Download: RSS | Email Alerts | Podcasts | Wireless
Timeline of Events
Jan. 25, 2000 Joanie Harper first marries Vincent Brothers;
Feb. 23, 2000 Joanie Harper and Vincent Brothers file for divorce
Jan. 25, 2003 Joanie and Vincent remarry
July 2, 2003 Vincent Brothers leaves LAX, arrives in Columbus, Ohio
July 6, 2003 The Harper family is murdered
July 8, 2003 Bodies discovered by family friend Kelsey Spann
July 8, 2003 Vincent Brothers arrives at Elizabeth City, N.C. police station
July 10, 2003 Police execute search warrants at Brothers' apartment in Bakersfield, and his relatives' home in North Carolina
July 11, 2003 Vincent Brothers returns to Bakersfield with attorney Curtis Floyd
July 15, 2003 Funeral service held at Bakersfield Convention Center
July 25, 2003 Bakersfield police request search warrants be sealed
July 30, 2003 Vincent Brothers is granted administrative leave from his job as vice principal of Fremont Elementary School
Jan. 7, 2004 Bakersfield Police Chief Eric Matlock acknowledges for the first time physical evidence linking Vincent Brothers to the crime
March 2, 2004 Brothers goes back to work for the Bakersfield City School District, doing office work
April 26, 2004 Brothers sells his southwest Bakersfield home and all its contents
April 30, 2004 Vincent Brothers is arrested and charged with five counts of murder. Prosecutors announce they'll likely seek the death penalty
June 7, 2005 Trial is ordered for Vincent Brothers on all counts
May 8, 2006 Defense granted delay to allow more time for DNA analysis
Feb. 2007 Trial set to begin with opening statements
The Background
The Victims   The Accused

Joanie Harper
Wife
Earnestine Harper
Mother In-Law
 

Marques
Son
Lyndsey
Daughter
Marshall
Son
 
   
Almost immediately after the murders were discovered, police suspicion fell on Joanie's estranged husband Vincent Brothers.

Brothers had taken a taken a trip four days earlier to visit his extended family in Columbus, Ohio.

Read the whole story here.
The Evidence   The Crime
Detectives flew to Ohio and seized Brothers' rental car. They searched it for trace evidence and they culled driving records. What they uncovered would become a key part of the prosecution's case against Brothers.
Read the rest here.
   Kelsey Spann pulled up to the single-story, yellow stucco house on Third Street in a hurry. It had been days since she had heard from her friend Joanie Harper.
Read the whole story here.



Case Files
Judge Bush's summary - Juror 309 dismissal
Judge Bush interviews the jurors about Juror 309 - part 1
Judge Bush interviews the jurors - part 2
See all the files by clicking here.
The Evidence Locker
  This site is hosted and managed by Inergize Digital Media.