This story begins with what could be a shocking case of mistaken identity in Washington, D.C. and ends with a town marshal shot dead on his own doorstep in Fremont, Indiana.
On July 13, 1974, Metropolitan Police homicide detective Bobby Moore responded to the shooting of Judge Louis A. Sisler in Washington, D.C. What initially looked like a politically motivated crime was later revealed to potentially be a tragic case of mistaken identity. Moore solved the case, arrests were made, and justice appeared to be served.
But the investigation changed Moore’s life forever. Three years later, Bobby Moore married Barbara Sisler, the widow of the judge whose murder he helped solve. After retiring from the Metropolitan Police Department, Moore and Barbara moved to Fremont, Indiana, where Moore was appointed Town Marshal in 1984, becoming the small town’s chief law enforcement officer.
Behind closed doors, however, Moore’s life was unraveling.
By February 1988, Moore and Barbara were in the middle of a bitter divorce marked by allegations of abuse, infidelity, and escalating conflict. On the night of February 26, 1988, Barbara Sisler was shot and killed inside their shared home. Bobby Moore told police he acted in self-defense. Only one other person heard what happened that night: Barbara’s daughter, listening on the phone.
Six weeks later, prosecutors dropped all charges against Moore. The town of Fremont exploded in outrage.
Just five months later, on July 26, 1988, Bobby Moore was gunned down outside his new home as he returned from work. Two rifle shots were fired from across the street. One missed. The second was fatal. Moore died within minutes.
The timing was exact; Five months to the hour after Barbara’s death.
Was it revenge? Was it vigilante justice? Or was someone else pulling the strings in a town already divided?
In this episode, Ashley Flowers and Brit Prawat unravel a tangled web of power, grief, and unanswered questions with insight from Captain Kevin Smith of the Indiana State Police, who has spent years trying to solve Moore’s murder.
This is a case that fractured a community and remains one of Indiana’s only unsolved police killings.
If you lived in Fremont, IN, in July of 1988 and know anything about the shooting of Bobby Moore – please reach out to the Indiana State Police Cold Case Investigations at: 1.800.453.4756 or you can reach out anonymously through Crimestoppers at CRIMETIPS DOT ORG crimetips.org/
——–
Key Episode Moments:
0:00 – 0:51 – Case Intro
0:52 – 4:12 – Judge Louis A Sisler Shot
4:13 – 7:07 – Mistaken Identity Arrests
7:08 – 8:20 – Bobby Marries the Victim’s Widow
8:21 – 10:06 – Move to Fremont, Indiana
10:07 – 11:26 – Divorce Filed
11:27 – 13:53 – Barbara Shot
13:54 – 16:43 – Daughter’s Phone Call Account
16:44 – 19:58 – Crime Scene Discrepancies
19:59 – 22:14 – Fingerprint & Medical Questions
22:15 – 25:08 – Charges Dismissed
25:09 – 26:39 – Reinstated as Town Marshal
26:40 – 27:55 – Pipe Bomb Threats
27:56 – 29:22 – Bobby Moore Shot Dead
29:23 – 31:05 – Samuel Sisler Investigated
31:06 – 33:55 – Motive: Revenge?
33:56 – 35:47 – Cold Case & Call for Tips
35:48 – 35:59 – Outro
Follow Ashley:
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ASHLEYFLOWERS/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/ash_flowers
TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@ashleyflowerscrimejunkie
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ashleyflowers.af/
Check out these other great crime channels:
@kallmekris The Toxic Husbands Of TikTok… https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s4ydbsYNn8o
@annieelise Woman Held Captive for 20 Years, Read Her Diary and Grabbed Axe & D4VD Update https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O9RxLNxGc-s
@KendallRae Ohio Couple Ambushed In Their Home: The Double Murder Of Spencer & Monique Tepe https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JAM8bthEuS0
@christinaarandall A Weird “Hobby” or Sick Obsession?! Jonathon Gerlach Had MORE Than a Few “Skeletons in His Closet!” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zsntbUCkASI
Watch Crime Junkie true crime podcast dedicated to covering the cases we just can’t get out of our heads. Every Monday, host Ashley Flowers on SloppBoxx.Com.
I have a friend who can’t be fingerprinted without having to take meds before the procedure. He sweats profusely in his fingers. He’s lost jobe he’s qualified for because of this.
29:00 the timing doesn’t feel on purpose to me, it’s when he was walking alone into his house in the dark. I’m pretty sure even if he got off work at 8:00 or 9:00 & was walking in the house they would’ve shot him then.
The real mystery is the cup not spilling
Just watching this one for the first time and Britt’s hair looks so cute!❤
If the genders were reversed, this comment section would look A LOT different.
an eye for an eye
If one case should slip through the cracks, let it be this one. You can’t make a case that he deserves justice