On the morning of May 1, 1989, gunfire in Brunswick, Georgia, ended with two bodies found in a shed: 15-year-old Emma W. Kappus and her father, 40-year-old Patrick Russell Kappus, both fatally shot. Neighbors reported hearing a single shot, yelling, then several more shots that morning.

Investigation focused on a family member, Emma’s uncle Roddy Elroy Childress, who had been living with the family. A warrant was issued after the killings; Childress fled the state and was arrested in Colorado in August 1990. Prosecutors said Childress had been molesting Emma and that a confrontation with her father led to the killings. Evidence at trial included a $200 check cashed after Patrick’s death bearing Childress’s fingerprints and testimony that Childress confessed during a jail phone call, a confession he later denied at trial.

A jury convicted Childress of both murders and recommended the death penalty for Emma’s killing, with a consecutive life term for Patrick. Convictions were later reversed on two independent grounds related to excluded testimony and expert witness reports. Does anyone have additional details about the investigation or the trial testimony?