Sebring, Florida is as far from the hard bodies of Spring Break and the glamour of South Beach as you can get. It's a quiet little city surrounded by orange groves and swamp and populated by people whose main source of income is social security. And it's the security and low cost of living that drew retirees Leo Gleese and Hazel Stanley to Sebring where they planned to spend the golden years. Sadly, the elderly couple's golden years would be cut brutally short, not by disease or age, but by murder.

Famous for its racetrack and not much else, Sebring is far from the wealthy coastal cities that made Florida famous. It is slower, older and more conservative than the bigger towns to the east and west. With its lake, its numerous churches and its early bird specials, Sebring is a place where elderly Midwestern retirees go to wait for the end.

People like Leo Gleese and Hazel Stanley. The two moved to Sebring after retiring and met at the church of another newcomer to Sebring, Reverend John Canning. A charismatic, ambitious preacher from Maine, Canning came to Sebring and founded the Fountain of Life Church. Though most of the members were elderly people, Rev. Canning had an especial fondness for Leo and Hazel who met and married in his church. He began to look after the couple, eventually getting so close that he referred to them as Mom and Dad. So close that, as their health began to fail, the couple gave him power of attorney.

Canning looked after the elderly couple well until 3 January 1995, when he entered their home to find them dead, victims of a brutal attack. The only problem was that he didn't tell the police about his discovery for another 24 hours. The news of the death came as a shock to tranquil Sebring where most folks expect to end their days in hospital bed, not a crime scene. Even more shocking would be the identity of the killer.

With the community in a panic that killers were preying on the elderly, police began an all-out investigation. What they discovered only deepened the mystery. Nothing of value was taken from the house which seemed to rule out robbery. Even more perplexing was the discovery of a blood-stained shirt and pieces of Leo's favourite chair in a dumpster at the Fountain of Life Church. Then there were the mysterious scratches on the arm of Reverend Canning, not to mention his delay in reporting the crime. Suddenly, it looked the Gleese's saviour may have also been their killer. As the police looked more closely at the good Reverend they discovered that he had also skimmed thousands of dollars off his elderly wards.

On March 3, 1995, just days after he presided over the funeral of Hazel Gleese, Sebring police arrested Reverend John Canning and charged him with the two murders. But before the trial could begin, Canning confessed - sort of. He plead no contest to the charges in order to avoid a possible death penalty. He told the court he felt God wanted him to become a prison minister, so accepted two life sentences. Rev. Canning's supporters were deeply disturbed by the whole affair. Throughout the trial, they collected donations to support the pastor, prayed for his deliverance and protested against the police-devils for sacrificing one of their own lambs. But after the sentencing hearing, confusion and bitterness swept over Sebring, bitterness that in some quarters has yet to subside.