Latest news with #JacksonCountyProsecutor'sOffice
Yahoo
4 days ago
- Yahoo
Two men charged in connection with Kansas City burglary ring
KANSAS CITY, Mo. — The Jackson County Prosecutor's Office announced Friday that it has filed felony charges against two men for their alleged involvement in an organized burglary ring. The prosecutor's office said the organized ring is responsible for multiple burglaries across the Kansas City metro. Download WDAF+ for Roku, Fire TV, Apple TV Idonnas J. Gavrilys, 25, is charged with two counts of second-degree burglary, four counts of first-degree burglary and four counts of armed criminal action. Dante K. Draper, 27, faces 17 counts of second-degree burglary, two counts of first-degree burglary, two counts of armed criminal action and two counts of stealing. Investigators believe there are at least six suspects part of the organized burglary ring. Both Gavrilys and Draper are being held without bond in the county jail. The investigation is ongoing. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
30-04-2025
- Yahoo
Man charged with murder after deadly shooting at liquor store near 9th, Prospect
KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Jackson County prosecutors have charged a man in connection with a . Jeremiah Williamson is charged with second-degree murder, first-degree attempted robbery and armed criminal action. Man pleads guilty for role in 2021 Independence double homicide According to court documents, Kansas City police officers responded just before 6 p.m. on Monday to a shooting at a liquor store in the area of East 9th Street and Prospect Avenue. When officers arrived, they located a man in the parking lot who had been shot. He was taken to University Health Medical Center where he was pronounced dead. A witness told detectives that he shot the man while defending himself then called 911. The witness stated he was inside the store with his girlfriend and was talking to the cashier after making a purchase when he noticed two men standing in the line next to him. As the men walked past him, the witness said one of them tried to grab his firearm – a 9mm pistol that was in the witness' pants pocket. The witness said he immediately tried to secure his gun as he began to physically struggle with the man. During the struggle, the witness said he and the man who grabbed his gun fell to the ground. That's when he said the second man pulled a gun from his waistband and pointed it at him (the witness) while he was on the ground fighting with the other man, court documents say. According to court documents, the man who was on the ground fighting with the witness yelled at the second man to 'hurry up and shoot him.' The witness said he was able to get ahold of his gun as they were all getting up from the ground, which is when he fired it at the man who first grabbed his gun, according to court documents. The witness said the suspect fell to the ground outside the front door – and the other suspect, identified as Williamson, ran to the back of the store. Download the FOX4 News app on iPhone and Android After the shooting, the witness said he called 911 to report the incident. Williamson is being held on a $100,000 cash bond, according to the Jackson County Prosecutor's Office. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
29-04-2025
- Yahoo
Second man receives life sentence in 2021 Northland double murder
A man convicted of murder in a fatal shooting in Kansas City's Northland in 2021 has been sentenced to life in prison without parole. Earl L. Dunn III, 23, was convicted in January of six felonies — two counts of first-degree murder, three counts of armed criminal action and one count of unlawful use of a weapon — in the killings of Kristopher Lunsford-Barrett, 23, and Kyle Gerhardt, 21, on March 1, 2021. The Jackson County Prosecutor's Office announced Monday that Dunn's prison sentence would consist of two consecutive life sentences without parole for each count of murder, followed by 30 years for the weapons charge and 10 years for each armed criminal action charge. On the day of the double murder, police responded around 5 p.m. to a crashed car that had caught on fire near Anderson and Norton avenues in northeast Kansas City. Lunsford-Barrett and Gerhardt were found inside with multiple gunshot wounds each and were pronounced dead at the scene. The Kansas City Police Department previously said that it looked like Dunn and another suspect, then-24-year-old Vontez Howard, had pursued the victims for several blocks until the car was totaled, creating a wide and messy crime scene. According to court documents, Lunsford-Barrett and Gerhardt had been in a grey Lincoln Town Car during the shooting, which they had crashed into a tree before Dunn and Howard approached them on foot. Surveillance video captured at homes in the area then shows the Town Car reversing away from the tree and speeding away eastbound, pursued by a maroon SUV with Dunn and Howard inside, according to court documents. Police believe that Dunn and Howard shot at Lunsford-Barrett and Gerhardt while driving through the intersection of Anderson and Mersington avenues — where several shell casings were later found, according to court documents — before the Town Car swerved into another tree. Investigators recovered a cigar butt matching Dunn's DNA from the SUV, court documents read, and used cell tower mapping data to place Dunn and the victims in the area of the crime scene at the time of the murder. A Jackson County jury found Howard guilty of eight felonies, including two counts of second-degree murder, in April 2023, according to court records. He was sentenced to 60 years in prison in June 2023. Kristopher Allen Sequoia Lunsford-Barrett grew up in San Diego and was interred there after his death, according to an obituary shared online. The aspiring rapper secured a record deal in Kansas City in 2019, around which time he enjoyed some popularity in the Los Angeles music scene, the obituary reads. 'Kristopher was deeply passionate, showing devotion to all that he loved; his music, his friends, and his family,' Lunsford-Barrett's obituary reads. Kyle Robert Gerhardt was born in Liberty and grew up in Kansas City before taking a job traveling across the country for a moving company, according to an obituary posted online. Gerhardt also enjoyed music, as well as fishing, sports cars, video games and spending time in nature, his obituary reads. He is survived by his daughter Nova. 'Kyle especially adored his daughter and being a devoted dad,' Gerhardt's obituary reads.
