278. Caught in the Digital Fence - The Murder of Egypt Covington

Summary

Murder With My Husband: Episode 278 - "Caught in the Digital Fence - The Murder of Egypt Covington"

Release Date: July 21, 2025
Hosts: Peyton Moreland and Garrett Moreland
Podcast: OH NO MEDIA’s Murder With My Husband
Description: A true crime podcast exploring the darkest crimes through the lens of a wife who loves true crime and a husband who despises it.

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Introduction to the Case

The episode begins with heartfelt greetings from Peyton and Garrett Moreland, setting the stage for another gripping true crime story. Peyton introduces the focus of the episode: the murder of Egypt Covington, a 27-year-old bartender from Belleville, Michigan.

Background of Egypt Covington

Egypt Covington was well-known in her tight-knit community for her vibrant personality and aspirations to become a professional singer. She worked alongside her brother Dwayne at a local pub, earning affection from regular patrons who described her as "a ray of light in their life" (06:23). Despite her promising musical career, Egypt balanced her dreams with her job at the bar to support herself.

The Murder

In June 2017, Egypt's life took a tragic turn. On June 22nd, Egypt was planning for her boyfriend Curtis Meadows to move into her duplex. However, later that night, Curtis decided to stay home, expressing his love to Egypt before she responded with a simple "nighty night." The following morning, Curtis grew increasingly worried when Egypt failed to respond to his texts or calls (02:09). His fears were confirmed when he discovered Egypt lying dead in her kitchen, bound with Christmas tree lights and suffering a gunshot wound to the head (13:32).

Initial Investigation: Suspecting Curtis and Kenny Michalik

Given the absence of forced entry and the context of Egypt's relationship with Curtis, the police initially focused suspicion on Curtis. Despite their complicated history, Curtis was cooperative, passing a polygraph test and providing a solid alibi. However, the investigation took a critical turn when attention shifted to Egypt's ex-boyfriend, Kenny Michalik (24:56). Kenny, ten years older and known for his volatile behavior, had a history of obsessive tendencies towards Egypt. Eyewitness accounts described Kenny’s aggressive actions, including "punching a wall right next to her head" and "shoving Egypt up against a wall at a wedding" (23:24).

Public Activism and Reopening the Case

For nine months, the case remained unsolved, frustrating Egypt's family. Her sister's new girlfriend, Lindsay Brink, a kindergarten teacher with a passion for true crime, spearheaded efforts to pressurize the local police into reopening the investigation (32:07). Lindsay organized online petitions and public protests, eventually compelling the state police to take over the case in 2020. This shift allowed for a more comprehensive examination of the evidence, leading to the exoneration of Kenny Michalik and redirecting suspicion towards other individuals.

Breakthrough with Geofencing Technology

The state police utilized advanced geofencing technology to analyze cell phone data, allowing them to track all devices within the vicinity of Egypt’s home on the night of her murder. This method proved pivotal, identifying a phone from Toledo, Ohio, belonging to Shandon Groom (32:27). Further investigation revealed connections between Shandon, Tim Moore, and Shane Evans, uncovering a plot to rob Egypt's duplex for her neighbors' marijuana supply. Surveillance footage from a nearby gas station showed Shandon’s truck near the crime scene, strengthening the case against him and his accomplices.

Arrests and Legal Proceedings

The use of geofencing technology ultimately led to the arrest of Shandon Groom, Tim Moore, and Shane Evans. Evidence linked them directly to the crime, including DNA from the Christmas lights and corroborating surveillance footage. All three defendants pleaded guilty to second-degree murder, receiving prison sentences ranging from 15 to 55 years (40:35). The case highlighted the crucial role of modern technology in solving crimes that might otherwise remain cold.

Reflections on Technology and Privacy

The episode concludes with a thought-provoking discussion on the balance between privacy and security. Peyton and Garrett debate the ethical implications of using geofencing and cell phone data in criminal investigations. Garrett emphasizes the necessity of such technologies in ensuring justice, stating, “It’s something that saved the case” (45:16). However, they acknowledge the ongoing tension between advancing law enforcement capabilities and protecting individual privacy rights. The hosts ponder the future of such technologies, especially in light of potential changes like Google’s proposed migration of user data away from accessible databases (46:37).

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Notable Quotes:

• Peyton Moreland (06:23): "She was kind of a ray of light in their life."
• Garrett Moreland (23:24): "It's a bunch of losers, man. Like, honestly, a bunch of losers."
• Peyton Moreland (27:01): "But you have to have probable cause to get a warrant."
• Garrett Moreland (34:27): "I like this. This is great."
• Peyton Moreland (46:30): “Imagine how frustrating it would be to have your daughter murdered and then have police come to you and be like, well, Google just doesn't want to give us the information.”

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Conclusion

The tragic case of Egypt Covington underscores the profound impact of technology in modern criminal investigations. Through persistent public advocacy and technological advancements like geofencing, justice was ultimately served, providing closure to Egypt’s grieving family. However, the episode also raises critical questions about the balance between leveraging technology for safety and safeguarding personal privacy, a dialogue that is increasingly relevant in today’s digital age.

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Note: The timestamps referenced correspond to the original transcript provided and are indicative of where the quotes and events occur within the episode.

Transcript

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[Peyton Moreland]

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[Garrett Moreland]

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[Peyton Moreland]

You're listening to an ONO Media podcast. Hey everybody. Welcome back to the podcast. This is Murder with My Husband. I'm Peyton Moreland.

