In the winter of 2017, the life of 20-year-old Christopher Eugene Hoefling was tragically cut short in Evansville, Indiana. On the evening of December 18th, Christopher was with a friend, Brandon Waldroup, in a car parked behind a local bar. The two were inside Waldroup's red Hyundai Sonata when they were approached for what was later revealed to be a drug deal that took a violent turn.
The situation escalated quickly into a carjacking.
Brandon Waldroup was shot and left wounded in the parking lot, while the assailant fled in the vehicle with Christopher still inside. First responders found Waldroup critically injured and rushed him to the hospital for medical attention. A search for the stolen car and the missing young man ensued. The following day, the Hyundai was located, and inside, authorities made a grim discovery. Christopher Hoefling was found deceased in the passenger seat, having sustained multiple gunshot wounds.
The investigation into the dual crimes of attempted murder and murder led Evansville police to two suspects: Earl Bernard Martin and Jalil Fellows. Detectives learned that Fellows had arranged for Waldroup to sell marijuana to Martin. Their investigation, aided by phone records, pointed to Martin as the man who orchestrated the robbery and subsequent shootings.
Jalil Fellows was arrested a few days after the incident and was initially charged with murder and robbery. He later entered into a plea agreement, and the murder charge was dropped. In 2019, he pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit robbery and received a five-year prison sentence. Earl Martin faced a host of serious charges, including murder, attempted murder, robbery, and kidnapping. In February of 2019, a jury found Martin guilty, and he was sentenced to a total of 135 years in prison for his role in the death of Christopher Hoefling and the shooting of Brandon Waldroup.
