Benjamin Renick, 29, was found dead at his reptile facility in New Florence, Missouri, on June 8, 2017. His wife, Lynlee Renick, discovered him in a pool of blood and alerted family before 911 was called. Investigators initially considered a snake attack after his brother Sam noted a crushed skull, but shell casings at the scene and a later autopsy showed Benjamin had been shot eight times, mostly in the back, with a close-range fatal shot to the head.

Early inquiry named Sam as a person of interest but he was cleared. Attention shifted to Lynlee after investigators learned she had financial problems and affairs, and after reports she had once tried to poison Benjamin with a protein shake. The case lay cold until a jailhouse informant said Lynlee had confessed and implicated an ex-boyfriend, Michael Humphrey, over a million-dollar life insurance policy.

Both Lynlee and Humphrey were arrested on January 16, 2020. Humphrey was convicted of first-degree murder in October 2021 and later testified for the prosecution; Lynlee was found guilty of second-degree murder and armed criminal action in December 2021 and received a 16-year sentence. Did anyone in the New Florence community notice signs of trouble in the Renick marriage before June 2017?