INDIANAPOLIS–A fight over stimulus money may be the reason that four people are dead. The Marion County Prosecutor’s office may already have a confession from Malik Halacre, 25, in the Saturday night shootings of his family members. But, Prosecutor Ryan Mears says his team still has to make a solid case.
He said formal charges of murder, attempted murder and robbery have been filed.
Halfacre faces charges of:
- Murder (four counts)
- Attempted murder
- Armed robbery
- Carrying a handgun with a prior felony conviction
- Auto theft
Investigators say Halfacre shot and killed four people Saturday night.
The victims have been identified as:
- Anthony Johnson, 35
- Dequan Moore, 23
- Eve Moore, 7
- Tomeeka Brown, 44
In a Thursday morning news conference, Marion County Prosecutor Ryan Mears said the number of victims, including a child, qualifies as a death penalty filing under Indiana law.
“There are three potential factors which would make this death penalty-eligible. The first is that we have multiple victims in a single incident. The second is that there was a robbery that took place during the course of this incident,” he said. “The third and final factor is that there was a child that lost their life as a result of this.”
Eve Moore was just 7.
Mears said he would speak with Moore’s family before making any decision to file for the death penalty against Halfacre.
“As always the most important thing is making sure that you have that conversation with the victim and the victim’s family to make sure they understand the procedural processes involved in a death penalty case and also to get their thoughts and feelings on that.”
Mears said the family is not yet up to that conversation.
