Johnson County prosecutors drop murder charge against 19-year-old in Mission shooting
A first-degree felony murder charge leveled against a 19-year-old in connection with a double shooting that killed one teenager outside of a Mission apartment complex has been dismissed by Johnson County prosecutors.
Robert L. Jones, of Kansas City, was charged in April under Kansas’ felony murder statute, alleging he was responsible for the killing of a 16-year-old on April 10 in the parking lot of the Silverwood Apartments in the 5100 block of Foxridge Drive. A 13-year-old was also shot that night, who was treated for injuries described by authorities as non-life-threatening.
During a hearing on July 12, the charge against Jones was abruptly dismissed and Jones was freed from custody after spending roughly three months in Johnson County jail.
Court papers offered no explanation of why the charge was dropped. A spokeswoman for the prosecutor’s office declined to provide additional details.
Prosecutors had accused Jones of facilitating a firearms transaction in exchange for marijuana on the night of the killing. Prosecutors also alleged he was present at the time of the shooting, though they did not accuse him of pulling the trigger.
Under the state’s felony murder statute, a person may be charged with murder if authorities suspect that person committed another inherently dangerous felony that led to another person’s death. In the case of Jones, authorities alleged the transaction he was accused of arranging met the standard.
Defense attorney Tom Bath represented Jones in the case. In a motion seeking reduction of his $500,000 bond in May, Bath said Jones had never been arrested and was hoping to walk the stage alongside other high school graduates on May 13.
Bond in the case was cut in half, but Jones remained in jail until the charges against him were dismissed.
Reached by phone Wednesday, Bath said: “It was our belief that Robert was innocent, and we’re glad that somebody finally reviewed the file and agreed with our conclusion.”
Jones’ lawyers are now asking the court to expunge the arrest from his record and for his DNA samples to be removed from the Kansas Bureau of Investigation’s files.
This story was originally published July 27, 2022 at 8:16 PM.
