Convicted murderer sentenced to 30 years for Kansas City killings

A Jackson County judge on Monday sentenced Oliver Todd, 51, to 30 years in prison for killing Travis Pernell, 24, and Melvin Taylor, 29, in Kansas City in August 2012.

Prosecutors alleged that Todd got into an argument with Pernell and Taylor on a front porch in the 3200 block of College Avenue. After being turned away from a gathering there, Todd left but returned with a gun.

A jury convicted him of two counts of second-degree murder, assault and three counts of armed criminal action. Judge W. Brent Powell sentenced him to 25 years for two second-degree murder convictions, an assault conviction and two armed criminal action convictions. Powell added five years, to run consecutive to the 25 years, for a third armed criminal action conviction.

The Star

This story was originally published November 24, 2014 at 5:14 PM with the headline "Convicted murderer sentenced to 30 years for Kansas City killings."