[Garrett Moreland]

And I'm Garrett Moreland and he's the husband. I'm the husband. Another Monday, another true crime case. Thank you for being here. Thank you for listening. Thank you for watching.

[Peyton Moreland]

You could leave us a review or comment or subscribe or you know, even get bonus content. It's a great way to support the show. We appreciate you guys so much. Genuinely. We appreciate you so, so much. I think gay. Are you Ready for your 10 seconds?

[Garrett Moreland]

Got a haircut today? No, that's nothing crazy, but my hair's been growing faster and faster ever since I got my hair transplant. I didn't. I didn't know what to do. I was gonna let it keep growing out, but it's the summer, so I kind of just kept it pretty short. Kind of like a buzz cut. Eight guard buzz cut. Yeah, Just keeping it short. Probably will grow it out over winter. I was thinking about how I don't understand how there's people out there who can eat whatever they want and they're not running to the bathroom. You know? Like, I know if I'm eating fast food or something that is a little greasy, I will be in the bathroom. Like, I just will. And I don't understand how there's people out there who can eat anything they want whenever they want, and it's just another day to them. Kudos. Because I wish that was me, but it's not me. Good old ibs. What can you do?

[Peyton Moreland]

Do you think I have ibs? Does everyone have IBS or no? No, because, like. Oh, is it just everyone's allergic to lactose or, like, something like that?

[Garrett Moreland]

What do you mean?

[Peyton Moreland]

I don't know. Like, do you think our food nowadays just makes everyone's tummy upset? Or do you think there's people out there who genuinely only get an upset tummy, like, once every.

[Garrett Moreland]

That's what I mean. And that's kind of why I said it, because there's genuinely people who've never experienced having the chills, being trapped in a car, driving home. And you know when you get home, you're going to explode.

[Peyton Moreland]

But are they eating like us?

[Garrett Moreland]

Yeah, that's why I said what I said, because there's literally people out there who can eat Taco Bell for three days straight and they're like, yeah, I'm fine. Normal poop schedule.

[Peyton Moreland]

Put it in the comments, you guys. I don't know if I believe that exists.

[Garrett Moreland]

That's what I'm saying. But if I eat Chick Fil A or I eat Taco Bell, bell, it's game over for me.

[Peyton Moreland]

Oh, yeah.

[Garrett Moreland]

Like, if I'm not near a bathroom within 15 to 20 minutes, I just give me a bucket, I'm gonna die.

[Peyton Moreland]

Yeah. Like, I feel like sometimes, but then I think maybe people just don't eat like me. But I'm like, if you have never had the chills, speeding home in a car, like, passing cramps.

[Garrett Moreland]

Yep.

[Peyton Moreland]

I don't Is that just like in us thing?

[Garrett Moreland]

No, no, there's people who, I mean, there. No, there's lots of people who have experienced it, but I know there's people who haven't experienced it because even I have friends. I'll be like, oh, my stomach's cramping. I need to get home. They're like, ah, you'll be fine. No, I won't be fine. No, no. You have no idea what's about to happen. I will not be fine. And it's because they've never experienced it. So to them it's like, oh, you have a little tummy cr. Yeah, I will kill you right now. You have no idea what's about what's happening in my stomach right now.

[Peyton Moreland]

If you don't know that, if you don't know this next filling, I need you to tell me. I need you, you to tell me in the comments. If you just eat healthy so you don't experience it or whatever, but if you have never had the feeling of butthole burning, is that like, so gross? Are we just like, outing ourselves right now?

[Garrett Moreland]

I think that, like, we eat so bad. But the thing is, even when I do eat healthy, it doesn't change it for me.

[Peyton Moreland]

So true. Garrett really doesn't.

[Garrett Moreland]

That's how I mean, I do have ibs. I've. Whatever. I'm not gonna get into it, but it doesn't matter how I eat. Anyways, enough of that. Sorry if you had to sit through that and you don't want to. Sucks for you. Let's get into this week's case.

[Peyton Moreland]

Our sources for this episode are nbcnews.com oxygen detroitnews.com people.com forbes.com apnews.com glgmichigan.com truecrimenews.com soapcentral.com davidcbrownfh.com and happyscribe.com okay, if I asked you what is one thing you never leave home without, what would you say?

[Garrett Moreland]

Probably my wallet and my phone.

[Peyton Moreland]

Cell phone, right?

[Garrett Moreland]

Yeah.

[Peyton Moreland]

