MEMPHIS, Tenn. — A Memphis family went from baby shower bliss to planning a funeral for a mother and her baby girl.
Memphis police have confirmed murder charges have been filed in the shooting death of a pregnant woman and her unborn child.
26-year-old Karmeshia Pipes was murdered before holding the bundle of joy she carried for 9 months, and police say her boyfriend, Ricky Anderson, is to blame.
Anderson was charged with first-degree murder.
On Tuesday, Pipes was found dead in the 1900 block of Sparks and Anderson was reportedly taken into custody then.
Authorities said the shooting appears to have been a domestic incident, but the investigation is ongoing.
Both families are filled with questions and are shaken by the loss.
WREG found Anderson’s address and was able to get a family member to answer the door, even though they were too distraught to step outside.
“That was my brother, so I didn’t see it coming,” Anderson’s brother said.
The suspect’s family is saying Tuesday’s discovery disturbed them as well.
“We are all just lost right now,” a family member said. “That would have been my niece.”
His brother told WREG their family doesn’t condone violence and they didn’t see any signs of this coming.
“This whole situation is terrible. I wish something could have prevented this,” he said.
Priscilla Blackmon, with the Family Safety Center, says the signs were surely there. And that many times, mothers-to-be will hold out hope the abuse will stop once the baby is born.
“Once he sees this baby he’s going to love this baby as I do. He’s going to grow to love me again or make the relationship better,” Blackmon said.
WREG did some digging into Anderson’s past, but could only find that he served time in 2011 on an aggravated robbery charged.
Aside from the run in with the law, he also faced drug charges in 2011 but seemed to have stayed out of trouble until he was charged with first-degree murder on Tuesday.
“I would like to apologize to her family,” Anderson’s brother said. “I can’t even imagine what they are going through.”
