Vincent Brothers  Vincent Edward Brothers (born May 31, 1962) is an American mass murderer convicted of killing his wife, their three children and his mother-in-law. Brothers was the former vice principal of John C. Fremont Elementary School in Bakersfield, California and holds a Master's degree in education from California State University Bakersfield and a Bachelor's degree from Norfolk State University. Brothers, who had months earlier married his wife for the second time, was convicted of killing her, their new baby, two toddlers and his mother-in-law on July 6, 2003. He attempted to create an alibi by flying to Columbus, Ohio under the pretext of visiting his brother. He drove his rental car to Bakersfield, murdered his family members, and returned to Ohio. Forensic analysis of the rental car showed insects native to states west of the Rocky Mountains and odometer readings that supported the round-trip to California. Brothers was convicted of first-degree murders with special circumstance of multiple murder and was ultimately sentenced to death. Brothers first gained national attention after the July 6, 2003 deaths of his wife, Joanie (née Harper), his sons, Marques (four) and Marshall (six weeks), his daughter, Lyndsey (two), and his mother-in-law, Earnestine Harper. Earnestine (70) was a mother of five children and civil rights activist. Joanie (39) worked for the Bakersfield school system and was a division one basketball official. Vincent and Joanie married in 2000, but had the marriage annulled in September 2001 due to Brothers' infidelity. They remarried in January 2003 when Joanie was pregnant with their third child. Vincent moved out of the house in April 2003. Joanie, her mother and the children were last seen at church on July 6, 2003, and their bodies were discovered on Tuesday, July 8 in what appeared to be a staged break-in. Brothers had turned himself in to authorities in North Carolina where he was visiting his mother, but was released after a few hours due to lack of evidence at that time. Brothers returned to Los Angeles on July 11, 2003. He did not attend the memorial service for his wife, children, and mother-in-law, but attended their funeral on Wednesday, July 16. Although considered the only suspect from the beginning, he was not arrested until April 2004. During the trial in 2007, the "biggest criminal trial in Bakersfield in decades", prosecutors emphasized Brothers' past marriage difficulties.