John Chris Goldtrap, 27, and his girlfriend Lisa Wade Mackenzie McDonald, 23, were found dead after a fire at a duplex on McFarland Lane in Dickson, Tennessee. Firefighters discovered their bodies on April 14, 2015, after a neighbor in the adjoining unit called emergency services. Autopsies showed both had been shot in the head, and investigators determined the blaze had been set using accelerants to conceal the killings.
The investigation identified Kenneth Ray Niles, Goldtrap’s 37-year-old cousin by marriage, as being at the residence the night of April 13, the last time either victim was seen or heard from. Officials say Niles and Goldtrap had argued, reportedly about pills both men were selling; text messages from that evening include Niles asking Goldtrap for pills and later for money. Authorities allege Niles stole items from the home and returned in the early hours of April 14 to set the fire.
A Dickson County grand jury indicted Niles in May 2015 on multiple charges, including two counts of first-degree murder, two counts of felony murder, aggravated arson, especially aggravated robbery, especially aggravated burglary, and theft of property. Two other men, Jamey Earl Donegan and Joshua Michael Pickering, were charged with fabricating evidence in connection with the case. Did anyone in Dickson know Goldtrap or McDonald and have additional information about their last day alive?