Man sentenced for killing 4 people, including young girl, during fight over stimulus check

INDIANAPOLIS (TCN) -- A judge sentenced a 28-year-old man to almost 150 years in prison for fatally shooting four people amid a disagreement with his child’s mother about a stimulus check.

Court records show Malik Halfacre was ordered to spend 145 years behind bars after he pleaded guilty in June to two counts of murder and one count of attempted murder. He got 57 years for both murder charges and 31 for attempted murder, all of which will be served consecutively.

On March 13, 2021, at 9:45 p.m., Indianapolis Metro Police Department officers were called to a house on Randolph Street for a person shot. When they got to the address, they located a female suffering from apparent gunshot wounds. They received information about additional victims, so they went to a neighboring home and found four people deceased. They were identified as 23-year-old Daquan Moore, 44-year-old Tomeeka Brown, 35-year-old Anthony Johnson, and 7-year-old Eve Moore.

The victim who survived the shooting was the mother of Halfacre’s child, Jeanettrius Moore. All of the deceased victims were Jeanettrius Moore’s relatives, including her daughter.

Following the shooting, Halfacre abducted his and Jeanettrius Moore's 6-month-old daughter and stole her money. The child was found unharmed at a family member’s house the next day. Halfacre, however, was not there. Investigators tracked him to a home where he engaged in a lengthy standoff with SWAT officers. A SWAT team located him in the attic, and he was taken into custody.

According to the probable cause affidavit cited by the Indianapolis Star, Jeanettrius Moore got a restraining order against Halfacre in 2020 due to previous domestic incidents and other violence. Halfacre reportedly told police he and Moore "were arguing because he wanted some of her stimulus check," then he opened fire on everyone in the home.

WXIN-TV reports Marion County Prosecutor Ryan Mears said at the sentencing, "We are thankful for the dignity, grace, and patience the family and the survivor have shown throughout such an unimaginably difficult process. The defendant will spend the rest of his life in prison and this resolution provides finality to the criminal matter as our community continues to heal from this horrific tragedy."

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