Dean Ripa, 60, the owner of the Cape Fear Serpentarium in Wilmington, North Carolina, was shot multiple times, including three times in the head, and pronounced dead at the Serpentarium’s upstairs living quarters on May 13, 2017. Both Dean and his wife, Regina Ripa, placed 911 calls that day; Regina reported her husband was attacking her, while Dean said his wife was insane. Police found Dean with a gunshot wound to his head.

Regina Ripa, then 42, was charged with first-degree murder. Her defense described a long history of severe mental illness, including bipolar disorder and a diagnosis of paranoid schizophrenia by about age 20, multiple involuntary commitments (including 2014 and 2016), and repeated psychotic episodes when she was not taking medication. Six days after the shooting she reportedly did not know where she was or what had happened and asked where her husband was. Regina was found not guilty by reason of insanity in October 2018 and was transferred to a state psychiatric facility. The Cape Fear Serpentarium announced permanent closure in May 2018.

What did local residents or former visitors know about the Ripas or the Serpentarium that might shed light on the months before May 2017?