True Crime All The Time - Egypt Covington

Episode Date: April 30, 2026

Egypt Covington was an aspiring singer who was murdered inside her home in Bellevue, Michigan. Initially, investigators looked into the people closest to Egypt. After the Michigan State Police took over the case, they discovered something astonishing about Egypt's killers.Join Mike and Gibby as they discuss Egypt Covington. Not one single person had an unkind word to say about Egypt. She didn't have a single enemy. So why was she killed? When police pieced together the evidence in this case, it turned out that Egypt's killers mistook her apartment for another, which led to her death.You can help support the show at patreon.com/truecrimeallthetimeVisit the show's website at truecrimeallthetime.com for contact, merchandise, and donation informationAn Emash Digital productionSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

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It's time to turn those what-ifs into with Shopify today. Sign up for your $1 per month trial today at Shopify.com slash teacat. Go to Shopify.com slash teacat. That's Shopify.com slash T-C-A-T-T. Hello, everyone, and welcome to episode 493. of the True Crime All the Time podcast. I'm Mike Ferguson. And with me as always is my partner in true crime, Mike Gibson, how are you?

Hey, I'm doing okay. How about you? I'm doing great, man. I am excited to get into another episode. Well, me too. All right, let's do it. We're talking about Egypt Covington. Egypt Covington was an aspiring singer who was murdered inside her home in Bellevue, Michigan.

Now, initially, investigators looked into the people closest to Egypt, as they always do. Sure. We know that. But after the Michigan State police took over the case, they discovered that the killers targeted her by mistake. We're going to get into it. Egypt Covington was born on July 19, 1989, in Detroit.

She grew up in Belleville, Michigan. She enjoyed practicing yoga, playing golf, and bow hunting. Really? But the thing she loved the most was singing. She dreamed of having. having a career in the music industry. You know, I enjoy singing and yoga at the same time. I can do that.

You know, I don't want to show off. I can do that one yoga. I don't know what that is. Are you sure you're not mixing up yoga with the Kama Sutra? I just want to make sure that was like some weird. I think you do the Kama Sutra with others or other. I think you can do yoga with others as well. I don't know.

But Egypt won Eastern Michigan's regional country. country idol. Oh, wow. Competition in 2014. And she once auditioned for the show, the voice. Okay. So, you know, big time. She must have been a pretty good singer.

She was described as the type of person who was the life of the party. Probably not something that would be said about either of us. No. We can party. We can. I don't know that we'd ever be the life of the party. More of a sit back in that corner. Just watch.

Egypt and her brother, Dwayne Turner, worked together as bartenders at Fraser's Pub in Ann Arbor. They were popular among customers and were known for their performances involving flaming bottles of alcohol. Oh, that's fun. Yeah. It was said that a lot of regulars came in just to see Egypt. So, you know,

kind of reminds me a little bit of that movie cocktail. Yeah. Remember that I'm with Tom Cruise, you know. That girl named Jordan? I don't remember the girl, but... Yeah, you just remember Tom? I don't even remember the movie that much other than they were...

He was doing a lot of bottle flipping. Yeah. I don't know if there was anything flaming, but he was flipping bottles. He did flip a lot of bottles, you know? Egypt's friend, Kyle Copick, told Fox to Detroit, it didn't matter if you knew her

for 10 years or 10 minutes. You wanted to be with her and to know and to be around her. She made everybody feel so good about themselves, and always had somebody's back. Oh, I love people like that. Yeah, I mean, we talk about a lot of different types of people. Yeah.

You know, in these episodes. You have some people that obviously do very bad things or not very nice. And then you have some people who, it just seems that they're universally loved by everyone who meets them, knows them. And I mean, that's really the vibe that you get here about Egypt. In 2017, 27-year-old Egypt was planning to start a new chapter with her boyfriend Curtis Meadows. Curtis said about Egypt, she had this amazing, canny talent of seeing you right into your heart. When you met Egypt, you walked away better, feeling better about your day and yourself.

And that is a special talent right there. Yeah. I mean, it is a talent. I think you're absolutely right. now some of it's just natural right but to be the type of person that people want to be around and for others to genuinely say that they feel better after having you know talk to you or whatever i mean that's just i don't even know what to say those are the type of people you want to be around yeah it's an amazing person yeah Egypt had recently gotten a job as a sales rep for

rave associates, a craft beer and wine distributor. She was still, though, pursuing her dream of being a singer. After five years of an on and off again relationship, Egypt and Curtis were fully committed and they had decided to move in together. That's a big decision. It is a big decision. You know, five years is a long time. But I always say it. I think there is, you know, the relationship when you live apart. And then there is the relationship where you're living under the same roof and you're with someone almost most of your day, except for when you're a work.

