Marlee Jones Barnhill, a nurse from Winona, Mississippi, was shot and killed at a small birthday gathering on the afternoon of March 1, 2019. She had been livestreaming on Facebook earlier that day, saying she was heading to friends Jim and Brooks Harrell’s house in Carroll County for karaoke and to relax on the back porch. The celebration became deadly when Marlee’s husband, 30-year-old Michael Martin Barnhill, became heavily intoxicated and belligerent. Marlee tried to stop him from driving by keeping the truck keys; he went out and returned with a .40 caliber pistol, slapped a cigarette from her hand and shot her in the chest.

When Jim and Brooks Harrell rushed to assist, Barnhill shot them as well. Marlee and Jim Harrell died at the scene; Brooks Harrell died while being transported for medical care. Two female guests protected the Harrells’ 10-year-old son by barricading with him in a closet until deputies arrived. Barnhill fled but later returned and was identified by surviving witnesses; he was arrested after a brief struggle. He was charged in connection with the killings and later entered a plea agreement. Did anyone at the party or in the neighborhood notice signs of escalating trouble before the shooting?