logo
Man arrested for home invasion also charged with murdering parents in Kansas City

Man arrested for home invasion also charged with murdering parents in Kansas City

Yahoo01-04-2025

COVERT TOWNSHIP, Mich. (WOOD) — A man arrested on home invasion charges in Southwest Michigan is also accused of killing his parents in Missouri, police say.
The break-in happened on March 29 around 12:45 a.m. at a home on Blue Star Highway, police said. Covert Township police say Jason Sessoms went into the home and was confronted by the homeowner, who was armed. Sessoms tried to flee but was met outside by officers.
Officers say Sessoms fought back when they tried to arrest him and to disarm an officer. Sessoms was found with two handguns, police said.
After his arrest, officers found a juvenile family member traveling with him. Investigators questioned the juvenile to try and locate family, at which point they learned Sessoms had shot and killed his own parents in Kansas City, Missouri.
Clay County, Missouri, prosecutors have charged Sessoms with two counts of first-degree murder and two counts of armed criminal action, WDAF, WOOD TV8's sister station in Kansas City, reports.
WDAF reports the killings happened at an Extended Stay motel. Talking to investigators, Sessoms said he couldn't find some of his money and found out his mother spent it on the motel room, which 'disappointed him,' WDAF said, citing court documents. Sessoms told investigators he 'crept' up to his mother while she was sleeping and shot her twice in the head, the documents said. His father woke up and tried to disarm Sessoms, but was shot in the back of the head, WDAF reports.
Sessoms is being held at the Van Buren County Jail on charges of first-degree home invasion, attempting to disarm a police officer, car theft, carrying a concealed weapon and resisting and obstructing a police officer. He was arraigned on those charges Sunday in South Haven.
Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

Families of those killed in collapse of Georgia ferry dock sue companies that built it
Families of those killed in collapse of Georgia ferry dock sue companies that built it

Yahoo

time2 hours ago

  • Yahoo

Families of those killed in collapse of Georgia ferry dock sue companies that built it

ATLANTA (AP) — Relatives of seven people who drowned in waters off a Georgia island after a ferry dock walkway collapsed announced Wednesday they filed a lawsuit against the companies that designed and built it. Dozens of people were standing on the metal walkway over the water between a ferry boat and a dock on Sapelo Island when it snapped in the middle. Many plunged into the water and got swept away by tidal currents, while others clung desperately to the hanging, fractured structure. The tragedy Oct. 19 struck as about 700 people visited Sapelo Island for a celebration of the tiny Hogg Hummock community founded by enslaved people who were emancipated after the Civil War. Reachable only by boat, it's one of the few Gullah-Geechee communities remaining in the South, where slaves worked on isolated island plantations retained much of their African heritage. 'It was supposed to be a celebration of Black pride, but it became a day of great, great, great Black loss of humanity and life,' civil rights attorney Ben Crump, one of several lawyers behind the lawsuit, told an Atlanta news conference. 'We're filing this lawsuit to speak to that tragedy.' Attorneys for the families of those killed and more than three dozen survivors say the 80-foot (24-meter) walkway was weak because of a lack of structural reinforcement, poor welding and failure by the Georgia firm that built it to follow design plans. The walkway was 'so poorly designed and constructed that any competent construction professional should have recognized the flimsy and unstable nature of the gangway,' the lawsuit says. Regina Brinson, one of the suing survivors, said she was on the crowded walkway when she heard a loud crack and saw family friend Carlotta McIntosh plunge into the water holding her walker. Brinson and her uncle, Isaiah Thomas, also fell. Brinson recalled prying her uncle's fingers from her shirt to avoid being dragged underwater. Both Thomas and McIntosh died. 'The pain doesn't get any easier whatsoever,' Brinson told the Atlanta news conference. Kimberly Wood said she tumbled from the collapsed walkway clutching her 2-year-old daughter. Her older girl, 8, clung to the dangling walkway's railing. Wood said she managed to tread water until she reached a life preserver tossed from the ferry boat. Her older daughter was rescued and treated for wounds to her hand, said Wood, who had an injured shoulder. 'I'm shaking now just taking about it,' said Wood, another plaintiff. The lawsuit targets four private contractors hired to design and rebuild the ferry dock and walkway for the Georgia Department of Natural Resources. The project was finished in 2021. The walkway was fabricated by McIntosh County business Crescent Equipment Co. Its attorney, Clinton Fletcher, declined to comment. The project's general contractor, Virginia-based Centennial Contractors Enterprises, said by email that it doesn't comment on pending litigation. So did SSOE Group, which purchased an Atlanta design firm named as a defendant several years ago. An engineering firm also named as a defendant did not immediately return a phone message Wednesday. The lawsuit doesn't target the Department of Natural Resources or any other Georgia state agency. It says the department relied on its private contractors to ensure the walkway was safely built, which was "beyond the scope of the DNR's internal expertise and qualifications.' The agency told The Associated Press last year that the walkway should have been able to support the weight of 320 people. About 40 people were standing on it when it snapped. 'There was supposed to be a certified professional engineer that signed off on that part of the project and that was neglected," said Chadrick Mance, a Savannah attorney representing nine of the injured. Filed in Gwinnett County State Court in metro Atlanta, the lawsuit seeks unspecified damages for negligence, wrongful deaths and personal injuries. The cause of the collapse remains under investigation by the state officials, said Haley Chafin, a spokesperson for the Department of Natural Resources. State Attorney General Chris Carr also tapped a private engineering firm to perform an independent investigation. ___ Bynum reported from Savannah, Georgia. ___ Kramon is a corps member for The Associated Press/Report for America Statehouse News Initiative. Report for America is a nonprofit national service program that places journalists in local newsrooms to report on undercovered issues. Follow Kramon on X: @charlottekramon.