There's definitely things that you don't know about that person that happens why you are not with them that maybe, maybe not they would have issues with. I don't know. Well, you learn things about people when you, live with them. Yeah. There's, you know,

and sometimes you learn that there are some things that you, uh, you don't like. It's not okay with that. About that person. Like, like you said, Egypt first met Curtis when she was 20 and he was 28.

At first, the timing wasn't right for either of them. Curtis explained the daylight that he had a young daughter and he was working a nine to five job while Egypt worked late hours as a bartender and often got home when he was just kind of waking up to start his day. Yeah, those are rough hours to try to have a relationship in at the same time. Yeah, and especially to try to start one. Exactly. So I can understand why the timing wasn't right. Egypt was seen on the night of June 22nd, 2017. She attended a yoga class with a friend. She texted her stepmother about getting off the

family phone plan and texted her siblings about wanting a puppy and also a photo of her niece. I mean, who doesn't want a puppy? Puppies are awesome. Yeah. I like puppy breath. I mean, it just sounds like normal stuff, right? It does. Normal everyday type things.

On June 23rd, Egypt didn't respond to Curtis's usual good morning text. And normally he said, she always responded within 15, 20 minutes. Right. And so, you know, here's kind of the point that we always get to where, you know, when does someone start to worry? Now, I don't know that we're at that point just because you've gone past the 15, 20 minute mark. But obviously, we know it's going to get there. And looking back, this is the first kind of indicator. Do you text your wife, good morning, baby? Um, no. No. No. No. No. My wife gets up like four hours before I do. She's already up.

She already had her good morning by the time you wake up. And goes to bed like six hours before I do. So we have very different schedules. You probably don't want to rub it in when you say, good morning, baby. Yeah. And it's like, I've been up for four hours.

It's 10 o'clock. Yeah. Yeah, she wouldn't like that. She's getting ready to have lunch probably or whatever. So he said, Curtis did that he wasn't worried at first. But as the hours passed with no contact, he became concerned.

And so he decided to stop by Egypt's duplex afterward. He found her car in the driveway and the exterior door to the units open. Once inside, Egypt's apartment was on the left and her neighbor's apartment was on the right. Curtis walked in and was greeted by Egypt's dog, Ruby, who was trying to lead him somewhere. Yeah. He took a few more steps inside and found Egypt's body. on the living room floor. And, you know, we talk about dogs a lot.

Dogs are amazing for a variety of reasons. Yeah. You know, we talk about specialty dogs, cadaver dogs, drug sniffing dogs, but just regular everyday pets. Yeah. Loyal. They do stuff like this. You know, they know something is wrong with their mom.

Yeah. And as soon as they, or as soon as the dog sees Curtis, it'll like, hey, help, come here. Check this out. Yeah. So, I mean, it's heartbreaking all around. Obviously, we know that a young woman has lost her life. Yeah. Egypt had been shot in the back of the head.

Her hands were bound behind her back with Christmas lights. And as a boyfriend, a husband, a partner, I just. theme, I don't even know what you, I don't even know how you process the scene. Can't even fathom what he had to think at that moment. No. He was in shock. He ran outside to get his phone to call 911. Curtis said in his 911 call, I just showed up at my girlfriend's house. And I walked inside, she's there tied up. She's dead. There's blood around her head. She's dead. He could be heard sobbing as he waited for the police to arrive, officers from the Van Buren Township Police Department

responded to the call. The police confirmed Egypt was killed by one gunshot to the head. One of her couch cushions was pressed against her head to muffle the gunshot. Sounds almost like a hit. Yeah, or somebody who knows, I mean, I guess you don't have to know something about trying to lower the sound of a gunshot. I mean, movies, TV, we've all seen somebody use a pillow or, in this case, a couch cushion. But a lot of times when you think about, you know, one to the head, right? That is kind of a hit type mentality. Yeah.

Now you've got the cushion involved. I see how you could maybe make that connection. But hands tied behind the back with, you know. Christmas tree lights. Yeah. Seems like a strange thing to use, but that may have been the only thing that the person saw, you know, right away. Egypt's mother, Tina, recalled the devastation of learning that her daughter was dead.

She said, I just dropped. And all I can remember is screaming and crying, not my baby. And how could that happen? It was like, mommy wasn't there for you, you know. How could I have protected you? what could I have done better but to know that she was scared the death and she knew she was going to die just it just makes me feel like why that just breaks your heart yeah it really does egypt's father chuck cummington told ann arbor news at the time what was she thinking 30

seconds before what was she going through 30 seconds before 15 seconds before was she crying out for dad or mom. There's grief, but that's what brings up the anger. And that's again, you know, where I call out for anyone that knows anything to talk to the police because this entity, this animal, this pathetic son of a bitch, whoever could have done that, death isn't good enough for them. That doesn't bring her back. I mean, you think about this woman that everybody, she touched, right? Egypt, every person that she touched, was better for it. Yeah, they were better for having known her.

