How did Bob Eidman die? Details explored ahead of 20/20 on ABC

On June 8, 2007, Bob Eidman, an insurance salesman in St. Charles, Missouri, was shot and killed in his office in broad daylight. His death shocked the quiet community, where violent crimes were rare.

At first, investigators suspected his wife, Diane, especially after learning that her mother had once been accused of killing Diane’s father. But years later, DNA evidence led them to an unexpected suspect.

Bob Eidman ran an insurance business that helped people with poor credit get coverage. Since many clients paid in cash, his office often had large amounts of money, making it a possible target for robbery.

When police arrived at the crime scene, they quickly gathered information about Bob. He was 48 years old, married for many years, and had no children. As the news of his death spread, friends and colleagues rushed to his office, hoping it wasn’t true.

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Suspicious car

While reviewing security footage from a nearby grocery store, police noticed a white Ford Focus driving past Bob’s office twice. The second time, the car slowed down as if the driver was looking for something.

Tracking this car became a priority, but it was difficult since there were around 5,000 white Ford Focus vehicles registered in Missouri.

Police thought they caught a break when they found an abandoned white car near the scene, with Bob’s business card inside. The car belonged to Travis Endsley, who had wrecked it the night before. When questioned, police noticed a bloodstain on his shirt.

Endsley explained that he had been drinking the night before, crashed his car, and went home. He had no memory of what happened after that. The blood on his shirt was from a nosebleed caused by the crash. Police checked his alibi, found it true, and cleared him as a suspect.

With Endsley ruled out, police turned their attention to Bob’s wife, Diane. During questioning, she mentioned something strange:

"Don’t take this as a confession, but… this happened to my dad, too."

Diane explained that her father, Jerome Boelling, was a St. Louis police officer who had been shot and killed in their home when she was 26. Her mother, Lenore Boelling, was accused of the murder but was found not guilty in 1985.

Bob’s family revealed that he had been uncomfortable having Lenore live in their home after her trial. He was so scared that he locked his bedroom door at night.

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Hidden life insurance policies

Diane initially told police that she only had a small $5,000 life insurance policy through work. But further investigation revealed that Bob had multiple policies, and Diane was set to receive more than $300,000 after his death.

At this point, Diane took a polygraph test. The results were inconclusive, not a failure, but not a pass either, keeping her as a person of interest. However, no concrete evidence linked her to the murder.

While checking Bob’s phone records, police found repeated calls to an unknown number. It belonged to a man from another city, three hours away.

It turned out that Bob had been secretly dating this man. They often met in motels. Bob’s secret lover provided an alibi, took a polygraph test, and passed. He was cleared as a suspect.

Months passed with no new leads, and the case went cold. Then, three years later, a shocking discovery was made.

Early in the investigation, police had swabbed Bob’s pants pocket, where his missing wallet had been. The DNA test results finally came in, matching a man named Paul White.

White had never been on the police’s radar. At the time of the discovery, he was already in prison for an unrelated forgery crime. Investigators dug into his background and found a connection to the case.

A few weeks after Bob’s murder, White had been stopped by police while riding in a white Ford Focus. The driver of that car was Cleo Hines.

Police tracked down Hines and questioned him. He quickly confessed that he had driven White to Bob’s office but claimed he stayed outside while White went in. According to Hines, White planned to rob Bob but ended up shooting him.

Despite being confronted with DNA evidence, White denied involvement. However, in 2012, he was found guilty of first-degree murder and robbery. He was sentenced to two life terms in prison with no chance of parole.

Hines took an Alford plea (where a defendant does not admit guilt but accepts the punishment) and was convicted of second-degree murder and robbery. He was also sentenced to two life terms but with the possibility of parole.

After White and Hines were convicted, police met with Diane to officially clear her as a suspect. Detective Don Stepp described her reaction:

"She was shaking and crying. She was very happy that this was over."

In the end, Bob’s murder wasn’t connected to his wife, his secret relationship, or his mother-in-law’s dark past. It was a robbery that turned deadly, solved years later through DNA evidence.

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