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Waco man pays price for involvement in 10-year-old murder case

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Ten years ago, police say Joyce Sturdivant killed her former race car driver husband in cold blood.

But another man got caught in the middle of the case and continues to try to distance himself to this day.

"I pray to God every day you know, I truly believe that God's gonna work it out. Here we are 10 years later,” said Chris Chatman.

Ten years after getting caught up in one of the most sensational murder cases in Central Texas, Chatman says he still pays a heavy price.

It started with the murder of Joe Sturdivant in Robinson…  a murder eventually tied to Sturdivant’s wife, Joyce.

"I never knew Mr. Sturdivant. Two men that never knew each other's lives got changed. I'm very remorseful and I really hate what happened to him,” said Chatman.

An investigation revealed Chatman took part in a “home invasion” a year before the murder… one that left Sturdivant injured, but far from dead.

Later on in the investigation, police found out the man’s wife had hired people to kill him, among them, Chatman, who says he never realized that was his purpose.

"She had tried on at least two separate occasions to hire someone to kill her husband and ended up doing it herself because she couldn't get someone else to do it,” Said Sgt. Gary Young of the Robinson Police Department.

Chatman testified against Joyce Sturdivant, but says to this day people think of him as a murderer.

Police say Joyce was behind all the attempts, all along.

"Believe it was about the business believe she had been embezzling from the company and was afraid that Joe would find out about it,” said Young.

Investigators say Joyce Sturdivant needed the money to feed her drug habit.

Meantime, Chris Chatman says he’s led a clean life and wishes somebody would give him a clean break from a serious mistake in his past.

“I don't wish death on nobody, cause there ain't no coming back from that,” said Chatman.

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