It's pretty remarkable if you think about it, that 20 to 25 years ago, people didn't like, not everyone had a cell phone. But now there probably is not a single person that I know who doesn't have a cell phone. Especially because we rely on them for so much nowadays. Even our wallets have become sort of irrelevant now that we can on our phone and have Apple pay. But what we often don't consider is that our cell phones are also capable of a lot of little secret tasks that we don't even know they're actively doing, like targeting us with ads, keeping a log of our user and search history and knowing exactly where we are at any given time. Which honestly is not ideal for a modern day criminal looking to get away with a crime. Because it turns out the days of cell phone tower pings might be behind us. Now there is a much easier way to track exactly who is exactly where at any given time. And because of that, we're solving cases that might have otherwise gone cold, which is especially useful when the perpetrators are someone the police never even suspected in the first place. And I wanted to start it that way because Garrett always asks me how there are still people getting away with crimes in today's day and age with cameras and cell phone. And it's getting harder. It really is. So for today's case, we are headed to a little town outside of Detroit, Michigan called Belleville, where in 2017, a 27 year old woman named Jacqueline Egypt Covington, who goes by Egypt, okay, she is living and working as a bartender again in 2017 in a little town in Michigan. Now, Egypt is actually a Belleville native and she's lived in this idyllic little lake town her whole life. And because of that, Egypt has a really strong community around her of people who know her and love her. For starters, she actually comes from this big blended family of full step and half siblings that she's close to. Her brother Dwayne even got her a job that she had been working at for some time, bartending with him at a local pub that everyone in town knew and went to, which honestly only made Egypt more popular with the locals. Egypt turned a lot of those customers into regulars who would drop in on the nights that she worked just to honestly hang out with her. They said that she was kind of a ray of light in their life, just the breath of fresh air they needed after a long day. But working at the bar wasn't the real dream Egypt had for herself. It was just a way for her to make some cash as she pursued her goals of eventually becoming a professional singer. People actually claimed that she stole the Stage at a 2014 competition in Michigan called Country Idol, which she won. And she also had plans to audition for the Voice on NBC and was working with a local producer to make her own album. And because a lot of people said Egypt had that star quality, the thing that really makes someone stand out in a crowd, that she had this presence that was undeniable. And honestly, she was kind of unforgettable. And that's what Drew Egypt's on again off again boyfriend Curtis Meadows to her, which is why by 2017 he has decided he is really going to commit to Egypt. Now, Egypt had actually first met Curtis back around 2008 when she was 20 years old and he was 28 years old, but Curtis said it was love at first sight. They dated for almost two years. The first time they broke up, they got back together. For a year and a half they broke up. Curtis said it was difficult because at that point in his life he had a daughter, he had a 9 to 5 job and Egypt mostly worked nights at the bar so their schedules were opposite. But the two always gravitated back to each other and come 2017 were back on and this time they both felt like it was forever. Egypt had gotten her own little duplex on the outskirts of town which she was really proud of. Plus Curtis's lease was coming to an end soon. So by 2017 they were planning to take the next steps in the relationship and he was going to move in with her. On top of that, Egypt had just started a new job working as a beer sales rep, something that would help her make even more money and prepare for her future with Curtis. But In June of 2017, all of these plans came to a screeching halt. Now, on the afternoon of June 22, Egypt and her friend Lindsay texted back and forth about their plans for that night. Lindsay said she was too tired to go over to Egypt's house and asked if she wanted to come hang at hers instead. But Egypt said she was too busy trying to clean and get the place ready for Curtis's big move into her house with her. A few Hours later, around 10pm, Curtis texted Egypt that he was planning to go to bed back at his place. He said he loved her and she responded with nighty night. Now the following morning, Curtis reached for his phone and like he did every morning, texted Egypt hello. Now usually Egypt was very quick to respond back with her own good morning text, but that day nothing came through. But as the day continued with no word from Egypt, the even after calling and checking in on her social media, Curtis started to wonder if something was wrong. And by the time his work day was over, he was a complete nervous wreck. He figured he needed to drive to Egypt's duplex immediately to check on her. Now as soon as he turns onto her street and sees her car still sitting in her driveway, his heart sinks because now he knows that Egypt must be home. But she's not responding to him. And even worse, Curtis Parks walks up to her front door and sees that it's cracked open. So he takes a few steps in, calling Egypt's name. And her little dog, Ruby, comes running out barking. Now, Curtis says usually Ruby is super upbeat. She just wants to lick you when she sees you. But that day, Ruby seemed a little distressed. She gave him a look before running back into the kitchen. So he follows the little dog, Ruby. And that's when Curtis saw something that will be burned into his memory forever. His girlfriend Egypt, was lying in the fetal position on her kitchen floor. Her hands were tied behind her back. There was blood covering the side of her head, and she was not breathing. So Curtis runs out to his truck, grabs his cell phone, and dials 91 1. And within a matter of minutes, the local police have responded. Investigate.

[Garrett Moreland]

Okay.

[Peyton Moreland]

Now, once they get there, they confirm that Egypt is dead. She had suffered a gunshot wound to her head. But there are two things that stand out about the crime scene to police. First, it doesn't look like the house was broken into. There was a no forced entry anywhere. And second, it's June. And the thing that's bounding her hands behind her back because they were tied is Christmas tree lights. They also realize Egypt.

[Garrett Moreland]

Christmas tree lights.

[Peyton Moreland]

Yeah. They also realize Egypt's neighbors who share the duplex with her aren't home that weekend. They're at a music festival. So there's no one who could have heard this or witnessed it except for the dog, Ruby. But it also indicates to police that maybe whoever did this knew that the neighbors were going to be gone for the weekend. Maybe they knew their schedule and Egypt's schedule, which to them says they don't feel like this was a stranger. Maybe Egypt told someone her neighbors would be out of town. So one of the first people they obviously look into is the man who made the 911 call that day, the one who found Egypt dead, her boyfriend.

[Garrett Moreland]

You know what's interesting? I feel like it's something I try not to do anymore is tell people when I'm going out of town. That's weird, but, you know, just like, a little privacy.

[Peyton Moreland]

I don't talk. I don't. I don't think I talk to enough people to let them know when I'm going out.

