United States of America
PRIEST
Martin Dean
Active from 1980-1984 in Missouri & Kansas
DID YOU KNOW...
Jewelry Fact
Priest liked to give his wives items of jewelry stolen from his murder victims
Dog Fact
A dog signaled the presence of one victim's body but was dismissed
Legal Fact
Priest was acquitted of more murders than he was convicted of
THE DISPATCH
The Murders
Tonya Lee Lewis
- June 13, 1980
- Nevada, Missouri
Martin Dean Priest is a convicted murderer, and a really good manipulator. Wives, friends, the courts. He can play them all.
On June 12, 1980, Priest was working on a crew, painting the Lewis family apartment. The next day, Tonya Lee Lewis, 13, disappeared after leaving a ball game. She had been playing with Priest and some friends. Her body was found in a farm pond 2 days later. She had drowned.
Priest Charged in Lewis Murder
- July 16, 1980
- Nevada, Missouri
On July 16, Priest, who had just been jailed for forgery and theft, was charged with the death of Lewis. Priest was married 3 times before being incarcerated. Genny Priest tried to help her ex-husband escape prison August 5, 1980. She failed. She committed suicide in 1982.
Priest Convicted
- March 5, 1981
- Harrisonville, Missouri
Priest was convicted of Lewis’s death on March 5, 1981.
Conviction Overturned, Priest Freed
- September 20, 1983
- Kansas City, Missouri
Priest appealed his conviction of murder. In September, 1983, the Missouri Court of Appeals, Western District ruled in Priest’s favor. His conviction was overturned, and no additional charges were laid. The appeal court decided they could not determine exactly what caused Lewis’s death. Was it a swimming accident? “On the evidence presented, we cannot know,” they wrote, and overturned Priest’s conviction.
More Murders
Tammy Sue Rothganger
- May 16, 1984
- Eldon, Missouri
On May 16, 1984, Priest met up with his girlfriend’s daughter at her Eldon, Missouri, school. He also had his young nephew, 13-year-old David Nicholas, in the car. Fifteen-year-old Tammy Sue Rothganger was never seen again.
Nicholas convinced the reluctant Rothganger to get in the car. He also managed to get her back inthe car when she fled. They had sex at Priest’s insistence. Nicholas thought Rothganger would be safe if they obeyed Priest. Then, in front of Nicholas, who would not come forward for years, Priest hit Rothganger on the head with a wrench. Priest raped the unconscious girl and strangled Rothganger to death. Priest forced Nicholas to help him hide the body twice, The first time she was moved to the Nicholas family residence. Both Nicholas’s mother and brother saw Rothganger dead. The body was moved again by Priest and Nicholas to an unknown location. Her body has never been located.
Katrina "Kat" Annette Cheely
- November 16, 1984
- Wichita, Kansas
Katrina “Kat” Annette Cheely lived in Wichita with her mom. She was 15 years old. Cheely disappeared from her home on November 16, 1984. Priest knew her mother.
She was found February 28, 1985.
William H Mayhugh II & Frieda Bayliff
- December 25, 1984
- Wichita, Kansas
William H. Mayhugh II and Frieda Bayliff lived in Wichita. Bayliff worked at the same bar where Priest met Cheely’s mother. On December 25, 1984, Mayhugh and Bayliff were last seen alive by their families. Mayhugh, 25, was found in a ditch near the Arkansas River on December 27. He had been shot in the head, and died of exposure. Bayliff, 33, was found strangled in their home the next day.
Arrests & Convictions
Priest Arrested for Mayhugh & Bayliff
- March 30, 1985
- Fort Scott, Kansas
On March 30, 1985, Priest was arrested for the Bayliff and Mayhugh murders. His wife was also arrested, but released.
Priest Guilty of 1, Acquitted of 1
- October 30, 1985
- Wichita, Kansas
After 2 mistrials, Priest was found guilty on October 30, 1985, of murdering Mayhugh. The jury returned a not guilty verdict for Bayliff. In December, Priest was sentenced to life in prison.
