Judge finds accused KC serial killer Fredrick Scott mentally fit; trial to proceed
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- Judge ruled Fredrick Scott competent, allowing 2017 serial killing case to proceed.
- Scott faces six murder charges linked to shootings along Kansas City's Indian Creek Trail.
- Trial stalled for more than seven years due to delays involving Scott's mental competency.
A Jackson County judge has determined that accused Indian Creek serial killer Fredrick Demond Scott is competent to stand trial and ordered criminal proceedings in his case to resume.
Judge Charles McKenzie on Thursday found that Scott was mentally fit to proceed and scheduled a case management conference for 1 p.m. Thursday to set a trial date and address other pending issues in the case.
The ruling comes after a hearing in mid-June during which experts for both the defense and the prosecution testified about Scott’s mental competency.
An expert for the defense testified that Scott was not competent, lacked rational expectations and was overly optimistic about his case.
Meanwhile, an expert with the Missouri Department of Mental Health testified that Scott understood the court proceedings and could consult and assist with his attorney.
The ruling allows the case against Scott to move forward. Scott, 30, has been accused in the killings of Steven Gibbons, 57; John Palmer, 54; David Lenox, 67; Timothy S. Rice, 57; Mike Darby, 61; and Karen Harmeyer, 64. The killings took place between 2016 and Scott’s arrest in August 2017.
Harmeyer was killed in Grandview, while the rest of the fatal shootings took place along the Indian Creek Trail in south Kansas City. All of the victims were shot without warning, some outside of their homes.
Scott faces six counts each of first-degree murder and armed criminal action in the killings. The case, which began in 2017, has been delayed for more than seven years while the court deals with issues surrounding his competency.
In June 2020, a judge ruled Scott was incompetent to proceed. A judge also found in June 2021 that Scott was incompetent to stand trial. After a re-evaluation of Scott’s mental fitness that summer, a judge ruled that Scott was mentally fit in October 2021.
Intended trial dates for Scott were canceled in 2022 and again in 2023. Scott has also been assigned new representation after his first attorney was allowed to withdraw from the case.
In June 2024, Judge McKenzie ruled that since two different judges had given conflicting opinions on Scott’s mental competency, state law dictates that a separate hearing should take place in July 2024.
But after an outburst by Scott during that hearing, McKenzie committed Scott to a state behavioral health program through the Missouri Department of Mental Health for a mental health evaluation, placing trial proceedings on hold again.
McKenzie held a hearing on Scott’s mental competency June 16, taking the matter under advisement. He issued his finding that Scott was mentally fit to proceed on Thursday afternoon, allowing the case to resume.
This story was originally published July 7, 2025 at 11:19 AM.
