On the night of November 10, 1973, country performer David Stringbean Akeman, 58, and his wife Estelle were murdered at their cabin in Ridgetop, Tennessee, after returning from a Grand Ole Opry appearance. Two cousins, John and Marvin Douglas Brown, both 23, broke into the home and lay in wait. Akeman approached the cabin with his .22 rifle and was shot inside; Estelle fled toward the road but was chased down and shot in the back of the head. Their neighbor and fellow performer Grandpa Jones discovered the bodies the next morning.

Investigators found the cabin ransacked; the cousins stole a chainsaw and some firearms but missed thousands of dollars the Akemans had hidden in their clothing. Both John and Marvin Brown were tried, each tried to blame the other for the fatal shots, and both were convicted of first-degree murder and given consecutive 99-year terms. Marvin Brown died in prison in 2003; John Brown was paroled and released in 2014. In 1996, nearly $20,000 in cash was found hidden behind a brick in the chimney of the Akemans’ former home.

Are there readers who remember the Akemans, their performances, or any detail about Ridgetop in 1973 that might shed more light on this case?