When this episode first aired, it was shown after a special called Springfield's Most Wanted (1995), in which all of the suspects were listed, and possible motives for killing Mr. Burns were revealed. The special was hosted by John Walsh, host of America's Most Wanted: America Fights Back (1988).
While deciding who the culprit was, Bill Oakley and Josh Weinstein pitched Barney Gumble because he was a character that could go to jail and it could change the dynamic of the show. Also, the writers were running out of things to do with him. This could've been foreshadowing, given that he was the only one not questioned by the police.
To keep the solution under wraps, writers Bill Oakley and Josh Weinstein wrote four separate endings, only one of them real. They were all animated as well, so not even the animators had an idea of who actually shot Mr Burns.
In Canada, due to a simulcasting glitch, the key moment where Mr. Burns is shot was interrupted due to a golf game running a few minutes late. Canwest Global had to re-air the episode again the following week.
When Marge says she doesn't believe anyone in the family is capable of murder, Maggie wakes up and eyes Snowball II.