Woman granted probation in fatal stabbing of Kansas City DJ, music promoter
AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.
- Janee L. Davis received probation after pleading guilty to manslaughter.
- Judge suspended a 10-year sentence, mandating drug court supervision.
- Police linked Davis to the killing through witness accounts and statements.
A Jackson County judge granted a 36-year-old woman probation after she pleaded guilty to the stabbing death of a popular Kansas City DJ and music promoter known as Captain Vonzell, court records show.
Janee L. Davis of Kansas City pleaded guilty Tuesday to voluntary manslaughter, a felony, in the death of 70-year-old Vonzell Bryant in January 2024, the first homicide of that year.
Prosecutors dismissed a second felony charge of armed criminal action, according to court documents.
Judge Jerri J. Zhang sentenced Davis to 10 years in prison and four years of probation. Zhang then suspended the execution of the sentence, ordering Davis to be placed on probation with regular drug testing according to the circuit court’s drug court program.
According to court documents, police officers responded to a medical call shortly before 10 p.m. Jan. 3, 2024, in the 2600 block of Agness Avenue, just down the street from his home in the Washington-Wheatley neighborhood of Kansas City.
Emergency medical workers initially believed Bryant was suffering from a medical condition, but as they were rendering aid, they discovered he had been suffering from bodily trauma to his chest, according to court documents. Bryant died at the scene.
Police found a blood trail that led from his body to a vehicle parked nearby. Investigators concluded Bryant was likely attacked inside the vehicle.
Witnesses allegedly told detectives they heard Davis talking about the killing, leading investigators to identify her as a suspect, according to a probable cause affidavit filed with the charges.
While being questioned by detectives, Davis allegedly told them that she stabbed Bryant after he assaulted her and tried to force her to perform a sexual act. She said she used a knife that she grabbed off his lap and dumped the weapon in a sewer afterward.
