On the evening of March 20, 1978, Elizabeth Hale, 44, was shot and killed during an armed robbery at the Sunshine Grocery Store in Flushing, Michigan. Two other people were murdered in the same attack: Robert Shepp Jr., 18, and Shirley Parvin, 51. Witnesses in a nearby parking lot heard gunfire around 7:50 p.m. and saw two men flee in a vehicle.

Police identified and arrested Michael Joe Prast and Ricky Newell; both were charged with three counts of first-degree murder. At trial prosecutors offered witness testimony and a confession attributed to Prast; the court admitted that evidence and a jury convicted both men on all counts. Each was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole. Reports later state that Ricky Newell died while serving his sentence.

Does anyone have memories of the Sunshine Grocery Store or the Flushing community in 1978 that could add context to what happened that night?