A former NFL linebacker was executed by drug dealers more than a year ago while the suspects were dealing heroin and cocaine, federal prosecutors said in indictments issued Thursday.
Robert Eddins, a 28-year-old who played for the Buffalo Bills, and 32-year-old Ricardo McFarlin were found murdered Dec. 20, 2016, in the basement of a Detroit home, according to The Detroit News. The Wayne County Medical Examiner's office stated that they both died from multiple gunshot wounds.
Three men were indicted for the murders Thursday, the News reported: Michael DeAngelo Griffin, 34, of Birmingham, Alabama; Clifton Dennis Epps, 30, of Amory, Mississippi; and Mariano Lozoya Garcia, 47, of Brownsville, Texas.
"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, according to The Detroit News.
A Detroit native, Eddins played football at Ball State University before a brief stint as a defensive end with the Bills after making the team as an undrafted rookie in 2011, the newspaper stated.
"The murders of Eddins 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.
Griffin, one of the men indicted, actually posted a tribute to Eddins on his Facebook page the day his body was found, according to the News.
"Man I can't take this I love u lil Cuzz," Griffin reportedly posted, the newspaper said.
Prosecutors believe Griffin and the two other suspects traveled from Alabama to Detroit specifically to kill Eddins and in the process killed McFarlin as well, according to TMZ. Authorities said both were shot execution style in the head.
Authorities said that Griffin and Epps were arrested about an hour outside of New Orleans on Jan. 4, 2017, where authorities found heroin and a loaded pistol in their rental vehicle, the newspaper noted.
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