In the summer of 2017, the life of 30-year-old Leon Wilder III, a male resident of Columbia, Missouri, was tragically cut short. On July 6th, his body was discovered in a rural area of Audrain County, the victim of a fatal gunshot wound. The events leading to his demise began to unfold as a drug transaction that spiraled into violence, leaving a trail of grief and a quest for justice in its wake.
The investigation into Wilder's death quickly led authorities to three individuals. Richard Neal Henry, 39 years old at the time of his sentencing, was identified as the primary suspect. Also implicated were his then-girlfriend, Arline Diedrich, and an associate, Justin Traughber. The narrative that emerged from the investigation painted a grim picture of a drug deal gone wrong. Traughber had facilitated the transaction between Wilder and Henry. Wilder joined Henry and Diedrich in Henry's truck, and it was within the confines of that vehicle that the fatal shot was fired.
Following the shooting, a desperate attempt was made to conceal the crime. Diedrich assisted Henry in abandoning Wilder's body in the remote Audrain County location where it was later found. Together, they cleaned the truck and destroyed evidence in an effort to erase any trace of the brutal events that had transpired. However, the efforts of law enforcement brought the three suspects into custody, and the judicial process began to shed light on the truth of what happened to Leon Wilder III.
In a resolution to the case, Richard Neal Henry pleaded guilty to his role in the death of Leon Wilder. In June 2019, he was sentenced to a term of 25 years in prison. As part of plea agreements, both Arline Diedrich and Justin Traughber agreed to testify against Henry. For his part in facilitating the drug deal that led to the murder, Justin Traughber received a ten-year sentence in the Missouri Department of Corrections, closing a painful chapter for the family and friends of Leon Wilder III.
