On July 12, 1987, 19-year-old Evelyn Reaves was shot inside her family home on McKinley Street in Milledgeville, Georgia. The attack, at about 3:00 a.m., also killed her mother, 41-year-old Dorothy Hightower, and her 22-year-old sister, Sandra Reaves. Evelyn survived the initial assault but died two days later, on July 14, 1987, of a gunshot wound to the head.

Dorothy’s brother, Curtis Reaves, and his wife discovered the scene after 2:00 a.m. when they arrived to pick up their daughter, who had been staying with the family and was uninjured. Authorities quickly focused on Dorothy’s husband and the victims’ stepfather, John Washington Hightower. He was detained about 4:30 a.m. the same day, found driving Dorothy’s car with a small-caliber handgun on the driver’s side floorboard. That weapon was later tied to the killings, and testimony reported Hightower had bought the gun and ammunition the day before.

Trial evidence described Hightower waiting for the women to sleep before shooting them; testimony said he shot at Evelyn about three times and cleared a jammed shell during the attack. Does anyone have information about the family or those final hours that could add context to the case?