Detroit – Three alleged drug dealers were charged in federal court Thursday with killing former NFL player Robert Eddins and another man two years ago.
A new indictment helps clarify circumstances surrounding the mysterious deaths of Eddins, 28, and Ricardo McFarlin, 32. The men were executed and their bodies found in the basement of a home in the 7900 block of Pierson on Detroit’s west side on Dec. 20, 2016.
The men died of multiple gunshot wounds, according to the Wayne County Medical Examiner’s office.
The three men indicted Thursday are:
■Michael DeAngelo Griffin, 34, of Birmingham, Alabama
■Clifton Dennis Epps, 30, of Amory, Mississippi.
■Mariano Lozoya Garcia, 47, of Brownsville, Texas.
The three men are in custody and will be brought to Detroit to face charges. They face up to life in prison if convicted of murder, drug and weapons charges listed in the six-count indictment.
“We hope to bring justice for the families of the deceased men and dismantle all organizations that spread these deadly poisons in our neighborhoods,” U.S. Attorney Matthew Schneider said in a statement.
The three men traveled from Alabama to Detroit to kill Eddins and McFarlin during a period in which the trio was distributing cocaine and heroin, according to the indictment.
“The murders of Eddin and McFarlin is just another example of how violence is intertwined with drug trafficking,” Timothy Plancon, special agent in charge of the Detroit field office of the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration, said in a statement.
Eddins, a Detroit Crockett High School product, played football at Ball State University before a brief stint as a defensive end with the Bills. He played one game for the Bills as an undrafted rookie in 2011.
At Ball State, Eddins played most of his time under head coach Brady Hoke, who went on to coach the University of Michigan from 2011 to 2014. Eddins had 167 tackles and 17 sacks in four seasons with the Cardinals.
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