Kansas City News Blog

Jasmine Depriest

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Keasha Ingram

​Joshua's Bar, the site of Kansas City, Missouri's first homicide of 2010, may lose its liquor license.

KSHB Channel 41 reports that Joshua's Bar (5701 Longview Road) is facing a 30-day liquor license suspension and maybe stiffer penalties. Joshua's has 45 days to gather signatures from its neighbors or else the nightclub's liquor license could be revoked.

KSHB adds that "excessive police calls" put Joshua's on probation in December.

In January, Jackson County prosecutors charged 19-year-old Jasmine Depriest with second-degree murder and armed criminal action and 24-year-old Keasha Ingram with first-degree assault and armed criminal action in connection with 25-year-old Latasha Prewitt's death.

Keith Ingram

​Keith Ingram was the victim of a homicide in Kansas City, Kansas, Thursday evening, KCK police say.

Ingram, a 23-year-old from KCK, was found shot to death inside a residence in the 1800 block of N. 27th Street around 6:25 p.m.

A second shooting victim was found at a local hospital with non-threatening injuries.

Police have not released any suspect information. If you have a tip about Ingram's death, call the Major Case Unit at 913-573-6020 or the TIPS Hotline at 816-474-8477.

Kansas City, Kansas police are investigating a homicide in the 1800 block of N. 27th Street. 

Around 6:25 p.m., officers found one person dead (described as a black male) and later found a second victim with non-threatening injuries at a local hospital.


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The man's identity has not been released.

Police have not released any suspect information. If you have a tip, call the Major Case Unit at 913-573-6020 or the TIPS Hotline at 816-474-8477.

Jason Cott

​Johnson County prosecutors charged Jason Cott yesterday with capital murder in the death of his pregnant wife, Angela Cott.

Filing the capital murder charge allows prosecutors to seek the death penalty against the 30-year-old Jason Cott for the deaths of Angela Cott, 29, and her unborn baby, under Alexa's Law, which allows prosecutors to charge a person with wounding or killing an unborn child in an attack on the mother.

Terrell Parker

​The victim of a shooting at 51st and Walrond early Sunday has died from his injuries.

Kansas City police say 24-year-old Terrell Parker has died.

Officers found Parker with life-threatening injuries in the driver's seat of a white Chevy Impala at the intersection.

Witnesses told police that Parker was sitting in his car when he was shot. Several people ran from the scene.

Parker is Kansas City, Missouri's eighth homicide of 2010.

If you have a tip about Parker's death, call the TIPS Hotline at 816-474-8477.

Christopher L. Feitz

​Jackson County prosecutors charged Christopher L. Feitz with second-degree murder in the death of his father, Ronnie L. Feitz.

Police found Ronnie Feitz, 56, dead inside his home at 507 N.W. Ivy Place in Lee's Summit on January 21. He was last seen alive by friends in the late hours of January 18.

When police found Feitz' body, he was wearing the same clothes that he had worn on the last day he was seen alive.

An autopsy revealed that Feitz had died from "multiple blunt force trauma." He was struck at least five times in the head, which caused skull fractures and brain injuries. His ribs were broken, and he had defensive wounds to his hands.

Dion Pettis

​Kansas City police say Dion Pettis was the victim of Sunday morning's homicide at Club Champs, 3900 Jackson.

Police found the 29-year-old Pettis at a nearby residence around 1:43 a.m. He was later pronounced dead at a local hospital.

Police say a second shooting victim -- a black male in his late thirties -- was also taken to a local hospital. His wounds were not life-threatening.

Witnesses told police that Pettis and the second shooting victim were involved in a disturbance with a group of people in the parking lot when shots were fired.

Police say there are no suspects in custody at this time, and if you have information about Pettis' death, call the TIPS Hotline at 816-474-8477.

Pettis is Kansas City, Missouri's seventh homicide victim of 2010.

A shooting at Club Champs, 3900 Jackson, left one dead and one injured Sunday morning.

Kansas City police were called to the club around 1:43 a.m. and found a black male in his late twenties with a gunshot wound at a nearby residence. The man was pronounced dead at a local hospital.


