Teen accused of fatally stabbing classmate at KC school to remain in juvenile detention
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Northeast Middle School stabbing
Kansas City police responded to a stabbing on Tuesday, April 12, 2022, at Northeast Middle School, 4904 Independence Ave. Arriving officers found 14-year-old Manuel J. Guzman with stab wounds in a bathroom. He was taken to a hospital where he died later that day. Another student was taken into custody and charged with first-degree murder in Jackson County Juvenile Court.
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A judge Friday denied a request for a 14-year-old to be released on home detention, calling the fatal stabbing the teen is accused of a “most serious occurrence.”
The teen, whose name is not being released by officials because he is a juvenile, was charged Wednesday with first-degree murder, armed criminal action and unlawful use of a weapon in Jackson County Juvenile Court.
He is accused of fatally stabbing 14-year-old Manuel Guzman on Tuesday at Northeast Middle School in Kansas City.
The defendant appeared in juvenile court via video conference for a detention hearing before Commissioner William Jackson. His aunt and grandmother also attended virtually.
Guzman’s mother and stepfather sat in the front row of the courtroom.
The teen’s defense attorney, Timothy Honse, told the court there was “a lot more to the story.” He urged the commissioner to consider that the 14-year-old defendant had no history of prior charges and requested he be released from juvenile detention to stay with his aunt under electronic monitoring.
Deputy juvenile officer Erika Jones contended the teen should remain incarcerated “for community protection.” Attorney Joe Nietfeldt emphasized that the public’s emotions are high and detention was necessary to ensure the defendant attended his next hearing. The commissioner agreed, ruling the teen should be held in a secure detention facility.
The teen is scheduled to appear in court at 10:20 a.m. on May 4 for a pre-trial conference.
Officers responded after 9 a.m. Tuesday to the school at 4904 Independence Avenue on reports of a stabbing. When they arrived, police found Guzman inside a bathroom with stab wounds.
Emergency medical crews responded and the 14-year-old was transported to Children’s Mercy with critical injuries.
The suspect was brought into custody by Kansas City police and was held at the Juvenile Detention Center.
The school went into lock down and police shut down the streets surrounding the area. Students were released from classes and reunited with their families later in the day.
At 8 p.m. Tuesday police announced that Guzman had died in the hospital.
In an interview Thursday, Kansas City Public Schools Superintendent Mark Bedell said the district is conducting an internal review to determine what led up to the eighth grader’s death.
Vicente Guzman, mother of Manuel Guzman, said on Thursday that her son and the student charged in his killing had fought outside the school a month prior to the stabbing. She alleged the school was aware of the fight and should have held a conference between the parents to diffuse tension.
“I want justice for my son. He did not deserve to be stabbed six times,” she said.
As of Friday, a GoFundMe set up by Guzman’s family to pay for funeral expenses had surpassed its goal of $25,555 with over $31,000 raised.
This story was originally published April 15, 2022 at 3:07 PM.
