Her dead love’s twin brother is now accused of gunning down Kansas City mom

MarYanna Pennington lost the love of her life three years ago when he was shot to death in a Kansas City duplex. On Tuesday, authorities said she was gunned down by his twin brother.

The 25-year-old Kansas City mother of three known as “Pretty” had left a wedding Saturday night and was with her sister and two other women when their car broke down at 21st and Cleveland. As they waited for help around 10 p.m., two men approached the car. One opened a door and began shooting. Pennington was killed; the other women were critically wounded.

Investigators found 32 shell casings from two different weapons.

DeAndre M. Jackson, 24, of Raytown, was charged Tuesday with second-degree murder in Pennington’s death, according to court documents. Jackson also was charged with multiple assaults, unlawful use of a weapon and armed criminal action.

Jackson was the twin brother of Mark D. Jackson, who was fatally shot Nov. 25, 2013. Pennington was described in the obituary for Mark Jackson as his “devoted companion for almost three years.” It also said Mark Jackson loved being a big brother to DeAndre. “He was his brother’s right hand man, wherever you saw one, you knew the other one was close by,” according to the 2013 obit.

According to court documents and Star interviews:

Pennington had been arguing with DeAndre Jackson earlier Saturday, one witness told police.

And the day before that, Pennington and Jackson’s girlfriend reportedly had fought while inside a moving car. While they fought, the car struck two parked cars.

Kansas City Police Chief Darryl Forté wrote on his blog Tuesday that the killing happened after that girlfriend “asked her boyfriend to go over and confront the woman (Pennington) she was fighting with.

“It appears the boyfriend shot up a car full of people, not just the woman in question,” Forté wrote.

Earlier Saturday night, Pennington had enjoyed a family wedding at Hillcrest Country Club in south Kansas City.

She lit up the room with her smile and spirit, said Dionte Peavy, founder of Event Choice, the event company that ran the wedding. All of his staff remembered her, he said.

“Have you ever met somebody and you don’t know them at all, but your first impression of them is that they are a great person?” Peavy said. “She had a really good vibe to her. She left a really good impression on everybody.”

Peavy on Sunday posted a video of Pennington participating in the Mannequin Challenge on the dance floor, posing next to one of the two brides in her coral tie-dyed below-the-knee dress. She is seen in lots of pictures, smiling in all of them, the wedding photographer made a point to tell Peavy.

About an hour before the cleanup crews began their work, Pennington left the wedding.

Sometime later, the car Pennington, her sister and two other women were in broke down near 21st and Cleveland. Pennington or her sister called their mother and asked for help with a flat tire. The black Chevrolet Impala’s front right axle was also broken; the car was not drivable.

While they were waiting for help, a man allegedly approached their car and looked inside. Another man opened the front passenger door and pulled out one of the women and then began shooting into the car.

A witness heard a man shout Pennington’s nickname. “That’s them, that’s Pretty right there!”

Shortly after, a family member of one of the women in the car got a call. “I’ve been shot, I’m at 21st and Cleveland. Come quick.”

When police arrived, they found three women in critical condition and Pennington dead. The car’s ignition was still on.

In his blog posting Tuesday, Forté noted that the city’s 107 homicides so far in 2016 represented a dramatic increase from the 91 slayings reported during the same period in 2015.

“But what is different about this year is the relationship between victims and suspects,” Forté wrote. “Contrary to popular belief, a majority of these homicides could not have been prevented by law enforcement. No amount of officers on patrol can stop a simmering family dispute or someone who chooses to end a petty argument with a firearm.”

Forté urged residents to help police in these situations.

“We are begging you to let us know when something like this is occurring or about to occur,” he wrote. “In so many of this year’s homicides, someone had to know that something was amiss. Someone had to know a dispute was brewing. Someone had to know that their friend or family member was angry and armed. If someone had called us, officers might have been able to stop the homicides from ever taking place.”

This story was originally published November 15, 2016 at 6:56 PM with the headline "Her dead love’s twin brother is now accused of gunning down Kansas City mom."