Lee’s Summit teens accused of murder are to be locked up, court commissioner says

Lawyers for two Lee’s Summit juveniles who are accused of stabbing a woman to death argued Friday that the families of both were willing to keep them at home with electronic monitoring while the boys await more legal proceedings.

But Jackson County Family Court Commissioner William R. Jackson III declined the requests, ordering that the two be held in a “secure detention facility.”

The 13- and 14-year-old boys face first-degree murder and other charges in the Nov. 1 stabbing death of Tanya L. Chamberlain, 43.

During the Friday hearing, the commissioner reviewed police reports to decide whether a crime was committed and, if so, where the teenagers should be detained.

Parents of both boys attended their separate detention hearings.

Devon Pasley, a Missouri public defender representing one boy, argued for her client to be kept at home with electronic monitoring and be supervised by his mother.

“We know these are serious allegations,” Pasley said.

Darren Korte, a Family Court division attorney, objected, saying: “I don’t feel the community would feel safe, even with home detention.”

Patrick J. O’Connor, a lawyer representing the second boy, made a similar appeal. Many friends and family members support the boy, he said.

The boy’s mother, O’Connor said, would be willing to work from home to watch her son under electronic monitoring. The boy’s stepfather, O’Connor added, is a former Mississippi police officer.

“He has no history of violence,” O’Connor said, adding that his client had given “a full confession to his mother that he is not the alleged perpetrator” and also that “he was not the one who used the knife in the manner in which it was used.”

The knife was a pocketknife, said O’Connor, who described his client as a Boy Scout who regularly carried the pocketknife.

Korte, however, said the other boy implicated O’Connor’s client as the primary perpetrator, adding that “he had every opportunity to not get involved here.”

After the hearing, one defendant’s father said his son didn’t anticipate Chamberlain’s killing, saying, “He did not see that coming.” After the facts come out, “you’ll see that that was not my son’s intention,” he said.

“My son feels horrible about the situation,” he added.

Late Friday afternoon, Lee’s Summit police said their preliminary investigation indicates Chamberlain was at a car wash “when she was approached by the suspects that were not known to her.” The individuals entered the victim’s car along with her, police said.

According to Lee’s Summit police, an officer attempted to stop a driver early Nov. 1 on suspicion of driving while intoxicated.

The vehicle went over a curb and into a grassy common area of an apartment complex in the 500 block of Southeast Second Street. After briefly chasing two males who fled from the vehicle, the officer returned and found Chamberlain dead in a passenger seat.

A certification hearing probably will be held to determine whether the two juveniles should be tried as adults. A case management hearing has not been scheduled.

Detectives continue to follow leads in the case. Anyone with information is urged to call the Lee’s Summit Police Department at 816-969-7390 or the TIPS Hotline at 816-474-TIPS (816-474-8477).

This story was originally published November 6, 2015 at 3:10 PM with the headline "Lee’s Summit teens accused of murder are to be locked up, court commissioner says."