(Lafayette, IN) – Prosecutors say the man accused of shooting Tippecanoe County Superior Court Judge Steven Meyer at the judge’s Lafayette home was connected to a defendant who had been scheduled to go on trial in Meyer’s courtroom just days later, according to a probable cause affidavit filed in the case.
Raylen Ferguson, 38, of Lexington, Kentucky, is accused of firing multiple shotgun rounds through the front door of Meyer’s home on Jan. 18, striking the judge and his wife, Kim Meyer. Both were hospitalized and later reported to be improving.
Investigators allege Ferguson acted in concert with Thomas Moss, 43, of Lafayette, whose felony case was pending in Tippecanoe Superior Court 2 — the court over which Meyer presides. Court records referenced in the affidavit show Moss was set to face a jury trial two days after the shooting on charges including intimidation, criminal recklessness and domestic battery. Meyer had denied a defense request to continue that case on Jan. 7, roughly 11 days before the attack.
According to investigators, the shooting was carried out using a ruse designed to draw the judge to the door. The affidavit states Ferguson knocked on the door and claimed he was looking for a lost dog. When Meyer responded through the closed door and said they did not have the dog, Ferguson allegedly fired multiple rounds through the door, striking both victims.
Police say surveillance video captured the suspect on the front porch wearing a disguise that included layered clothing and a silicone face mask. Investigators later linked a distinct knock pattern heard in the video to Ferguson.
The affidavit also describes a similar encounter two nights earlier. On Jan. 16, investigators say a man they identify as Ferguson knocked late at night claiming to have a food delivery. Meyer did not open the door and told the man he had the wrong house. Surveillance footage from that incident reportedly showed the same knock pattern, gait and clothing later seen during the shooting.
Authorities say the alleged plot extended beyond the attack itself. The affidavit details an earlier attempt to interfere with Moss’s pending trial, alleging the victim in that case was approached at her Pennsylvania home by a masked individual days before the shooting and later offered $10,000 not to testify. She declined and was under an active no-contact order protecting her from Moss at the time, investigators said.
Moss is now charged with attempted murder in the shooting, along with conspiracy to commit murder, aggravated battery, multiple battery counts, intimidation with a deadly weapon and obstruction of justice. Prosecutors allege Moss was a high-ranking member of the Indiana chapter of the Phantom Motorcycle Club and had prior gang affiliations.
Ferguson faces the same core charges, along with attempted obstruction of justice. A third defendant, Andrew Smith, 32, of Lafayette, is charged with many of the same offenses. Two additional defendants — Amanda Milsap, 45, of Lafayette, and Zenada Greer, 61, of Lexington, Kentucky — were also charged. Milsap faces bribery and obstruction of justice counts, while Greer is charged with assisting a criminal and obstruction of justice.
Investigators allege Moss served as the central link among the defendants, citing shared associations, social media connections, vehicles and business records tying the group together.
In a statement released after the shooting, Meyer said the attack would not shake his confidence in the judicial system or the peaceful resolution of disputes, emphasizing his continued faith in the courts as he and his wife recover.
The allegations outlined in the probable cause affidavit are not findings of guilt. All defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty in court. The case remains under investigation involving local law enforcement, Indiana State Police and multiple federal agencies across several states.
