Lyntell Washington's murder: A complete timeline of events

Lyntell Washington, a teacher and single mother, was murdered in June 2016. Her murder stunned the Baton Rouge community and revealed a web of lies, deception, and treachery. The case started when her three-year-old daughter was discovered wandering alone in a parking lot near a bloodstained car.

This led the investigators to reveal that Washington was pregnant with her married lover's child. Her body was subsequently discovered in an irrigation ditch, where it was determined she had been shot in the head. Robert Marks, the father of her unborn child and an assistant principal at her school, was arrested and ultimately convicted of her murder.

Lyntell Washington's murder is part of ABC News' 20/20 limited true-crime series entitled Bad Romance, season 2, episode 4. This episode, airing on April 15, 2025, documents the haunting case of Washington's murder and disappearance, focusing on her daughter's key role in solving the crime.

It reveals Washington's secret affair with Robert Marks, a co-worker and the father of her unborn child, who was responsible for her fatal demise.

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A complete timeline of events of Lyntell Washington's murder

Discovery of Lyntell Washington's daughter

As per ABC7, on June 9, 2016, a pedestrian, Leslie Parms, discovered Washington's three-year-old daughter abandoned in a Baton Rouge parking lot alongside a car smeared with blood.

The child was barefoot, with dried blood on her feet, and informed Parms that "Mr. Robbie put the blood there" and that her mother was "asleep by a lake". The police were alerted immediately, and the probe started.

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Investigation reveals an affair

As per ABC News, Washington's vanishing brought Robert Marks, one of her assistant principals, under investigation. Marks confessed to having an affair with Washington while still married.

Washington had just learned she was expecting a child conceived by Marks, and she called him out upon learning he would not be divorced from his spouse as he had indicated. As per ABC7, cell phone records indicated that Washington and Marks connected on the eve of her disappearance.

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Discovery of Lyntell Washington's body

As per ABC News, one week later, Washington's body was discovered in an irrigation ditch at one of the Iberville Parish sugar cane farms in Louisiana. She had been shot once in the head and was heavily decomposed, and DNA samples were taken to identify her. The investigators found that Marks disposed of her body after shooting her dead.

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Role of Washington's daughter in cracking the case

As per ABC News, Washington's three-year-old daughter was instrumental in cracking the case. In interviews with counselors and detectives, she consistently told them that "Mr. Robbie" (Marks) had placed blood in the car and reported hearing a "bang" before her mother began shaking. Her testimony was critical to the case against Marks.

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Robert Marks' arrest and trial

As per ABC7, Marks was arrested on June 9, 2016, just after Washington's daughter was discovered. He was charged with second-degree murder, feticide, aggravated kidnapping, and obstruction of justice. At his trial, prosecutors offered evidence like discrepancies in Marks' alibi and his online searches for firearms just after Washington announced she was pregnant with his child.

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Conviction and sentencing

As per WAFB9, Marks was found guilty of second-degree murder, first-degree feticide, and related offenses. In December 2021, he was sentenced to life in prison without parole.

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For more details about Lyntell Washington's murder, watch Bad Romance season 2, episode 4 on April 15, 2025.