Kenneth Peete, 41 and known as Skip, was found murdered in his Detroit home on West Outer Drive near Santa Barbara in the early hours of August 4, 2013. The death was first described as a home invasion, but investigators later developed a very different theory that pointed toward those close to him.

Detectives came to suspect that Peete’s wife, Lakeshia Peete, had arranged a murder-for-hire to collect a million-dollar life insurance policy. The probe widened after the fatal beating, stabbing and eventual execution-style shooting of 18-year-old Laquita Logan, a family friend who had been living in the Peete basement and who investigators believe knew about the plot. Arrests were made in connection with Logan’s death, including Lakeshia, her son Kenjuan Peete, and Deja Gatewood.

Court action related to Logan’s killing left Lakeshia acquitted of felony murder and torture but convicted of assault with intent to do great bodily harm less than murder; she received an 80-month to 10-year prison term for that assault. What prompted the alleged decision to kill Logan after the assault remains a central unanswered question for readers with information.