Kevin Leroy Spann, a 35-year-old Army staff sergeant, was shot to death at his home on Old Waynesboro Road near Augusta on May 11, 1997. What began as a Mother’s Day evening ended in a violent scene; Kevin was found inside his house with two gunshot wounds, one beneath the eye, after his wife, Gina Spann, called 911. He was stationed at Fort Gordon.

Investigators quickly focused on people close to Kevin rather than a random intruder. Prosecutors tied a motive to roughly $300,000 in life insurance on Kevin, and investigators reportedly found insurance documents in Gina Spann’s vehicle. Authorities say the plot involved Gina, her relationship with 18-year-old Larry Wayne Kelly, and several young men drawn into a murder-for-hire plan.

Gina Spann and Kelly were arrested the day after the killing and a Richmond County grand jury later indicted Gina Lynn Spann, Kelly, Horne, Piazzi, and Bargeron on murder-related charges including malice murder, felony murder, and using a firearm during a crime. Gina Spann admitted she caused or directed another person to commit the murder and took a plea that produced life without parole, and Kelly was convicted at trial of malice murder and firearm possession, receiving life plus five years, with the Georgia Supreme Court affirming his conviction in 2000. Anyone who knew Kevin or has information about the people involved is asked to come forward.