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Hunter Charged in Shooting Death of Woman He Mistook for a Deer, Police Say
Police say the hunter also faces firearm and reckless-endangerment charges after shooting a woman walking with a man and two children.
- On Friday evening, September 18, 2026, 74-year-old Maryland hunter Walter Moorhead allegedly shot and killed 39-year-old Santos Maria Chilel Soto in Ellendale, Delaware, after mistaking her for a deer, according to Delaware State Police.
- Moorhead fired his rifle from a ground blind while Soto walked through an open field with a man and two children, police said, believing he saw a deer before firing.
- Authorities charged Moorhead with felony manslaughter, possession of a firearm during commission of a felony, and three counts of first-degree reckless endangerment; he posted a $43,000 cash bond and was released.
- Soto's family launched a GoFundMe campaign to cover funeral costs and transport her body to Guatemala, raising about $4,500 of a $6,500 goal as of Monday to support her five children.
- The Delaware State Police Homicide Unit continues investigating the shooting; authorities ask anyone with information to contact Detective M. Csapo at 741-2729 or Delaware Crime Stoppers.
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79 Articles
A 74-YEAR-OLD hunter in Delaware has been arrested and charged with manslaughter.
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Total News Sources79
Leaning Left8Leaning Right5Center47Last UpdatedBias Distribution78% Center
Bias Distribution
- 78% of the sources are Center
78% Center
14%
C 78%
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