On the morning of December 11, 1981, Thomas E. Miller, 21, and his pregnant wife Kimberly were found shot multiple times at close range inside their Kokomo, Indiana trailer. Investigators reported a .38 caliber pistol was used and that a dime had been placed near each body, a detail alleged to signify an informant in criminal circles.

The inquiry uncovered Tommy Miller’s role as a local marijuana distributor working for a wholesaler named Marvin Bieghler. Police records and witness accounts tied a recent large seizure and the arrest of another distributor to rising tensions in Bieghler’s organization. Witnesses said Bieghler had become agitated in the days before the killings and, while drinking and using marijuana with an associate, Harold Scotty Brook, made threats against someone he believed had informed.

Bieghler was arrested and charged in connection with the double homicide. During the ensuing trial Brook testified about Bieghler’s threats and state of mind, and other witnesses offered testimony that prosecutors relied on.