5 charged in connection with shooting of Indiana judge, including man facing trial in his court: Court docs
Five people have been charged in connection with the shooting of an Indiana judge and his wife at their home -- including a man who was about to go to trial in a case overseen by the judge involving a series of violent felonies, according to court filings.
Tippecanoe County Judge Steven Meyer and his wife, Kimberly Meyer, were both injured in the shooting on Sunday at their home in Lafayette, in what prosecutors allege was an attempt to murder the judge in a "concerted effort" to delay the trial. The gunman fired multiple shots through their closed front door while the couple was inside, according to the probable cause affidavit.
Following an "extensive investigation," five people were taken into custody in connection with the shooting, police in Lafayette said Thursday. Three of the suspects -- Thomas Moss, Raylen Ferguson and Blake Smith -- have been charged with attempted murder and conspiracy to commit murder, among other charges, according to court records.
Moss, 43, of Lafayette, was set to go on trial in a case overseen by Judge Meyer that stemmed from 2024 charges including unlawful possession of a firearm by a violent felon, shooting into a building and domestic battery with a deadly weapon, according to court records.
The shooting occurred two days before jury selection was slated to begin in Moss' case, according to the affidavit. The trial had been pushed back several times, and the judge had also recently denied Moss' attempt to further postpone it, according to court records.
Moss, Ferguson and Smith are accused of taking matters into their own hands in a "concerted effort to impede the proceedings of Moss's jury trial," prosecutors allege in the charging document.
Surveillance footage from the Meyers' home showed a man in a face mask knock on their door prior to the shooting, according to the affidavit. The man told the Meyers he was looking for his dog, and when Judge Meyer said they didn't have the dog, "gunshots were discharged from the porch through the door," the affidavit stated.
Investigators subsequently identified the alleged shooter as Ferguson, 38, of Lexington, Kentucky, according to the affidavit. The firearm used in the shooting was allegedly purchased by Smith, 32, of Lafayette, in early January, according to the affidavit.
Two days before the shooting, the Meyers reported a "suspicious incident" in which a man knocked at their door and said he had a food delivery, according to the affidavit. The judge told the man he had the wrong address and did not open the door, it said. The man "knocked on the door with the same distinct pattern/cadence as Ferguson when he approached the residence immediately before the shooting," the affidavit stated.
Moss is alleged to be affiliated with the same gangs as Ferguson and Smith, according to the affidavit. Moss and Smith are both allegedly associated with an "outlaws" motorcycle club, the Phantom Motorcycle Club, while Moss and Ferguson both have alleged ties to the Vice Lord criminal gang organization, according to the affidavit.
"There is no known nexus between Ferguson, Judge Meyer, and Kimberly Meyer, and no known nexus between Smith, Judge Meyer, and Kimberly Meyer, other than their associations and gang affiliations with Moss," the affidavit stated.
Two women have also been charged in connection with the shooting.
Zenada Greer, 61, who lives at the same address as Ferguson in Lexington, is accused of helping him travel to Lafayette around the time of the shooting, according to the charging document.
Amanda Milsap, 45, of Lafayette, is accused of trying to bribe the alleged victim in Moss' case weeks before the trial was set to start, according to the affidavit. Milsap allegedly informed the woman that Moss and the Vice Lords wanted to pay $10,000 in exchange for her "agreeing not to testify in Moss’s upcoming jury trial," the affidavit stated. The woman "did not entertain the offer," it noted.
The woman contacted police after learning that the suspect in the shooting of the Meyers may have worn a mask and reported a "suspicious incident" that occurred at her home days before Moss' trial was set to start, according to the affidavit.
Someone "wearing a mask, breathing heavily, and with a wobbly walk approached her residence and knocked on the door," the alleged victim said, according to the affidavit. The person left when no one answered the door, the affidavit stated.
Surveillance footage from the alleged victim's home showed someone wearing a mask and with a "distinct walk/gait" that was "consistent" with that of the person coming to Meyers' door days later, according to the affidavit.
The five people charged in the Meyers' shooting will now have to go before another judge as their case moves forward. An order appointing a special judge is expected Monday, according to Indiana Chief Justice Loretta Rush.
Online court records did not list attorney information for the defendants.
Moss' trial has been postponed, and a hearing was scheduled on Friday to reschedule it, court records show. His attorneys in that case said the firm is not representing Moss on the new charges stemming from the shooting at this time and declined comment on the allegations.
"High-profile cases demand restraint, not commentary," one of the attorneys, Chris Eskew, said in a statement. "Our responsibility is not to litigate in the media, but to ensure our client's constitutional rights are protected and that the legal process unfolds as it should -- in a courtroom, not in headlines."
Following the arrests, Judge Meyer said in a statement shared through the Indiana Judicial Branch, "We are extremely grateful for the perseverance of law enforcement and the continued community support. We will not be making public statements about the case since it is important to let the judicial process move forward."
