Former owner of popular Evansville social media site charged with murder

EVANSVILLE – A former owner of a popular Evansville social media site has been arrested and preliminarily charged with murder after two men were found shot to death in a West Side home Sunday afternoon.

But police don't believe he was the man who pulled the trigger.

Richard Dee Garrett, 30, was booked into the Vanderburgh County jail just before 1 a.m. Thursday. He's been charged with two counts of murder, as well as robbery, assisting a criminal, and obstruction of justice stemming from the deaths of Evansville man Michael Blankenship Jr., 31, and 37-year-old Mitchell Greathouse, of Newburgh.

According to the probable cause affidavit filed in the case, police believe Garrett served as the driver for two other people, including the reported shooter. As of Thursday morning, the other persons hadn't been arrested or publicly identified.

Garrett reportedly told police he believed the two others were going to commit a robbery, not a murder.

This isn't the first deadly shooting in which Garrett has been involved.

He previously admitted to shooting and killing 29-year-old Douglas Todd Fulkerson at Garrett's home in 2021, but said it was in self-defense. He eventually pleaded guilty to possession of methamphetamine after police found drugs in the home, but he was never directly charged in Fulkerson's death.

Indiana Secretary of State records list Garrett as the CEO of Evansville 411 News: a Facebook page with more than 66,000 followers that posts updates about area businesses.

In 2022, in the comments section of a previous Courier & Press story about Garrett, Evansville 411 News wrote that Garrett no longer worked for the company.

"The filing of the page under their 'business' was done without the other administrators' consent, as we do the actual work for the page," they said.

Suspects seen on security cameras

According to the affidavit, detectives obtained a search warrant for the Mount Vernon Avenue home. There, they found a DVR system tied to a set of security cameras outside.

Footage from around 7:50 p.m. Saturday showed a "white male wearing a red hooded sweatshirt, black pants, and black gloves run toward the door of Blankenship's room," the affidavit reads. "He appeared to have a handgun in his possession.

"At approximately (7:51), the male exited the room hastily and ran toward the alley behind the residence."

Investigators canvassed the neighborhood for additional security footage and reportedly obtained video showing a white vehicle park in a nearby neighborhood with three men inside.

One of them, who police believe to be the shooter, climbed from the front passenger seat, while a "lookout" got out of the back. They then "moved toward the location of the murders," the affidavit reads, while the driver remained inside.

Although the affidavit doesn't go into detail, it says the car had a "distinguishable mark" that allowed them to spot it in other cameras across the city. That mark eventually led them to Garrett.

Police reportedly found blood on the outside of the car. And once they obtained a search warrant, more was discovered inside as well, the affidavit reads. It also contained walkie-talkies and "while reviewing surveillance footage, detectives overheard radio communication consistent with a police scanner coming from the suspect vehicle."

Garrett was taken to EPD headquarters for questioning.

Passengers changed clothes, had a gun

Garrett reportedly told police an acquaintance had asked him for a ride on Saturday night.

He picked up two people near Leroy's Tavern, which is in the same block as the home in which Greathouse and Blankenship were found.

After a short drive, Garrett said they stopped outside a business, where the two others changed clothes and put on masks and gloves. They then drove to West Virginia Street and parked outside a home.

Garrett told police he saw the front passenger take a handgun out of a backpack before they climbed out of the car. Once the passengers were gone, he said he heard "several gunshots moments later," the affidavit states.

When the passengers returned, he said they were out of breath, and that the front passenger "appeared to have blood on him."

He said he dropped off the two passengers at a home on Mary Street.

'Various opportunities to back out'

According to police, Garrett denied that the walkie-talkies found in the car had anything to do with the crime. He also admitted he'd been listening to a police scanner at the time, "but could not give a good reason for doing so."

"Richard acknowledged that he believed the two subjects were going to commit a robbery given their actions and attire. Given the totality of the circumstances and the facts known to Richard, he absolutely knew that a serious crime was going to be committed and had various opportunities to back out," the affidavit reads. "Still, he assisted and waited as heinous crimes were carried out at (the home).

"After he learned from a news release that a double murder had occurred, he did not contact law enforcement and acted to conceal and dispose of blood evidence from the involved vehicle."

According to court records, a hearing for Garrett was scheduled for 1 p.m. Thursday in Vanderburgh Circuit Court.

This article originally appeared on Evansville Courier & Press: Ex-owner of popular Evansville social media site charged with murder