21-year-old man was sentenced to 360 years in prison after he pleaded guilty to killing six family members including an unborn child during a slaying spree in January 2021 in the state of Mississippi. The killings stemmed from a dispute over breaking curfew rules, culminating in one of the most horrific mass family killings in modern history.
The shootings occurred on the morning of Jan. 24, 2021, at a home on East 36th Street in Indianapolis. The police were first alerted when Childs’ 15-year-old brother, Xavier, was discovered outside the home with multiple gunshot wounds. Despite being injured himself, he was able to tell police that his older brother, Raymond Childs III, was the gunman.
Once they gained access to the house, police discovered the bodies of Childs’ father, Raymond Childs Jr. (42), his stepmother, Kezzie Childs (42), his older brother, Elijah Childs (18), his younger sister, Rita Childs (13), and his brother’s pregnant girlfriend, Kiara Hawkins (19). Hawkins’ unborn child, who was later named Khaos Hawkins, also perished in the attack.
Detectives believe the mass killing was triggered by a heated, violent argument between Childs and his father over breaking curfew. Prosecutors stated that Childs used a Draco 7.62 pistol and a 9mm handgun to carry out the killings. He escaped to the home of a relative after the massacre, where he was later arrested.
Childs was arrested on January 25, 2021, a day after the shootings. The case first came to trial in July 2024, but the trial was disrupted when a witness got into an argument with Childs, resulting in a mistrial. A second trial in October 2024 resulted in a jury finding Childs guilty of six killings, one attempted murder, and illegal possession of a handgun.
Trial prosecutors portrayed a premeditated act, explaining how Childs moved room to room and murdered members of his family. The defense, argued by lawyer Ray Casanova, was that Childs grew up in a violent home and had himself been a victim of repeated abuse. Casanova claimed that
“what was supposed to be a place of nurture was actually a place of violence, abuse, and neglect.”
The jury ultimately rejected this argument.
It was on March 10, 2025, that a Marion County judge handed down the 360-year sentence, ensuring Childs would never again be a free man. His sentence consisted of consecutive 55-year sentences for each of the six counts of murder, plus a 30-year sentence for attempted murder.
At sentencing, Childs maintained his innocence, stating:
“I’m not no killer, I’m not no murderer, I’m not no bad person.”
His words did not carry very far in swaying the court, however. Marion County Prosecutor Ryan Mears pointed out the gravity of the offense, calling it an “unimaginable tragedy” and stating that “there is no penalty that could ever reflect the harm and loss caused by the defendant’s actions.”
The murders stunned Indianapolis, and the city recoiled as it struggled to comprehend the senseless carnage. A number of neighbors and community leaders described being saddened by the deaths of the Childs family and wondered how a dispute over a curfew could escalate into this type of violence.
The remaining brother, Xavier Childs, was commended by police and prosecutors for his bravery in giving evidence against his brother. His evidence was key testimony in securing the conviction. The case has reignited discussion on youth violence, access to guns, and the mental effect of domestic turmoil. Legal commentators observe that the sentence mirrors the harsh attitude of the U.S. justice system in cases of multiple family killings, likening it to other such prominent cases in other states.
