Richmond man sentenced to 60 years after pleading guilty to killing woman
RICHMOND, Ind. — A man has been sentenced to 60 years in prison after pleading guilty to murdering a woman in Richmond last year.
Online court records indicate that Tommy Wayne Earl has pled guilty to murder in Wayne Circuit Court. In exchange, a level 6 felony of intimidation and a class A misdemeanor of resisting law enforcement were dropped as part of the plea deal.
According to previous reports, officers with the Richmond Police Department were called on June 30, 2023, to 81 S. 14th Street, the address for Merle Henderson Apartments. Before their arrival, dispatch had received reports that a man was seen walking around the area with a knife while threatening a woman.
Court documents showed that officers located a woman’s body inside a gazebo near the apartments. The victim, identified as 59-year-old Michelle Dionne Peacock of Richmond, was pronounced dead on the scene after suffering a laceration to the throat.
Officers soon caught up with Earl, who was reportedly armed with a straight razor and wearing bloodied clothing.
Court documents said that Earl ignored instructions from police to drop the razor, forcing responding officers to deploy Tasers to bring him into custody. During this altercation, Earl reportedly threatened one of the officers, saying he would kill him too.
During their investigation, investigators soon determined that Earl lived at Merle Henderson Apartments as he explained to officers that the incident stemmed from an ongoing dispute he had been having with the victim for several months.
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Earl reportedly told investigators that he “had enough” as he admitted that he had a 4 to 5-inch razor blade with him. He told them he approached the victim and proceeded to swing the razor in an attempt to cut her throat.
This incident was reportedly witnessed by employees who were busy mowing grass at the apartment complex. These witnesses even tried to subdue Earl and remove him from the gazebo until police could arrive.
During the interview with investigators, Earl reportedly said he was glad he killed the woman and would “do it again.”
