Douglas Mercereau was a 38-year-old supervising fire marshal with the New York City Fire Department who was found dead in his bed at his Oakwood, Staten Island home on the morning of December 2, 2007. He had been shot three times in the head with his own 9mm service weapon. His two young daughters, ages five and six, were asleep in the next room.

Investigators reported a troubled marriage between Mercereau and his wife, Janet Redmond-Mercereau, including prior separations and domestic disputes. Prosecutors said she shot him while he slept, then attempted to stage the scene; the weapon was later recovered lodged between a dresser and the wall rather than in plain sight. The defense pointed to an unidentified palm print on the gun and argued for her innocence.

After a trial lasting over four weeks and three days of jury deliberation, Janet Redmond-Mercereau was found guilty of second-degree murder in May 2009 and sentenced to 25 years to life. Did anyone who knew Douglas or the family notice signs of escalating problems before December 2007?