Brian Daniels, 46, was found dead in his Columbia, Missouri, home on April 10, 2013, after a caretaker reported something wrong. Officers discovered Daniels had been shot multiple times in the head. The scene had been altered to look like a burglary—the circuit breaker was turned off and signs of a staged break-in were present.

Daniels had survived a prior apartment fire that left him badly scarred and physically disabled. He had recently received a settlement of nearly $5 million, which investigators later identified as the primary motive. The investigation showed Daniels’ caretaker and romantic partner, James Thompson, forged legal documents naming himself sole beneficiary and recruited an acquaintance, Casey Lewis, to kill Daniels. Lewis entered the home and fatally shot him; court records say Lewis performed a ritual over the body afterward.

Authorities arrested four people. Thompson and Lewis were charged with first-degree murder; two other accomplices, Christopher Hurt and Glen Anderson, were charged with hindering prosecution and later pleaded guilty.