Cynthia Johnson, 33, of Spring Hope, North Carolina, was shot and killed on May 6, 2004, in front of her 11- and 15-year-old daughters while loading her car after returning to Spring Hope to pick up her children and belongings. She had recently separated from long-term boyfriend Bobby Jones and had obtained a restraining order against him in February 2004. Her children told deputies that Jones fled the scene; Cynthia’s body was found in the driveway and she was already dead when deputies arrived.

The two families were closely connected: Cynthia’s father was married to Bobby Jones’ ex-wife, and eight children from both families were raised together in Durham. Bobby Jones was later arrested in Franklin County, jailed without bond, admitted to the shooting, and was sentenced to at least 16 years in prison. Authorities continued searching for the murder weapon after the killing.

Was anyone in the community aware of contacts between Cynthia and Jones after the restraining order that might help explain how he was able to approach her that night?