Hollis Willingham, 44, of Hearne has been declared guilty for the 2007 murder and disappearance of a man whose body was never located.
Attorney General Ken Paxton’s Criminal Prosecutions Division secured the guilty verdict following an investigation that involved multiple agencies and lasted over ten years. Jim Craig Martin's disappearance was initially reported to Normangee police in August of 2007, according to the Texas Rangers.
"His body was never recovered, and the case remains unsolved despite extensive efforts by law enforcement authorities," said the Leon County Sherriff's office in 2018.
Texas Rangers and local investigators conducted interviews with witnesses and possible suspects in an effort to solve the then likely murder of the 39-year-old missing man, according to Texas DPS.
"Numerous leads have been investigated in which Martin was killed and his body possibly disposed of in rural area of Leon, Madison or Brazos County," said Texas DPS.
The case was presented to a Leon County Grand Jury and an indictment was returned on July 22, 2020, according to Texas DPS; Willingham was on that day arrested for the murder of Martin.