Yeah. And then somebody does this to her. So I think, you know, there's a couple of things here, right? As the police, you're thinking, number one, who has a problem with this woman who everybody seems to universally love? And then obviously, you know, you feel for the boyfriend, but you feel for the mom and dad. Oh, yeah. I mean, these comments that. they're making. What was she thinking 30 seconds before? I wasn't there to help my baby. I mean,

these are really tough, tough emotions that they're going through. How scared she had to be. Yeah. Three days after Egypt was killed, the Van Buren Township Police said the murder did not appear to be random. And she likely knew her killer. And I get it. They're making that assessment. And I think, you know, that there's a good chance it's not random because most murders aren't. There's a very high percentage of murders where the victim and the killer are known to each other. Investigators looked at those closest to Egypt, including Curtis Meadows. I mean, that's a given. They have to, right?

You always look at the boyfriend, the husband, the ex-husband, or the girlfriends. ex-wife, wife. Curtis was cooperative and passed up polygraph. He was eventually ruled out as a suspect. And, you know, I've made no secret of it. I'm not a huge fan of polygraph tests. No. But obviously, if you know you didn't do it and he felt comfortable taking the polygraph,

it's going to go a long way. And, you know, the police's mind of thinking, well, obviously he didn't have anything to do with it. Number one, he's cooperative and he's willing to take the polygraph. I think it's a good gauge, too. You know, I think during the test, they can ask questions that you are going to either confirm or deny. Are you telling me that's how a polygraph works?

There's questions? Just because you didn't know. Okay. Explain to the audience. You're doing it in front of the police, so now you have. have, if their story ever changes, you can say, well, we asked you these questions. You said, no, yes, whatever you said. And now you're contradicting yourself. Well, that's a great point, because we talk a lot of times about police kind of locking in people's stories. Yeah.

That's another way to do it. Sure it is. Right? Outside of just kind of inside the interrogation room, a polygraph does that as well. Chime is fee-free banking built for you. They are not like the stuffy traditional old banks. Charging you overdraft and monthly fees, Chime does things differently. They also have thousands of fee-free ATMs. Why in the world would you pay to get your own money? Chime is rated five stars by USA Today for customer service. They have real humans 24-7.

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It only takes a few minutes to sign up. Chime is a fintech, not a bank, banking services for MyPay, and Chime card provided by Chim's bank partners. For more information on APY rates, MyPay, spot me, and travel perks, go to chime.com slash disclosures. Optional products and services may have fees or charging. Police also questioned Egypt's ex-boyfriend, Kenny Mitchell. Five days before Egypt was killed, she and Kenny got into an art. argument at a local strawberry festival. Egypt's stepmother, Kristen, told Dayline that Egypt

planned to tell Kenny, who wasn't taking the breakup well, that she could no longer have him in her life because she had moved on with Curtis. I mean, good for her, right? I mean, that's what you should do when you're in a new relationship is, you know, in that old one. And be honest. And be honest. Like, hey, we had whatever we had. Good. No. you, but. Yeah, I don't know if, I don't know if that's the exact way I would word it. People may not take that. But to be fair to my new relationship, I got to let you go.

Yeah, I mean, I think that part's fair, but I'll see you when I see you or whatever you said, it's a little. I'll see you when I see you. But police also noted that Kenny failed a polygraph test. Kenny told police and a PI hired by Egypt's family that on the night of the murder, he was bar hopping with friends. He returned home alone and streamed shows on his phone. Kenny also said he handed over his phone to authorities to confirm his alibi.

He denied harming Egypt and said she was like family to him. And okay, you know, when you fail the polygraph. Yeah. It's not good. No. Doesn't help you. Also, you know, this alibi when you're home alone. Now, is your phone going to be able to confirm that shows were streaming?

Okay, maybe, maybe they can, you know, figure that out from your account or whatever, but you're also going to need to know exactly where that phone was and there's going to be some more components to it. I mean, it doesn't sound like it's a solid, solid alibi. No, no, I mean, even if the phone was there and it somehow showed that you stream Netflix all night. Yeah. Well, how do we know you were there? Exactly. We just know your phone was there. Maybe the phone was just on and doing its thing. Now, Egypt's family was divided by suspicion. In March 2018, the Van Buren Township Police named Kenny as a person of interest. They noted that he was not a suspect. Police had interviewed him in the past, but we're hoping he would return to speak with him about the circumstances surrounding Egypt's death.

And I don't know how he couldn't be a person of. interest. He's the ex. Right. He apparently didn't take the breakup all that well. And he fell to polygraph. And his alibi is not rock solid. Yeah, it's not rock solid. Egypt's mother, Tina, was convinced Kenny was not involved and publicly stood by him. Wow. Okay. So that's a big deal. It is. But Egypt's father, Chuck, supported the direction that the police were taking. Yeah. So there's the division. Got a little, uh, uh, uh, dis-disagre. agreement and the family members. Yep.

