A Vanderburgh County jury found Larry Richmond Sr. guilty of murder and conspiracy to commit murder on Wednesday in connection with the 2019 killing of Evansville firefighter Robert F. Doerr.
Richmond Sr., 47, stood accused of ambushing Doerr outside the veteran firefighter's Oakley Street home on the night of Feb. 26, 2019, after Doerr returned from an extra shift at an Evansville firehouse.
Richmond Sr. was Having an Affair with Doerr's Wife, Conspired with Her to Kill Him Over 'Lust and Financial Motives'
As reported by Courier & Press, prosecutors said Richmond Sr. conspired with Doerr's wife of five months, Elizabeth "Becky" Fox-Doerr, to carry out the killing. The two were having an affair, Vanderburgh County Prosecutor Diana Moers said Wednesday, telling jurors Richmond Sr. and Fox-Doerr were likely compelled to act by a mix of lust and financial motives — namely Doerr's fireman's pension.
Fox-Doerr, 53, was convicted by a jury on charges of murder and conspiracy in 2024 in connection with Doerr's slaying. She was sentenced to serve 90 years in prison but her conviction was upheld by an appeals court earlier this year.
Cellphone Data, Call Logs, Photos from Crime Scene and Witness Testimony Proved Richmond Sr.'s Guilt
Defense attorney Denise Turner argued there was 'no evidence" that tied Richmond Sr. to the crime, but the jury, which comprised of eight men and four women, ultimately sided with prosecutors, who argued the cellphone location data, call logs, crime scene photos and hours of witness testimony established Richmond Sr.'s guilt beyond any reasonable doubt.
The cellphone data showed Richmond Sr. "circling the crime scene like a shark" on the night of the killing, Moers said; call logs showed he and Fox-Doerr spoke on the phone for four minutes just before Doerr was gunned down and then deleted evidence of the call; and Richmond Sr.'s son testified that he gave the suspected murder weapon, a stolen Taurus Judge revolver, to his father.
Fox-Doerr did not disclose her fateful phone call with Richmond Sr. during her early conversations with police and at first denied having spoken to Richmond Sr. at all on the night of the killing — all of which prosecutors pointed out as acts in furtherance of a conspiracy.
Richmond Sr. Had a Prior Murder Conviction
Richmond Sr. appeared to show little outward emotion as Pauli read the verdict: guilty as charged. His son, who testified as a state witness, shed tears.
In arguing for the most severe punishment permitted under Indiana law besides death, prosecutors pointed to Richmond Sr.'s prior conviction for the 1996 killing of James Montgomery. According to police, Richmond Sr. shot and killed Doerr on Feb. 26, 2019, not long after he was released on parole in the Montgomery case.
