Raymond Childs III: Indianapolis man will be convicted in 2021 in the deaths of five people, including a pregnant woman

CNN
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An Indianapolis man was convicted of murder on Friday shooting dead of five people, including family members and a pregnant woman who was about to give birth, prosecutors said.

A jury deliberated for about three hours before finding Raymond Childs III guilty of six counts of murder, the Marion County Prosecutor’s Office said. Childs was also convicted of attempted murder and carrying a pistol without a permit.

His conviction after a five-day trial came months after one judge declared a mistrial in his first trial after a witness verbally confronted Childs in front of the jury.

Childs, 21, was arrested a day after the arrest Recording January 2021 at a home in Indianapolis. The attack killed Childs’ father, Raymond Childs Jr., 42; his stepmother, Kezzie Childs, 42; the couple’s daughter, Rita Childs, 13; son Elijah Childs, 18; and Elijah’s 19-year-old girlfriend, Kiara Hawkins, who died in a hospital with her unborn son.

The killings followed an argument over Childs, who was 17 at the time, which the court heard went out late. Prosecutors said Childs methodically went from room to room and shot the victims.

Childs’ 15-year-old brother was also shot but survived after fleeing the house to escape the gunfire.

Prosecutor Ryan Mears said in a statement Friday that “what happened in that home is as unfathomable today as it is in 2021.” He said the verdict “provided justice for the victims of this heinous crime.”

“It has been an incredibly difficult journey for the family and friends of the six people we have tragically lost,” Mears said. “I am proud of our trial team, law enforcement and witnesses, whose dedication to our victims did not waver in the face of adversity.”

The child’s sentencing was set for January 7. He faces a prison term of 40 to 65 years for each murder count, 20 to 40 years for the attempted murder charge and one to six years for the handgun charge.

A telephone message left Friday for Childs’ attorney seeking comment was not immediately returned.