On the evening of January 3, 1997, 30-year-old James Halverson, a second-year FDNY firefighter, went for his routine run on the Centereach High School track in Centereach, New York with his dog. As he ran he was approached by two young men, William Sodders, 21, and Eric Calvin. Sodders allegedly pretended to tie his shoe, then stood and pulled out a stolen 9mm handgun, shooting Halverson twice—once in the chest and once in the leg—and then killing the dog before fleeing with Calvin in a getaway car driven by a third person.

Halverson’s pregnant wife, Rosalie, discovered his body at the track after he failed to return home. He left behind a four-year-old daughter and Rosalie was due to give birth to twins about a month later. A break in the case came when Sodders’ father turned his son in to police. Investigators determined the killing was a thrill-motivated attack; Sodders was charged with second-degree murder and later convicted and sentenced to 25 years to life, while Calvin was convicted of criminal facilitation and hindering prosecution.