Justice for Jimmie Martin is on its way
BONNE TERRE, Mo. (KBSI) – Jimmie Wade Martin was found beaten and wounded near the Coal Bin Tavern in October of 1989.
The father of twins was found mortally wounded in front of a home after a bar fight. He later died at a hospital.
Now, 35 years later, a sense of peace for the family.
Over the weekend Wesley Marler was arrested in connection with the death of Jimmie Martin and charged with first degree assault.
“We’ve waited a long time for this day, and we did it.”
The twins Angela Williams and Andrea Lynn said they prayed this day would come and they knew the person first arrested, David Brian White was not the man responsible.
White served three years in prison and then was released just three days before the case was set to go to trial. The charges were then dismissed. Authorities say there was lack of evidence.
“These guys have been there for me for the last four years and it’s been. I stood up in the courtroom and told everyone that is not the man I hit, and they ignored it pretty much for two years.”
It’s a case with plenty of twists and turns.
Martin’s twins become detectives in their own right, researching the case and looking for justice for their father, Jimmie Wade Martin.
“We had some paperwork from the courthouse. Plus what I had and gave it to him, and they just never gave up and it worked. It worked.”
The girls were just 11 when they lost him. They remember him as a loving, fun father who they see their own kids growing up to be like him.
“He was fun. He was so fun. He lived very carefree, and he loved life. He had a good time. He was the life of the party; he made everyone laugh.”
They say they’ve spent the past three decades working with St. Francois County investigators trying to bring justice to both their father and White.
“These last couple of days have been a roller coaster of emotions and you feel like you are on cloud nine. David White said that today you feel like one minute you’re on cloud nine and the next minute you feel like you’re 11 and the next minute you feel like you’re crying.”
White says he feels an unimaginable sense of relief.
“I’m just in awe right now,: he said. “I don’t even know what to say.”
That’s also the case for those who worked to keep the case in the public eye.
Chris Hulsey and Shawn Martin are cousins of Jimmie. The pair produced a podcast called Small Town Forgotten in 2020.
“Shawn came to me with the idea of starting a podcast and investigating Jimmie’s murder because it had been unsolved for 31 years at the time so me and him reached out to Andrea and Angela for their blessing and they were happy to help and we had no idea the can of worms we were opening up when we started that.”
Now, Martin’s twins find peace in a place that is forever special to them.
Never giving up hope, they created a special place dedicated to their dad, they call it Martin Drive.
“We had so many doors shut in our face for years and this was our solace place and my mom one day asked about the graveyard and why I never go. I’m like mom. I don’t like it. She’s like what do you mean you don’t like it. That’s not where I want to go see my dad in the ground and this is our place.”
Related story: Bonne Terre man arrested in connection to 1989 homicide
