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The man accused of shooting Tippecanoe County Superior Court Judge Steven Meyer was closely tied to a high-ranking gang member who was scheduled to stand trial before Meyer just two days after the shooting, according to a probable cause affidavit.
Raylen Ferguson, 38, of Lexington, Kentucky, is accused of firing multiple shots through the front door of Judge Meyer’s Lafayette home on Jan. 18, striking Meyer and his wife, Kim.
Investigators allege Ferguson acted in concert with Thomas Moss, a Lafayette man whose felony case was pending in Tippecanoe Superior Court 2 — the court over which Meyer presides.
Court records show Moss was set to face a jury trial on charges of intimidation, criminal recklessness and domestic battery. Judge Meyer issued an order summoning 55 potential jurors for that trial. Moss later moved to continue the case, but Meyer denied that request on Jan. 7, 2026 — 11 days before the shooting.
Investigators said the only identified nexus among the defendants is their association with Moss and shared gang or motorcycle club affiliations.
Moss, 43, is now charged with attempted murder in the shooting of Myers, in addition to conspiracy to commit murder, aggravated battery, battery resulting in serious bodily injury, battery with a deadly weapon, intimidation with a deadly weapon, and obstruction of justice.
Ferguson faces the same charges, along with attempted obstruction of justice. Smith, 32, of Lafayette, is charged with most of the same crimes.
Two additional defendants were also charged. Amanda Milsap, 45, of Lafayette, was charged with bribery and obstruction of justice. Zenada Greer, 61, of Lexington, Kentucky, faces charges of assisting a criminal and obstruction of justice.
According to the affidavit, investigators believe Ferguson acted as the shooter, while Moss was the central figure connecting the defendants. Moss was a high-ranking member of the Indiana chapter of the Phantom Motorcycle Club and had prior gang affiliations, police allege. Ferguson, Smith, Greer and Milsap were all linked through social media, shared vehicles, business records, or prior associations with Moss.
Authorities say Ferguson used a ruse to draw the judge to the front door of his home.
Ferguson is accused of knocking on the door of Meyer’s Lafayette residence on Jan. 18 and telling the judge he was looking for a lost dog.
When Meyer responded through the closed door and said they did not have the dog, investigators allege Ferguson immediately fired multiple shotgun rounds through the door, striking Meyer and his wife, Kim.
Police say surveillance video shows Ferguson standing on the front porch wearing a disguise that included a hooded flannel, scarf, earmuffs, sunglasses and a silicone face mask. The video also captured a distinct knock pattern that investigators later linked to Ferguson.
The affidavit states this was not the first time Ferguson allegedly approached the Meyers’ home.
Two nights earlier, on Jan. 16, a man investigators identify as Ferguson knocked on the door late at night claiming to have a food delivery. Judge Meyer did not open the door and told the man he had the wrong house. Surveillance video from that encounter showed the same knock pattern, gait and clothing later seen during the shooting, police allege.
The affidavit also details another alleged effort to interfere with Moss’s upcoming trial. Police say the victim in Moss’s pending case reported being approached at her Pennsylvania home by a masked individual days before the shooting and later told investigators she had been offered $10,000 to not testify.
She declined the offer and was under an active no-contact order protecting her from Moss at the time.
In the shooting incident, Judge Meyer suffered a gunshot wound to the arm, and his wife was shot in the hip. Both were hospitalized and later reported to be improving.
In a statement released Wednesday, Meyer said the attack would not shake his faith in the judicial system or the peaceful resolution of disputes.
The investigation involved local police, state police, and multiple federal agencies across several states.
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