[Garrett Moreland]

I just try not to tell people. I know it might be a little paranoid, but, yeah, I'll be coming over to my house.

[Peyton Moreland]

So they are looking into Curtis, and it doesn't help that people who knew Egypt and Curtis did tell police. I mean, yeah, they've had a complicated past. Egypt's friend Brooke, mentions that the relationship could be a bit volatile at times, that there were some fights even in the middle of the night, that led to Egypt knocking on Brooke's front door looking for somewhere to stay at 2 in the morning.

[Garrett Moreland]

Okay.

[Peyton Moreland]

Though they all say they don't believe anything ever got physical between her and Curtis. Not that they were aware of.

[Garrett Moreland]

That's what's hard is. Sorry to interrupt again. That's what's hard is you don't know. And most. I feel like most domestic violence people around don't even know that it's happening.

[Peyton Moreland]

They don't disclose.

[Garrett Moreland]

Yeah.

[Peyton Moreland]

So when police bring Curtis in for questioning, they find that he is completely cooperative with them. He answers all of their questions, even agrees to take a polygraph test, which he passes. So police kind of rule him out quickly as a person of interest in this case. But that doesn't stop them from thinking this still has to be someone they believe knew Egypt. After all, Egypt worked at a bar in town. She had a lot of people who knew her who might have even had some sort of close relationship with her, because they would come in and talk to her every day when they would drink, and she would obviously tell them about her life as well. So that's when they start to wonder, is there a regular at the bar who was just a little too obsessed with her? And that's when the police catch wind of a different kind of person that was in Egypt's life, and that was her boss. So turns out Egypt's married supervisor kind of was a bit smitten with her, according to people in her life. It started by taking a real interest in her singing career. And then after she won Country Idol in 2014, he offered to take her to Nashville for another audition there. And apparently Egypt took him up on the offer. Egypt told her friend Leslie, though, that once they got there, the two of them got into a big argument. And while she didn't say what it was about, Leslie thinks it had to do with him wanting to take things further in their relationship after driving her, getting her secluded in Nashville, and Egypt not really wanting a part of it. And Egypt's brother Dwayne knew this man, too, obviously, and he said the guy could get very heated very quickly, that he was volatile, not someone you would want to piss off. But when police look into this boss, he cooperates fully with them, Says his wife knew all about the trip to Nashville. There was never any kind of relationship with Egypt, which is why the boss theory also turns into a dead end. All right. Everyone, we're getting into an ad.

[Garrett Moreland]

Ah.

[Peyton Moreland]

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[Garrett Moreland]

That's good. That's really good. Peyton's favorite is the grape. She. She drank the whole case already. He gave us a case. It's gone. I didn't. I think I had one grape gone.

[Peyton Moreland]

It was, like, a big case, too.

[Garrett Moreland]

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[Peyton Moreland]

Literally. Like Eric said, classic grape is my favorite. It's honestly kind of nostalgic. Like, that grape taste. It's like, whoa, I'm an adult drinking kid soda. That's healthy and good for you.

[Garrett Moreland]

Yeah.

[Peyton Moreland]

Like, I. I literally can't get over Ollipop. Every time I go to crack a can, I'm like, oh, not only am I getting my fun little good drinky drink, I'm also being healthy.

[Garrett Moreland]

Peyton's always like, prebiotics.

[Peyton Moreland]

Like, get out of here.

[Garrett Moreland]

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[Peyton Moreland]

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[Garrett Moreland]

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[Peyton Moreland]

P.com husband but when one door closes, another opens. And that's when police stumble upon another person of interest, Egypt's ex boyfriend, a guy named Kenny Michalik. Now Kenny and Egypt dated during one of the periods where she and Curtis had broken up and were not together. And word on the street was Kenny wasn't too happy that she inevitably got back together with Curtis, basically choosing Curtis over him. Apparently he was really heartbroken when he learned that Curtis was going to be moving in with Egypt. Turns out Egypt's family still kept in touch with Kenny, would kind of give him updates on her life because his family had been friends with her family even before they had started dating. Kenny was 10 years older than Egypt. He was a handsome mechanic who dated quite a few women. But it seems like he saw Egypt as the one who got away. And while Egypt saw him as more of a placeholder, the kind of guy who would never actually settle down and give her what she wanted, she still tried to, like, maintain a friendship with him. When she eventually got back together with Curtis, they kept in touch. She still hung out with all of his sisters. But Curtis said recently that Kenny, her ex boyfriend, had been overstepping some of the boundaries he always seemed to appear at places Egypt and Curtis were at. Sure, Belleville was a small town, but it was getting to a point where Egypt needed to say something to Kenny, and she chose the town's annual strawberry festival that June as a place to do this. So Curtis told police that that day, Egypt pulled Kenny aside to talk to him while they were at the festival. And while Curtis stayed out of the conversation, he could see the two of them yelling at each other during this conversation, and it ended with Egypt storming off. And while I don't know exactly what was said, I do know that five days later, Egypt was dead. Now, Egypt's sister Beth said she heard quite a bit about what went on behind closed doors with Egypt and Kenny, and it didn't look very good for him. She said that when Egypt wouldn't answer him, he would start calling and texting all of her friends to see where she was.

[Garrett Moreland]

It's a case after case.

[Peyton Moreland]

I know.

[Garrett Moreland]

So many dudes just can't. Sure, it's a bunch of losers, man. Like, honestly, a bunch of losers. Like, there's not really another way to explain it.

