Man found guilty of murdering girlfriend in Independence apartment
A 27-year-old man has been found guilty of murdering his 22-year-old girlfriend by shooting her in the back of the head inside her Independence apartment.
Brandon A. McDaniel, of Independence, was convicted by a Jackson County jury on Wednesday of second-degree murder and armed criminal action in the killing of Oriana Starr. He was scheduled to be sentenced in September.
Authorities alleged McDaniel murdered Starr in the early morning hours of Dec. 16, 2020. Independence police found her body after receiving a call from McDaniel’s mother the following day saying her son had shot and killed the young woman as the two were fighting.
Police officers were dispatched that evening to Starr’s residence in the 9900 block of East 36th Street. Officers looked through the window to see a person on the ground not moving.
Police found Starr dead of a gunshot wound when they entered. There was a yellow extension cord by her feet, detectives noted in court papers.
An autopsy conducted by the Jackson County Medical Examiner’s Office later found that Starr was killed by a gunshot wound behind her right ear.
Investigators heard from witnesses who claimed that McDaniel had admitted to shooting Starr after he woke up earlier that morning wanting to go buy cigarettes and alcohol. Witnesses said McDaniel had described a physical fight between them during which he was being choked and shot her once in the head.
McDaniel was arrested three weeks later in northeastern Arkansas by area law enforcement for allegedly violating conditions of his parole. At the time, McDaniel had recently been convicted of felony robbery and unlawful weapon use.
Independence detectives interviewed McDaniel at a county jail there. He declined to answer questions about the killing when asked by detectives, court papers say.
Under Missouri law, McDaniel faces up to 30 years in prison for the murder conviction and 15 years for armed criminal action. A sentencing hearing in the case was set for Sept. 16.
