Bob Eidman: True-crime series ’20/20′ explores St. Charles murder mystery

ST. CHARLES, Mo. – Nearly two decades after a murder that shook the St. Charles community, ABC Network’s “20/20” revisits the case of Bob Eidman, a chilling mystery filled with shocking twists, a secret double life, and a DNA breakthrough that cracked the case years later.

Bob Eidman’s story was the focus of a “20/20” true-crime series episode that premiered Feb. 7 on ABC and is now available to stream on Hulu.

Eidman, a well-known insurance salesman in St. Charles, was fatally shot at his workplace on June 8, 2007, in broad daylight. His murder went unsolved for nearly three years, with investigators long questioning his wife before DNA test results unexpectedly led them to a suspect never on their radar.

According to ABC News, Eidman ran an insurance business that catered to people with poor credit, and his office frequently held large amounts of cash, leading authorities to suspect his murder may have been the result of a robbery gone wrong.

The Investigation: Early Stages

Following Eidman’s death, when investigators searched for clues, they came across surveillance footage from a nearby grocery store. The video showed a white Ford Focus circling the insurance office multiple times before Eidman was shot to death.

At first, police questioned Travis Endsley, a man who owned a white vehicle that was found wrecked and abandoned with one of Eidman’s business cards inside. Endsley told police that he was recently involved in a car crash and received a business card from a friend while searching for new insurance. He was eventually cleared of any involvement.

After that, police turned their attention to Eidman’s widow, Diane Eidman, for relevant information. Oddly enough, they learned that Diane’s father had been murdered years earlier under suspicious circumstances and that her mother was once accused, though later acquitted of the crime. These revelations, combined with the fact that Diane was set to receive a $300,000 life insurance payout over her husband’s death, raised suspicions.

When inconsistencies appeared in Diane’s original statements to police, she agreed to take a polygraph test, standing firm on her claim that she had nothing to do with her husband’s murder.

A Double Life

As St. Charles police continued digging, they came across phone records that revealed a surprising detail: Eidman had been living a double life. Records indicated that he was involved in a romantic relationship with a man from out of town.

Diane claimed that she learned of the affair through an email exchange and that her husband frequently denied this. Police later identified the secret lover, who also took a polygraph test but was never charged.

Cold-Case Breakthrough

Many leads stalled for years, until a breakthrough came in 2010, when a DNA investigative unit contacted St. Charles police. They determined that DNA collected from Eidman’s back pocket matched a man named Paul White, who was already in jail for an unrelated crime.

Missouri court records then linked White to a traffic stop several weeks after the murder, specifically as a passenger of Cleo Hines. Police determined that Hines was behind the wheel of a white Ford Focus consistent with the vehicle seen on the grocery store’s surveillance footage.

Police questioned Hines after this discovery, who confessed that he was involved in Eidman’s death but claimed his role was limited to driving to the insurance office and waiting outside when White fatally shot Eidman.

The Aftermath

Despite Hines’ confession and a DNA match to Eidman’s pants pocket, White repeatedly denied any involvement in the murder. However, both men were ultimately charged, convicted, and sentenced.

In 2012, White was sentenced to two life sentences without parole for first-degree murder and first-degree robbery charges, while Hines was sentenced to one life sentence with parole eligibility for second-degree murder and first-degree robbery charges.

In the end, a cold case once clouded by eerie coincidences involving Eidman’s wife and secret lover finally unraveled through persistent investigative efforts and forensic advancements, bringing long-awaited justice after it remained unsolved for years.