VIGO COUNTY, Ind. (WTWO/WAWV) — The case of a man charged with a Terre Haute murder is headed to trial in Vigo County.
Zavius E. King appeared in Vigo County Superior Court 1 for his final pre-trial hearing Thursday. During the hearing, King’s jury trial date was confirmed for August 14 at 1 p.m.
King was initially charged regarding the 2018 shooting death of Ronnie Caldwell; the case was later dismissed. According to the probable cause affidavit, authorities were notified on Oct. 13, 2020, that a firearm had been found in Louisville, Kentucky that likely matched the shell casings found in the original investigation in Terre Haute.
King was then extradited from Kentucky to Terre Haute after facing unrelated charges in the Blue Grass State.
King faces the following charges:
- Murder
- Felony murder
- Attempted robbery resulting in serious bodily injury
- A level 2 felony
- Attempted armed robbery
- A level 3 felony
- Unlawful possession of a firearm by a serious violent felon
- A level 4 felony
When reached for comment on why King faces separate murder charges in a case with only one death, Vigo County Deputy Prosecutor Rob Roberts said both are in reference to the death of Caldwell.
“There are two different murder charges because the death of Mr. Caldwell fit both,” Roberts said. “But due to double jeopardy, he would only be able to be convicted and sentenced on one of them.”
Roberts went on to explain the first murder charge is the “typical” one of knowingly or intentionally killing a person, with the second being referred to as “felony murder”.
Roberts said felony murder is when someone dies during the commission of a certain list of felonies, like arson, burglary, rape, child molestation, kidnapping, and robbery.
“In the 2nd count, Mr. King is charged with the death of Mr. Caldwell during the commission of a Robbery making it a ‘felony murder,'” Roberts said.
