Discretion is advised.

This is 10-minute murder.

Far too often, investigations are pulled into the wrong direction because of rumors about

witchcraft, black magic, and human sacrifices.

With one mention of devil worship, paganism, or wican beliefs, an otherwise normal case can cause

mass hysteria.

And one 2015 triple homicide, which occurred in Pensacola, Florida,

allegations of a ritualistic killing almost led investigators on a wild goose chase,

distracting them from the killer's much more mundane motive.

Still, the case has never quite escaped the nickname it was given in those early

days. The Blue Moon murders. It was the 31st of July 2015, three days after the murders when the

bodies of three victims were located. The Escambia County Sheriff's Office had sent deputies

to 47-year-old Richard Smith's

house to carry out a welfare check because he had failed to show up for his job at the Department

of Homeland Security. Richard worked as an IT specialist, and he had a reliable reputation,

so when there was no sign of him at work, one of his colleagues

reported him as missing.

When nobody came to answer the door, the deputies entered Richard Smith's house, where they

found him dead.

Alongside Richard's body were two other bodies.

Richard's brother, 49-year-old John Smith, and their mother, 77-year-old Vonsil Smith.

David Morgan, Escambia County Sheriff, gave a statement shortly after the bodies were discovered,

...