Christian Ketchup (L), (R) Rachel DeRise (Escambia County Sheriff’s Office); Tierra Binion (middle) via WEAR-TV screengrab.
Florida deputies arrested a boyfriend and girlfriend in the death of a 25-year-old mom of twins who was allegedly beaten while unconscious and shot 7 times outside of a bar early Wednesday.
According to the Escambia County Sheriff’s Office, Tierra Binion was out with friends at Mugs n’ Jugs on Scenic Highway in Pensacola when an argument inside the bar escalated to deadly violence outside around 1 a.m. on Aug. 23.
Deputies allege that, once outside, Christian Ketchup, 25, sucker-punched Binion and knocked her out. While the victim was clearly unconscious, Ketchup’s 23-year-old girlfriend Rachel DeRise “jumped back on” and continued to punch Binion, as Escambia County Sheriff Chip Simmons reportedly described it to local ABC affiliate WEAR-TV.
For that reason, the sheriff said, DeRise was taken into custody early Thursday on a battery charge.
“Obviously there’s no reason to do that. You could have easily walked away,” Simmons reportedly said to local ABC affiliate WEAR-TV. “That’s not a mutually combatant type situation.”
Shockingly, authorities said that the violence escalated even further, with Ketchup pulling out a gun and shooting Binion seven times. Authorities found the victim dead at the scene.
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Jail records reviewed by Law&Crime show that Ketchup remains held without bond on a murder charge after being booked at 11:12 a.m. on Wednesday. DeRise was booked at 1:26 a.m. on Thursday and released at 4:00 a.m. on a $15,000 bond, jail records say.
A Facebook page for Mugs n’ Jugs posted about the shooting, offered condolences to Binion’s family, and said that the local neighborhood bar is cooperating with the Escambia County Sheriff’s Office investigation.
“We are shocked and deeply saddened by the incident that occurred early this morning at our establishment that resulted in the death of Tierra Binion,” the bar said, announcing the closure of its doors for the rest of Wednesday. “At this time we will not be sharing sensitive information with the public as we are cooperating with the Escambia County Sheriff’s Department’s active investigation.”
“We understand that this is a difficult time for the family of Tierra Binion and an immense loss for the Pensacola community. We also sympathize with concerned citizens who feel the need to express their anger and frustration with the situation,” the post continued. “At this time we ask that these individuals refrain from any aggressive action or harassment of our employees. We ask for the patience of the community as we continue to work with local law enforcement on our next steps.”
WEAR-TV reported that Tierra’s mother Brandy Espiritu expressed concerns about the bar’s safety, saying, “There’s no reason why my daughter should’ve been shot, regardless.”
The grieving mother recounted the moment early Wednesday that she received a call from Tierra Binion’s dad, not yet knowing what had happened.
“He said, ‘Please tell me she’s not dead,’ and I said what are you talking about,” Espiritu reportedly said. “I laid the house phone down and picked up my cellphone and called my daughter’s phone immediately and a friend of hers answered and told me it just happened.”
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