A Family Gathering Turned Into a Nightmare
The victims included Dana and Barbara Smith, their 92-year-old mother, Evelyn Smith, as well as Megan Ghekiere and four children. Megan's children, Chloe Ireland, 7, and Owen Ireland, 13, were killed alongside her stepchildren, Charlotte Ghekiere, 12, and Landon Ghekiere, 15.
Evelyn was reportedly wheelchair-bound. The children's parents had remained amicable despite divorce, and family friend and neighbor Jennifer Mercer said the youngsters were all close and got along.
Megan's former husband, Brad Ireland, lives in Arizona. Her current husband and the father of Charlotte and Landon, Adam Ghekiere, was away from the home when the violence unfolded. The family had gathered for what had become a regular dinner. However, there was one unusual detail about the timing that would later stand out.
Adam said the gathering would ordinarily have happened on a Friday. That difference may have affected who the person responsible expected to find inside.
