KATY, Texas (Covering Katy News) — In what appears to be the final chapter of one of Texas's most notorious murder cases, a state appeals court has definitively upheld the life sentence of former Katy High School football star David Mark Temple, who was convicted of murdering his pregnant wife in 1999.
The Texas 14th Court of Criminal Appeals ruled Tuesday that Temple's conviction for killing his wife Belinda should stand, rejecting all 10 legal arguments his lawyers raised to overturn the verdict and likely ending a case that has captivated the Houston area for more than two decades.
State of Texas
The 60 page ruling from the Fourteenth Court of Appeals.
Belinda Temple, a beloved Katy High School special education teacher who was eight months pregnant, was found shot execution-style in the head in the closet of the couple's home on Round Valley Drive at Hidden Canyon Road on Jan. 11, 1999. The crime scene, in a neighborhood between Highland Knolls Drive, Peek Road and South Mason Road, looked like a burglary, but investigators determined it was staged by her husband.
"As an investigator, you just know when you see something that doesn’t look right," Sgt. Dean Holtke of the Harris County Sheriff’s Office told ABC News, adding that the scene looked staged. "Where you would expect to see glass from a broken door, you don’t see it, and where you don’t expect to see it, there it is."
David Temple had been a star football player at Katy High School, where he was known as the "Temple of Doom" and was voted "Most Athletic" his senior year in 1987. He played linebacker and led the Tigers to a district championship during an undefeated season. After high school, he earned a football scholarship to Stephen F. Austin State University, where he helped the team win its first conference championship in 1989.
Temple and Belinda began dating in college at Stephen F. Austin University and married in 1992, with Temple proposing to her on the 50-yard line of their college football field. Both went on to acquire master's degrees in education and became high school teachers.
The Temple family lived in a two-story house on a corner lot of the Creekstone subdivision. Belinda taught special education at Katy High School — her husband's alma mater — while David worked as an assistant football coach at Alief Hastings High School.
KIAH
Belinda Temple
David Temple Case Timeline: Three Trials, Two Decades of Legal Battles
The David Temple murder case has been one of the most closely watched criminal proceedings in Houston-area history, involving multiple trials, appeals, and legal reversals:
- 1999: Belinda Temple murdered at age 30 while eight months pregnant
- 2007: David Temple first convicted and sentenced to life in prison
- 2016: Conviction overturned due to prosecutorial misconduct
- 2019: Temple convicted again at retrial
- 2023: Third jury sentences Temple to life in prison after punishment phase mistrial
- 2025: Appeals court issues final ruling upholding conviction
Temple's legal journey has been unusually complex. He was first convicted in 2007 and sentenced to life in prison. But in 2016, the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals ordered a new trial after finding that prosecutors had improperly withheld evidence about another possible suspect.
At his second trial in 2019, Temple was convicted again. When that jury couldn't agree on his punishment, a third jury sentenced him to life in prison in 2023.
The appeals court's decision means Temple will remain behind bars and won't be eligible for parole until 2044.
Evidence That Convicted David Temple: Motive, Opportunity, and Staging
Prosecutors built their case around several key pieces of evidence that convinced multiple juries of Temple's guilt:
Motive — Extramarital Affair: Temple was having an affair with fellow teacher Heather Scott during the weeks before the murder. Just three days before killing his wife, he told Scott he was "falling in love with her." His marriage to Belinda was troubled, with witnesses saying he frequently criticized her appearance and didn't want another child.
Opportunity — Timeline Evidence: Phone records and witness testimony showed Temple had approximately 30 minutes when he could have killed his wife. He gave police conflicting stories about where he went that day with the couple's 3-year-old son, Evan.
Crime Scene Staging: Crime scene experts testified that the home's back door was broken from the inside to make it look like a break-in. Nothing was actually stolen, and valuable jewelry was left in plain sight throughout the house.
Suspicious Behavior: Temple appeared unusually calm when police arrived at the murder scene. He later sent flowers to his girlfriend on Valentine's Day, just weeks after his wife's funeral.
David Temple's Final Legal Arguments All Rejected
Temple's lawyers tried several strategies to overturn his conviction, but the appeals court rejected every argument:
Insufficient Evidence: They argued there wasn't enough proof Temple committed the murder. The court disagreed, saying the combination of motive, opportunity and physical evidence was enough for a jury to find him guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.
Unfair Trial Procedures: Temple's lawyers complained that prosecutors were allowed to question his father about conflicting testimony from the first trial. The court said this was proper because witnesses can be challenged when they give different versions of events under oath.
Constitutional Violations: Temple argued that being retried on sentencing alone when a jury couldn't agree violated his rights. The court said this procedure, while changed since 1999, doesn't violate constitutional protections against harsher punishment after the fact.
Speedy Trial Violation: Temple claimed the 2½-year delay between his successful appeal and retrial violated his right to a speedy trial. The court said the delay was justified because new prosecutors needed time to review the complex case file, which filled 33 boxes.
Riley Joe Sanders: The Alternative Suspect Theory
Much of the legal wrangling over the years centered on Riley Joe Sanders III, a 16-year-old neighbor who was in Belinda's special education class and had skipped school the day of the murder. Sanders had access to a shotgun and initially lied to police about his whereabouts.
Temple's defense team argued that Sanders, not Temple, killed Belinda after she complained to his parents about his excessive truancy, leading them to take away his driving privileges.
However, the appeals court noted that Sanders and his friends provided testimony accounting for his time that day, and no physical evidence linked him to the crime.
Victim Rights Advocate: "This Should Be the Last Time We Hear About David Temple"
A victim rights advocate Andy Kahan says the court's decision should end the case once and for all.
"Most of us all remember David Temple who was convicted multiple times of murdering his wife Belinda who was 8 months pregnant in 1999," Kahan said. "After three trials Temple was again sentenced to life in prison in 2023. Today, the 14th Court of Criminal Appeals denied his appeal and affirmed his conviction."
Kahan, posting on Facebook, also took a jab at Temple.
"I'll see you at your parole hearing to ensure you never breathe free air ever again."
Temple is not eligible for parole for 19 years.
What This Final Ruling Means for the David Temple Case
The appeals court's decision likely represents the definitive end to this long-running case. Temple has now exhausted his main legal options for challenging his conviction. While he could potentially file additional appeals, courts rarely overturn cases once they've been reviewed this thoroughly by multiple levels of the judicial system.
The David Temple case has been notable for its extraordinary length — spanning 26 years from the murder to this final ruling — and for the multiple trials required to reach a final verdict. Such extensive legal proceedings are unusual but can occur in complex murder cases, especially when new evidence emerges or procedural errors are found.
The case has remained in the public eye due to Temple's status as a former local football hero, the brutal nature of the crime involving a pregnant victim, and the prosecutorial misconduct that led to his first conviction being overturned.
Temple will serve his life sentence in a Texas prison, with his first opportunity for parole not coming until 2044, when he would be in his 70s. The case that has haunted Katy, for more than two decades appears to have finally reached its conclusion.