on the other hand, chose to enter an Alford plea. We've talked about this before. Basically means he's not officially saying he did it, but he has evidence against him and he doesn't want to go to trial, so he'll take an Alford plea. So Cleo gets a lesser conviction than Paul does. Because of this, he gets second degree murder with first degree robbery. He is sentenced to life in prison with the possibility of parole.

[Garrett Moreland]

Oh, I'm surprised he got life in prison.

[Peyton Moreland]

Oh, wait, he, I mean, he has a chance to get out, but his sentence is still technically life.

[Garrett Moreland]

Not that I want him to get out. I'm just, it's just so interesting. We do so many of these cases and the way the justice system works in each one is so vastly different, it's kind of frustrating. And I get that every case is different, but it's wild to me that you'll have someone in the same situation, same everything, just different judge, different jury, whatever. They get like five years in prison.

[Peyton Moreland]

Yeah.

[Garrett Moreland]

Then you have another one where it's like life in prison.

[Peyton Moreland]

I mean, we've seen co conspirators get eight years.

[Garrett Moreland]

I mean, it doesn't the, it's so, so vastly different sometimes that it's kind.

[Peyton Moreland]

Of frustrating actually now, unfortunately, because of the circumstances surrounding Bob's death and this is what I was talking about earlier and this is something that is so just Sad and devastating. On top of someone being a victim of murder, everything about their life gets put on blast.

[Garrett Moreland]

Yeah.

[Peyton Moreland]

So this, these secrets that Bob had, he doesn't get to take to the grave with him. And that's something I find difficult to swallow that sometimes we dig into people's personal lives in order to find out who killed them. However, in Bob's case, none of that even needed to be exposed to. Learned what really happened that day. I mean, him having this affair, you know, having a man that he was in love with was a huge part of this case. It was the number one reason Diane was a suspect.

[Garrett Moreland]

Yeah.

[Peyton Moreland]

Just to find out that it had nothing to do with that.

[Garrett Moreland]

Which is hard because I do get the other side of it that statistically it usually is the spouse.

[Peyton Moreland]

Right.

[Garrett Moreland]

So to them they're like, have to do.

[Peyton Moreland]

No. And it's not wrong. I mean, this is what happens most likely if you dig into someone's life, you will find the answer 100%. However, at the end of the day, Paul and Cleo stole a lot more from Bob than just $300 in his life. They stole Bob's privacy. That's something Bob and his family will never really get back. And that is the murder case of Bob Eidman.

[Garrett Moreland]

Dude, he was just working, living his life.

[Peyton Moreland]

Awful.

[Garrett Moreland]

Trying to make a bunch of money for 300. His business was struggling, he's already stressed and some people come and kill him. Like what? I'm glad they're both life in prison because that's absolutely.

[Peyton Moreland]

Yeah, well, and also, you know the part that's actually more frustrating to me, it's not like they shot him and then found out there was only $300. They got the $300 from him and then chose to shoot him. So they basically confirmed that his life was only worth $300.

[Garrett Moreland]

Just low IQ, absolute horrible individuals.

[Peyton Moreland]

Yeah, like that just doesn't.

[Garrett Moreland]

We don't need them in this world. I'm gonna be honest. Same. We don't need them. XM Move on to the next.

[Peyton Moreland]

These are Garrett's thoughts and Garrett's alone.

[Garrett Moreland]

X them. Move on to the next.

[Peyton Moreland]

All right, you guys, thank you for listening to this week's episode and we will see you next time with another one. I love it.

[Garrett Moreland]

I hate it.

[Peyton Moreland]

Goodbye.

[Garrett Moreland]

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