Two residents of Walnut, Mississippi, were found dead in their County Road 303 home in the early morning hours of July 6, 2017. Paul Joel Koster, 51, a White male who had lived in the area 25 years after moving from California and worked as a self-employed roofing contractor, and 29-year-old Ayla Roxanne Hopper were both discovered deceased and their deaths were treated as a double homicide.

A joint investigation by the Mississippi Bureau of Investigation, the FBI, and the Tippah County Sheriff’s Department led to arrests. Three individuals—Kedarius Hamer, 20; Nakero Hamer, 17; and Thomas J. Hamer, 17—were each charged with two counts of first-degree murder. A fourth person, 21-year-old Terrenz Mason, was charged with accessory after the fact to first-degree murder; bond was set at $20,000 for Mason while the three Hamer defendants were held without bond.

The case deeply affected the small community. If anyone knew Paul Koster, Ayla Hopper, their routines, or the home on County Road 303, any information could still be important.