Mario Smith Sr., 45, was found dead in his Ripley, Oklahoma, home on April 21, 2016, from a gunshot wound to the head. At the time he had a criminal history that included arrests for drugs and assault, and he reportedly failed to appear in court the day before on felony methamphetamine trafficking charges.

Investigators say the inquiry quickly focused on 14-year-old Makayla Dawn Brown, the daughter of Smith’s girlfriend, who was present at the residence the night he died. The death followed a volatile domestic situation: witnesses reported Smith had pistol-whipped Brown’s mother about a month earlier, and one account says the teenager later laughed and bragged about the killing.

Makayla Dawn Brown was arrested and charged with first-degree murder as an adult. The case raises questions about the role of domestic abuse in what happened and how a household conflict escalated to lethal violence. Does anyone have additional information about the relationship dynamics in that household or the events of April 21, 2016?