Man who killed 4 people over stimulus check dispute gets 145 years in prison

An Indianapolis man who killed four people, including a child, after a disagreement with his girlfriend over a coronavirus stimulus check was sentenced to 145 years in prison Friday.

The man, Malik Halfacre, 28, pleaded guilty in June to four counts of murder in the March 2021 shootings of Eve Moore, 7; Dequan Moore, 23; Anthony Johnson, 35; and Tomeeka Brown, 44, in Indianapolis. He also pleaded guilty to the attempted murder of Jeanettrius Moorethen his girlfriend, who police say was shot multiple times by Mr. Halfacre. The four people killed were relatives of Mrs. Moore.

According to court documents, Marion District Court Judge Jeffrey Marchal sentenced Mr. Halfacre to two consecutive 57-year prison terms for murder and a 31-year prison term for attempted murder.

On the night of March 13, 2021, police received a report of a shooting at a home in Indianapolis.

The victim was Mrs. Moore, who had fled to a neighbor’s house after being shot. Before being taken to the hospital, Mrs. Moore told police that there were multiple victims in her home. She told them that Mr. Halfacre had fled, taking their 6-month-old daughter with him.

Police eventually found the young girl at the home of Mr. Halfacre’s sister. They captured Mr. Halfacre the next day after an hours-long standoff at a friend’s house, where he was hiding.

Mr. Halfacre later told investigators that he and Ms. Moore had argued because he “wanted a piece of her stimulus check,” according to a probable cause statement.

Mr. Halfacre also admitted to shooting everyone in his girlfriend’s house, then stealing her purse and fleeing in her car with their daughter, the affidavit said. He told police he dropped their daughter off at his sister’s house.

As part of the plea deal in which Mr. Halfacre pleaded guilty, charges of armed robbery, grand theft auto and illegal possession of a firearm were dropped.