Former clerk pleads guilty in deadly shooting at liquor store in Kansas City’s Northland
A former clerk pleaded guilty in the fatal shooting of Dustin Niehouse at a liquor store in Kansas City’s Northland in 2022, court records show.
Mark Delano Shelton, 56, pleaded guilty March 3 to a lesser charge of first-degree involuntary manslaughter in the killing of 29-year-old Niehouse at the Cloud9 liquor store at 4305 Antioch Road.
Shelton was scheduled to face a Clay County jury trial on March 3 on charges of second-degree murder and armed criminal action. However, the trial was continued after an agreement was reached, and prosecutors filed the amended charge days before the trial.
On May 3, Shelton was arraigned on the new charge of involuntary manslaughter and pleaded guilty. According to court documents, the recommended sentence under the agreement is 10 years in prison.
Clay County Judge Timothy Flook accepted the plea after finding that Shelton gave it freely and with the understanding that it would affect his constitutional rights, including the rights to a jury trial and to remain silent.
Police responded to the fatal shooting shortly after midnight on Nov. 28, 2022, at the liquor store, according to court documents.
Shelton was not arrested following the shooting. Nearly seven months later, a grand jury indicted him on June 6, 2023, on charges of second-degree murder and armed criminal action.
Shelton, arrested on June 14, 2023, has remained in the Clay County jail on a $ 1 million bond.
Flook set sentencing for 1:30 p.m. May 2 and left the prior bond conditions in effect.
In October of last year, Niehouse’s mother, Valorie Niehouse, sued Groceries 4 Less LLC for wrongful death, alleging that the company was negligent in the hiring, training and supervision of Shelton and that negligence caused or contributed to her son’s death.
The lawsuit was filed to obtain court approval for a settlement that had been reached. Groceries 4 Less LLC denied liability, and the settlement resolved all claims against Shelton, Groceries 4 Less LLC and Cloud9 Liquor, also known as Discount Smokes & Liquor, according to court documents.
The settlement amount was not disclosed in court documents. A joint notice of dismissal was filed with the court in December.
