Independence man accused of murdering his mother arrested while tattooing ‘Mom’ on his leg

An Independence man used a gun, a baseball bat and a butcher knife to kill his mother Saturday, according to court documents filed Monday by Jackson County prosecutors.

Shane M. Harrelson then ignored his father and police officers while sitting in a garage tattooing the word “Mom” into his leg, the records say.

On Monday, Jackson County prosecutors charged Harrelson, 23, with first-degree murder in the death of Michelle R. Harrelson, 47.

According to court records:

Harrelson, 23, shot, beat and cut his mother before concealing her body, a bloody bat and a bloody knife in a brush pile near their home in the 1300 block of East Mechanic Avenue.

Inside the home, investigators found a bloody gun in the attic, one spent shell casing on the kitchen floor and a cordless electric drill covered in blood, human hair and bone fragments.

Officers arrived at the home shortly before 6 p.m. Saturday and were directed to the body in the brush pile.

Officers confronted Shane Harrelson, who at first ignored their commands to drop the tattoo gun.

Eventually, he acknowledged officers and stepped outside the garage. One officer noted what appeared to be blood on his hands, which appeared to be shaking.

The defendant apologized to a second officer for ignoring him.

“It must be tough coming to things like this,” he said.

Near the brush pile, investigators found two plastic bags containing the bat and butcher knife along with a blood-stained rag and human teeth.

Michelle Harrelson’s live-in boyfriend, David Kimball, had arrived home about 4 p.m. and became concerned when he could not find her. He noticed that Shane Harrelson’s shaking right hand was bloody and bandaged. Kimball searched the property, found the body and called the victim’s ex-husband.

The ex-husband, Michael Harrelson, met arriving officers at the scene. He told them his former wife was dead and that his son was “out of control.” Michael Harrelson later told investigators that his son suffered from mental health issues and had been admitted to several facilities for treatment.

Michelle Harrelson, 47, had lived on the street for about a year, said Christopher Christman, a neighbor.

“She baby-sat two or three little children every day,” said Christman, who added that he met Shane Harrelson only once, briefly.

“He came over and introduced himself once when I was working in the front yard,” Christman said. “Another time, he helped my mother when a birdbath fell over in our yard.”

Christman occasionally saw Shane Harrelson riding a skateboard or driving a truck. But Harrelson often would stay to himself in his mother’s home, Christman said.

This story was originally published October 26, 2015 at 2:13 PM with the headline "Independence man accused of murdering his mother arrested while tattooing ‘Mom’ on his leg."