On June 28, 1997, James Murphy, 27, was one of four people killed in a violent attack that began the previous night in Joliet and ended in Marseilles, Illinois. Authorities identify Charles Smith, 53, as the primary suspect; Smith had been the estranged boyfriend of Cindy Benson, 34. According to reports, Smith shot Benson in Joliet, placed her body in his car, then drove to the Murphys’ home in Marseilles.

At that residence Smith allegedly shot and killed James Murphy, James’s wife Jymme Murphy, 28, and 16-year-old Erica Benson, who had been staying with the couple. An autopsy recorded four .44-caliber Magnum gunshot wounds to James Murphy. Cindy Benson was shot twice and the other two victims each sustained a single gunshot wound. Smith’s body was later found in the basement.

The attacker reportedly also raped a 13-year-old girl who was in the house and attempted to strangle three children under age 8; those children escaped and alerted a neighbor. With the primary suspect dead, no arrest followed. Does anyone have additional information about the victims or the incident that could help clarify the timeline?