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After a contentious trial in November 2009, Michigan native Tom Foley was found guilty in the death of his wife Dar Foley. Dar was found shot to death in the shower of their two-story brick home earlier that same year after returning from a birthday party. Authorities believed Tom murdered his 41-year-old wife for financial gain and also because of their crumbling marriage.
Reports state that Foley was sentenced to life in prison after being convicted of murder and use of a weapon to commit a felony. He was then granted a re-trial the following year, which resulted in his release from prison after the jury acquitted him of all charges. This was based on crucial witness statements that reported spotting an unknown vehicle outside the couple's house around the time of the murder.
Oxygen's Dateline: Secrets Uncovered will further delve into the case against Tom Foley and how key evidence that surfaced after his conviction led to his exoneration. The episode, titled Mystery at Heath Bar Farm, airs on Tuesday, April 25, 2023, at 8 pm ET.
The synopsis for the upcoming episode reads:
"A popular teacher is savagely murdered in her home; there is an arrest, a trial, and a conviction, but when a bombshell comes in after the verdict, the convicted murderer is given a chance at freedom."
Prosecutors alleged that Tom Foley murdered his wife for insurance money and due to their failing marriage
Tom Foley, a married father-of-one, made a frantic 911 call on February 7, 2009, and told Coldwater police that he had found his wife Dar Foley dead. He said that 41-year-old Dar was found murdered in the shower of their family home.
She was shot to death that late afternoon while Tom was at a birthday party with their 10-year-old son Heath. Tom claimed that he only found the crime scene after returning home.
However, Foley was arrested and charged with murder and illegal use of a weapon on March 6, 2009, but the murder weapon, a shotgun, was never located. His case went to trial in November of that same year.
During the trial, the prosecution alleged that Tom Foley killed his wife because their marriage was in trouble. They also said that after Dar's death, Tom would be entitled to $280,000 in life insurance.
Authorities learned that the couple had issues because of Tom's romantic feelings for another teacher at Union City School, where Dar was also a teacher.
Detectives also stated that authorities suspected Foley killed his wife, went to the party, returned to the house, and then called 911. Dar Foley's brother also testified in court that a shotgun was stolen from his house a few months ago. He never reported it missing because he thought a friend or family member might have taken it.
Authorities discovered a plastic bag that had three shotgun shells in Foley's basement. A forensic analyst testified that she detected small traces of Dar's blood on Tom's clothing, which was not caused by a blood splatter but rather by contact with blood.
However, neither gunpowder nor any other physical evidence was discovered on the accused or his clothing.
Tom Foley was initially convicted but was later acquitted of all charges based on witness statements that surfaced after his conviction
Tom Foley testified in his own defense, asserting his innocence in the matter. He was found guilty of murder and use of a weapon to commit a felony on November 27, 2009, and was handed a life sentence.
Within a week, his lawyer filed a motion for a new trial, contending that new witnesses had come forward with information. Reports state that multiple witnesses spotted a suspicious white car parked and coming out of Foley's driveway around the time of the murder.
Thus, Tom was granted a fresh trial based on the new information.
In July 2011, a jury acquitted Foley of all charges after they gave credit to the witness testimony about the white car. He was released from prison.
Dateline: Secrets Uncovered airs with Dar Foley's murder case this Tuesday on Oxygen at 8 pm ET.