Priest Charged in Cheely Murder
- September 21, 1987
- Wichita, Kansas
Police charged Priest with Cheely’s murder in September, 1987. An ex-wife came forward with information about a bracelet that had once been Cheely’s. It was enough to charge Priest. In December, his 4th wife, Debra Yoder, testified at the trial. She said her ex-husband confessed to killing Cheely by strangling her with pantyhose. Yoder had used a bracelet she got from Priest to connect him to Cheely.
Priest Acquitted in Cheely Murder
- December 12, 1987
- Wichita, Kansas
On December 12, 1987, Priest was found not guilty of either felony murder or aggravated robbery in the death of Cheely. This was the third murder Priest was not guilty of.
Priest Charged in Rothganger Murder
- January 5, 2016
- Miller County, Missouri
On January 5, 2016, Priest was charged with Rothganger’s rape and strangulation. It had taken almost 32 years before the charges to be laid. David Nicholas, who was 13 when he witnessed the crime, came forward. The information he provided allowed police to charge Priest.
Priest Guilty of Killing Rothganger
- October 11, 2018
- Miller County, Missouri
On October 11, 2018, Priest was found guilty of murdering Rothganger and was sentenced to life in prison.
Martin Dean Priest’s Location
As of August 14, 2021, Martin Dean Priest is incarcerated in the medium-high Lansing CF-Central, Kansas Department of Corrections. His earliest possible release date is Aug 01, 2022. At that time, it is expected he will begin serving Life for Rothganger’s murder.
SIMILAR SERIAL KILLERS
Anthony Joe LaRette Jr.
LaRette Jr. was working in both Kansas and Missouri during the same decade
William Clyde Gibson III
Gibson III and Priest were both born in October, 1957
Robert Joseph Zani
Both Zani and Priest were 188cm/6.2ft tall
THE STATS
Killer in a Historical Timeline
Statistical table for (Killer’s Name)
| Killer Name | Priest, Martin Dean |
| Gender | M |
| Arrest Date | March 30, 1985 |
| Conviction Date | October 30, 1985 |
| Sentence | Life terms for Mayhugh; Life term for Rothganger (2018) |
| Birth Location | Nevada, Missouri, USA |
| Birth Date | October 13, 1957 |
| Status | Alive or Unknown |
| Height | 188 |
| Sexual Abuse | Sexual abuse within extended family including Priest being abuser |
| Sexual Preference | Straight |
| Marital Status | Married multiple times |
| Killer Type | Sexual/Sadistic, Territorial |
| comment1 | Lewis overturned , Rothganger guilty, Cheely not guilty, Mayhugh guilty , Bayliff not guilty, |
| Total Dead Victims | 5 |
| Victims (Convicted) | 2 |
| Victims (Misc) | 3 acquitted |
| Victim Gender | F |
| Victim Race | White |
| Victim Age | 13, 15, 15, 25, 33, |
| Victim Type | Strangers, acquaintances |
| Method of Killing | Strangulation, beating, shooting |
| Weapon | Wrench, hands, gun |
| Abduction | Yes |
| Sex Assault | Yes |
| Sex Assault on Minor | Yes |
| Washing/Water | Yes |
| Body - Left, Not Hidden | Yes |
| Body - Moved, Not Hidden | Yes |
| Body - Moved, Hidden | Yes |
Killer Rating
RESOURCES
- The Chillicothe Constitution-Tribune (Jun 17, 1980)
- The Springfield News-Leader (Jul 17, 1980)
- Springfield Leader and Press (Aug 17, 1980)
- The Springfield News-Leader (Mar 06, 1981)
- The Parsons Sun (Dec 28, 1984)
- Press and Sun-Bulletin (Mar 04, 1985)
- The Springfield News-Leader (Apr 01, 1985)
- Council Grove Republican (Dec 11, 1985)
- Press and Sun-Bulletin Part 1 (Dec 06, 1987)
- Press and Sun-Bulletin Part 2 (Dec 06, 1987)
- Press and Sun-Bulletin (Dec 13, 1987)
- Lake News Online (Jan 05. 2016)
- Lake News Online (Oct. 10, 2018)
- KRCG TV (Oct. 11, 2018)
- Lake News Online (Nov. 08, 2018)
- Appeal No. 660 S.W.2d 300 (1983)
- Appeal No. SD35804 (2019)
E. Kelly Hemingway | Last updated August 15, 2021