MUNCIE — Delaware County Prosecutor Eric Hoffman said he is considering the death penalty for two men accused of killing three members of the same family.
Hoffman's statement came with an announcement Tuesday that formal charges had been filed against the suspects, Devin X. Myers and Daniel L. Jones, both 27.
Prosecutors allege Myers and Jones fatally shot Malcolm Perdue, 69, and Kyndra Skinner, 51, during a robbery at a Muncie home — before Myers killed 19-year-old Kyler Musick and disposed of his body.
Myers was Perdue's son and Skinner's nephew and was also friends with Musick, according to a probable cause affidavit.
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“At this point in time it is premature to make a decision one way or the other on whether I intend to seek the death penalty in this case. The investigation is ongoing. However, I can say that it is certainly still on the table," Hoffman wrote in a statement.
Jones is charged with two counts of murder and one count each of aiding, inducing or causing an armed robbery, criminal confinement, conspiracy to commit robbery, obstruction of justice and resisting law enforcement.
Myers, on the other hand, is charged with five counts of murder and one count each of armed robbery, criminal confinement, conspiracy to commit robbery and obstruction of justice. He was supposed to be on probation for a previous armed robbery charge, according to an affidavit.
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Two of the murder counts against Myers are connected with the killings of Malcolm Purdue and Kyndra Skinner. They charge two different sections of the murder statute, according to Hoffman's announcement.
A Delaware County judge both Jones and Myers be held without bond. As of Tuesday, neither had been scheduled for an initial court appearance.
If convicted, both Myers and Jones could face a maximum sentence of 65 years in prison and a fine of up to $10,000 for each count of murder. The other charges, which are level 3 and level 6 felonies under Indiana law, carry a maximum sentence of 16 two 2 and a half years in prison, respectively.
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