Rolf Marshall, 75, a retired Navy captain, was killed inside his Alexandria, Virginia, home on the morning of October 5, 2016. A domestic dispute over the couple’s aging Akita escalated after alcohol was involved. According to Paula Thompson Marshall’s statement to a 911 dispatcher, her husband tossed her a .38-caliber revolver and told her to shoot it if she wanted; a single shot struck Marshall in the torso as he sat in an armchair. He was taken to a local hospital and died of his injuries.

Paula Marshall was arrested the same day and initially told the 911 operator the shooting was accidental, saying she didn’t know the gun was loaded. A grand jury later indicted her on murder and firearm charges; at trial, testimony described a marriage strained by financial problems and Rolf Marshall’s declining health. A few days after his death, the couple’s Akita was euthanized.

Did anyone who knew the Marshalls notice signs of escalating conflict around the dog or the household finances before October 5, 2016?