Kansas City man convicted in fatal hit-and-run allegedly motivated by romantic rejection
A Clay County jury on Wednesday convicted a Kansas City man of murder and assault in a hit-and-run crash, which killed a man and seriously injured a woman, that prosecutors said was motivated by a romantic rejection.
Michael W. Myers, 48, was found guilty of the murder charge along with first-degree assault and two counts of armed criminal action in Clay County Circuit Court. He faces life in prison for the killing of James Pettijohn, 36, who was fatally struck by Myers’ pickup truck in suburban Gladstone on April 9, 2019.
The crash happened in a thrift store parking lot in the 7400 block of North Oak Trafficway as Pettijohn and a woman, the other person injured in the crash, were both outside.
Prosecutors alleged Myers saw the woman, stopped his truck, turned around and intentionally ran them over.
Evidence presented at trial included the woman’s DNA found on the truck, which was located after Gladstone police sought assistance from the general public, and surveillance footage of the incident. The surviving woman testified in court that she had declined Myers’ romantic advances.
In a statement Wednesday, Prosecuting Attorney Zachary Thompson applauded the work of Gladstone police and Clay County prosecutors who handled the case, saying “we are glad to have achieved justice for these victims.”
“The surviving victim and the families will have to live with the consequences of the defendant’s actions, and now so will he,” Thompson said.
Myers is scheduled to be sentenced Dec. 22.
This story was originally published October 18, 2023 at 6:24 PM.
CORRECTION: An earlier version of this story included an incorrect spelling for the defendant’s name. The name is Michael Myers.
