Skip to main content

Should Floyd Mayweather Have Called Cops About Murder/Suicide?

By Brett Snider, Esq. on December 11, 2014 | Last updated on March 21, 2019

Champion boxer Floyd Mayweather allegedly heard rapper Earl Hayes shooting his wife Stephanie Moseley and himself while on a FaceTime call on his phone.

TMZ reports that Mayweather confirmed these details to Los Angeles police officers in an interview Wednesday, though the murder/suicide had occurred Monday morning. Mayweather told the LAPD that Hayes called him that morning "trying to say goodbye," but it's unclear whether Mayweather ever reached out to police.

After witnessing (or at least hearing) a murder/suicide, did Mayweather have to call the cops?

Is It a Crime to Not Report Murder/Suicide?

Generally, it is not a crime to fail to report witnessing a crime. There are a few states where failure to report a felony that results in serious bodily injury or death is a misdemeanor (see Texas), but in general, failing to call 911 after witnessing a murder is not a crime. Prosecutors may charge some reluctant witnesses with being accessories after the fact, essentially using their silence as evidence that the witnesses were helping a felon avoid capture, but this doesn't seem likely in Mayweather's case.

TMZ reported that police arrived at the scene of Hayes' murder/suicide after residents at his apartment complex "heard shots ring out." It's unclear from TMZ's reports if or when Mayweather alerted police to his FaceTime chat with Hayes.

Mayweather apparently wasn't keeping a low profile after the murder/suicide either, as TMZ reported him attending a Clippers game later that same night.

Possible Civil Issues

Regardless of whether Mayweather will face any criminal liability for what he did or didn't do after the FaceTime call, he may be called to task in civil court. If either Hayes' or Moseley's family tries to sue Mayweather for wrongful death -- possibly on allegations that he egged on Hayes -- this issue of what exactly happened before, after, and during the FaceTime call will come up.

A civil jury trying to determine Mayweather's potential liability for the two deaths may not look too favorably on the fact that the boxer was photographed smiling at a Clippers game less than 24 hours after the incident.

As of Thursday, however, no civil or criminal charges have been levied at Mayweather in connection with the murder/suicide.

Follow FindLaw for Consumers on Facebook and Twitter (@FindLawConsumer).

Related Resources:

Copied to clipboard