Deputy U.S. Marshal Derek William Hotsinpiller, 24, of Bridgeport, West Virginia, was killed in the line of duty on February 16, 2011. Assigned to the Northern District of West Virginia and with just over a year on the job, he was part of a federal team executing search and arrest warrants at 319 Central Street in Elkins for fugitive Charles Edward Smith. The operation began about 8:00 to 8:30 a.m.; after officers breached the residence, Smith fired a shotgun from inside, striking Hotsinpiller in the neck and wounding Supervisory Deputy U.S. Marshal Alex Neville and Deputy U.S. Marshal Wesley Fred Frederick. Hotsinpiller was transported to Ruby Memorial Hospital in Morgantown and died of his injuries. Smith was fatally shot during the confrontation and therefore never faced prosecution for the attack.

Federal investigators later pursued people accused of helping Smith evade capture and of lying to authorities after the shooting. In April 2011 a grand jury returned a 14-count indictment; the case later resolved through guilty pleas to charges of making false statements and related offenses against three defendants. What information might still help clarify how Smith remained at large before that deadly warrant operation?