On the evening of April 12, 2005, neighbors in a Clinton, Iowa, apartment building reported a scream followed by popping sounds around 11:15 p.m. The next day investigators found Steven Kersey, 32, and his live-in girlfriend, Renee Walker, shot multiple times at close range in a violent scene just inside the apartment door. Groceries from a recent shopping trip were scattered on the floor.

Evidence quickly focused on Renee’s ex-husband, Maurice Walker, Sr. A bloody ski mask was recovered at the scene; DNA testing reportedly showed Renee’s blood on the outside and Maurice’s DNA around the mouth area. Ballistics linked a discharged casing at Maurice’s home to casings from the apartment, and the killings were tied to a Hi-Point .380 pistol he once owned. Prosecutors cited motive: Maurice was named beneficiary of a substantial insurance policy on Renee and had made the most recent payment a month before the killings, and the couple’s daughter testified about prior physical abuse and Maurice’s animosity toward Kersey. Hotel surveillance also showed gaps in Maurice’s claimed alibi that corresponded to a round trip to Clinton.

A jury found Maurice Walker, Sr. guilty of two counts of first-degree murder.