A Texas jury took two hours to sentence wife killer David Temple to life in prison, marking his third conviction since 2007.
According to KHOU 11, a Harris County jury handed down the maximum sentence possible for Temple, who killed his wife, Belinda, in 1999. She was eight months pregnant at the time. The prosecution said during closing arguments that Temple wanted to get rid of his wife so he could marry his mistress.
As CrimeOnline previously reported, Temple spent a decade in prison after his first conviction in 2007, after Belinda was killed by a shotgun blast to her head inside her Katy, Texas, home in 1999.
The 2007 conviction was tossed after an appeals court ruled that 36 instances of prosecutor misconduct denied Temple a fair trial. The misconduct included not sharing police reports, phone records, and other evidence that might have supported the defense’s contention that Belinda was killed by a burglar.
Temple was found guilty again during his second trial in 2019, but the jury deadlocked during the sentence, leading to the third trial.
Temple’s defense team said they plan to appeal the latest conviction.
Meanwhile, family members of Belinda haven’t forgotten what happened to her. Belinda’s father addressed Temple following the sentence and reminded him that he destroyed an entire family.
“You’re a despicable piece of trash. You call our family white trash? Look at you, David.” Belinda’s father, Brian Lucas, told Temple after the sentencing.
“You completely ruined our family, you ruined your family … I want you to think about that the rest of your life when you sit in prison and rot in hell.”
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[Featured image: Belinda & Davide Temple/Handout]
