Naman Shrestha
The decades-spanning murder case of a 31-year-old school teacher named Mary Catherine Edwards in 1995 came to a close in 2024 thanks to the advancement in technology. After connecting the dots, the detectives connected Clayton Foreman to the killing. Upon digging deeper, they found multiple connections between him and the victim. The entire case is covered in detail in CBS’ ’48 Hours: Tracking the Killer of Mary Catherine Edwards,’ which also features interviews with Mary’s loved ones and officials, talking about the investigation and how they captured the perpetrator.
Clayton Foreman Knew His Future Victim From His High School
Clayton Bernard Foreman was a student at Forest Park High School, where he met with his future wife, Dianna Daleo Coe, and a couple of her friends — twin sisters Mary Catherine and Allison Ann. After graduating high school in 1978, Clayton and Dianna continued dating, and in January 1982, they tied the knot and made their relationship official in the eyes of the law. Mary and Allison also attended their wedding as they were appointed as bridesmaids by the bride. However, a few weeks before the big day, Dianna found out about a rape allegation that Clayton faced. When she confronted him about it, he told her it was a big misunderstanding and that the charges had since been dropped.
During the course of their marriage, he was employed as a salesman and store manager, but was never a part of law enforcement, as he would claim later. A few years later, around 1985 or 1986, Clayton was accused of attempting to assault one of Dianna’s friends when she let him inside her house to talk about the marital issues he had been facing. Moreover, sometime between 1986 and 1988, Dianna found a suspicious briefcase in her husband’s car’s trunk. In the briefcase, she claimed there was a gun, a set of handcuffs, and pornographic material. She also noticed his strange obsession with police officers and their tools, such as handcuffs and billy clubs. Over the next few years, their marriage deteriorated further, and after 11 years of staying in wedlock, they got divorced in 1993.
Clayton Foreman Remained a Free Man For Nearly Three Decades After Killing Mary Catherine Edwards
A couple of years later, on January 14, 1995, Clayton visited Mary Catherine Edwards at her townhouse in Beaumont, Texas. Unaware of his intentions, she allowed him inside her house. Later, he proceeded to sexually assault her before handcuffing her in the bathtub and killing her by drowning her. When the news of Mary’s death reached Dianna, she reportedly called her former husband and informed him about it. She was disturbed when Clayton did not display any emotion after learning about the tragedy. Meanwhile, the investigators tried their best but couldn’t find any concrete lead, resulting in the case turning cold for decades.
However, thanks to the advancement of genetic genealogy, the DNA they had recovered from the crime scene of Mary Catherine Edwards led them straight to Clayton Foreman. As the police zeroed in on the killer, he denied even knowing the victim in the first place, but the DNA evidence placed him at the scene of the crime. During the course of the investigation, he even falsely claimed to be a police officer. Ultimately, on April 29, 2021, Clayton was arrested in Franklin County, Ohio, from where he was extradited to Jefferson County, Texas. In June, he was officially indicted on the capital murder charge.
Clayton Foreman is Serving His Sentence in a Texas Prison Facility Today
On March 12, 2024, the long-awaited trial of Clayton Bernard Foreman got underway. During the course of the next seven days, the prosecution presented incriminating evidence against the defendant. Meanwhile, Clayton hardly displayed any form of emotion. On March 20, the jury deliberated for less than an hour before returning with a guilty verdict and convicting him of Mary Catherine Edwards’ murder. Even when the judge informed him that he would be assigned an attorney to help him in future appeals, he did nothing but shake his head in refusal.
Clayton Foreman received a lengthy sentence for his crimes. He was also sentenced to life in prison for the 1995 sexual assault and murder of his former schoolmate, Mary Catherine Edwards. As of today, he is incarcerated at the Texas Department of Criminal Justice – George Beto Unit in Tennessee Colony, Texas, with his parole eligibility date scheduled for June 2061.
Read More: Allison Edwards Brocato: Where is Mary Catherine Edwards’ Twin Sister Now?
