On August 23, 2014, Eldon Kitson Vanderwal, known as Kit, a 71-year-old potter in Seagrove, North Carolina, was found dead after a fire destroyed his home and Lantern Hill Pottery. Investigators determined he had been killed before the fire was set, turning the blaze into an apparent attempt to conceal a homicide. Vanderwal was a well-known figure in the Seagrove pottery community; friends described him as a skilled craftsman and a mentor whose work and presence were central to the town’s artistic life.

Police arrested three people in connection with the case: Jesse Levon Martin, 31, and Debra Raegan Dorsett, 23, on October 29, 2014, and Dannie Deddie Smith, 27, on October 30, 2014. All three, from Asheboro, North Carolina, were charged with first-degree murder; Dorsett had previously worked for Vanderwal. Few public details remain about motive or exactly what occurred that night.