July 13, 2018 at 4:26 p.m.
Mendez case to be featured on 'Cold Justice' Aug. 4
Mendez case to be featured on 'Cold Justice' Aug. 4
By Heather Schaefer and Jamie Taylor-
The Aug. 4 episode of "Cold Justice", which airs on the cable channel Oxygen, will profile the April 1982 murder of 33-year-old Barbara Mendez of Minocqua, according to the show's official website.
From executive producer Dick Wolf of "Law and Order" fame, the series follows veteran prosecutor Kelly Siegler and her rotating team of seasoned detectives - Johnny Bonds, Steve Spingola, Aaron Sam, Tonya Rider and Abbey Abbondandolo, as they investigate small town murder cases, according to a press release posted on the website.
"In the season premiere, 'Small Town Secrets,' Kelly and Steve head to Oneida County, Wisconsin to investigate an unsolved homicide of a wife and mother, Barbara Mendez. The case becomes personal after they receive a letter from the victim's daughters. Their search uncovers a town's dark side, crimes against children and lies within a church," the release states.
The "Cold Justice" team has worked with local law enforcement from across the country on over 65 cases, and has successfully helped bring about 37 arrests and 18 convictions, the release notes.
"We have been on the road for the past few months and have been hard at work delving into unsolved homicides that have broken our hearts," said Siegler. "Since our first case this season in Wisconsin, we have continued to make progress and we can't wait to share this season with all of you."
Oneida County sheriff's captain Terri Hook and several of her detectives decided several months ago to take a fresh look at the Mendez murder. After re-interviewing multiple witnesses and combing through several boxes of information, the detectives, with help from the "Cold Justice" team, compiled a comprehensive report on the case and turned it over to district attorney Michael Schiek who decided to charge Barbara's husband, Robin "Bob" Mendez with the crime.
Mendez, now 69, has entered a not guilty plea to the charge - one count of first-degree murder - and his attorney has indicated he plans to use the alibi defense. Mendez is scheduled to be back in court Aug. 13 for a pre-trial motion hearing in advance of a two-week trial tentatively scheduled for April 2019, 37 years after Barbara Mendez was found dead in the credit union office where she was employed.
According to the criminal complaint and previous court testimony, Mendez was attacked from behind as she performed closing tasks at her place of employment, the former Park City Credit Union in Minocqua, the evening of April 28, 1982.
The branch manager found Barbara's body on the floor of the credit union at approximately 7:30 p.m. that night after Robin Mendez asked her to check on his wife because she was late for a church function, the complaint states.
According to the state's theory of the case, as set out in the complaint and in preliminary hearing testimony, Mendez was killed just after 5 p.m.
The state has computerized records that show Mendez had begun entering the balance sheet, a key part of closing activities at the credit union, at 5:02 p.m. and finished at 5:13 p.m., Hook testified at a preliminary hearing in February.
According to Hook's testimony, the state believes it can prove Bob Mendez was the only person who knew Barbara was closing the office alone that day, the only day she had ever been asked to close the office by herself.
For his part, Mendez has filed a notice of alibi advising prosecutors he may call up to 14 witnesses to establish he was seen at three different locations - his residence, a local hardware store that is no longer in business and a local church - during the period of time the state has alleged the crime was committed.
Dawn Mendez Shape and Christy Mendez Wadas, the daughters of Barbara and Robin Mendez, are listed as two of the potential alibi witnesses. The women, who were 13 and 11 when their mother was killed, provided alibi statements to police during the original investigation however, according to Hook, both women now say their father manipulated them into providing a false alibi for him and coached them on what to say to investigators.
Also on the alibi list is a woman with whom Robin Mendez was sexually involved at the time of Barbara's death. That witness, who was 14 years old in 1982, also provided alibi statements in the wake of the murder. However, she too has told police that Mendez coached her on what to say.
After the murder, Mendez was convicted of sexual assault in connection with his conduct with that witness.
In pretrial hearings, the defense has argued the state's theory of the case is implausible and its evidence insufficient.
In particular, defense attorney Peter Prusinski has questioned the state's theory that Robin Mendez killed his wife because he couldn't divorce her due to his religious beliefs.
"The state attempts to show a motive here but that motive itself is not even plausible by the state's own witness who says the individual acted on his beliefs and that was the motive, that he couldn't get divorced, but yet that's contrary to his Christian beliefs cause he wouldn't kill his wife because that'd be contrary to that same belief," Prusinski said at the preliminary hearing. "So the heart of the motive itself is inconsistent to begin with. Furthermore, we've heard many things about this timeline here but we haven't heard any direct evidence, apparently because there are some people who are deceased and we can't get into that further. We have had no direct evidence today of any eyewitnesses who saw Robin Mendez in the Park City Credit Union, nobody saw him kill his wife, nobody saw his motorcycle, there is no evidence today of his motorcycle being at the credit union."
Prusinski also stressed there is no forensic evidence tying Mendez to the crime scene, no DNA or fingerprint evidence of any kind.
"No weapon was located or found," he continued. "The only weapon they've come up with is a pry bar or a wonder bar which is common to practically to every garage in this area."
Mendez is being held in the county jail on $250,000 cash bail. Because the first-degree murder charge he is facing falls under the homicide statutes in place in 1982, he could be sentenced to life in prison if convicted.
"Cold Justice" airs at 5 p.m. Saturdays on Oxygen.
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