Man faces murder charge after fatal stabbing at Kansas City apartment complex
A Kansas City man is charged with murder in connection with a fatal stabbing at an apartment complex last year.
Dimitri A. Elder, 29, is charged with second degree murder and armed criminal action In Jackson County Circuit Court after allegedly confessing to police that he stabbed a man. He later said the confession was false and a cover for someone else, police said.
Charges stem from a homicide investigation that began July 24, 2025, after police found Tyrone A. Bates Sr. stabbed to death in an apartment building parking lot.
Officers found Bates with multiple stab wounds near Admiral Boulevard and Tracy Avenue around 3:15 a.m., according to court documents. He was pronounced dead at the scene.
Evidence and surveillance footage
During a search of the scene, police found blood spatter throughout various parts of the complex. A knife sheath was also located and recovered.
A search warrant was issued to search Bates’ apartment. Officers did not find anyone inside, and no blood was found, according to court documents.
Detectives interviewed witness who said they were with Bates the night of his death but did not see the stabbing take place. He recounted calling Bates and hearing him arguing with someone.
Another witness told police they heard a gunshot.
Surveillance footage in the area showed an argument between two men around the time of the stabbing. According to court documents, the interaction started in the breeze way of the apartments, where some blood spatter was found, and ended in the parking lot where Bates was found.
Detectives got crime lab results back on Aug. 26, 2025 that showed Elder’s DNA on the knife sheath.
Another witness contacted police and said they believed Elder killed Bates because another witness, redacted in court documents, said he confessed to the killing.
Elder’s interview with police
Elder was interviewed two different times by police. The first time was on Feb. 2, when he allegedly confessed to the killing. He asked police what it meant to act in self-defense, stating, “I didn’t mean to do that,” and “I was just scared... he was going to kill me,” according to court documents.
Elder later told police in a March 25 interview that his previous confession was false, acting as a cover for someone else, whose identity was redacted in court documents.
Elder said the person who killed Bates threatened him and gave him no choice but to confess. He then gave a different account of the incident, police said.
A Jackson County judge set Elder’s bond at $300,000, according to prosecutors. A hearing has not yet been scheduled in the case.
