According to The Eagle's coverage of Priest's trial, Mayhugh died of exposure after being shot in the head with a .32-caliber pistol. Priest also was charged with killing Mayhugh's girlfriend, Freida Bayliff, 33.

She was found lying face down on a broken water bed in her home on Dec. 28, 1984, the day after Mayhugh's body was found in the Big Ditch about a mile from her home.

Martin Priest is a serial killer, having previously killed 4-5 women in the Kansas and Missouri. Two of his victims were never found in Missouri and the others were all "circumstantial evidence", therefore affording him little to no jail time.

After two mistrails and a third, which was a split verdict, Priest recieved a life sentence for murdering Mayhugh. The family of William Mayhugh II believes Martin Priest, being a serial killer, cannot be rehabilitated, and should not be allowed the privilege of parole, as they are certain he will kill again. 

He has also been charged with a Missouri Teens death :

https://www.lakeexpo.com/news/lake_news/murderer-or-serial-killer-martin-priest-s-troubling-history/article_c572e6f8-b4ab-11e5-b0dd-f36ad45bbc75.html

He is currently eligible for parole In July 2022. Please help us protest the release of Martin D Priest.