Earl Shearer, Sr., age 66, was in police custody 24 hours after he is alleged to have shot and killed Mary Felton, says the probable cause filed against him by the Lake County Prosecutor.
Felton was discovered shot to death in her vehicle about 5:30 p.m. Wednesday (December 8) in Gary.
Shearer was arrested about 5:45 p.m. Thursday (December 9) by Whiting Police, who were alerted to the location of his vehicle through license plate scanning cameras.
The charging document bears out some reports that surfaced Thursday that Felton had just left Gary Police headquarters prior to being shot.
According to the charging affidavit, Felton came to the Public Safety Building Wednesday to file charges against Shearer. Felton told a detective that she had dated Shearer. Felton said Shearer broke into her house Monday and was there when she arrived home. Felton said Shearer pointed a gun and raped her.
Felton said Shearer told her if she reported it to the police, he would kill her. Felton went to Methodist Hospitals to have a rape kit performed.
The charging document said two detectives walked Felton to her vehicle after the interview. Felton pointed to a white Nissan Altima in the Public Safety building’s parking lot that she said resembled Shearer’s vehicle.
Detectives checked the Altima and looked under Felton’s vehicle, but did not look inside.
Following the discovery of Felton deceased in her vehicle at 8th Avenue and Lincoln, police reviewed surveillance video of the police parking lot. It showed a white Nissan Altima arrive around 3:05 p.m. A man, matching Shearer’s description, got out of the Altima and entered the rear passenger seat of Felton’s Hummer.
Later video footage that evening showed a man matching Shearer’s description walking into the parking lot about 4:30 p.m. The man drove away in the Altima.
A Gary Police K9 team investigating the homicide scene Wednesday evening at 8th and Lincoln followed a trail that led them back to the police parking lot at 8th Avenue and Polk Street. The distance between the sites is less than a mile.
When Shearer was arrested Thursday, he had large scratches on his left arm.
This Story originally appeared in Gary411
