Cynthia Collins, 66, and her husband Steven were found shot to death in their Warren, Michigan home on Panama Avenue on September 1, 2017. A neighbor reported seeing the couple’s dog loose and their front door ajar, which led to a welfare check and the grim discovery that both had been shot multiple times.

Police focused on a family member: 37-year-old nephew Joseph Lawrence Borowiak, whom the Collinses had raised. He had recently been kicked out of their home. After the killings Borowiak was located and arrested in Detroit when a citizen recognized him from media coverage; reports say blood was on his sweatshirt and glasses. Investigators cited social media posts and a Facebook hit list naming family members, including the victims, and charged him with two counts of first-degree murder.

The trial included evidence about the killings and discussions of the defendant’s mental health. Jurors found Joseph Borowiak guilty; in July 2018 he received life without parole.