Kansas teen charged with murder for shooting outside Johnson County apartment complex
An Edwardsville 18-year-old was charged Monday with second degree murder in the January killing of another teen outside an Overland Park apartment complex.
Joseph Decelles was initially charged in Johnson County Juvenile Court in January with firearm theft and misdemeanor criminal use of weapons. Decelles was 17 years old at the time. Prosecutors filed a motion alongside the charges asking for the teen to be prosecuted as an adult. A judge has not yet ruled on the motion.
The additional murder charge was filed Monday.
The Johnson County District Attorney’s Office declined to comment on the case beyond providing basic information about charges.
Decelles’ defense attorney, Angela Hasty, said in an email to The Star that her client is “looking forward to his day in court to defend against the charges.”
The charges were filed following the fatal shooting of 18-year-old Patrick Miller on Jan. 25 outside the 79 Metcalf Apartment Homes in the 7800 block of Marty Street.
Overland Park police said at the time that they were called on a report of gunfire around 7:30 p.m. When they arrived they found Miller suffering from a gunshot wound and a handgun nearby.
A witness, police said, told them that she’d heard an argument and the sound of a gunshot. When she looked out the window, she said, she saw one person fleeing the area.
Star reporter Cortlynn Stark contributed to this reporting.
This story was originally published June 10, 2020 at 2:25 PM.
