Richard Gene Laney, 57, of Crum, West Virginia, was fatally shot at his home on River Bend Road shortly before 1 a.m. on March 29, 2014. Laney was standing in his doorway when gunfire struck his chest and stomach; he died at the residence. His wife, Maria Williams Hatfield Laney, was asleep inside the house during the shooting.

Investigators quickly focused on a neighbor, Brien Scott Bays of Crum. Witnesses reported seeing Bays earlier that evening drinking moonshine and brandishing a firearm. Authorities allege Bays approached Laney’s home, shot him while he stood in the doorway, then left on an all-terrain vehicle. Bays was located and arrested later that day and charged with murder.

At trial in April 2015 the prosecution portrayed Bays as intoxicated and aggressive, presenting witness testimony about prior threats and the claim that Bays said I got him after the shooting. The defense said Laney fired first and Bays acted in self-defense, challenging evidence handling and witness consistency. After about seven hours of deliberation on April 30, 2015, jurors were deadlocked and the trial ended in a mistrial; prosecutors announced plans to retry the case.

If anyone knew Richard Laney, his movements that night, or saw activity on River Bend Road around March 29, 2014, please share what is known.