[1] On June 15, 1980, the body of 12-year-old Tonya Lea Lewis, a student at Nevada Middle School, was found floating on a farm pond about 11 miles south of the city by two men who had gone fishing.
[2] Initially, the cause of death couldn't be determined and no obvious signs of wounds could be located after the autopsy, but the authorities nevertheless treated the case as a suspected homicide.
At the time, Priest was part of a painting crew and was working in the Lewis household when he overheard a conversation between Tonya and a friend, Kelly Schumacher, who wanted to go to the municipal pool.
In 1983, Martin filed another retrial, but this time successfully received an acquittal - since no cause of death could be determined, there was no conclusive proof that she hadn't died accidentally, and thus, he was released.
On November 16, 1984, 15-year-old Katrina Cheely mysteriously vanished after leaving for Allison Junior High School in Wichita, Kansas.
Originally from Binghamton, New York, Katrina moved to Wichita in December 1983 to live with her mother, and was described as a nice friendly girl.
Her partly decomposed nude body was discovered in a culvert by a farmer on February 28, 1985, after he decided to inspect what his dog had barked at for the last month.
Hours after his release, new evidence collected from an obtained firearm, a .32-caliber pistol, pointed towards his guilt in the Mayhugh-Bayliff slayings, and authorities started searching for him.
[14] In 1987, Debra Yoder, Priest's fourth wife, told the police that she had received Cheely's bracelet as a birthday present from him.
[11] This was considered enough evidence to charge Martin with the girl's death, but in a shocking turn of events, he was found not guilty on December 12.