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Police say a second shooting victim -- a black male in his late thirties -- was taken to a local hospital. His wounds were not life-threatening.

Witnesses told police that the shooting victims were involved in a disturbance with a group of people in the parking lot when shots were fired. The suspected shooter is unknown at this time, and police do not have anyone in custody.

The man's death is Kansas City, Missouri's seventh homicide of 2010.

Also Sunday morning (1:30 a.m.), police were called to 51st and Walrond to investigate a shooting. Officers found a man -- described as black and in his mid-twenties -- in the driver's seat of a white Chevy Impala. The man was taken to a local hospital with life-threatening injuries.

Witnesses told police that the shooting victim was sitting in his car when he was shot. Several people ran from the scene.

An hour later, a woman was selling food in a mobile kitchen in the 2800 block of Southwest Boulevard when she was shot in a drive-by shooting. The woman -- described as a Hispanic female in her late thirties -- was taken to a local hospital in critical condition. Police say she is expected to survive.

Police are unsure if the victim was the intended target in the shooting. Another shooting victim -- a Hispanic man in his mid-twenties -- was taken to a local hospital with serious injuries. The man told police that he was standing outside of Club Oasis when he was shot by an unknown person. Police say there are no suspects in custody in this case either.

If you have a tip on any of these shootings, call the TIPS Hotline at 816-474-8477.

​Jackson County prosecutors charged Luke R. Malcolm with first-degree involuntary manslaughter in the death of Brady Lowery.

Malcolm, 23, told police that he accidentally shot Lowery, 23, at 1312 Southeast Austin in Oak Grove on January 22.

Court records say police found Malcolm on his knees, crying over Lowery's body.

"It was an accident," Malcolm told police. "I was putting my gun away. I did not mean to shoot him."

Court records say that Malcolm, Lowery and others were smoking marijuana and hanging out in a bedroom at the home. Malcolm had hidden his gun under the mattress of the bed to keep it away from children in the home. Malcolm told police that he grabbed the gun from under a mattress and went to put it in his back pocket, swung around and the gun went off, hitting Lowery.

Then there are witness accounts, which tell a different story.

Jonathan Brown

​Jackson County prosecutors charged 18-year-old Jonathan E. Brown Jr. with involuntary manslaughter in connection with Tuesday night's homicide in the 7100 block of Indiana.

Kansas City police identified the victim as 16-year-old Jamar Nevels. Police say Brown and Nevels were friends and were running away from dogs when Brown tried to shoot at the dogs. The gun failed to discharge and the teens kept running. While running, the gun finally went off, striking Nevels.  

Brown left the scene and put the gun in a sewer near 73rd and Indiana. Brown later led police to the revolver.

Nevels was pronounced dead at the scene.

​The AdHoc Group Against Crime is holding a prayer vigil for homicide victim Derrick Patterson Wednesday at 5:30 p.m.

The vigil will take place at Joey Cuts Barber Salon (3914 Indiana) where Patterson worked.

Patterson, 30, was found shot to death inside a vehicle in the 1700 block of Haskell Avenue last Friday.

If you have a tip about Patterson's death, call the Major Case Unit at 913-573-6020 or the TIPS Hotline at 816-474-8477.

Lorne Mabon

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Ezra T. Richardson

​Ezra T. Richardson was charged Wednesday with second-degree murder in the death of Lorne Mabon.

Mabon, 19, was fatally shot near 29th and Indiana on October 13, 2009.

Richardson, 17, was also charged with armed criminal action.

Court records say Richardson's brother told police that he saw Richardson fire eight rounds at Mabon. He also told police that Richardson told him, "I got off on them suckas."

Police questioned Richardson last night. Richardson denied being present at the time of the shooting, saying he was with his grandmother and brother (the same one who claimed that he saw Richardson fire eight rounds at Mabon) at the time of the homicide.

​A report issued by the Violence Policy Center ranks Missouri second in the nation per capita in black homicides, The Associated Press reports (via KCTV 5).

The dubious distinction coming from the Washington, D.C.-based non-profit organization says the Show-Me State recorded 235 black homicide victims (or 34.82 per 100,000 black residents) in 2007. The average age of victims in Missouri is 30.

