Sixth person arrested in connection with shooting of judge, wife in Indiana

A sixth person was arrested Wednesday in connection with the shooting of a judge and his wife in their home in Lafayette, Indiana, in January, local officials said. 

The Lafayette Police Department reported Wednesday night that 23-year-old Nevaeh Bell was taken into custody in the Jan. 18 shooting that wounded Tippecanoe County Superior Court Judge Steven Meyer and his wife, Kim. 

Police said Bell faces 12 preliminary felony charges, including two counts of attempted murder and a count of conspiracy to commit murder. 

Five others were arrested last month after what the Lafayette Police Department called “a coordinated, multi-state operation involving hundreds of investigative hours.” 

They were identified as 38-year-old Raylen Ferguson and 61-year-old Zenada Greer of Kentucky, as well as Indiana residents Thomas Moss, 43, Blake Smith, 32, and 45-year-old Amanda Milsap.

Police have accused members of a motorcycle club and a street gang of targeting Meyer, alleging the shooting was part of a scheme to derail a domestic abuse case against Moss, a member of the Detroit-based Phantom MC motorcycle club with ties to the Vice Lords street gang.

Moss was charged with multiple violent felonies in June 2024 and was out on bond, according to court records, which also show that he was scheduled to go on trial in front of Meyer on Jan. 20 — two days after the shooting took place. 

Meyer and his wife, Kim, were shot at their home. Steven Meyer suffered an injury to his arm, and Kimberly Meyer sustained an injury to her hip, according to police. 

According to a recording of the emergency dispatch operator, the caller who reported the shooting said there was a knock on the door, someone told them we have your dog, and then a shot came through the door. 

Kim Meyer said in a statement last month that she and her husband have “great confidence” in the Lafayette police investigation and thanked all the agencies involved.

“We are also incredibly grateful for the outpouring of support from the community; everyone has been so kind and compassionate,” she said. “We would especially like to thank the medical personnel who provided care and assistance to us following the incident.”