Paul Franklin Barr, 53, was shot and killed at his Mills Street home in Croswell, Michigan, on the morning of May 26, 2014, after a family dispute over living arrangements and rent escalated. Barr had operated a local construction business for about 30 years. His nephew, 29-year-old Jeremy Ginther, was living upstairs with his wife and two young sons; tensions had reportedly been rising for hours and spilled into a confrontation after 8 a.m. that moved outside.

Witnesses say Barr advanced toward Ginther’s wife during the argument. Ginther retrieved a firearm and, despite pleas from his mother (who is Barr’s sister and present that morning), fired multiple shots that struck Barr. Law enforcement found Barr wounded; he was taken to a Port Huron area hospital and pronounced dead. Ginther was arrested at the scene and charged with open murder and felony firearm; a judge bound the case for trial at a preliminary hearing.

On June 4, 2015, Ginther pleaded guilty to voluntary manslaughter and a felony firearm count. Sentencing followed on July 15, 2015, with the prosecutor stating Ginther would face a prison term with a minimum of nine years and a maximum of seventeen years. Did anyone in Croswell have information about rising tensions in the household before that Memorial Day morning?