And tensions between the family and investigators rose when Lindsay Brink, the girlfriend of Egypt's brother, Dwayne, launched her own investigation. She questioned suspects, asked police-type questions, and called for the Michigan State police to take over the case. Well, that's definitely going to call some ripples. Yeah, it's going to ruffle the feathers, right, of local authorities. and, you know, we talked about it in a recent case where, you know, the family decided to launch their own investigation.

That one did not work out well, but I don't think it's unusual, especially if the family, and I think this happens quite a bit, is not 100% sure that police are doing everything they should be doing. Yeah, I mean, it's going to have an impact on the ego of the investigators of the current case, right? I mean, you're basically saying, you know, we appreciate what you're doing, but we don't think you're qualified. You're messing it up or you're not getting the results quick enough or whatever it is. It's like being put on the bench.

Yeah. And I think it's going to strain the relationship. And it often does. Lindsay began copying top Michigan state police officials and all her email correspondence about the case. She also started an online petition and organized a public protest. So she kind of did more than just kind of question the police and how well they were doing. I mean, she was really railing against them. Yeah, she didn't put a flashlight on it.

She put a spotlight on it. Although she never knew Egypt personally, she took on this mission, according to her, because of the man that I love so dearly, Dwayne. And that's why I wanted him and her family to find justice, which, okay. Yeah. Obviously, she was newer to the family because she didn't even know Egypt. In June 2020, Egypt's family held a rally on the third anniversary of her murder asking for the Michigan State Police to take over the investigation. Her family wanted to send the message that they would not stop applying pressure to the Van Buren Township Police.

Now, you get three years on. I can imagine the family's frustration is grown. to maybe it's breaking point by that time. I mean, sometimes you need some fresh eyes coming in to look at stuff. Yeah, it doesn't hurt. No. But as we've often talked about, you know, people, some departments, they really want to hold on. Sure.

They don't want to let other people help. Sometimes departments turn down the help of the FBI. They do, yeah. Which I always think is strange because the FBI has incredible. resources and the amount of experience. Yeah. Yeah. And I think a lot of times it is ego, right? We can solve this ourselves.

We don't need any outside help. Egypt's brother, Dwayne, told Fox 2 Detroit. We're not against authority. We are against injustice. Lindsay's efforts paid off in August 2020 when the Michigan State police took over the case. The MSP ruled Kenny Michalach out as a suspect. and soon found evidence that pointed in a new direction. They conducted a geofence search that identified phones in the area at the time of the murder.

And that's fascinating technology. And you immediately would say, why didn't the township police do that at that time? Probably because they didn't have the resources or the technology. Yeah, and there's the difference between sometimes going with a more... A bigger out there? Yeah, I mean, obviously the state police are going to have more resources than a local township police department, just like the FBI is going to have more resources than all of them. But I still don't understand it. Why some departments are so hesitant to either ask or even accept help when it's offered.

I think you're always better off working together. But this geofence search, right? You're not looking at one person's phone records to see where they are. You're looking for any phone in the area. Yeah. That's amazing. It's going to give you a pool of phones and you can figure out what you want to do with it from there. Detective James Plummer determined that one of those phones was in Egypt's house.

At the time, police believed she was killed. The phone was linked to Shandon Grum. an Ohio man with no obvious connection to Egypt. Surveillance footage showed groom's blue truck pulling into a convenience store near her duplex around the time of the murder. So, you know, you can say what you want about the family, you know, should they have railed so hard against the local police department. You can say what you want about the local police department.

But there's no denying the fact that the state police kind of, broke this thing once they got their hands on it. Yeah. Seems like it didn't take them very long. No. So, I mean, that part is kind of undeniable. According to NBC, while geo-fencing is a useful tool for law enforcement, its future is uncertain. You know, it allows law enforcement to gather anonymous location data for anyone whose location history is turned on and is in a designated area during a designated time. according to Google, this setting is off by default.

I mean, look, is it a perfect tool? No, but it's a tool. Yeah. Right? It's a tool that if you can access that information, it may or may not help at all. But in this case, it seems like it might be helping. Well, it's one of those tools where you can't exclude people. Yeah.

Because if the killer had their location turned off, they wouldn't show up. So just because your phone wasn't there, you can't exclude somebody, but it could help identify an individual. And it seems like that's kind of what it did here. Investigators use the data to identify and track of potential suspects, movements, in or around a crime scene. Google is the main recipient of most geoffence wants. In December 2023, Google announced that throughout 2024, changes. would be introduced so users location data is unavailable to Google. They probably got tired of getting all those warrants.

