Maryland hunter charged with manslaughter after fatal Delaware shooting

manslaughter charges hunting accident Delaware State Police accidental shooting wrongful death

A 74-year-old hunter from Salisbury, Maryland, has been charged with felony manslaughter after fatally shooting a woman in Ellendale, Delaware, whom he mistook for a deer. The incident occurred on the evening of Friday, September 18, around 7:40 p.m.

According to the Delaware State Police, the victim, 39-year-old Santos Maria Chilel Soto of Georgetown, was walking through an open field accompanied by a man and two children. Walter Moorhead was positioned in a ground blind nearby when he observed movement and fired his rifle, believing he was targeting a deer.

Soto was transported to a local hospital where she was later pronounced dead. Moorhead faces several felony charges, including manslaughter recklessly causing the death of another person, possession of a firearm during the commission of a felony, and three counts of first-degree reckless endangerment.

Following his arrest, Moorhead was released after posting a $43,000 cash bond. A GoFundMe campaign has been established to assist Soto’s family with funeral costs and the expenses of returning her body to her home country of Guatemala.

Entities

Delaware State Police · Ellendale · Guatemala · Santos Maria Chilel Soto · Walter Moorhead

Claims

What the coverage asserts, and how many sources carry each claim.

[● 3 SOURCES] Santos Maria Chilel Soto was a mother of five. omegalive.com.cy · www.thestival.gr · www.tothemaonline.com
[● 3 SOURCES] Murchent was released after posting $43,000 bail. omegalive.com.cy · www.thestival.gr · www.tothemaonline.com
[● 3 SOURCES] Walter Murchent faces felony charges for manslaughter by reckless conduct. omegalive.com.cy · www.thestival.gr · www.tothemaonline.com
[● 3 SOURCES] Murchent was charged with possession of a firearm during the commission of a felony. omegalive.com.cy · www.thestival.gr · www.tothemaonline.com
[● 3 SOURCES] Murchent was charged with three counts of first-degree endangerment. omegalive.com.cy · www.thestival.gr · www.tothemaonline.com
[● 3 SOURCES] Walter Murchent shot Soto after mistaking her for a deer while hunting from a ground blind. omegalive.com.cy · www.thestival.gr · www.tothemaonline.com
[● 3 SOURCES] Santos Maria Chilel Soto was walking in an open field with a man and two children at approximately 19:40. omegalive.com.cy · www.thestival.gr · www.tothemaonline.com