The worst states: Pennsylvania ranked first. Trailing Missouri was Indiana, Nevada and Wisconsin.

How are we killing each other? The report says 84 percent of the victims were shot and killed by guns.

Read the full report after the jump.

Kansas City police are investigating a homicide after a teenager was fatally shot in the 7100 block of Indiana Tuesday around 9:45 p.m.


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Officers found a black male in his late teens in the front yard of a residence. The teen was pronounced dead at the scene.

Two witnesses told police that a dog was chasing them and the shooting victim when an unidentified person shot the victim.

Police didn't have a description of a suspect. If you have a tip about this shooting, call the TIPS Hotline at 816-474-8477.

Annicka Martinez

​Lafayette County authorities identified Annicka Marie Martinez as the woman found in a burning car on January 12. Detectives there are now investigating Martinez' death as a homicide.

Kansas City, Kansas, police had been looking for the 31-year-old Martinez. They wanted to talk to her about the death of Javier Reynoza.

Reynoza, 37, was shot to death in the 1700 block of Central Avenue on January 2. Wyandotte County prosecutors charged 35-year-old Ruben Richardson with second-degree murder in connection with Reynoza's death.

Authorities say Martinez was identified "by a forensic odontologist from Omaha, Nebraska."

But we already knew the victim's name thanks to Killa City readers.

Alexis Leza

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Jason Cott

​Two men charged in connection with the death of a woman found on the side of U.S. Highway 69 near Louisburg made their first appearances in Johnson County District Court Monday.

KCTV 5 reports that 30-year-old Jason Warren Cott allegedly strangled his wife, 29-year-old Angela D. Cott, to death inside a Lenexa hotel room and then dumped her body.

Angela Cott's half-clothed body was discovered last Wednesday on the side of the highway near 311th Street.

Last week, Johnson County prosecutors charged Cott with first-degree murder. Prosecutors also charged Alexis Cruz Leza with aiding a felon for allegedly helping Cott dump his wife's body.

​Kansas City, Kansas, police say Derrick Patterson was the victim of last Friday's homicide in the 1700 block of Haskell Avenue.

Patterson, 30, was found dead inside a vehicle around 11:12 a.m. His cause of death has not been announced.

Patterson is Kansas City, Kansas' fourth homicide of 2010.

If you have a tip about the man's death, call the Major Case Unit at 913-573-6020 or the TIPS Hotline at 816-474-8477.

Alexis Leza

​Johnson County prosecutors charged two men Friday in connection with the death of a woman whose body was discovered on the side of U.S. Highway 69 near Louisburg on Wednesday.

Prosecutors charged 30-year-old Jason Warren Cott Sr. with first-degree murder in the death of 29-year-old Angela D. Cott. Jason Cott is being held on $1 million bond.

Prosecutors also charged Alexis Cruz Leza with aiding a felon. Leza is being held on $500,000 bond.

Cott and Leza are scheduled to appear in Johnson County District Court on Monday.

Angela Cott's half-clothed body was discovered Wednesday on the side of the highway near 311th Street sometime after 5 p.m.

Jason Cott's photo has not yet been made available.

Kansas City, Kansas, police are investigating a homicide in the 1700 block of Haskell Avenue.


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There, officers found the dead body of a man inside a vehicle around 11:12 a.m. The victim's identity and the cause of death haven't been released.

The man's death is Kansas City, Kansas' fourth of 2010.

If you have a tip about the man's death, call the Major Case Unit at 913-573-6020 or the TIPS Hotline at 816-474-8477.

Lee's Summit police are investigating the death of 56-year-old Ronnie L. Feitz as a homicide.

The Lee's Summit police say Feitz' employer found Feitz dead inside a residence in the 500 block of N.W. Ivy Place.


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Feitz hadn't shown up to work for several days, and the employer went to check on Feitz, who lived alone.

Police determined Feitz' death was "suspicious" and executed a search warrant at the residence. Detectives and crime lab techs remained at the scene for most of the night.

Police haven't released a cause of death but say evidence and information gleaned from Feitz' autopsy have led detectives to classify Feitz' death as a homicide.

