On Christmas day in 1929, one of the most tragic murders known to North Carolina history took place in a small rural farmhouse. This tragedy brought the end to a family known as the Lawsons. Not only do the murders live on in the memories of many, but also the circus that became of the Lawson homestead following the crime. We may never know the true motives as to why all the lives were lost that day, but the details revealed give us good possibilities to ponder.