Kim Higginbotham, 48, a Bakersfield teacher, and her husband Christopher were found dead in their northwest Bakersfield home on April 30, 2016. A relative in Scotland learned of the scene after Kim’s son, Derek Connell, showed the bodies over FaceTime and the relative alerted authorities. Officers discovered Christopher lying in a pool of blood with multiple gunshot wounds; Kim was found in another part of the house with a single gunshot wound to the chest.

Derek Connell, an Iraq War veteran, was arrested at the scene and charged with both murders. Connell admitted drinking heavily that day and initially told investigators he had no memory of the events but that there had been no one else in the house. He later testified that he shot his stepfather in self-defense after alleging years of sexual abuse and saying he witnessed Christopher kill his mother. Prosecutors highlighted changing stories and inconsistent statements; the defense said Connell acted after confronting longterm abuse.

A jury convicted Connell of first-degree murder for Christopher’s death and second-degree murder for Kim’s. Connell was sentenced to life without parole plus 75 years to life, but an appellate court found a sentencing error and ordered resentencing. Did anyone who knew Kim or the family notice signs of trouble before April 30, 2016?