On the quiet night of November 10, 1973, the country music world was irrevocably shaken by the brutal murders of David 'Stringbean' Akeman, a 58-year-old male, and his wife, Estelle. After a performance at the Grand Ole Opry in Nashville, the couple returned to their modest cabin in Ridgetop, Tennessee, unaware that their lives were about to come to a violent end. Two men, cousins John and Marvin Douglas Brown, both 23, had broken into their home, lying in wait. They were fueled by rumors that Akeman, distrustful of banks since the Great Depression, kept large sums of cash in his home.
Upon their arrival, Akeman sensed something was amiss and approached the cabin with his. 22 rifle. Inside, he was confronted by the intruders and fatally shot. Hearing the commotion, Estelle fled towards the road, screaming for her life, but was mercilessly chased down and shot in the back of the head. The following morning, their neighbor and fellow 'Hee Haw' performer, Grandpa Jones, discovered the tragic scene when he arrived for a planned hunting trip. He found Akeman's body in front of the fireplace and his wife's in the front yard.
The investigation into the double homicide led police to John and Marvin Douglas Brown. The cousins had ransacked the cabin, stealing a chainsaw and some firearms, but missed the thousands of dollars the Akemans had hidden in their clothing. During the trial, each cousin attempted to place the blame for the fatal shots on the other. Ultimately, both were found guilty of first-degree murder and sentenced to two consecutive 99-year prison terms.
Marvin Douglas Brown died of natural causes in prison in 2003. John Brown, after serving 41 years of his 198-year sentence, was granted parole and released in 2014. The decision to release him was met with opposition from many in the country music community who remembered the beloved and unassuming couple. In a strange epilogue to the tragedy, in 1996, nearly $20,000 in cash was discovered hidden behind a brick in the chimney of the Akeman's former home, the very treasure the killers had sought and failed to find.
