Fatal Reunion on Investigation Discovery spotlights the case of 36-year-old Charlie Martin, who was murdered by her high-school sweetheart, Joe Pope.
On June 7, 2015, Martin left her home she shared with her husband in Fort Morgan, Colorado, and flew to Florida to be with Pope, 36, who she dated 20 years earlier.
Martin and Pope seemed happy to see each other as surveillance footage from Tampa International Airport captured the pair hugging and holding hands.
However, the following day, Martin’s body was found floating in the Intracoastal Waterway in Seminole.
She had been bludgeoned to death with a rock.
Pope immediately became a prime suspect after being questioned by police.
He told them he didn’t know Martin, but when police spoke with a neighbor, she said she saw a woman matching Martin’s description at his house the day before the murder.
Watch the Latest on our YouTube ChannelPope denied it. He said it could have been one of his sisters.
As police were about to conduct a search warrant at his home, his sister informed police that he had shot and killed himself with a .45 caliber handgun.
They later discovered gloves, blood-stained clothing, and a bloody rock inside a bag at his home.
Investigators said a motive for the killing is unknown, and Martin and Pope’s reason for reconnecting after being a part for two decades is still a mystery.
After Pope’s suicide, Pinellas County Sheriff Bob Gualtieri said they closed the case.
Fatal Reunion airs at 9:00 p.m. on Investigation Discovery.