Thw Woody, Bug, and Lily story line is based on the Dorthea Puente case from 1988 in Sacramento, California. Dorthea Puente ran a boarding house near Downton Sacramento with clientele of mostly older transient men on Social Security. They either died on their own or were helped along by Ms. Puente and she would cash their Social Security checks. Bodies were buried in the backyard and basement. After a lengthy trial, she was convicted of first degree murder but spared the death penalty.