Gail Tice Hewson, 67, was shot and killed in her home at 1721 Fontenay Place in the Landfall community near Wrightsville Beach, Wilmington, North Carolina, on September 29, 2004. A 911 call from Ms. Tice said her husband, Robert Hewson, was shooting her; the recording captured her moving from room to room as she tried to escape the gunfire. Ms. Tice was a local real estate agent.

Robert Hewson, 72 and estranged from Gail Tice, had a history of domestic violence. He was charged with first-degree murder, violating a domestic violence protective order, and discharging a weapon into an occupied dwelling. The jury convicted him of first-degree murder after about 90 minutes of deliberation. In November 2005 he was sentenced to life without the possibility of parole; he made no apology and said he felt the court did not hear the truth. The judge allowed the 911 tape into evidence.

What additional details about the timeline or the protective order might help clarify how this escalated?