Or people thought it was an invasion of privacy. I mean, there are a lot of things that people think are an invasion of privacy. I don't like the fact that I search for something on Google and then the next time I go on YouTube, the very first ad I see is exactly what I just searched for. Just sitting here if we talked about something. with our phones here. Yeah. You'd go in and you see it.

But, you know, talking about, you know, the, this geo. Fencing here. I mean, you see when you pull up something and it says, do you want to use this app only when the app is open all the time, sometimes. Never. Never. Yeah. I mean, when you say when the app is open or all the time, you're allowing this to happen.

Well, there's pros and cons, right? I like the fact that I can track my, my girls and see where they are at any point. Sure. at any point, especially if they're out going somewhere at night or they're going, you know, out to the bar. I still don't understand that. Yeah. That's why I put you on my cell phone plan.

So I know exactly where you are at all times. I do like that because it doesn't cost me. I know. That's how I know how ready I have to be. Do I have five minutes notice or 30 minutes notice of, uh, of givey being able to be in my perimeter. Yeah. Google reported that.

received the first request for geo-fence data in 2016. By 2020, they had more than 11,000 requests. Wow. Google insisted that authorities obtain a warrant if they wanted the data, and the company developed a multi-step process for investigators to follow. So it might be exactly what you said. It just became too much at some point. According to Adam Scott Want, an official associate professor of criminal justice interviewed by NBC. The geofencing technique offers details similar to a cell tower ping. The difference is that Google's data, which users previously agreed to provide, when they agreed to conditions of using the company's services, appeared more accurate.

And that's very interesting. Yes, it is. That information was stored on a massive data. database that was searchable and accessible to law enforcement. According to court records that described the warrant process, the process begins with anonymized data and may end up with a suspect identification. In Egypt's case, a Van Buren Township detective obtained data from a geo-fence warrant in 2020, but the agency discounted because it came from a phone that didn't belong to a person of

interest. Oh. So that kind of debunks our theory. Yeah. Right? Because they did have the technology. They were able to to get it. They just didn't put any stock into it because it didn't fit the people they were looking at. Yeah. Yeah. And that's the exact problem with tunnel vision, right? You'd have to call that tunnel vision because instead of letting the evidence lead you to a conclusion, you're trying to find evidence to fit the people you think did it. Right. You can't think that way. No, that's the wrong way to do it.

According to Detective James Plummer, they had it and they just never looked into it because they were so focused on the wrong person. Yeah, like you said, Tunnel Vision. Because geofence warrants require considerable manpower and analysis, they're often reserved for serious crimes. And obviously this is a very serious crime. For example, detectives investigating the Idaho college murders. relied on a similar technique.

Yeah, as we talked about when we did that case, I don't know, a month, two months ago, yeah, it's been a while ago. Yeah. Civil liberties advocates described geoffence warrants as dangerous and unconstitutional, unfairly casting everyone within the geofence as potential criminals. And I could see that. I could understand how, you know, a lot of people would say,

you know, this is an invasion of privacy. Yeah. I didn't do anything wrong, but because I was in the area of the geo fence, my name is now coming up as part of a murder investigation. Cast this net pulled me in and I don't like it. Yeah. And my legal, legal side of me says I don't like it either. Yeah, I wouldn't myself. Chris Marlowe, senior policy council with the ACLU added that this umbrella of criminal suspicion is especially dangling. if the potential suspect is a person of color. In 2024, a Google spokesperson said the company has tried to protect user privacy while supporting the work of law enforcement.

They said, we examine each demand for legal validity consistent with developing case law, and we routinely push back against overbroad and otherwise inappropriate demands for user data, including objecting to some demands entirely. And, you know, to me, these things are very interesting. You know, technology becomes available. And often it's used in a certain way that really works. But then the issue of privacy gets brought up. And a lot of times it changes.

You know, you think about like the genetic, genealogy stuff. You know, there for a while, law enforcement was pulling stuff off all kinds of sites. Oh, they were. Yeah. Yeah. But, you know, people brought up the fact that, hey, I didn't put my stuff on ancestry for you to look through for potential crime.

So some changes had to be made. And I think it's the same type of deal here in California and Virginia where geoffense data was used to make an arrest in two cases and appeal. an appeals court and a federal judge found that the technique violated the Fourth Amendment. And we mentioned it, right? In December of 2023, Google announced an overhaul to its location history policy that will move user data from the sensor vault, which is kind of their internal company database, to the user's phone. So under the new rules, if a user wants to save their location history to the cloud, will automatically encrypt your backed up data so no one can read it, including Google.

