Man pleads guilty after heated words lead to fatal stabbing in Kansas City
AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.
- Leon Reese pleaded guilty to involuntary manslaughter in fatal stabbing case.
- Prosecutors agreed to reduce charges; Reese now faces up to four years prison.
- Witnesses said argument between Reese and victim escalated before stabbing.
A 54-year-old Kansas City man pleaded guilty Monday in the fatal stabbing of a man found lying in a street earlier this year in Kansas City’s Ingleside neighborhood, court documents show.
Leon J. Reese, who was scheduled to stand trial this week, pleaded guilty to second-degree involuntary manslaughter in the death of 52-year-old Eric Stennis, court records show.
Prosecutors initially charged Reese with second-degree murder, tampering with a witness, and two counts of armed criminal action. As part of a plea agreement, the murder charge was reduced to involuntary manslaughter; the remaining charges are expected to be dismissed at sentencing.
Reese now faces up to four years in prison on the manslaughter charge. A murder conviction would have carried between 10 and 30 years, or life in prison.
Sentencing is set for 1 p.m. Oct. 17 before Jackson County Judge Sarah A. Castle.
Words turn to bloodshed
Around 11 p.m. on March 31, police were dispatched to the 3000 block of Mersington Avenue on a medical call. Paramedics were attempting to save Stennis, who had been stabbed in the abdomen. He died from his injuries.
According to court documents, a witness told police she saw Reese, Stennis, and another person hanging out near 31st Street and Mersington. An argument allegedly broke out between Reese and Stennis.
According to the witness, the argument escalated and Reese approached Stennis with a knife. Stennis allegedly threw a rock at Reese, who then swung the knife.
The witness said she heard Stennis exclaim, “Damn, you got me!” before he fled into a nearby field, with Reese allegedly chasing him.
The following afternoon, detectives were searching for surveillance video of the stabbing and instead saw Reese, who was allegedly armed with a knife and standing over a witness.
When approached, Reese allegedly threw the knife towards detectives, who arrested Reese and collected the knife as evidence.
The witness told detectives that Reese had threatened to kill her if she reported anything about the stabbing, adding the officers may have saved her life because she didn’t realize he had a knife.
