Michigan State Police Timothy Moore, Shandon Groom and Shane Evans
Egypt Covington, 27, was found shot in the head at close range in her home in Van Buren Township, in Michigan, west of Detroit, on June 23, 2017. Her boyfriend went to check on her after he didn’t hear from her and found her body. She had been bound with Christmas lights.
The Van Buren Police Department investigated her death for three years and in August 2020, the Michigan State Police also began looking into her murder following pressure from Covington’s family. In November and December 2020, three men were arrested and charged in connection with Covington’s slaying. Prosecutors said they entered the wrong house with the intention of stealing marijuana and killed Covington, Fox 2 Detroit reported.
Shandon Groom and Timothy Moore, both from Toledo, Ohio, as well as Shane Evans from Sumpter Township, Michigan, were the three individuals arrested. Where are Groom, Moore and Evans today?
The 3 Men Are in Jail & a Judge Ruled Earlier This Year That They Would Be Facing a Trial
Moore is charged with first-degree murder, felony murder, first-degree home invasion and four counts of using a firearm in the commission of a felony, public records show. Groom has been charged with first-degree murder, felony murder, first-degree home invasion, and three counts of using a firearm in the commission of a felony.
Evans, who told investigators he worked at the duplex and pointed it out to the other two men as a home where they could steal marijuana, has been charged with felony murder and first-degree home invasion. He told authorities he simply pointed out the home but did not participate in the crime, Fox 2 Detroit reported. First-degree murder and felony murder are both punishable by up to life in prison without parole.
The three men are currently in the Wayne County Jail awaiting trial and all three are held without bond, public records show. Moore, now 35, Groom, now 29, and Evans, now 32, are in the Wayne County Old Jail. Their next court date is on November 17, 2021.
The 3 Defendants Are Related & the Case Went Cold Until Investigators Found a Lead
During a preliminary hearing in March 2021, prosecutors laid out their case to 34th District Judge Tina Brooks Green and she ruled there is enough evidence for the men to stand trial. Prosecutors said investigators discovered that a blue truck seen on the night of Covington’s murder and a cell phone could both be linked to Toledo. That was the first real breakthrough on the case in years and came after the Michigan State Police joined the investigation, ClickonDetroit reported.
Evans lived three miles from Covington and did some yard maintenance at the duplex where she lived, prosecutors said. His brother, Moore, and his cousin, Groom, who are both from Toledo, wanted weed but had no money, Evans told police. The interview was played in court, ClickonDetroit reported, and featured Evans telling his family members that he knew where there would be easy marijuana to steal.
According to prosecutors, Evans pointed out the house and said the owner, who had marijuana at the house and was a medical marijuana caregiver, was out of town. Later that night, Evans told authorities they texted him, “Oops wrong house,” MLive reported.
The trio’s defense attorneys argued that there is no evidence that the men shot and killed Covington despite their truck and cellphones being tied to that location. Covington’s brother told ClickonDetroit that the progress in the case is a “huge win” and that authorities “did a phenomenal job.”
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