Charles 'Duddy' Echols III, a 49-year-old resident of Fairmont, West Virginia, died on July 30, 2023. He was born on February 15, 1974, to the late Charles Junior Echols and Pauline Echols.
The circumstances of his death involved a domestic-related incident that occurred on July 20, 2023. Echols went to the home of a woman, identified as Ms. Chacon, after learning she was in a relationship with Michael Costello, who was present at the residence.
Despite not being in a relationship with Ms. Chacon for about a year, Echols used a remembered garage door code to enter the home.
Upon entering, Echols encountered Ms. Chacon, who was on the phone with a friend, and she attempted to get him to leave. However, Echols became aggressive, knocking Ms. Chacon down to get to Costello in her bedroom. He then physically assaulted Costello, beating and choking him until Costello lost sight. Much of this confrontation was heard by 911 operators after Costello initiated a call for help.
Ms. Chacon managed to convince Echols to leave, but he broke free from her and attempted to attack Costello again. In response, Costello retrieved his legal firearm and shot Echols five times. According to the investigation, Costello's actions were in self-defense, as well as in defense of Ms. Chacon.
The investigation, led by Marion County Prosecutor Jeffery Freeman and Marion County Sheriff Jimmy Riffle, concluded that the shooting was justified. The autopsy report, which was a crucial piece of evidence, confirmed that all five gunshots were front-to-back and at a moderate distance, with no close-contact gunshots. The Castle Doctrine did not apply in this case because Echols had already initiated the use of deadly force against Costello.
As a result of the investigation, no charges were filed against Costello at the time of the announcement. The authorities left open the possibility that the case could be reopened if new compelling evidence were to be presented.
