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At approximately 4:45 p.m. the duo pulled up behind Mellie McDaniel on her way home from the grocery store. Mellie happened to be on her cell phone at the time, talking to her husband, Jackson County Sheriff John McDaniel. She told her husband that the Crown Victoria followed her into the driveway of their home. At first she thought the men were salesmen. Then the sheriff heard his wife scream.

At 4:49 McDaniel radioed all officers in the area to respond to his residence. Deputy Mike Altman arrived two minutes later and called in the stolen license plates on Brown's vehicle. Moments later, the deputy's voice again came on the radio. He could be heard shouting: "Get off me!"

At 4:53 the sheriff and two deputies arrived at the scene to see Sands duck behind the Crown Victoria. Sands drew his guns from behind the car and began firing at the officers. Dozens of shots rang out over the next several minutes.

When the smoke cleared, Sands lay dead with the sheriff's bullets puncturing his neck, underarm, leg and stomach. Brown was shot twice in the gut and died minutes later.

The sheriff found his wife's and deputy's bodies lying side-by-side in front of Mellie's vehicle. Sands had shot the sheriff's wife in the back of the head — execution-style — as she kneeled in the driveway. Deputy Mike Altman was shot in the face. When that failed to kill him, Sands pumped two more slugs in his back.

More than 100 law officers eventually convened at the sheriff's house and combed the nearby forests for what they thought might be a third gunman. No such person was ever found. Police now believe Sands and Brown acted alone.

Inside Brown's Crown Victoria, they discovered several unsigned letters that Sands planned to have the sheriff and his wife sign. One of the letters was addressed to Gail's mother in St. Louis and written to appear as though it came from the sheriff. The note exonerated Sands of any wrongdoing in his wife's death.

Another letter, purportedly written by Mellie McDaniel, alleges that her husband was involved in an outlandish scheme in which federal agents, state attorneys and other government officials were assisting a criminal organization in distributing drugs and stolen goods. The letter states Sands was framed for Gail's death because he had uncovered the conspiracy.

Attorney Rich Witzel found out about the deadly rampage that night. He was with his wife attending a musical at the Fox Theatre when he received a call from Jeff Johnson, a homicide detective for the Jackson County sheriff's office. The law agent wanted to know if Witzel was all right. He next asked about Gail's family. He wanted to know if they were safe as well.

"Finally I was like, 'What gives?'" recalls Witzel. "The detective told me: 'Oh, man. You're not going to believe this.'"

After hanging up the phone, the attorney dialed Gail's mother and sisters. At the time there was still fear of a possible third gunman. He suggested they call the local police and have them watch their homes for the night. Witzel called the police in Glendale, where he resides, and made the same request. So, too, did Kanzler in Clayton.

Privately the attorneys had questioned their safety months before the shootout. Witzel's wife was so alarmed by the case that she'd insisted on setting their home burglar alarm at all times. Still the lawyers never foresaw anything as drastic as the events that ultimately unfolded.

"We started taking precautions, especially during our time in Florida," notes Kanzler. "We'd request interior hotel rooms and tell the desk clerk not to inform anyone we were staying there. Sands drove a red pickup truck, and I was constantly on the lookout for a similar vehicle."

Three days after the shootout, Gail's family issued a public statement, asserting that Sands' rampage confirmed what they'd known all along: Sands killed his wife.

"Our family is deeply saddened at the loss of two more innocent lives in Marianna, Florida," the statement read. "This confirmation, however, is of no comfort having come from the tragic and senseless murders of the sheriff's wife and a deputy sheriff. The thoughts and prayers of our entire family are with each of those who are suffering under the loss of a loved one, colleague or friend."

Weeks prior to the assault, Sands checked out a book from the Marianna library, a novel titled The Hostage. Written by military and detective writer W.E.B. Griffin, the book tells of the kidnapping of a diplomat's wife and the killing of her husband.

To this day a stunned Sid Matthew remains baffled by the senseless actions of his client. "The fact is, Lionel Sands was a master con man — the confines of whose personality we'll never fathom," he says.

Matthew was scheduled to have one last meeting with Lionel Sands the Friday following the shooting spree. Had that meeting occurred, Matthew believes he wouldn't be around to talk about it.

Like Witzel and Kanzler, Matthew says he's heard rumors that the sheriff's office found a hit list in Sands' home. His name was high on the list, as were those of Witzel, Kanzler and members of Gail's family.

"Had the case gone to trial, I have no doubt Sands would take his vengeance out on us," says Kanzler. "It may sound a little self-indulgent, but when you're dealing with someone as crazy as Lionel Sands, it makes all the sense in the world."

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