A long-running neighborhood feud in Philadelphia’s Frankford section ended in deadly gunfire the early morning of July 16, 2017. August Dempsey, 42, and her boyfriend, Robert DePaul, 45, who lived together on the 4700 block of James Street, were found with gunshot wounds to the back of their heads. The couple’s next-door neighbor, 69-year-old Kenneth Hoyle, was identified early in the probe; police said disputes had plagued the neighbors for some time and that an argument that night involved noise from DePaul’s motorcycle.

Hoyle admitted to the shooting but claimed self-defense, saying Dempsey and DePaul were trying to climb his fence. He was initially released pending further investigation, prompting public outrage and a petition of more than 5,000 signatures delivered to the District Attorney’s Office by Dempsey’s two sons, then 20 and 14. About two weeks after the killings, Hoyle was arrested and charged with first-degree murder and possessing an instrument of crime.

At trial in 2018, a jury convicted Hoyle on all counts and he received two consecutive life sentences without parole. Anyone who knew August Dempsey, her family, or the neighbors on James Street and can add details about the feud or the night of July 16, 2017 is asked to come forward.