[Peyton Moreland]

And then, as a way of, like, being controlling and manipulative, he apparently slept with some of her friends while they were dating.

[Garrett Moreland]

Oh, sick.

[Peyton Moreland]

Just to get at her.

[Garrett Moreland]

Nice.

[Peyton Moreland]

There was a time when he got so mad at her that he supposedly punched a wall right next to her head. And apparently once at a wedding that they attended together, he shoved Egypt up against a wall after a fight. Like, people witnessed this. Now, the problem is Egypt never filed any reports about this alleged abuse, so there was nothing for the police to reference in that regard. But it seems the aggressive behavior didn't actually end when they broke up. According to Curtis, a month before Egypt's death, Kenny showed up at his house after Egypt had spent the night there. And Curtis saw him from the window as Kenny got out of his truck, appeared in all of the windows of Egypt's car like he was looking for something, and then got back in his truck and drove away. So Curtis sees the ex boyfriend through a window, sees him pull up to Curtis's house, get out, go to Egypt's car, look through all her windows, and then get back in his truck and drive away, having no idea that, like, Curtis saw him do this. And Curtis started to wonder if maybe he had put some kind of tracker on Egypt's car, because, as I mentioned, Kenny was also kind of casually showing up places that they were at. And after hearing all of this, police were wondering the same. It appeared Kenny was stalking his ex girlfriend. And then just five days after an explosive public argument, Egypt was found dead in her home.

[Garrett Moreland]

What a surprise.

[Peyton Moreland]

Which is why nine months into this investigation, and I know that, like, kind of skipped ahead rather abruptly, but it took this long for police to rule out and then find their next suspect. But nine months in, Kenny is named so the first official person of interest in Egypt's case. And to make matters worse, when Kenny comes in for a polygraph test, he does not pass. And he doesn't have a solid alibi either.

[Garrett Moreland]

I know it. And maybe this exists, but I feel like it doesn't because of all of our, I guess, privacy rights and different laws and regulations that are out there. It seems like, right, she dies. It seems like any phone that has been in that area in the last 36 hours should be pinged. Should be pinged instantly uploaded to a database. The cops get it like next day. And I get we have to go through all these regulations and warrants. But I mean, come on, like, it needs to be a little bit easier than this. No one's privacy is being invaded. If someone was murdered, I'd be like, ping me up, baby. Like, I have nothing to hide. And I know a lot of people disagree with that. And I think you have something to hide.

[Peyton Moreland]

See, that's what I was gonna say is would people switch from Verizon to Sprint if Verizon was like, oh, yeah, we willingly hand over, I'd be like.

[Garrett Moreland]

Give me two Verizon phones. I'm all about it. You know, I just like. Because any phones in the area of that person that just died, I mean, even if it's within a 50 foot radius, you ping them. Yeah, it might be a lot of phones to go through. You get through those in a couple days and you know exactly what's going on. You have better suspects? I don't know. I know, I'm just. My thought, anyways, we can keep going.

[Peyton Moreland]

I mean, I'm on team your side. Like, I, I know it's possible.

[Garrett Moreland]

I work a lot with different just APIs and I just. I know it's possible. It's just, I know it's the regulations and laws that are stopping it.

[Peyton Moreland]

Oh, yeah, like cell phone companies, police will go and be like, we're really needing this person's records. And they'll say, get a warrant.

[Garrett Moreland]

Yeah, they like, they have the data and I get. I do think you should get a warrant. That's fine. I'm okay with that. I just think.

[Peyton Moreland]

But you have to have probable cause to get a warrant. So you can't just be like, hey, give me all the cell phone data. You have to say, I need this person's specific data because of we are suspicious and have probable cause because of X, Y and Z.

[Garrett Moreland]

Sorry, everybody. All of our data is now public. Good luck, don't kill anybody and you're fine.

[Peyton Moreland]

Okay, so he claims, ex boyfriend Kenny claims that he was out bar hopping with friends the night before, but then he went home alone. And just watched a few shows on his iPhone before falling asleep.

[Garrett Moreland]

Okay.

[Peyton Moreland]

