On December 9, 2021, the body of 34-year-old Candace Danielle Locklear Marcel was found inside an abandoned vehicle on Cerulean Road in Trigg County, Kentucky. Kentucky State Police traced the case to a residence on Clearman Court in Hopkinsville, where they discovered the body of 35-year-old Stanley Bussell, the registered owner of the car. Both victims had been shot, and the medical examiner determined Marcel died from a gunshot wound to the head.

The investigation focused on 49-year-old Bobby Spikes of Hopkinsville, who had been in a relationship with Marcel. Witnesses described a history of threats after a November 2021 breakup, including an incident in which Marcel was allegedly dragged across her front yard after a gunshot was heard. Spikes was arrested and charged in connection with both deaths.

Court filings and plea statements later implicated Spikes’ son, Kendall Spikes, who admitted to complicity in tampering with physical evidence and hindering prosecution and testified that his father had confessed and discarded a handgun from a moving car. The family of Marcel has spoken about the devastating loss.

Did anyone in the Hopkinsville or Cadiz area see signs of the relationship troubles between Marcel and Spikes in late 2021?