Clay County man is sentenced to 19 years in 2014 slaying

A Clay County teen accused in the January 2014 beating death of a Liberty man was sentenced Friday to 19 years in prison.

Brandon Dewayne Fletcher, 19, of Liberty, pleaded guilty March 25 to second-degree murder in the attack on Mark Thomas, 58, who was found dead Jan. 5, 2014, in a restroom at Smithville Lake.

Fletcher, who was 17 at the time of the slaying, was later certified to stand trial as an adult.

Authorities said Thomas, a Liberty city employee, offered to drive Fletcher and Zachary M. Lisle, acquaintances of a family member, to a mobile home where Lisle had been staying in the 8800 block of Northeast 107th Terrace in Kansas City, North.

Several hours later, when Thomas failed to return home, family members reported him missing.

Police found Thomas’ abandoned vehicle, with blood inside and out, two blocks from the mobile home. Inside the vehicle, officers found a large knife, a knife sheath and several ATM receipts showing recent withdrawals.

Police later arrested Fletcher and Lisle as they tried to escape from under the mobile home. Lisle had $556 and blood on his clothes, shoes and hands, according to prosecutors.

Police also found a black bag that a witness said Lisle had left on the mobile home’s front porch, according to court records. The bag contained bloody clothing. Under the home, police found vehicle keys thought to belong to Thomas.

Authorities said Fletcher and Lisle robbed, stabbed, tortured and severely beat Thomas, who bled to death.

Lisle, who is charged with first-degree murder, kidnapping and robbery, is being held in the Clay County Detention Center. He is scheduled to appear in court June 15, according to court records.

This story was originally published April 1, 2016 at 2:02 PM with the headline "Clay County man is sentenced to 19 years in 2014 slaying."