Egypt Covington, a 27-year-old aspiring singer from Michigan, was on the cusp of a new chapter in her life when tragedy struck. She was found dead in her Belleville home, the victim of a senseless act of violence. This is the story of Egypt's life, her untimely death, and the investigation that ultimately brought her killers to justice.
Egypt Covington. Source: gunlockjournal.com
A Life Full of Promise
Those who knew Egypt Covington remember her as a vibrant and charismatic individual. Her brother, D’Wayne Turner, recalled how she was a "shining light" who drew regulars to the bar where they worked together. Egypt had a knack for making people feel better about themselves, as her boyfriend, Curtis Meadows, described: “When you met Egypt, you walked away better, feeling better about your day, yourself.”
Egypt was also pursuing her dream of becoming a singer. She had won Eastern Michigan’s regional "Country Idol" competition in 2014 and had even auditioned for NBC’s The Voice. "It was all coming together," Turner said of Egypt's life at the time.
In addition to her career aspirations, Egypt had found love with Curtis Meadows. After five years of an “on and off” relationship, the couple were more committed than ever and planning to move in together.
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A Haunting Discovery
The day Egypt Covington's boyfriend knew something was wrong: On the morning of June 23, 2017, Meadows got no response to his usual good morning text to his girlfriend. The fact that Egypt and Meadows were closer than ever made it even more unusual when, on the morning of June 23, 2017, Meadows got no response to his usual good morning text to his girlfriend.
Growing increasingly concerned, Meadows decided to stop by Egypt's duplex after work. He found her car in the driveway and the external door to the duplex ajar. Inside, he discovered Egypt dead on the living room floor. “She was tied up, hands behind her back in, like, a fetal position on the ground. Blood clearly covering the side of her head,” Meadows said. Her hands were bound behind her back with Christmas lights. Egypt, who was 27, had been shot in the back of the head.
In a haunting 911 call, Meadows can be heard sobbing as he waited for police to arrive. "She’s dead. There’s blood around her head... she’s dead,” Egypt's boyfriend at the time, Curtis Meadows, said in a haunting 911 call that was obtained by Dateline: Secrets Uncovered’ and played on the “A Girl Named Egypt" episode.
“I just dropped and all I can remember is screaming and crying... ’Not my baby’ and ‘How could that happen?’” Egypt's mom, Tina Covington, said of getting the devastating news.
Egypt Covington's accused killers were trying to steal weed from a neighbor
The Investigation
As with most investigations, police began by looking at those closest to the victim, including Meadows. But Meadows was fully cooperative with authorities, passed a polygraph test and was eventually ruled out as a suspect.
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Police also questioned Egypt’s ex-boyfriend, mechanic Kenny Michalak - even going as far as to name him as a “person of interest” at one point in the investigation. According to police, Michalak also failed a polygraph test. Michalak told authorities and a private investigator hired by Egypt’s family that on the night Egypt was killed, he had been out bar-hopping with friends before returning home alone and streaming shows on his phone.
Egypt’s mother was convinced Michalak wasn't involved in Egypt's murder and publicly stood by him, even sitting next to him at a memorial concert for Egypt, while her father, Chuck Covington, supported the direction the police were taking. "It divided our family. It divided our entire community,” Tina recalled.
Tensions within the family only grew after Turner’s new girlfriend, Lindsay Brink launched her own investigation, questioning suspects, forcing police to answer tough questions, and calling for the Michigan State Police to step in to take over the case after no arrests were made.
The Breakthrough
All of Brink's efforts finally paid off in 2020, when Michigan State Police assumed control of the case. They quickly ruled Michalak out as a suspect, but found other evidence in the case file that pointed them in a shocking new direction.
A “geofence” conducted by police at the time identified phones in the area at the time of Egypt’s murder. Michigan State Police Detective James Plummer was able to link one of the phones that was “in her house” at the time police believe that Egypt was killed to Shandon Groom, an Ohio man with no apparent connection to Egypt. Surveillance footage also captured his blue truck pulling into a convenience store near her duplex around the time of the killing.
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By 2020, there had been DNA advances that allowed authorities to develop a more complete profile. One of the DNA samples matched to Tim Moore, an Ohio man with a criminal record who knew Groom.
Using Moore’s cell phone data, investigators discovered that on the night of the killing, the men had stopped by the home of Shane Evans, Moore’s half-brother. Evans lived down the street from Egypt and worked for the company that cut her lawn.
Evans would later confess to authorities that he agreed to drive by the house and “point” to the home so that Moore and Groom - who were following behind in the truck - could rob Egypt's neighbors' home while they were away, hoping to make off with a large stockpile of drugs.
But, confused, Moore and Groom went into the left side of the duplex where Egypt lived, rather than the right side. There, they found Egypt inside, tied her up and shot her.
Justice for Egypt
All three men - Moore, Groom, and Evans - were arrested and later agreed to plead guilty to second-degree murder.
Evans received a sentence of 15 to 25 years in prison, while Groom received 17 to 26 years behind bars. Moore is charged with first-degree murder, felony murder, and first-degree home invasion, as well as four counts of felony firearm. Groom is charged with first-degree murder, felony murder, and first-degree home invasion, and three counts of felony firearm. Evans is charged with felony murder and first-degree home invasion.
“My daughter’s life was reduced to an oops,” Chuck said in court, in a powerful victim impact statement.
Key Figures in the Case
| Name | Role | Sentence |
|---|---|---|
| Timothy Eugene Moore | Perpetrator | Charged with first-degree murder, felony murder, and first-degree home invasion, as well as four counts of felony firearm |
| Shandon Ray Groom | Perpetrator | 17 to 26 years in prison |
| Shane Lamar Evans | Accomplice | 15 to 25 years in prison |
The tragic death of Egypt Covington serves as a reminder of the devastating consequences of senseless violence. While her life was cut short, her memory lives on through her loved ones and the community that rallied around her in the pursuit of justice.
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