Michael Dale Splawn, 49, of Forest City, North Carolina, died on April 9, 2018. A construction worker and former member of Hicks Grove Baptist Church, he was described as a family man who enjoyed fishing and following the Dallas Cowboys.

Authorities say Splawn was found dead in the home of 45-year-old Jason Daniel Butler of Travelers Rest, South Carolina, after a disturbance led officers to the Butler residence. Shannon Butler told police the handguns on the curb belonged to her husband and that Jason had shot and killed Michael the night before. When officers located Jason Butler in his vehicle he was holding a gun to his head; he was convinced to drop the weapon and was arrested and later extradited to Rutherford County on a murder charge. Shannon Butler was charged with possessing firearms without a license and told the judge she feared for her life, saying Jason had threatened to kill her and then himself and that he had been delirious and on several medications.