5 key details about Bob Eidman's murder

Bob Eidman's death by shooting in 2007 sent a shockwave across the otherwise peaceful community of St. Charles, Missouri, which doesn't see a lot of homicides every year. Moreover, Bob was a local insurance salesman who was well-known and well-liked in the community. The case also took significant time to resolve and almost went cold before it was cracked wide open.

This murder is going to be the subject of ABC's 20/20, which premieres on Friday, February 7, 2025, at 9 pm EST. The logline for the episode, as revealed by ABC News, reads:

"When St. Charles, Missouri, authorities are called to the office of insurance salesman Bob Eidman, they’re shocked to find his lifeless body with an apparent gunshot wound, killed by an assailant in broad daylight. But what initially seemed like a straightforward homicide case quickly spiraled into a series of possible motives, suspects and clues leading to possible motives and suspects that shocked law enforcement as they searched for answers and a killer."

This case is filled with many tiny but consequential details that are crucial in understanding the full extent of the murder and investigation. Ahead of the latest episode of 20/20, let us go over five such details.

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5 key facts about the murder of Bob Eidman

1) Bob Eidman was shot in broad daylight in his office

One of the things that stands out in this case is that Eidman was shot to death in his own office during the day. He was found by his mail carrier lying in a pool of blood. The authorities figured out that he was shot three times and died from the gunshot wounds.

It kickstarted an investigation that would last for over three years.

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2) Bob Eidenman always had cash in his office, which was singled out as a possible motive

Police suspected robbery from the start (Image via Pexels)

Bob Eidman had an insurance business, which primarily catered to people with low credit scores and ones who had trouble getting insurance. Due to the nature of his business, he often dealt in cash and his office almost always had a significant amount.

Due to this, from the start, the police suspected that it could have been a robbery, which later turned out to be true.

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3) Bob's wife, Diane Eidman, was the key suspect during the initial phases of the investigation

Diane Eidman seemed to have a financial motive in this murder. Moreover, she withheld the fact from the police that she was a beneficiary of a hefty life insurance policy from Bob's death. She also did not reveal to the police that Bob was having an affair which she found out from an email.

Interestingly, her mother was also charged with the murder of her father.

All this made it seem that Diane was behind the murder. She was cleared completely after DNA obtained from Bob's body confirmed that the killer was male.

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4) Bob Eidman lived a double life and was having an extramarital affair with a man

There were multiple suspects in Bob Eidman's murder (Image via Pexels)

On deep investigation, the police discovered that Bob was leading a double life and was romantically involved with a man who lived hours away. His lover was also questioned and later cleared of any suspicion. Diane allegedly knew about this but Bob had denied this.

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5) DNA evidence ultimately led to Bob's murderer

Three years after Bob's murder, the police finally found a DNA match that pointed at Paul White, who was serving a prison term for an unrelated charge at the time. A car caught in surveillance footage was also linked to White and police discovered that Cleo Hines was the one driving it.

While Paul White did not accept his guilt, Hines confessed and revealed that he was just the getaway driver and that Paul was the one to murder Bob Eidman.

Both Hines and White were sentenced to two life terms in prison, with the latter having no possibility of parole.

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The upcoming episode of 20/20 will cover this case in more detail.