Yahoo
24-04-2025
- Yahoo
Man facing charges after older couple killed in south KC crash
KANSAS CITY, Mo. — A man is facing charges after an older couple was caught in the middle of a suspected street race and killed in south Kansas City last year. The Jackson County Prosecutor's Office this week charged Cortez Hamilton, of Kansas City, with two counts of first-degree involuntary manslaughter for the deaths of 91-year-old Verne Zugenbuhler and 72-year-old Diana Zugenbuhler. The crash happened just before 10:30 a.m. on Dec. 30, 2024, at Carondelet Drive and Wornall Road. An initial report from Kansas City police said that a Chrysler 300 and a Dodge Charger were racing south on Wornall Road from 99th Street. Kansas City tattoo artist helps self-harm survivors find beauty in brokenness At the same time, the Zugenbuhlers' Honda HRV was turning left onto Carondelet Drive. The Chrysler struck the front right corner of the Honda, causing it to spin out of control and killing the couple. The Dodge car did not stop. It is unclear if police ever located the vehicle or contacted the driver of the Dodge. The driver of the Chrysler, identified in charging documents as Hamilton, was taken to a hospital with minor injuries. In an interview with Kansas City police the next day, Hamilton said he was trying to get away from another vehicle that he thought was chasing him. Hamilton told police he was driving 50 to 60 mph when he crashed the car, though witnesses said that it appeared the cars were going faster than that and weaving in between other vehicles. KCPD's Accident Investigation Section later found that the Chrysler was recorded going 104 mph prior to the collision, and at the impact of the crash, it was recorded at 79 mph in a 40 mph zone, according to charging documents. The prosecutor's office filed the charges on Wednesday, and a warrant has been issued for Hamilton's arrest. No court date has been set as of Thursday afternoon. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
20-03-2025
- Yahoo
KCPD car struck during ride-along, driver shot by police: charges
KANSAS CITY, Mo. — A Kansas City man is facing charges after he allegedly hit a police vehicle earlier this week during a ride-along. The incident ended with the man being shot by a Kansas City police officer and taken to a hospital Tuesday night, March 18. Homicide investigation underway in rural Ray County The Jackson County Prosecutor's Office announced in a news release Thursday that Robert Beebe, 34, is charged with resisting a lawful stop, unlawful possession of a firearm, and tampering with a vehicle. According to charging documents, Kansas City police officers and Kansas Highway Patrol troopers were trying to stop a driver around 5:15 p.m. March 18. Troopers said they were following a black Infiniti car that had previously eluded them. One passenger of the Infiniti exited the car and was taken into custody in the 700 block of Southwest Boulevard. The driver of the Infiniti, later identified as Beebe, was seen by a police helicopter operator driving into oncoming traffic and failing to stop at lights. The Infiniti was then observed pulling into a parking lot in the 1600 block of Jefferson Street. According to court records, a Kansas City police officer in a patrol vehicle drove up and parked behind the Infiniti. Court records stated that at least one person seated in the back seat of the police vehicle was participating in a 'department approved ride along.' Download WDAF+ for Roku, Fire TV, Apple TV That witness stated that two officers got out of the police vehicle and asked Beebe to exit the Infiniti. Instead, the witness said, Beebe drove backward and forward, backed out again, and struck the police vehicle. One of the officers then shot Beebe, and he was taken to a hospital with serious injuries. No police officers were hurt. A police officer who was at the scene later told investigators that he believed the Infiniti was driving in the direction of his partner. A search warrant was issued for the Infiniti, which had been reported stolen March 6. According to court records, a loaded, stolen gun was recovered from the car. Beebe has since been released from the hospital and is being held in the Jackson County jail with bond set at $100,000. An initial court appearance is set for Thursday afternoon. The Missouri State Highway Patrol was requested to investigate the police shooting. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
