By Grâçia Ada Obi
A teenager murdered six members of his family following a petty dispute about whether he could sleep at his girlfriend’s house. Raymond Ronald Lee Childs III, now aged 21, shot and killed most of his family, including an unborn child, after becoming enraged during the argument.
A brother who survived the horror in Indiana, U.S., in January 2021 told police that he heard his father say: “I’m sorry Raymond, I love you” before being shot. Childs has been convicted on six counts of murder and one count of attempted murder.
He shot dead his father, Raymond Childs Jr, 42; his stepmother, Kezzie Childs, 42; their daughter, Rita Childs, 13; son Elijah Childs, 18; and Elijah’s pregnant girlfriend, Kiara Hawkins, 19, and her unborn baby. In harrowing evidence heard by the court, prosecutors revealed that Childs systematically moved from room to room, shooting each victim.
Childs’ 15-year-old brother was also shot but managed to escape the house before being discovered by authorities with multiple gunshot wounds on the front porch of the house. Officers located Childs’ car at his girlfriend’s house and arrested him at a relative’s home the day after the shooting.
Childs, from Indiana, was found guilty of murdering the six members of his family.
Marion County Prosecutor Ryan Mears said: “What occurred inside that home is as unfathomable today as it was in 2021.”
He added: “It has been an incredibly difficult journey for the family and friends of the six people that we tragically lost.”
Childs’ sentencing is scheduled for January 7, 2025. He faces 40 to 65 years in prison on each of murder count and 20 to 40 years on the attempted murder charge.