Kansas City ‘butcher’ acquitted of murder in dismembered body case gets 4 years in prison
A 33-year-old Kansas City man was sentenced to spend the next four years in a Missouri prison in a grisly killing and dismemberment case described by a Clay County prosecutor as a “shocking and outrageous” event to the community at large.
Colton Stock, a Northland man jailed since 2019, was acquitted of first-degree murder and armed criminal action by a Clay County jury in November in the killing of 35-year-old Matthew Calkins. But the jury did find Stock guilty of abandoning a corpse and evidence tampering, recommending he serve four years for each felony count.
On May 5, 2019, Kansas City police were called to a home in the 5600 block of North Poe Street to investigate the sound of gunfire. Kansas City firefighters were called to put out flames in the basement, where authorities discovered Calkins’ torso underneath a tarp.
At trial, prosecutors contended that Stock was a killer who knew Calkins, cut up the body with a saw, hid parts of it in an unknown location, and set the crime scene on fire to escape justice. Stock’s public defender countered that Calkins, armed with a gun, had broken into Stock’s house during a burglary and that Stock was defending himself when Calkins was shot.
During the sentencing hearing on Friday, Clay County Deputy Prosecutor Robert Sanders said Stock treated Calkins “like a piece of trash.” As authorities sought to locate the missing head, arms and legs of Calkins to bring the family “some peace,” Sanders accused Stock of giving a false location that Kansas City police extensively searched without success, saying there was “no indication” that Stock was being truthful.
“He’s a decent butcher but an even better liar,” Sanders said.
Representing Stock in the case was Bob Nickerson, a Clay County public defender. He asked that Stock be sentenced to a total of two years, which would have led to his release as Stock has already been held in Clay County jail since his arrest in 2019.
Nickerson also objected to testimony shared by family ahead of the sentencing, noting a jury found him not guilty of murder. He took issue with a presentation by prosecutors that caused Stock being cast “as if he committed a murder.” He said Stock was a “victim” with a right to lawfully defend himself, a remark that drew a negative reaction from Calkins’ family as they watched in court.
“I understand that they’re angry. But they’re treating this like my client didn’t have any basis for defending himself,” Nickerson told the judge.
Stock was sentenced by Judge Shane T. Alexander to a total of eight years for the felony convictions. Alexander called the facts of the case “egregious,” concluded the jury’s recommendations were justified, and ordered the four-year sentences to be served back-to-back, though Stock will receive credit for the nearly four years already spent in jail. He also ordered Stock to pay a $10,000 fine on each count..
Prior to sentencing, Sanders, the prosecutor, called three of Calkins’ family members to testify.
At times growing emotional on the stand, they said Matthew Calkins’ death was and continues to be a devastating blow that was especially hard on Diane Calkins, his mother. They also said they believe Stock murdered Calkins and got away with it.
“We all know the truth,” said Danny Scroggins, his stepfather, who described fond memories of working in trade jobs alongside his stepson.
“He may think he got away with something, but he didn’t get away with anything,” Scroggins said. “He’s got to look everybody he knows right in the eye.”
John “JD” Calkins, older brother, said he is engaged to be married and would have had his brother as his best man. He described his brother as his best friend, saying his initials “MCC” are tattooed on his chest. He said it pains him that he cannot put flowers on his brother’s grave.
Diane Calkins said the stress from her youngest son’s death led to depression and other health problems, including Parkinson’s disease. She said her son aspired to achieve more in life, and she hoped to see him have a child of his own someday.
“I hope he burns in Hell, first of all,” Diane Calkins said, asked by the prosecutor to describe the sentence she thinks Stock deserves. “And I think he deserves the maximum amount of sentencing.”
“I wish I could forgive you, but I can’t,” Diane Calkins said, as she looked toward Stock from the witness stand. She added that she was a Catholic for 30 years, and she knows “the rules” laid out in the church “if you murder someone” and “deny the Holy Spirit.”
“So, good luck with that,” she said.
Correction: An earlier version of this article did not include the full fine amount issued at sentencing. Colton Stock was ordered to pay $10,000 fines on each felony count.
This story was originally published February 10, 2023 at 8:22 PM.