Kenny denies he has anything to do with Egypt's death. He says she was like family to him, that although they did have their differences, he would never have killed her. And there was actually one person who wholeheartedly believed Kenny, and that was Egypt's mother, Tina. While she knew some of the details of their volatile relationship, she felt in her gut that Kenny wouldn't have done this. She said when she confronted Kenny about her daughter's death and asked if he did it, he cried like a baby, said, absolutely not. I loved your daughter. And that was enough for Tina. Although I will say, if you even have to confront someone and say, did you kill my daughter? Maybe there was already some. Yeah, Things urging you to go there. Your head even went there in the first place. But she believed that the police were feeling pressure to name someone in this case, and Kenny just looked the worst. So Tina suspected that Egypt's killing might have just been random, that she was in the wrong place at the wrong time, even though the wrong place was her own house. Because it turns out, Egypt had been feeling unsafe living alone in that duplex for some time now. Apparently, Egypt had been aware that her neighbors were growing and selling marijuana, and there had been sketchy traffic coming and going from the place lately. Still, pretty much every lead they pursued in the investigation came to a dead end. With not much to go on other than assorted past, Kenny was never arrested or officially named a suspect in Egypt's murder. Now, the Christmas lights they found Egypt bound in were sent to DNA analysis, but that led nowhere. And honestly, her case stalled out. For the next three years, her file sat at the local police department collecting cobwebs. And meanwhile, Egypt's family wondered who was still out there responsible for killing their daughter in cold blood. But at the same time, life moved forward for the Covington family. Egypt's closest brother, Dwayne, started dating someone new, and it was a woman named Lindsay Brink. When they first got together, D. Wayne didn't mention that the family had just gone through such a traumatic loss. As he put it, he didn't want to overwhelm his new love interest with the fact that, like, his sister had just been murdered. But a few weeks into dating, the conversation came up when Lindsay asked D. Wayne who the woman was on his iPhone background. And that's when D. Wayne explained, okay, that's my sister. She was just murdered. And everything kind of started to change for Lindsay. Lindsay wasn't a detective. She was a kindergarten teacher. But she was so intrigued by Dewayne's story with his family and so frustrated to hear about how the investigation was being stalled that she wanted to do something to help. She was just a little true crime person at heart. So together, she and D. Wayne started pressuring local police to do more in his sister's case, to look closer at the neighbors who were out of town town during the time of Egypt's death. But the local police became defensive with this pressure, saying they'd already done all they could except Lindsay, this brand new girlfriend. She did not think this was true. So she started an online petition. She organizes a public protest. I think it's safe to say that Lindsay definitely had some interest in true crime because by this time, she knew exactly what to do to get a case rolling. She was like, yep, we're going to start a petition. We're going to cause an uproar. She began copying the state police on all of the correspondence she was having with the local department. So she's like, hey, state, this is what's going on in this little town. And she obviously knows that the state police had a lot more resources that they were more equipped to handle such a complicated and mysterious case like Egypt's. And it took some time, but finally her efforts began to pay off. In 2020 three years after the murder, the state police took over the case and began their own investigation into Egypt's death. Death. Now, one of the first things they do is re examine the evidence against Kenny. And what they find is while the local police put all of their eggs in Kenny's basket, the state police were pretty confident he wasn't involved. His alibi about watching TV on his phone that night checked out thanks to data confirmation.

[Garrett Moreland]

Okay.

[Peyton Moreland]

The GPS on his truck also showed that it remained home the entire night of the murder, which is when they wiped the slate clean and were like, hey, we to go in a completely different direction. And they used a trick called geofencing, which Garrett is about to be very happy.

[Garrett Moreland]

Yes.

[Peyton Moreland]

And intrigued about. So historically, the way to track someone's cell phone data location is by what phone towers, it pings when it's being.

[Garrett Moreland]

Used, which there are newer methods now.

[Peyton Moreland]

And there's honestly a lot of faults in that technique, the biggest being it gives you a really wide radius for where that person could have been at the time. But geofencing, which is more current, is a lot more accurate. Basically, if someone has their location history turned on, which most people do because of their apps, don't turn it off.

[Garrett Moreland]

Keep it on.

[Peyton Moreland]

There's a way to create an invitation. Well, there's a lot of apps that won't let you. Unless you, like, won't let you use it.

[Garrett Moreland]

I mean, most of us even use like, Find my. Yeah.

[Peyton Moreland]

Devices and friends.

[Garrett Moreland]

Find my friends, Find my iPhone, all that. Yeah.

[Peyton Moreland]

So there's a way to create an invisible fence around an area that shows what phones came inside those boundaries at any given time, which is exactly what Garrett was talking about. Essentially, it gives a much more accurate reading on when and where a cell phone is. And apparently they don't even need to be looking for any specific phone in particular. Like Garrett said, it will show all cell phones that come and went from the area during that time. Time. I'm honestly really impressed that you knew that this was a thing.

[Garrett Moreland]

Oh, Yeah. I know 100 most people would be.

[Peyton Moreland]

Like, well, look at the person's cell phone. And you were like, no, just look at all the cell phones in the area.

[Garrett Moreland]

Look at all the pings in the area. And I'm surprised it's not used more. I'm sure. I'm sure it's going to be used more. I just know there is different rules around it, which is probably why the.

[Peyton Moreland]

State police obviously are going to have more poll to do this.

[Garrett Moreland]

Correct? Yeah.

[Peyton Moreland]

They're like, we're going to try to look at all the cell phones that were in the area during this time. So. And they retroactively created a geo fence for Egypt's home on the night of the murder. And with the help of Google and their massive internal database called Sensor Vault, they get a hit. So they are using their resources and going about it in a way.

[Garrett Moreland]

I like this. This is great.

[Peyton Moreland]

So they do this. They have an internal database to do this. And there was one phone that wasn't Egypt's in that boundary on the night in question. So it's not like they really had a big pool baby. It's a small town and she kind of lives on the outskirts of it. And it came from a number in Toledo, Ohio. And when they run this number, they find that it belongs to a man named Shandon Groom. And you're probably like, why can't every case just do this? And like Garrett said earlier, it's just you got to jump through a lot of holes and to do this. And not every state is willing to.

[Garrett Moreland]

But every case starting now should be doing this.

[Peyton Moreland]

I mean, here's the thing, though. This is what's risky. If you use this to find the person and then they have a good lawyer who, depending on the state, can go to trial and be like, you violated his privacy. You ruined the case.

