Lynn Priestly was a beautiful 34-year-old professional woman who served as the Assistant Director of the Charleston Urban Renewal Authority. She was found strangled on the bank of the Kanawha River east of Marmet on March 21, 1990.
What is known is that Priestly and her then boyfriend, Tom White, had had a very public--and loud--argument earlier that evening that was heard by several witnesses. According to the CPD, the argument "escalated into a physical altercation." Though questioned, White was never charged.
I have made a formal Freedom of Information request to view the open police file on the Priestly murder through Major Jason Beckett at CPD. I will report my findings here, as this case may be included in my article "Capital Crimes."