Yeah. So it's protected. Yeah. This ended Google's ability to respond to requests for location history data. I'm just thinking the amount of resources they would have to have at a company to respond to things like that. You'd have to have a staff of a few attorneys, you know? Oh. And, you know, obviously a lot of people just to do the searching.

and all that. But I think, you know, it was that plus coupled with the, I'm sure, users crying foul, right, about invasion of privacy. You've got a few legal opinions that are kind of saying the same thing. I can kind of understand why they went that way. In addition to geofencing data, authorities also relied on forensic evidence in this case. Back in 2017, authorities pulled three genetic profiting. from the Christmas lights used to bind Egypt's hands.

One profile belonged to Egypt, but the other two came from unknown sources. The samples weren't strong enough to create a complete DNA profile to run through the CODIS database in 2017. But by 2020, there had been advances. Yeah, as we know. That allowed the development of a more complete profile. And you know, you think two, three years, that's not that long. It goes by pretty quickly. Two or three years in the world of DNA advancements. Oh my gosh. That's like, you know, what did they, I think maybe they still say it, but computers get more powerful. They like double every so many years. They've said that for ever since computers came out. And I think it's pretty true. I think something similar happens with,

with DNA. It's like every year there are advancements that allow them to do more than they could before with DNA. Yeah. And you think about, okay, so what's that mean? Where are we going to be at? Five years from now. Yeah.

Ten years from now. Wow. It'd be like minority report. There's going to be one of those red balls that comes out that tells you a murder is about to happen. I don't know if we'll ever get to that point. You know, folks, it's summertime and that changes how I get dressed. You know, I want pieces that are breathable,

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quince.com slash T-Cat for free shipping on your order and 360.6.com.com.com. day returns, now available in Canada, too. That's QI-N-C-E.com slash T-C-A-T for free shipping and 365-day returns, quince.com slash T-Cat. Now, one of the samples matched Tim Moore, an Ohio man with a criminal record who knew Shandon and Groome. Moore's cell phone data showed that on the night of the murder, he and Groom stopped at the home of Shane Evans, Moore's half-brother.

On November 5th, 2020, the Michigan State Police announced to arrest, but they didn't identify the suspects at the time. Tim Moore was identified as the first suspect later that month after his arraignment. The second suspect, Shane Evans, was identified after his arraignment on December 18. And then on December 31st, Shandongue was identified as the third suspect. I mean, the family has to be really happy. Yeah, happy that they're close to getting justice. Yeah. Right?

For Egypt. Groom was charged with first degree murder, felony murder, first degree home invasion, and three counts of felony firearm. Timothy Moore was charged with first degree murder, felony murder, first degree home invasion, possessing a firearm as a felon, and four counts of using a firearm. firearm in the commission of a felony. Shane Evans was also charged with felony murder and first degree home invasion. So I thought it was interesting that, you know, Shandon Groom kind of seemed to be the first

person that police locked in on. Yeah. With the geo-fencing information, but he was actually the third person arrested. There were two people identified before he was. Yeah. And then a fourth person was arrested. That individual was later fatally shot in Toledo, Ohio. They were never identified by the media in connection with Egypt's murder.

You know, you think about these three guys that they probably thought, man, we're good. We're not going to be caught. Yeah, because it's years later. Yeah. Now all of a sudden, knock knock on your door. And I always think about that, right? when you've committed a heinous murder, what, what's it like? Are you always looking over your shoulder? Do you have that feeling that it's just a matter of time? Yeah. Or does every knock on the

door kind of spook you and think, where you think, well, this could be the police? I don't know. Maybe for some people, other people just don't think about it. Right. Because they didn't think about the murder in the first place, probably. Investigators learned that Shane Evans lived down the street from Egypt. and worked for the company that cut her lawn. He had been cutting the grass outside the duplex the day before the murder. Evans was hanging out with Moor and Groom in June 2017, when they decided they wanted to steal marijuana from Egypt's neighbor. Evans knew that the residents who lived on that side of the duplex

had a business growing medical marijuana in that they were headed out of town for a music festival. Before she was killed, Egypt was concerned. about the clientele that the business attracted, and she was planning on moving. Evans confessed that he agreed to drive down the street and point to the duplex so that more and groom who were following him in their truck could rob the home

while the neighbors were away. Evan said he didn't want to participate in the crime. He said in his interview, I put my hand out the window and I pointed, that's the right house, the right house, and I kept going. He also claimed he explained which door they needed to enter. Investigators determined that Moore and Groom mistakenly went to the left side of the duplex, where Egypt lived not the right side.

They found Egypt watching a movie. They tied her up and shot her. They could have left her alive and gone through with the robbery. But according to Dayline, Moore was on parole for a crime in which a female witness identified him. he didn't want to leave another witness behind. So he killed her. And we've heard that about killers. You know,

they started killing after, let's say, they had a history of sexual assault or robbery or whatever was, and they were identified by somebody. And they later came out and said that the reason they started killing is because they didn't want to take that chance. Yeah. of being identified again. Moore later texted Evans, wrong door.

