KC man pleads guilty in ‘Cain and Abel’ killing of brother, gets 20 years in prison
A Kansas City man accused of fatally shooting his brother last year in what was described as a “Cain and Abel situation,” has been sentenced to 20 years in prison.
As part of a plea agreement, Jacob Ackerman pleaded guilty to one count of voluntary manslaughter and one count of armed criminal action; a judge handed down the sentence on Monday.
Ackerman had initially been charged with second-degree murder and armed criminal action in the killing.
Haley Tarvin, an attorney who represented Ackerman, declined to comment Wednesday.
Ackerman’s brother’s body was found in July in the area of Missouri Route 291 and Missouri Route 210 in the Sugar Creek area after a relative who could track the brother’s location using an app reported that his location had not moved for several hours.
A Sugar Creek detective wrote in court documents that relatives believed Ackerman was responsible for the killing, and a medical investigator reported that on a call with relatives, someone could be heard describing the killing as a “Cain and Abel situation,” a reference to the first killing recorded in the Bible in which Cain killed his brother Abel out of jealousy.
After Ackerman was found in Kansas City, relatives told police that “...Jacob’s mental health had been declining and Jacob had been jealous of the victim for most of his life due to the victim being successful in life and Jacob struggling,” the detective wrote in court documents.
When he was interviewed by police, Ackerman admitted he stood behind his brother and shot him in the head after they had argued over a girl, according to court documents.
This story was originally published March 17, 2026 at 10:09 PM.
