Family of Egypt Covington relieved after suspects plead guilty to her murder

VAN BUREN TOWNSHIP, Mich. (FOX 2) - All three of the people suspected in the death of a Van Buren Township woman have pled guilty to second-degree homicide.

Michigan State Police, who took over the case in 2020 after local police investigated the death of Egypt Covington, say Timothy Moore and Shandon Groom of Toledo, Ohio, and Shane Evans of Sumpter Township had all pled guilty.

"The investigation has revealed that there are no other living persons that are responsible for her death," state police wrote on Twitter Thursday evening.

Evans had already pled guilty to Covington's murder and had felony murder and first-degree home invasion dismissed as a result. He was previously expected to be sentenced May 4 and was scheduled to testify during a trial involving the other two defendants.

Groom pled guilty last Friday while Moore pled guilty on Thursday.

Police also said that a fourth individual who was suspected of being involved in the case had been shot and killed in a separate incident in Toledo.

Family spoke to FOX 2 after the guilty pleas, with Covington's sister-in-law calling it "surreal."

"There are so many emotions," she said over Facetime. It was also a relief to her brother.

"We already saw them face to face so the that check marks done," said D'Wayne Turner. "We don't need to sit and look through all the photos and all the evidence, things like that."

MORE: 'She had the voice of an angel' - Covington's remembered after murder

The three men allegedly tried robbing a house that Evans believed had marijuana inside it. According to court testimony from Evans, he had pointed out the home that he and the two others had intended to burglarize. 

Moore and Groom reportedly entered the wrong home and broke into a home where Covington was watching a movie at the time. She was reportedly tied up before being murdered.

Egypt Covington’s accused killers targeted wrong house, meant to steal marijuana from neighbor

Van Buren police initially investigated the crime, but were unable to locate any suspects when the murder happened in 2017. After state police took over in 2020, the three men were taken into custody months later.

Cell phone records and GPS locations were used to place Evans, Moore, and Groom at the scene of the crime.

Prosecutors said the men also stole Covington’s cell phone, which pinged to the same location as their phones before they threw it away.