Mildred Susanne Motes, 34, was killed on May 16, 2019, in Cherokee County, South Carolina, following a domestic dispute with her boyfriend, Michael Dean Goode Jr., 50. Neighbors reported hearing arguments at the Massey Road residence where Goode lived with his parents. Goode shot Motes in the head with a 12-gauge shotgun; her body was later found in the backyard near a chicken coop by Goode’s mother, who then called for help.

Goode did not immediately notify authorities. He went to work afterward and told a friend he had done something stupid. Identified quickly as a person of interest, he was arrested the next day after a traffic stop in nearby Pacolet. He told investigators the shooting was accidental and disclosed where he had disposed of the shotgun; deputies recovered the firearm from the shoulder of Crenshaw Road.

What details about the days before May 16 might help explain how the argument escalated to deadly violence?