Teenage Kansas City woman turns herself in, faces murder charge in stabbing

An 18-year-old Kansas City woman wanted by police in a fatal stabbing last week surrendered to police and faces a murder charge.

Jackson County prosecutors have charged Heaven Leigh Redick with second-degree murder and armed criminal action in the death of Alaysia Nelson, 18, late Tuesday.

Police were looking for Redick as a “person of interest” in the homicide. Redick, accompanied by her mother, turned herself in to police on Friday, according to prosecutors.

The stabbing occurred during a fight at the Canyon Creek Apartments in the 9300 block of Bales Avenue. Responding officers found Nelson’s body in the parking lot. She had died from stab wounds and her death was ruled a homicide.

According to court documents:

A witness told police he picked up Redick in a red Kia at the apartment clubhouse and drove her to where the fight took place. There, they saw Nelson sitting in a vehicle with another woman.

Redick allegedly got out of the vehicle, approached Nelson and began yelling at her, telling her to get out and fight. Another witness told police that Redick began pulling on the door handle.

Witnesses told police that Redick pulled out a knife and Nelson got out of the vehicle. The two women began punching each other. One witness said they both threw approximately 10 punches at each other. During the fight, bystanders told Redick to put down the knife.

At one point, Redick allegedly sprayed Nelson with pepper spray and then tossed the canister to the ground. The women kept fighting until Redick allegedly stabbed Nelson, who fell to the ground.

The woman who was sitting in the vehicle with Nelson told police that she checked on Nelson and saw she was bleeding severely.

After the fight, Redick got back into the Kia and allegedly told a witness that she had blood on her knife. The witness drove her back to her car and told Redick to get out of his car.

Witnesses told police that Redick and Nelson had been sending threatening messages to each other prior to the fight. Police allegedly found what could be considered threatening text messages after searching Nelson’s phone.

The threats came from a phone number that Redick had provided to Independence police as her own.