[Garrett Moreland]

I think that. I know I've said a lot about this. I just think that when you buy a phone, it should be like, hey, look, if you want the opportunity to communicate with others and have all the benefits that a phone does, this is part of the agreement. You know. This show is sponsored by Liquid iv. I am a big Liquid IV fan. I play a lot of pickle ball. I'm not gonna lie. I haven't run as much recently, but when I run a lot and I'm outside and I'm sweating my butt off, I take electrolytes and I use Liquid iv. I've been using them for a while. They work, make me feel good. Makes a big difference. Go check it out. Visit liquid IV.com and use code husband at checkout for 20 off your first order.

[Peyton Moreland]

I honestly think it's kind of crazy that just one stick at 16 ounces of water hydrates better than just water alone. Like the. The science behind that. Insane. Why would you not be getting more water than you're actually drinking if that's a possibility? So squeeze the most out of your summer with Liquid IV. Tear poor. Live more. Go to LiquidIV.com and get 20 off your first order with code husband. If you want the 20 off, use code husband at checkout at Liquid IV. That is 20 off your first order with code HUSBAND.

[Garrett Moreland]

At LiquidIV.com we were jumping into an ad about Shopify. I just want to say I personally have been using Shopify for six years, a long time. I love it. It's super intuitive. Honestly, if there's anything you want to sell online, you need to use Shopify. Shopify is the commerce platform behind millions of businesses around the world and 10% of all e commerce in the US from household names like Mattel and Gymshark to brands just getting started and even us. Yep, we use Shopify. What if I don't have a big team? Shopify helps you handle everything from website design to managing inventory to customer service to global shipping and more. All in one place. With 99.9% uptime and the best converting checkout on the planet, you'll never miss a single sell again only with Shopify and keep giving those big dreams the best shot with Shopify. Sign up for your $1 per month trial and start selling today at shopify.com husband go to shopify.com husband shopify.com husband go and check it out.

[Peyton Moreland]

Now. I do want to Mention that the local police had attempted to do this geofencing thing, but they were focused on connecting Kenny to it. And so they weren't actually looking at the entire analysis as a whole. But the state police are. And when they finally get that new person of interest, Shandon Groom, they learn there's actually a lot more evidence pointing in Shandon's direction than in Kenny's. For example, there's some surveillance video that was taken from a gas station right near Egypt's duplex on the night of her murder. And it shows a blue truck with an Ohio license plate passing by that night. And when police zoom in on the plate numbers and run them through the system, it's a match for Shandon's car. So not only is his phone there, his truck is also seen on surveillance footage. But here's the thing. He honestly seems to have zero personal connection to Egypt Covington. They appear to be strangers, but they know this is a lead that they need to obviously keep pursuing. So they revisit those Christmas lights that Egypt was bound with, and they resend them out for DNA analysis. Especially since technology has improved a little bit in the last three years. I mean, you have to admit, from 2017 to 2020, oh, big change. Crime DNA took a major leap. And this time, they get a hit, but it's for someone else. It's for someone else. So they. They rerun the DNA, and it doesn't match Shandon. But they do get the hit. It's a man with a criminal record named Tim Moore, who also happens to be from Ohio. So it's a different man, but he is somehow connected back to Ohio, where Shannon is from. Now, Ohio's a huge place, but they realized that Tim Moore happened to have Shandon Groom's phone number saved in his contacts. So once the state police get the ball rolling, things start to unravel pretty fast, because they quickly start to find the thread that connects these two men. And this thread's name is Shane Evans. So we're adding a third man into this. So, using Tim Moore's cell phone data, they find that Shandon and Tim were at Shane Evans home in the hours before Egypt's murder. In fact, Tim and Shane are half brothers, and Shane lives just down the street from Egypt. So this now puts them in connection to Egypt.

[Garrett Moreland]

Also, they would have known that the neighbors were out of town. Yep.

[Peyton Moreland]

Plus, Shane worked for the landscaping company that cut her grass. He had actually been at her house earlier the day of the murder, mowing her lawn.

[Garrett Moreland]

Oh, my gosh.

[Peyton Moreland]

Which is how Shane knew the neighbors at the duplex were out of town. And he was well aware that they were running a medical marijuana business out of their home. So once police brought Shane Evans in for questioning, he actually confessed pretty quickly to exactly what and how things went down. On the night Egypt Covington was killed. Shane says he told his half brother Tim and their friend Shandon about his neighbors who had gone out of town. And the two of them came up with an idea to rob the home and steal all of the marijuana inside so they could sell it for a profit. They asked Shane if he would drive ahead of them, point out which property it was, and then the two of them would stop, go in, and steal the marijuana. So Shane does what he's told. He drives ahead of them, points at the duplex, but they think he's pointing at Egypt.

[Garrett Moreland]

No. You're lying. You're telling me this was an ax. I'm not an accident. But it no way.

[Peyton Moreland]

Not the vacant side of the duplex.

[Garrett Moreland]

But why did they kill her?

[Peyton Moreland]

So Shane keeps driving because he's connected to this place. And the two who aren't really connected.

[Garrett Moreland]

So sick.

[Peyton Moreland]

Get out of the car, and they go to the left side of the duplex, not the right. And it seems like Egypt might have had her front door unlocked at the time, because they walk right in. And when they walk in, they don't find an empty house with marijuana. They find Egypt standing in her kitchen. So out of panic, Tim points the gun at her, still thinking this is the right house. They're like, this still has to be the right house, right? Someone just has to be staying here. So one holds her at gunpoint, and the other one goes searching the place, and they don't find any marijuana. So he comes back, and the two of them have kind of both searched the place. And when they look back at Egypt, they realize she's using her phone. So now they're afraid she's exposing them. They tie her up with Christmas lights, though I'm not sure where they get them from. They take her phone, they have her lay down on the floor. They place a pillow over her head, and then Tim fires a gunshot through her head.

