Martin Dean Priest

Serial Killer

Martin Dean Priest: A Detailed Examination of His Crimes

Overview

Martin Dean "Marty" Priest, born in 1957 in Nevada, Missouri, is an American convicted murderer and suspected serial killer. His criminal activities spanned from 1980 to 1985, primarily in Missouri and Kansas. Priest has been convicted of two murders and is suspected in three additional cases. He is currently serving two life sentences at the Lansing Correctional Facility in Kansas.

Convicted Murders

• Tonya Lea Lewis
  • Age: 12
  • Date of Disappearance: June 13, 1980
  • Date Body Found: June 15, 1980
  • Location: Near Nevada, Missouri
  • Details: Tonya Lewis was last seen playing basketball with friends, including Priest. Her body was discovered two days later in a farm pond, with drowning determined as the cause of death. Priest was initially convicted in 1981 but was acquitted in 1983 after an appeal due to insufficient evidence regarding the cause of death.
• William H. Mayhugh II
  • Age: 25
  • Date of Death: December 25, 1984
  • Date Body Found: December 27, 1984
  • Location: Wichita, Kansas
  • Details: Mayhugh was found in a ditch near the Arkansas River with a gunshot wound to the head. Priest was convicted of his murder in 1985 and sentenced to life imprisonment.

Suspected Murders

• Tammy Sue Rothganger
  • Age: 14
  • Date of Disappearance: May 16, 1984
  • Location: Eldon, Missouri
  • Details: Rothganger was last seen entering Priest's car. According to Priest's nephew, David Nicholas, Priest knocked her unconscious with a wrench, raped, and strangled her. Her body has never been found. In 2016, based on Nicholas's testimony, Priest was charged and later convicted in 2018, receiving another life sentence.
• Katrina Cheely
  • Age: 15
  • Date of Disappearance: November 16, 1984
  • Date Body Found: February 28, 1985
  • Location: Wichita, Kansas
  • Details: Cheely's body was discovered in a culvert, having been asphyxiated. Priest was charged with her murder in 1987 but was acquitted due to insufficient evidence.
• Frieda Bayliff
  • Age: 33
  • Date of Death: December 25, 1984
  • Date Body Found: December 28, 1984
  • Location: Wichita, Kansas
  • Details: Bayliff was found strangled in her apartment. Priest was acquainted with Bayliff and her boyfriend, Mayhugh. He was charged with her murder but was acquitted.

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Confirmed Victims: (2)

Tonya Lewis Age: (12), Date of Death: 1980-06-13

    ...View 1 additional victims
Suspected Victims:

Katrina Cheely Age: (15), Date of Death: 1984-11-16

Frieda Bayliff Age: (33), Date of Death: 1985-12-25

Tammy Rothganger Age: (14), Date of Death: 1984-05-16

BREAKING: Martin Priest Found Guilty Of Murdering Lake-Area Teen

    ...View 7 additional sources