In the spring of 2001, 17-year-old Josie Peterson of Des Moines, Iowa, was one of four people killed in a single violent incident. Josie, a Black/African American female who had plans to attend college and marry, died of stab wounds on March 8. Her 17-year-old boyfriend Taelor Marks also died of stab wounds that day. The two older victims, Richard and Jane Larson, ages 64 and 63, were fatally shot.

Investigators arrested and charged 20-year-old Leemah Carneh; reports from the time say Carneh was obsessed with Josie and that obsession is believed to have triggered the attack. The deaths devastated the families of all four victims and shook the community.