No more information was released.

​Blue Springs police are investigating a shooting in the 2900 block of S.E. 3rd Street that left a 21-year-old man in critical condition.

Blue Springs police found the man lying in a street and suffering from two gunshot wounds to the abdomen around 3:38 p.m.

The shooting victim was taken to a local hospital where he underwent surgery. Police say he is in the Intensive Care Unit and remains in "critical condition."

Police say that an argument between the 21-year-old man and several individuals in a car parked on the street in front of a residence preceded the shooting. The suspects left the scene in a red passenger vehicle, but police don't know the make or model of the vehicle.

Detectives with the Blues Springs police are still investigating and following leads to identify and apprehend the suspected shooter.

If you have information about the incident, call detective Jeremy Dickstein at 816-228-0261 or detective Sgt. Joe Fanara at 816-228-0153 or the Blue Springs Police Department at 816-228-0150.

The partially naked body of a woman was discovered on the side of U.S. Highway 69 near Louisburg Wednesday, and authorities in Miami County said there were "obvious signs of foul play."

Authorities believe the woman's body was dumped on the side of the highway near 311th Street sometime after 5 p.m. Tuesday, according to KMBC Channel 9.
Woman's half-clothed body found near highway in Miami County
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Authorities in 9's report described the victim as a white woman with "medium-length dark hair," "medium build," "medium height" and "a 2-inch oval birthmark above her right ankle." They also said the woman is in her late twenties or early thirties and wearing a black "Back Yard Burgers" T-shirt. The woman didn't match any missing persons reports.

If you can help identify the woman or spotted anyone stopped on the side of the road Tuesday evening, call the Miami County Sheriff's Office at 913-294-4444.

​Wyandotte County prosecutors charged two teens in a botched robbery that left a third suspected robber dead.

De'Vonta Findley, 16, and Sequoya Miner, 17, were charged today with aggravated robbery, conspiracy to commit aggravated robbery, conspiracy to commit burglary and felony theft.

A third suspect in the robbery, 16-year-old Deangelo Graham, was fatally shot during while allegedly attempting to rob a man at a car wash in the 2700 block of Merriam Lane, Kansas City, Kansas.

Kansas City, Kansas, police count Graham's death as the city's third homicide of 2010.

Findley and Miner are locked up at the Wyandotte County Juvenile Detention Facility. Police say a detention hearing is scheduled for 1:15 p.m. Wednesday. 

Dustin Hilt

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Joseph Mattox

​The three men accused of killing 18-year-old Keighley Ann Alyea will go to trial. 

Fox 4 appeared to be the first to deliver the gruesome details of Alyea's killing. Fox 4 reported that the three men beat 18-year-old Alyea, who begged for her life, and then 18-year-old Dustin Hilt allegedly stabbed her in the stomach.

Alyea disappeared in the early hours of September 30, 2009. Her body was found October 5 in a farm field in Cass County, Missouri.
  

Keighley Ann Alyea

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Gerald Calbeck

​Fox 4 also reported that Gerald Calbeck, 18, and Joseph Mattox, 22, confessed to the killing. The hearing apparently filled in many of the blanks of what happened that night. Detectives testified that the three men beat Alyea and believed that they had killed her and put her body in the trunk. Alyea reportedly started hitting the trunk and calling for help.

After hearing the pounding, the men stopped on a gravel road and asked her if she'd tell on them. She promised not to and begged them to take her to a hospital. Detectives testified that Hilt stabbed her in the stomach with a hunting knife and Calbeck kicked her in the head. Detectives said Alyea had been stabbed a total of 29 times (at least nine to the chest) and also suffered wounds to her head and neck, according to Fox 4.

​Clay County authorities say George Grimes shot and killed his wife, Sharon Grimes, and then killed himself in a murder-suicide Sunday. That's according to a story published in this morning's Kansas City Star.

George Grimes, 58, allegedly shot Sharon Grimes, 56, twice before turning the gun on himself, the Star story says. Clay County authorities received a call from inside the home near Northeast 124th Street and Southridge Drive around 11 p.m. 

