Ten years ago this town was different. You could leave your door unlocked at night and not worry about it. Back then, folks were more careful with their business, but they trusted each other more too.

That was before Michael Thompson murdered his wife Kimberley as she tried to get a divorce from him. It's the kind of story that makes you think twice about what you take for granted nowadays.

The court heard today how Thompson used Kimberley’s phone after he committed her murder, sending text messages to make it look like she had taken her own life.

Thompson is known around here as a man who liked to control his wife. That's been the talk since before people realized what was really going on. Now we know just how far that control went and still goes.

The pattern of domestic violence, it’s not new under the sun. But folks are starting to ask questions when it comes from those in power or gets ignored by them.

That's not the case here, though. The court documents speak for themselves. This wasn't a spontaneous act but something carefully planned and staged.

What happened last night isn’t just about Michael Thompson anymore; it’s about how many more stories like this are out there that we don’t know about yet. It's time to think long and hard about the changes needed in our community, because these things aren't going away by themselves.