DNA evidence, gun link man to 2019 killing in Kansas City, prosecutors say
An Independence man has been charged with second-degree murder in connection to a 2019 incident where a man was found shot to death in a vehicle, the Jackson County Prosecutor’s Office announced on Friday.
The defendant, identified as Brandon L. Hill, 32, is also charged with armed criminal action.
The murder charge stems from a homicide that was reported April 1, 2019, in the 6700 block of Walrond Avenue in Kansas City.
Kansas City Police said the body of 40-year-old Derrick C. White was found after officers responded to a call in the area about 10 a.m. The victim had suffered from gunshot wounds.
Prosecutors allege that DNA taken from the door handle of the vehicle was later matched to Hill.
Detectives learned Hill had been arrested on March 31 in a separate incident. At the time of his arrest, Hill allegedly possessed three guns, including a 9mm Taurus G2C handgun that police believe was loaned to the victim weeks before his death.
A bullet found in White’s body was determined to have been fired by the same handgun, prosecutors said. DNA collected from the trigger and grip of the gun also matched Hill, according to court records.
Hill remains in federal custody in a separate case, according to prosecutors. He was indicted in April 2019 on a charge of being a felon in possession of firearms, court records show.
Bond has been set at $250,000 in the Jackson County case. An attorney for Hill has not yet been listed.
This story was originally published May 22, 2020 at 8:09 PM.
