Blue Springs teen accused of attempting to smother sleeping girl during burglary
A Blue Springs teen was certified to stand trial as an adult after prosecutors say he allegedly tried to smother a sleeping girl during a home invasion late last summer.
The Jackson County Prosecutor’s Office announced Tuesday that it has charged Christian E. Shirley with first-degree assault and first-degree burglary. Bond was set at $100,000 cash only.
According to court documents, Blue Springs police responded about 1 a.m. on Sept. 29 to a burglary after a mother called 911, reporting that someone had assaulted her daughter and run out the back door.
After officers arrived, the mother told them she woke to the screams from her daughter, who had fallen asleep on the living room sofa. When the mother entered the living room, her daughter told her that she had just been assaulted, and the person fled out the back sliding door.
The girl, whose nose was bleeding when officers arrived, told police that she woke up after someone held a pillow over her face. She said she was able to lift her head from under the pillow to breathe, then stand up after the person stopped applying pressure, according to court documents.
The person then fled out the back door. She said the person didn’t say anything during or after the assault. There were no signs of forced entry to the home, according to court documents.
Detectives from the Blue Springs special victims unit collected evidence at the home, including the pillow, the clothes the girl was wearing, and a palm print, fingerprints and DNA off the sliding glass door. Lab results of the prints allegedly matched Shirley’s prints, according to court documents.
Meanwhile, the girl went to a hospital, where photographs were taken. She had visible injuries to her neck consistent with being strangled and smothered. She said her neck was sore from the assault and was unable to participate in sports or activities due to the soreness, according to court documents.
On Oct. 1, the girl was seen for a forensic interview, where it was observed that both eyes were red from hemorrhages, according to court documents. Her left collar bone was also swollen and sore, there were bruises on both sides of her neck, and she complained of soreness in her left shoulder.
In early January, Shirley and his mother went to the Blue Springs Police Station, where he was questioned. Shirley allegedly admitted to entering the home, but said his friend was the one who strangled the girl, according to court documents. He allegedly described the victim, her clothing, the home and how the strangulation occurred in vivid detail, according to court documents.
Police obtained a search warrant for a DNA sample and his phone.
Lab results showed that Shirley’s DNA was a contributor to the DNA mixture found around the neck of the victim’s sweatshirt, according to court documents. The results excluded the friend Shirley said was involved as a contributor.
Shirley was certified to stand trial as an adult last Friday.
