ELLENDALE, DE — Family members of a 39-year-old Delaware woman who was shot and killed while walking in a field are asking how the killing could have happened and why the hunter accused in the case was released on bail. Maria Chilel Soto was struck in the stomach Friday evening near her home in Ellendale, and police say a hunter believed she was a deer.
Her daughter and boyfriend described the moments after the shooting as chaotic and confusing, with the family trying to reach Soto as she lay on the ground. Police have charged 74-year-old Walter Moorhead of Salisbury, Maryland, with manslaughter and related counts. Investigators are still working to determine whether he was authorized to hunt on that property at the time.
How the shooting unfolded in the field near her home
Police say Soto was walking with her boyfriend, Miniveldo, and his two children around 7:40 p.m. on Sept. 18 in a field near the home where she lived in Sussex County. Authorities say Moorhead fired the shot that hit her after mistaking her for a deer.
Miniveldo said he heard what sounded like an explosion and then saw Soto cover her ears and fall. Through a translator, he said the family was stunned by how quickly the situation turned deadly. Soto’s daughter said she ran from the house when she learned what had happened and found her mother on the ground, not responding.
Police have not confirmed the exact distance from which the shot was fired. Officials said Moorhead reportedly shot from a ground-level obstacle hunters use to avoid being seen by animals.
What Moorhead is accused of doing after the shooting
According to police, Moorhead went up to the area while Soto was dying and was looking for the deer he believed he had shot. The family said the encounter that followed only added to their shock and grief.
Miniveldo’s translator said Moorhead asked why he had done it and questioned whether he was a psychopath or racist, though the family said it was seeking an explanation for the shooting rather than understanding how it happened. Miniveldo also said Moorhead tried to run away, then stopped after being told police were on the way and that he would not be allowed to leave.
Authorities have not publicly said that Moorhead admitted to intentionally targeting Soto. The case remains centered on whether the shooting was a tragic mistake, and on what happened in the moments before and after the shot was fired.
Questions about hunting permission on the property
State environmental officials told NBC10 that the land had a permit allowing hunting because deer were damaging crops. But that permission came with conditions: individual hunters had to be on an approved list for the property.
Investigators have not said whether Moorhead was on that list or whether he had permission to hunt there at that specific time of day. Those questions are now part of the broader inquiry into what led to Soto’s death.
The hunting setup matters because it could help explain whether Moorhead was acting under permission that day or whether he was on the property without authorization. Officials have not released those answers yet, and the family is waiting for clarity as the case continues.
Charges, bail and the family's reaction
Moorhead has been charged with manslaughter and related offenses. He posted bail and was released while awaiting trial, a development Soto’s daughter said has been difficult for the family to accept while they are still trying to process the killing.
She said it does not feel right that he is already out. The family is now planning Soto’s funeral while also pressing for more information about what happened in the field and whether the shooting could have been prevented.
NBC10’s call to Moorhead’s home in Maryland was not answered. For Soto’s loved ones, the main concern remains the same: how a woman walking near her home could be mistaken for game and killed in what police describe as a hunting incident.
Who Maria Chilel Soto was to her family
Soto’s relatives said she was with people she loved when she was shot, which has made the loss feel even more immediate and personal. Her daughter and boyfriend both described trying to understand the final minutes of her life while emergency help was not enough to save her.
The family has not only lost a mother and partner, but also has to wait through a criminal case that still leaves major questions unanswered. They want to know who was allowed to be on the land, whether the hunter had permission, and why the mistaken shot was fired from a place where he could not clearly identify what he was aiming at.
For now, their grief is tied to the investigation. They are planning a funeral and asking the public for answers that, at least so far, the family says have not come quickly enough.
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