Evans didn't remember replying and claimed he found out about Egypt's death when he saw the news. He told the police, more was like, do you want to know what happened? And I said, nope, I don't ever want to know what happened. In March 2021, a judge bound the three defendants over for trial. Prosecutors presented cell phone and GPS records, the place, all three men at the crime scene. They also stole Egypt's cell phone, which pinged to the same locations as their phones before they threw it away. It's not the smartest individual. No, we're not talking about criminal masterminds. Now, they were criminals, but they weren't all

that smart about it. According to court testimony, Egypt was friends with the person who lived on the other side and would often leave the interior door open so they could go back and forth. Her neighbor kept marijuana in his home, was a licensed caregiver, and had talked about this on local programs, his home had been burglarized prior to the murder and marijuana had been stolen. So not uncommon. No, and I guess if you're going to go on a local show and advertise the fact that you grow marijuana in your home, you might be setting yourself up for a burglary or, or, you know, you know, you might be setting yourself up. for a burglary or even worse.

In the past, Egypt and her neighbor had attended a musical festival each June. The neighbor went to the festival in June 2017, but Egypt chose not to go because of her new job. The prosecution also noted that Tim Moore's DNA was found at the crime scene. Now, his defense attorney argued that there was insufficient evidence, and police failed to thoroughly investigate. she noted that Moore was in a car crash 10 days prior to the incident, which made him incapable of committing the crime within the four to five minute window offered by investigators.

I mean, that's what their theory is. Yeah, I mean, again, is that proven medically or is that just something the defense is trying to throw out there? Defense attorney Christina Joseph said is quoted by Ann Arbor News, the prosecution is saying a person with broken ribs who had a neck brace from a very serious accident 10 days before was able to remove Christmas lights from a curtain rod, figure out where to go in the home, tie an individual up, find a cushion, shoot the person, and get out of the home in four to five minutes. The timeline is too tight. I don't know if I agree with that. Yeah, I don't know. I mean, I think you can make the argument.

You know, four to five minutes is not a lot of time. No, but it could be enough time to do all that. Yeah, I don't know that it couldn't be done. I would say it's tight, though. Prosecutor Victoria Shackleford countered the argument that a crime like this can't happen in four to five minutes. It's too brief of a time. I'm certain Egypt Covington would have disagreed with that. Yeah.

I'm certain those four to five minutes of her life felt like in eternity. And I think it's a good comeback, right, by the prosecution. On April 7, 2002, Shane Evans pleaded guilty to second degree murder. As part of his plea, he agreed to testify against groom and more at their upcoming trial. There you go. And you talk about it all the time, right? Who's the first person who's going to make a deal?

That person is usually going to come out smelling like a roach. Absolutely. They're going to get the most favorable. treatment. Now, they're going to be required to testify against another person or other people, however many people are involved in the crime, but they're going to get a better deal. Yeah, I mean, the loyalty during something like this doesn't pan out, you know, doesn't, no. This is not back in the early days of the mafia where no one ever spoke, you know, it's, I think for these people, a lot of times it's, how do I, how do I come?

cover my own ass. Yes. And if that means I got to rat other people out, that's what I got to do because I'm not spending the rest of my life in jail. No. I don't blame them at all. Now, I do blame them for what they did for the crime. I don't blame them for cutting a deal because that's in their best interest. It's also in the best interest, though, of the prosecution, because now you have this testimony against the other two. It's just going to be. It's just going to make your case that much more solid. And you have to think that the prosecution's probably talking to each and every one of them and whoever says, I'll do it, you know, wins.

I mean, you really have to react pretty quickly. If you're going to sit back on something like that, you're probably going to lose out. Yeah, I think, though, that Evans was the best person to go after because he really, pointed he didn't go in yeah and so yeah he he's not going to get off scot free what he did is punishable and he should be punished but the other two people they you know played a much more egregious role in the murder yeah so they're they're gonna want to go after them you know as much as they can so they're going to cut evans a a better deal No doubt about it. On May 4th,

2023, Shane Evans received a 15 to 25 year prison sentence. Although Shane said he didn't want to participate in the crime, Egypt's father, Chuck Covington, said it sentencing per Fox to Detroit. He struck the match, which led to the fire that extinguished her. That's a perfect way to say that. It is.

You know, there is something to be said about pulling the trigger or striking the fatal blow being in the apartment, tying up, being a part of all that. But there's also something to be said for the person who is kind of the instigator. Yeah. Or the, I don't know if he was the mastermind.

But I think he was at the very least the instigator. I mean, it's kind of like when someone hired a hitman, right? I mean, you didn't actually perform the murder, but you initiated it. Well, I think you can make the argument that maybe it doesn't happen. Right.

If not for you. I think that's a perfect statement there. Chuck also pointed out that Evans didn't come forward on his own. He said year after year, he did nothing. He's shown that he cannot and should not be a part of society. That's a good point. He knew what happened, but chose not to ever say anything. Yeah.

