Egypt Covington Was Shot After Killers Went to the Wrong House to Steal Marijuana

On June 23, 2017, local singer Egypt Covington was found tied up and shot to death in her home in Van Buren Township in Michigan, west of Detroit. The 27-year-old, who was a singer as well as an account manager for a wine and beer distributor, was last seen alive on June 22, 2017 and her death shocked the community.

The case went unsolved for three years and Covington’s family turned to the Michigan State Police and Crime Stoppers of Michigan in the summer of 2020 for help moving the investigation along and a $25,000 cash reward was offered. In the months that followed, three men were arrested and charged with the young woman’s murder.

In March 2021, Timothy Moore, now 35, Shandon Ray Groom, now 29, and Shane Lamar Evans, now 32, were ordered to stand trial for Covington’s murder, The Detroit News reported.

The Court Heard That the Accused Targeted the Wrong House & Were Trying to Steal Marijuana From Covington’s Neighbor

During a court hearing in March 2021, testimony revealed that Covington was killed when the three men accused tried to rob her neighbor to steal her marijuana but accidentally entered the singer’s home, Fox 2 Detroit reported.

According to the outlet’s report on the hearing, Covington lived in a duplex and was friendly with the person who lived on the other side of the home so they would often leave the door between the two homes open. On June 23, 2017, her boyfriend went to her house since he hadn’t heard from her and found her body. She’d been tied up with Christmas lights and shot in the head, the Detroit Free Press reported.

Covington’s neighbor was a licensed caregiver and kept marijuana in his home, which he’d discussed on local programs, Fox 2 Detroit wrote. According to court testimony, his house was targeted by burglars in the past and marijuana was stolen.

Covington and her neighbor had gone to a music festival together in the years before and he was at that festival when she was killed, which was why the men had decided to target the home, the court heard. Covington didn’t attend the festival with her neighbor on this occasion because of a new job she’d recently started.

One of the Men Accused Told Police What Happened But Said He Wasn’t Involved

One of the three men who is set to stand trial, Evans, told investigators that he worked at the duplex and knew there would be marijuana in the home and the owner was away, Fox 2 Detroit wrote. He said his brother and cousin wanted marijuana so he told them which home to steal from but that he didn’t want to be involved.

Evans said Groom and Moore were driving behind him in a truck and he stuck his arm out the window and pointed to the right house. He said he also told them which door to go into but Moore and Groom broke in on the wrong side of the home and Covington was inside.

According to Fox 2 Detroit, Evans told authorities that Moore texted him, “Wrong door” and later asked him, “Do you wanna know what happened?” Evans said he replied, “No, don’t never wanna know what happened.” The three men have not been tried yet for Covington’s murder.

READ NEXT: Social Media Influencer Set on Fire & Killed by Ex-Husband, Family Says