A dispute over utilities or alleged theft ended in a double fatal shooting at a Falkville property on Goodwin Road. Mitchell Ray Beard, 62, was shot and killed at his residence on February 5, 2023; his 36-year-old stepson, Marcus Ken Reed, was also killed. A woman identified as Sarah Conley was shot that evening but survived.

Deputies responded to a call around 6 p.m. and found the three victims. Beard owned the half-acre lot and several rental units there. Authorities arrested 36-year-old Joshua Lamar Knighten and charged him with capital murder in the deaths of Beard and Reed, plus attempted murder for Conley. Investigators recovered two 9mm handguns belonging to Knighten at the scene, one on the driveway and another inside his residence. Knighten reportedly called 911 and told the dispatcher he had warned that those he believed were stealing from his uncle would be ready to die, and other accounts tie the dispute to utilities, possibly water.

Who in Falkville might have information about tensions over utilities or theft at that Goodwin Road property?