[Garrett Moreland]

Actual freak.

[Peyton Moreland]

One shot that takes her life.

[Garrett Moreland]

Life.

[Peyton Moreland]

Now, Shane said he obviously didn't know about the murder at the time, that this wasn't the plan. He had been told. The only indication things went sideways was when Tim sent him a text later that night that said, wrong door. Shane says it wasn't until days later when he heard about Egypt's story on the news that he realized the two of them must have murdered someone that night.

[Garrett Moreland]

What is wrong with people?

[Peyton Moreland]

But you have to wonder. It would have been so easy for these guys to just turn around and leave and not kill her. So why would you go to such extremes when you were just attempting a robbery in the first place? The only reason police could fathom was that Tim Moore was actually out on parole and in his last crime it was a female witness who had identified him and sent him to prison. So maybe as a way of trying to avoid the same situation, he just killed this witness. Frankly, if we didn't have the technology we do today, he might have gotten away with it. Maybe one of the most frustrating parts of all of this was that the state police solved this case and all three men were arrested just three months after looking into the case. And local police had sat on all of this evidence and let it run cold for three years because like I said, they were able to geofence but they were so focused on Kenny they didn't look at the other cell phones. In the end, both Shandon Groom and Tim Moore were charged with first degree murder, felony murder and first degree home invasion. Shane Evans was charged with felony murder and first degree home invasion. All three ended up making deals with the prosecutor's office pleading guilty to second degree murder. So 34 year old Shane Evans got 15 to 25 years in prison, 37 year old Tim Moore got 20 to 55 years in prison and 30 year old Shandon Groom got 17 to 26 years in prison. But you have to wonder, would all three of these men still be out there walking free if it had not been for their cell phone data? It's definitely something that saved the case but it also has raised issues about privacy concerns that Google has actually since made changes on changes that aren't good for law enforcement. Around October of 2024 there were talks of Google migrating user data from the sensor vault databases back to the user's devices which would make it no longer possible for Google to se and offer up users location data to law enforcement regardless of a warrant.

[Garrett Moreland]

I don't, I, it's fine if you guys disagree with me. I just think you're a murderer. I just, that's not true. But I just I, well here's the.

[Peyton Moreland]

Thing, I don't like that Google's like hey, we're taking the, we're taking the technology away to even run this. So even if you come to us with a warrant, yeah, we're not going to be able to give it to you. We're giving this the rights back to the people. So I'm not sure if all of this has gone into effect yet.

[Garrett Moreland]

Well, I'm pretty sure that Apple still has a way to do this.

[Peyton Moreland]

It definitely begs some questions about how much information law enforcement should have access to, especially when it comes to solving crimes. But in the case of Egypt Covington, we can see how information like this can be beneficial. Technology is going to keep advancing. We are not going to all of a sudden backtrack from here, and it will keep helping us solve crimes. Privacy arguments or not, what we can't forget is the victims at the center of these cases, the families who want answers surrounding their loved one's death. Imagine how frustrating it would be to have your daughter murdered and then have police come to you and be like, well, Google just doesn't want to give us the information. How do you feel in that situation?

[Garrett Moreland]

It's hard because I promise, if the an executive at Google, one of their kids was murdered, they would use it. They would 100% want it to be used.

[Peyton Moreland]

So, I mean, technology can solve crimes at a faster pace than we've ever been able to before. How would they have ever even connected these men without this technology? The question is, how do we do this in an ethical and meaningful way when it comes to freedom and privacy for people? But I think, like, the frustrating part of this entire case is the reason they even had to use technology was because these men had no connection to her. Yeah, she was literally a completely random person who, surprisingly, her mom ended up correct, was in the wrong place at the wrong time, even though the wrong place was her own house.

[Garrett Moreland]

It's so sad.

[Peyton Moreland]

It's so freaking frustrating to me when we cover a case where someone's life is brutally taken for absolutely no reason. Like, I know that there's never a good reason to commit murder, but. But Egypt literally was in the wrong house.

[Garrett Moreland]

Yeah.

[Peyton Moreland]

And it's devastating. That is the case of Egypt Covington and how they used technology to solve her murder. But we're kind of up in the air about if this type of technology is going to be used in the future. So we will keep you updated on that. But yeah, that is our episode for this week and we will see you next time with another one. I love it and I hate it. Goodbye.

[D]

We finally switched to T Mobile because they know that those of us here and there want to stay well connected.

[Peyton Moreland]

Let's watch a movie charity.

[D]

Thanks to T Mobile, we get Netflix included so we can all enjoy our favorite shows and movies.

[Garrett Moreland]

Now.

[D]

The hard part is getting them to.

[Garrett Moreland]

Agree on a movie.

[D]

Switch today and get a Samsung Galaxy S25 plus with Galaxy AI on us plus your plan price is guaranteed for 5 years. Save today, guarantee for tomorrow. Tap the banner to learn more or visit a store. Guarantees monthly price of top tax and data exclusions like taxes and fee supply. See Exclusions and details at T Mobile.

[Garrett Moreland]

Com.