Evander Reed:Mistrial declared in case of Indiana man accused of fatally shooting five, including pregnant woman

2025-05-02 05:10:03source:Venus Investment Alliancecategory:Invest

INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — A judge declared a mistrial in the case of an Indianapolis man accused of fatally shooting five people,Evander Reed including a pregnant woman, after a witness verbally confronted the defendant in front of the jury.

Marion County Superior Judge Chris Miller declared the mistrial Tuesday in the trial of Raymond Ronald Lee Childs III, who faces six counts of murder in the January 2021 slayings in an Indianapolis home.

Childs, 20, was arrested a day after the attack and accused of killing his father, stepmother, two teenage relatives, a woman nearly due to give birth, and her unborn son.

The mistrial came after a key witness in the case, Elanso Valez, testified that in the hours after the killings, he had picked up Childs and drove him around Indianapolis. He said Childs later covered his eyes and wept while laying on a bed at Valez’s home in Plainfield, just west of Indianapolis.

“Y’all remember that?” Valez asked Childs from the witness stand, WXIN-TV reported.

The defense and prosecution teams quickly sought to cut Valez off, and the judge tried to intercede from the bench, but Valez continued, asking: “Why did you do it, Raymond?”

RELATED COVERAGE Trump rally gunman looked online for information about Kennedy assassination, FBI director saysOfficers left post to go look for Trump rally gunman before shooting, state police boss saysRecords show deputy charged in Sonya Massey’s fatal shooting worked for 6 agencies in 4 years

The judge admonished Valez for his comments in front of the jurors and sent them from the courtroom so he could speak with attorneys and then each juror individually.

Miller then declared a mistrial, saying he’s “firmly convinced that Mr. Childs cannot get a fair trial.” He set a status conference for Monday with the attorneys.

The killings followed an argument over Childs, who was 17 at the time, staying out late, according to court records. Prosecutors said Childs methodically went from room-to-room, shooting the victims.

The attack killed Childs’ father, Raymond Childs Jr., 42; his stepmother, Kezzie Childs, 42; the couple’s daughter, Rita Childs, 13; son Elijah Childs, 18; and Elijah’s 19-year-old girlfriend Kiara Hawkins, who died at a hospital along with her unborn son.

Childs’ 15-year-old brother also was shot but survived after fleeing the house to escape the gunfire.

More:Invest

Recommend

Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear ready to campaign for Harris-Walz after losing out for spot on the ticket

FRANKFORT, Ky. (AP) — Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear signaled Wednesday he’s ready to campaign for the D

Watch this mom fight back tears when she sees all of her kids finally home after 9 years

As every parent of grown-up kids knows, there's nothing like having all your children together again

Manhunt continues for Joseph Couch, Kentucky man accused of I-75 shooting rampage

A manhunt continued on Tuesday for Joseph Couch, the Kentucky man suspected of opening fire on vehic