Teen charged with murder in fatal double shooting in Kansas City’s Northeast area
Prosecutors have charged an 18-year-old Kansas City man with murder in the fatal double shooting of two people near Maple Park in Kansas City’s Northeast area, the Jackson County Prosecutor’s Office announced Tuesday.
Austin Stiles faces two counts of second-degree murder, two counts of first-degree robbery and four counts of armed criminal action in the killings of 22-year-old Jimmy Bowman and 15-year-old Antonio Frazier Jr.
The double homicide occurred shortly after 7 p.m. on Sept. 18 in the 300 block of Maple Boulevard in the Pendleton Heights neighborhood.
Both victims were pronounced dead at the scene, and crime scene investigators found 11 shell cases at the crime scene.
Stiles is the second person to be charged in the killings. A grand jury in November indicted 20-year-old Jared Catarino of Overland Park with two counts of second-degree murder, two counts of armed criminal action and two counts of stealing firearms.
According to court documents, the killings were captured by a surveillance camera in the area. The video showed a dark blue Chrysler 300 showing up near the park a few minutes before the shooting.
As the victims approached from the park, two people got out of the driver’s side of the car and walked to the back of the car. One of the two raised his arm and shot the victims.
During the course of the investigation, police learned that Stiles had reported his blue Chrysler 300 stolen on Sept. 2, according to court documents. Police were advised that the Clay County Sheriff’s Office had towed the car because it had been abandoned. Stiles went and retrieved it from the tow lot.
On Sept. 20, detectives searched a license plate reader database, which showed that the car had been seen in Maryland Heights, Missouri. Police alerted officers in the St. Louis area to be on the lookout for the vehicle. Shortly thereafter, it was found in the parking lot of a Red Roof Inn in Maryland Heights with Stiles in it.
Stiles was detained for questioning. Because Stiles was 17 years old at the time, a deputy juvenile officer and a parent were present when homicide detectives interviewed him. Stiles has since been certified to stand trial as an adult.
Stiles allegedly told detectives that he and others had planned to rob the victims by setting up a gun deal in response to a robbery that occurred the day before the homicides.
The name of the person who shot both victims is redacted. Because of the redaction, it was unclear how many others might have been involved.
Police also took another person, whose name was redacted, into custody in Overland Park. That person allegedly told detectives that he and Stiles were going to do a gun trade. He claimed the shooting was in self-defense.