So, you know, yeah, he's, I don't even know if you call it doing the right thing now. He's, he's doing something that's in his best interest. That's why he's doing it. That's why he's doing it. It's the only reason that he's testifying against him. I think Chuck's absolutely right. The guy didn't come forward and just say, hey, I know what happened. I'm going to tell you he was caught.

Yeah. And then he, you know, he copped the deal, plain and simple. Evans briefly addressed the court saying, I'm truly sorry from the deepest part of my heart. And again, I don't know if that means a hill of beans to the family. I really don't. This point in the process,

I don't think it would. I don't think it does because, first of all, you probably don't believe them. No. And then secondly, you're just like, I don't care.

I mean, your words aren't doing anything for me. It's not bringing Egypt back. It's not, it's just, what it is, I guess. On July 14th, 2023, Shandong, and Timothy Moore pleaded guilty to second degree murder

days before their trial was set to begin. Egypt's family said avoiding the trial was a relief. I think for a lot of families it is. You don't want to have to hear all of the details that the prosecution is going to lay, they have to lay it all out to. And they have to lay it out in detail. And if you're in that courtroom, you got to hear it all. You don't want to hear how your daughter suffered again and again and again. And see the pictures and whatever else that they're going to have to show to the jury.

Her brother, Dwayne, told Fox to Detroit, we already saw them face to face. So that checkmark's done. We don't need to sit and look through all the photos and all the evidence, things like that. On October 4th, 2003, Groom was sentenced to 17 to 26 years. Moore received 20 to 55 years. And I'll be honest with you, I think those two are a little light. That's what I was thinking, you know, it seems like groom didn't really get that bad of a sentence compared to Evans. Yeah, that's what I was thinking as well. Now, if Moore did the entire 55 years, okay.

Yeah. But if he gets out in 20, I could see where the family would have a real issue with that. Yeah, I'm not. issue. I'm not happy at all with those two. Now, the sentencing was briefly interrupted when Moore said he felt forced into pleading when he shouldn't have. After a short recess, Moore and his attorney said his concerns were with alleged untrue statements. His co-defendants made about the crime. The judge told him he could withdraw his plea and go to trial, but he declined. And, you know, to be honest, we think those are light, but those are plea deals.

That is true. So, you know, you are getting a secure conviction. Yeah. There's not going to be any chance for appeals, which is a big deal. Sure. But it also means you're probably not going to get the same length of sentence that you would have if they were found guilty. It's true. And clearly the family was okay with it.

Yeah. I imagine normally in those situations, the prosecutor does reach out to the family. not always. We've heard where they didn't. Oh, that's true. And the family was upset about it. But I would say more times than not, they're in communication with the family. Yeah. And we already heard that the family was glad to not have to go through or sit through the whole trial.

Anyway. So as we wrap this one up, you know, Egypt Covington, we talked about her in such glowing terms. Yeah. I mean, everybody had nothing but just unbelievable, wonderful. wonderful things to say about her. She was looking forward to moving in with her boyfriend, starting a new job. She still had those dreams of becoming a singer.

Her life was cut short far too soon by these three men, Shane Evans, Timothy Moore and Shannon Groom. And go back to Evans, right? He is the one that kind of, to set the whole burglary thing into motion. Now, Moore and groom kind of made the fatal mistake when they entered the wrong apartment and shot and killed a very innocent woman. And she was a truly

innocent victim who thought that, you know, she was safe in her home. That's something that I think about a lot. You know, people killed inside their home. You know, we all kind of think that home is like safety. It's a safe haven. It is. It's the place where you should be the safest. Unfortunately, a lot of the stories that we do kind of prove that that's not always the case. And all this for marijuana. I mean, it's like how much marijuana could he have had there that they might have got their hands on. Is there any amount that it would justify killing somebody over? No. Well, then I think the prosecutor said it correctly as well. They could have just left. Yeah, exactly. Well, wrong place. Don't have it. Bye. But I think, you know, more felt that he would rather kill this woman.

Yeah. Then risk the chance that she could possibly identify him. And that's just, Man, I don't get it. I don't understand it. Yeah, that's unfortunate. You know, obviously, you know, Egypt was an amazing woman and had a, I mean, the future was, could have been anything. Yeah. It was bright for her. And, you know, you think about all the people that she touched while she was alive.

Think about all the people that didn't get to experience that because she died. Right. you know, extrapolate that out over the next 60, 70 years, however long she lived, she would have touched the lives of a lot more people. And that's a really sad aspect of it as well. All because some guys wanted some pot, man. Yeah. But that's it for our episode on Egypt Covington and another episode of true crime all the time. So for Mike and Gabi, stay safe and keep your own time ticking.