Court Watching: All three defendants end up pleading guilty to Egypt’s 2017 murder

Two of the men charged in connection with Egypt Covington’s 2017 murder pleaded guilty as their jury trial date neared.
The trial for Shandon R Groom, 30, and Timothy Eugene Moore, 37, both of Toledo was set to begin on July 24.
Instead, last week, both men pleaded guilty to second-degree murder. Moore also pleaded guilty to one count of felony firearm. Because of the pleas, charges of first-degree murder, felony murder, first-degree home invasion, and felony firearm were dismissed against the pair.
A third suspect, Shane Lamar Evans, 34, of Sumpter Township is currently in prison after pleading guilty to the same charge. He was sentenced to 15-25 years in May.
As part of his plea, Evans was going to testify against Groom and Moore at trial.
All three would have faced life in prison if convicted of the original charges. They have all been in the Wayne County Jail since their arrests in late 2020.
After the murder, Van Buren police began investigating, but Michigan State Police took over the investigation in August 2020. Evans and Moore were arrested in November 2020 and. Groom was taken into custody in December 2020.
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.
All three men were bound over for trial in 2021 after a preliminary exam before 34th District Court Judge Tina Brooks Green.
MSP said there was a fourth suspect, but the person was shot and killed after the crime.
Egypt was a 2007 graduate of Belleville High School and a popular local singer. She was employed as an account manager for beer and wine distributor Rave and had worked at Johnny’s on the Lake and Bayou Grill in Belleville.