Two Ohio men have been sentenced for the killing of Michigan singer and musician Egypt Covington — a brutal 2017 crime that stunned her community and took six years to bring to justice.

It Took Six Years, But Egypt’s Killers Are Behind Bars

Earlier this month, a Wayne County judge sentenced 30-year-old Shandon Ray Groom to between 17 and 26 years in prison for second-degree murder. His co-defendant, 37-year-old Eugene Moore, received a sentence of 20 to 55 years after pleading guilty to second-degree murder and a felony firearm charge. A third man, 34-year-old Shane Lamar Evans, was sentenced in May to 15 to 25 years for his role in the killing.

Covington Was Bound With Christmas Lights

Covington, 27, was found dead in her Van Buren Township home on June 23, 2017. She had been shot once, behind her ear, and her hands were bound with Christmas lights. Her body was discovered just one day after she was last seen at a yoga class. Michigan State Police later determined the killing was not a targeted attack but the result of a botched burglary. Testimony in court revealed that the three men had planned to rob Covington’s neighbor of marijuana but mistakenly entered her home instead. When they found her watching a movie inside, they fatally shot her before tying her hands.

Covington Touched Lives In Her Community

The senselessness of the crime — and the years-long wait for arrests — shook Van Buren Township, a quiet community outside Detroit. Covington was well known locally as a talented singer and performer, remembered for her warmth as much as for her voice. Her brother, D’Wayne Turner, spoke in court after the sentencing, calling his sister “a beautiful person who touched so many people…. We’ll always remember her,” he said, according to The Detroit News.

Covington’s Family Pushed To Keep The Investigation Open

Covington worked as a beer distributor account manager and performed regularly in local venues. Her friends and fans later celebrated her memory with a special brew called A Girl Named Egypt, created by a local brewery in her honor. But for years after her death, justice seemed elusive. Covington’s family created a Facebook group — Justice for Egypt: The Truth Behind the Investigation — to demand accountability and push for state police involvement. It wasn’t until late 2020 that a new wave of arrests finally brought the suspects into custody. Moore and Evans were arrested that November; Groom was taken into custody a month later.

Egypt Was A Light

For many who followed the case, October’s sentencing closed a long and painful chapter. Still, Covington’s loved ones say no amount of prison time can undo what was lost. “Egypt was light,” a family friend said outside court. “All she wanted to do was sing, laugh, and love the people around her. They took that away from her, and from all of us.”