Richmond police, U.S. marshals arrest local woman on murder, robbery charges

RICHMOND, Ind. — A Richmond woman charged with murder was arrested Saturday night by city police and U.S. marshals.

Erica Nicole Petry, 25, was being held without bond Sunday in the Wayne County Jail.

A release issued by the Richmond Police Department did not offer details of the homicide Petry is charged in connection with, but in November 2022, Richmond police identified Petry as a person of interest in a homicide that month.

Nicholas E. Lakes, 33, of Richmond, is the only Richmond homicide that month.

Petry also faces counts of burglary and robbery, and was also charged in February 2023 with possession of an altered handgun and unlawful carrying of a handgun.

Petry was captured late Saturday in the 1200 block of Northwest Fifth Street, according to the release from Adam Blanton, assistant police chief.

The Richmond woman was first identified as a suspect in the homicide in December 2022. A social media post by the police department after police identified her as a person of interest indicated that Petry suffered a self-inflicted gunshot wound and was flown by medical helicopter to a hospital in Dayton, Ohio.

According to court documents, Petry's record includes two Wayne Superior Court 1 convictions for possession of a narcotic drug (in 2019 and 2021), along with convictions for possession of a controlled substance, possession of meth and unlawful possession of a syringe.

Douglas Walker is a news reporter at The Star Press. Contact him at 765-213-5851 or at dwalker@muncie.gannett.com.

This article originally appeared on Muncie Star Press: Richmond woman arrested on charges stemming from 2022 slaying