What's happened so far?

Investigation Day 1

Yoknapatawpha Emergency Services received a 911 call reporting a seriously injured man found in a church early Sunday morning.

The man, who was pronounced dead at the scene, was identified as Pastor Wendell Martinson, senior minister of the Fellowship of the Holy Spirit church.

The first witness Detectives Murphy and Parker spoke to was the man who found the body.

Meanwhile, other investigators spoke to the church members who arrived for services that morning.

It wasn't long before the local media got wind of what happened.

Investigation Day 2

The next morning, the detectives met with Pastor Martinson's widow to find out who might've wanted him dead.

Then they sat down with the church secretary to learn more about the pastor's interactions at work.

After lunch, Detectives Armstrong and Parker talked to a lapsed parishioner about her relationship with Pastor Martinson.

Then the detectives spoke with a familiar face about her involvement with the church.

Meanwhile, other investigators interviewed the victim's neighbors.

Late that afternoon, CSU sent over a preliminary list of evidence collected at the scene.

Investigation Day 3

In the morning, Detective Armstrong talked to a former member of the church about his reasons for quitting the congregation.

Later, the detectives met with the church treasurer to find out more about Pastor Martinson's potential enemies.

Then, the victim's best friend and fellow clergyman came in to talk to Detectives Murphy and Parker about what Pastor Martinson might have been worried or upset about.

After school got out, the detectives spoke to a teenager recently estranged from the church about his family's relationship with Pastor Martinson.

While the local Crime Beat blog complained about the amount of information they're getting from the YCSD about the investigation, the detectives reviewed a preliminary report on fingerprints found at the crime scene.

Investigation Day 4

Throughout the day, the Crime Lab sent over initial reports of their findings on evidence from the crime scene, starting with a shoeprint and the handwriting on the card followed by the trace evidence.

A few hours later, the coroner provided a preliminary report on the autopsy.

Investigation Day 5

The next morning, Detectives Murphy and Parker met with Pastor Ingram again to find out what he knew about the concerns Reverend Horner revealed.

Then they talked to Fay again to see if there was anything she left out the first time they talked.

Later, the detectives asked Zina to come in to discuss allegations of financial misconduct related to church donations.

Afterward, they spoke to the victim's wife about the things Rev. Horner mentioned were troubling her husband.

Then they talked to Deirdre again to learn more about her history with Pastor Martinson and her ex.

Later, Joey's boss came in to talk about Joey's performance in the workplace.

Near the end of the afternoon, Detectives Murphy and Parker talked to the woman reportedly behind the marriage breakup that was the talk of the church.

That evening, investigators provided a summary of what they learned from the Littleton/Sanford neighbors.

Investigation Day 6

In the morning, the detectives received a report on the financial status of one of the persons of interest.

After the school day ended, the detectives sat down with both of Pastor Martinson's sons to find out more about their dad.

When they finished with the pastor's boys, the detectives reviewed a list of the vehicles and license plate numbers belonging to the persons of interest in the investigation.

Investigation Day 7

Bright and early, Detectives Murphy and Parker executed the first of several search warrants.

In the afternoon, they searched the residence of a second suspect.

Investigation Day 8

The detectives searched the next suspect's home the following morning.

Later, they visited the residence of the other suspects.

By that afternoon, the local crime blog had heard about the search warrants and shared their thoughts.

Investigation Day 9

After the dust had settled a little from the searches, Detectives Murphy and Parker brought Joey in for a conversation about the allegations of possible financial misconduct at the church.

A few hours later, The Face in the Mirror had the scoop on how that played out.

Investigation Day 10

Over the course of the day, updated information started coming in from the crime lab, including new fingerprint, footwear impression, and trace evidence analysis.

Investigation Day 11

After reviewing the crime lab reports, the next step was clear, and early the next morning, the detectives took that step.

A few hours later, Detectives Murphy and Parker sat down with the suspect for another conversation.

That afternoon, the Oxford Weekly Planet's Crime Beat let the community know what happened.

 

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Bonus content exclusively for Case Detectives

See how the crew determined where the victim's wounds should be located and how the wounds were created on the actor.

Then see how the crew staged that bloody crime scene, and don't miss the bloopers from the interview video shoots.


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