One dead after fiery motorcycle crash in Independence
One dead after fiery motorcycle crash in Independence

Yahoo

time8 hours ago

  • Yahoo

One dead after fiery motorcycle crash in Independence

KANSAS CITY, Mo. — One person is dead after a person driving a motorcycle crashed into a parked car in Independence. According to the Independence Police Department, around 10:15 p.m. Tuesday, a person driving a Harley Davidson motorcycle crashed into a parked Kia Soul. Download WDAF+ for Roku, Fire TV, Apple TV The motorcyclist was driving eastbound in the westbound lanes on 44th Terrace when they hit the Kia. Police said both vehicles became engulfed in flames after the crash. The driver of the motorcycle died in the crash. IPD said he did not appear to be wearing a helmet. The Kia was unoccupied. The crash is under investigation by the IPD Crash Investigations Unit. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

Driver charged in fatal bicycle crash at 131 and Pearl in GR
Driver charged in fatal bicycle crash at 131 and Pearl in GR

Yahoo

time18 hours ago

  • Yahoo

Driver charged in fatal bicycle crash at 131 and Pearl in GR

GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. (WOOD) — A Wyoming man is charged with a misdemeanor in a crash that killed a bicyclist near downtown Grand Rapids early this year. Steve Dowhan, 53, was hit and killed instantly the evening of January 11, 2025, as he rode his bicycle west on Pearl Street near the Ford Museum. A stagehand for venues in downtown Grand Rapids, Dowhan had just finished a job at DeVos Place. On May 29, Kent County prosecutors charged the driver of the vehicle that struck Dowhan, Kaleb Stressman-Pilot, with moving violation causing death. Police: Bicyclist hit by car, killed in Grand Rapids 'The alcohol was not over the legal limit, it was under it,' said Kent County prosecutor Chris Becker. 'So, we didn't have any drunk driving charges we could file. We didn't have any reckless driving charge we could file…. After we took a look at everything, the moving violation causing death was the only charge we had.' Becker noted fatal accidents usually take a few months to investigate as police await the results of toxicology testing and conduct accident reconstructions to determine charges. According to the probable cause affidavit, Stressman-Pilot had a 'solid green traffic signal.' But an accident reconstructionist said Stressman-Pilot had been speeding when the crash happened, driving 48 to 61 miles per hour in a 30-mph zone. Bicyclist killed in downtown GR was stagehand, driver had prior arrest Officers also determined that Stressman-Pilot should not have been driving that night; he had a restricted license and a conviction for operating while intoxicated from an August 2023 traffic stop. But in the January fatal crash, toxicology results measured Stressman-Pilot's blood alcohol content as .05, under the legal driving limit of .08. Still, the affidavit noted evidence of impairment. 'Officers advised they could smell an odor of intoxicants coming from Stressman-Pilot and displayed (sic) other clues that indicated impairment,' wrote an officer in the court record. 'Stressman-Pilot was eventually arrested for OWI and a chemical blood test was conducted. The results of the chemical blood test show Stressman-Pilot had a BAC of 0.057.' The officer went on to document Stressman-Pilot's comments the night of the crash. 'Officers on scene questioned Stressman-Pilot who advised them he was going 'Wherever I want to go,'' wrote the author of the affidavit. '(Stressman-Pilot) also added that he was headed to the 'strip club.' Officers spoke to the (female) passenger in the vehicle, who stated they were 'cruising downtown' and 'looking for something to do.'' If convicted of the high misdemeanor, Stressman-Pilot could get up to one year in jail and a mandatory one-year license suspension. Steve Dowhan's friends and fellow union members are still trying to determine a permanent location for a ghost bike that was dedicated in his honor. It can't be displayed at the crash site because Grand Rapids does not allow tributes in public rights-of-way. For now, it's in the front window of a Bridge Street building that houses the union to which Dowhan belonged, the International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees Local 26. The union said it will continue to fight for more parking for downtown workers. 'That's what we're seeking as a way to honor (Steve's) legacy,' said Tom Burke, president of IATSE Local 26. 'That's why Steve was on his bicycle in the middle of winter.' Burke said the lack of affordable parking forces downtown workers to park on the outskirts and ride their bicycles to their jobs. Burke described Dowhan as a lover of music and culture and a stickler for safety on the job. 'He was also quite persnickety,' Burke said with a chuckle, 'and he could be difficult in a debate or an argument. But that was also a strength when it came to demanding safety for workers, which was his thing. If he saw an unsafe situation, he would help us stop the work until we made it safe.' Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into the world of global news and events? Download our app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store