A birthday phone call that never came: KC family seeks clues in unsolved killing
The familiar number would pop up on Janae’ Powell’s phone like clockwork.
On the morning of her birthday each year, Powell would receive a phone call from her older brother, Justin L. Powell Sr.
“He would say, ‘Happy birthday, sis,’” Powell recalled Monday.
But that phone call didn’t come on her birthday last year. Days earlier, on June 23, Kansas City police found Justin Powell’s body in the driveway of an abandoned house at Linwood Boulevard and Agnes Avenue.
At the time, police said officers nearby were patrolling the area before 1 a.m. when they heard gunshots. Arriving officers found Powell’s body sprawled nearby.
“Last year I was going to have a big party and I couldn’t do anything because mentally inside I was just done,” Janae’ Powell said.
Months later, Justin Powell’s homicide remains unsolved. Detectives and Powell’s family continue to plead for help, asking that anyone with information about the killing reach out to detectives.
Janae’ Powell said relatives remain hopeful that someone will step forward with a tip or clue that would be helpful to investigators.
“I know that it is scary and people don’t want to be classified as a snitch but it is not being snitch, it is being helpful,” she said Monday. “You would want someone to show you the same respect and we just want the same respect.”
Powell said she knew her brother did not live an ideal life. He had been incarcerated, but he loved his family, especially his children.
Prior to his death, Justin Powell was planning a big birthday bash for his son.
Justin Powell grew up in Kansas City. He attended Central Academy for Excellence but did not graduate. He worked temp jobs and had been in trouble with the law.
Yet, regardless of what he did away from his family, Powell cared about them and always extended himself to those who loved him, family members said.
That his death has remained unsolved has been hard for the family.
“Some nights you wake up crying,” Janae’ Powell said. “I could be in the middle of having a great day and I just break down. There are times when it is pretty hard. Some days are better than others but it has been really hard.”
Justin Powell frequented the area where his body was found. Detectives have knocked on doors there and reached out to neighborhood residents seeking information.
So far, nothing significant has turned up, said Danny Thomas, a Kansas City homicide detective.
“This is not just another random homicide in the bigger scheme of things but this person had a family that cared about him,” Thomas said. “We want to solve them all, but we can do that one at a time. So hopefully, we will get some information that will lead us in that direction.”
Janae’ Powell echoed the plea for help.
“No one is perfect; we have all made mistakes in our lives,” she said. “We all have things in our life that we are not proud of and I don’t think you are sleeping good at night knowing that you know something and you are OK with not saying anything.”
Anyone with information is asked to call the TIPS Hotline at 816-474-8477. A reward of $10,000 is being offered for information that leads to an arrest.
This story was originally published March 11, 2019 at 1:13 PM.
