5 shocking details about David Weedman's murder

The staged suicide of the 62-year-old Saint Croix resident, David Weedman, drew attention from national media and brought Weedman's family and friends into a state of shock at the nature of the crime.

David Weedman was a friendly man battling throat cancer who loved to spend time with his friends and family. He was known for his approachable nature and had befriended two individuals, Randy L. Coalter and Nicki Anderson, who would bring his life to an unfortunate end.

Weedman, a left-handed individual, was found lying in a pool of blood in the living room of his home with a gun in his right hand on March 4, 2017. The Murder in the Heartland episode titled Unbrotherly Behavior looks into this murder case in detail. The synopsis reads,

"After a long battle with cancer, David Weedman is found dead in his home with a gunshot wound. His family believes his death is not a suicide. Investigators soon turn their focus to David's best friends."

Episode 10 of Season 3 re-airs on Wednesday, November 29, 2023, at 5 pm EST on Investigation Discovery.

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Five chilling details about David Weedman's murder case

1) David Weedman was suffering from throat cancer

According to the family, Weedman was suffering from throat cancer when he passed away. He was diagnosed with the life-threatening disease months before the unfortunate event. However, his diagnosis never stopped him from living his life or making new friends.

A still of David Weedman (Image via Weedman Family)

The fact that Weedman was suffering from a terminal illness like cancer possibly made the cause of his death by suicide more believable.

2) Weedman's death was staged to look like a suicide

David was found lifeless in his home on March 4, 2017, fatally shot with a revolver in his hand. His body lay in a pool of blood in his living room. The doors of the house were locked, and the holster of the gun was found in the crime scene itself. Weedman had a large exit wound on the top of his head, while the entry wound left by the bullet was found behind his right ear.

The investigators had collected DNA samples from the gun and the holster, but they returned inconclusive results.

3) Two autopsy reports

While the coroner ruled out Weedman's death as suicide, Weedman's family and friends knew something was amiss when they noticed the gun was placed in Weedman's right hand. David Weedman's family hired a forensic pathologist named Dr. John Headingsfelder to conduct a second autopsy, which went against the results of the first autopsy report, which had claimed the gunshot to be self-inflicted.

A still of David Weedman (Image via Weedman Family)

The entry and exit wounds were determined to be in an unusual position for a non-dominant hand.

4) Randy had suspected David and Nicki to share a se*xual relationship

The night Randy Coalter and Nicki Anderson headed back to David's place from the bar, the two got into a heated argument. Randy accused Nicki and David of sharing a s*xual relationship and proceeded to hit Nicki in the face. Nicki was driven home by David's relative the same night when she expressed her concerns regarding his safety.

A still of Randy Coalter (Image via Indiana State Police Department)

According to WDRB, Nicki and Randy were mere acquaintances to David.

5) Nicki was not charged

Randy Coalter and Nicki Anderson were arrested following a complaint received on March 20, 2017, regarding the theft of a truck. The two were brought in for interrogation when Nicki Anderson chose to testify against Randy. She revealed Randy's admission to shooting Weedman in the face and was subsequently threatened by Randy to comply and stick to the story.

Nicki Anderson testified against Randy Coalter in exchange for her time in jail, while Randy Coalter (45) was sentenced to 60 years in prison.