On October 14, 2006, Bonaparte, Iowa experienced a family massacre that left five members dead. At about 3:38 a.m. a 911 call came from the Bentler home in which 14-year-old Shayne reported that her brother Shawn was there and causing a disturbance; the call was cut off by a gunshot and Shayne screaming Shawn, no. When officers entered the house they found Michael Bentler, 53; Sandra Bentler, 47; and three daughters — Sheena, 17; Shelby Marie Bentler, 15; and Shayne, 14 — all fatally shot in various locations throughout the home.

Investigators arrested 22-year-old Shawn Bentler later that day in Quincy, Illinois, about 60 miles from the family home; he was charged with five counts of first-degree murder. Prosecutors argued a financial motive, saying Shawn stood to inherit an estate valued at $2.8 million. At trial Shawn Bentler was convicted on all five counts and received five life sentences, with one sentence ordered to run consecutively because of the particularly brutal nature of the killing of his mother.

Did anyone in the area know the Bentler family well enough to shed light on relationships or tensions that might explain how this unfolded?