The story adds that Sharon Grimes was an executive assistant to the executive director of the Mid-America Regional Council. 

MARC issued a statement on its Web site:

The hearts of all of us at MARC are heavy today as we learn of the unexpected death of a beloved member of our staff, Sharon Grimes. Sharon joined MARC in July 2003 as executive assistant to MARC's executive director. Sharon was a professional in every way and was very effective in her role as a primary MARC liaison, and she led a life marked by generosity and compassion.

In the six and a half years Sharon worked at MARC, she touched the lives not only of her co-workers, but of hundreds of people in the community for whom she was the face and voice of MARC. She will be sorely missed by all who worked with her or knew her. She leaves not only an empty desk today, but she leaves a hole in the hearts of all of us.

Please keep Sharon's family in your thoughts and prayers.

​Deangelo Graham was fatally shot while allegedly attempting to rob a man who was washing his car in the 2700 block of Merriam Lane, Kansas City, Kansas, police say.

The 16-year-old Graham and another man allegedly attempted the heist.

Graham's death is Kansas City, Kansas' third homicide of 2010.

A family friend told KCTV 5 that Graham was a "good kid" who moved away from KCK to escape a violent neighborhood. But Graham grew homesick and returned.

If you have a tip about Graham's death, call the KCK Police Department's Robbery Unit and Major Case Unit at 913-573-6070 or the TIPS Hotline at 816-474-8477.

 ​Winston Hughes was identified Tuesday by Kansas City police as the man shot to death near 54th and Bellefontaine Sunday evening.

Kansas City, Missouri's homicide total now stands at five for 2010.

Officers found 18-year-old Hughes and a woman (who police described as African American and in her twenties) in a car on the curb of the intersection. Both had life-threatening injuries.

The woman is said to be in "stable condition."

If you have any information about Hughes' death, call the TIPS Hotline at 816-474-8477.

Clay County authorities are investigating a suspected "murder-suicide" Two bodies -- a man and a woman -- were found in a home near Northeast 124th Street and Southridge Drive around 11 p.m. Sunday, KCTV 5 reported.

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Police responded after receiving a phone call from inside the home.

The man and woman have not been identified. Neighbors told KSHB Channel 41 that a husband and wife live at the home.

Update: The Kansas City Star reports that the man died.

Kansas City, Missouri's homicide total now stands at five for 2010.

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A shooting Sunday night has left two people with life-threatening injuries.

Kansas City police responded to a "shots fired" call near 54th and Bellefontaine around 8:10 p.m.

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Officers found two shooting victims -- described as a black man and a black woman in their twenties -- in a car on the curb of the intersection. The man and woman were taken to a local hospital. The man's condition is described as "grave."

If you have any information about this shooting, call the TIPS Hotline at 816-474-8477.

Tess Koppelman

​A little more than a week ago, police say a 14-year-old girl was murdered (allegedly by a family member) in rural Cass County.

As Katie Rios' friends, family members and onlookers grieved on a Facebook tribute site, local reporters were offering their own condolences, some sounding as aggrieved as if they'd actually known Rios -- and in the next breath cattle-calling the mourners for anyone willing to go on camera to talk about Rios' life.

Those expressing condolences and then issuing blanket requests for comments included Fox 4's Tess Koppelman and a producer working on behalf of KCTV 5's Eric Chaloux. KSHB's Russ Ptacek avoided the dramatic emotions and was forthright in his request for comment.

To us, the heavy-handed condolences made the TV journos look like vultures. And the Facebook spamming looked lazy -- how would they differentiate Rios' real friends from someone who just wanted to be on TV? It looked to us as if the TV reporters didn't want to make the effort or take the time to send a direct e-mail to the person who created the page or individual messages to Rios friends.

Koppelman responded to my post on her blog, Reporting Live. She titled her post "Those Evil Vultures." She joked about the TV reporter stereotype of being heartless and soulless and learning how to swoop in like a vulture in J-school. She also called me "self-righteous" and wrote that she doesn't take the criticism personally. Thanks, Tess -- and sorry I misspelled your name in the original post. Then she pointed out something I hadn't seen.