KANSAS CITY, Mo. — A Grandview man faces charges in connection with the January murder of Alex Benson.
Kaveon Cottonham, 27, is charged with second-degree murder, armed criminal action and unlawful possession of a firearm.
If convicted, Cottonham, a SAVE KC client, will face 10 years to life in prison.
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Around 12:15 p.m. on Jan. 14, Kansas City, Missouri, police were called to the QuikTrip at 8733 E. 63rd St. in Raytown.
There, they found Cottonham lying on the pavement suffering from apparent trauma. He was transported to an area hospital to be treated.
Cottonham’s girlfriend told officers at the QuikTrip the shooting occurred near the 6300 block of Manchester Avenue at the Park Highlands Apartments.
When police arrived, they found a “crime scene within the courtyard of the complex,” per court documents.
Officers recovered shell casings and a cellphone. They also noted apparent blood.
Inside the apartment, police located the victim, Alex Benson, in a bedroom suffering from apparent trauma. He died at the scene.
Detectives collected physical evidence and reviewed exterior video surveillance.
The footage showed Cottonham enter the property around noon. He then met up with three other males in the courtyard before going to a second-floor apartment. Two of the men ran out of the stairwell just minutes later, with Cottonham shortly behind.
In an interview, the last to exit the apartment told detectives he witnessed Cottonham beating up Benson in the apartment bedroom. He said Cottonham was striking the unconscious victim in the face when he tried to pull Cottonham off.
However, Cottonham was bigger, and the witness was unsuccessful.
The witness said he saw Cottonham then pull a gun from the victim’s waistband, which he used to shoot Benson. Cottonham then allegedly pointed the gun at the witness, who fired at Cottonham “in self-defense,” per court documents.
He said Cottonham quickly left on foot, but he stayed behind to render aid to the victim. However, he quickly realized “there was nothing he could do for him.”
Cottonham faces the unlawful possession of a firearm charge as a convicted felon.
He was convicted in June 2017 of first-degree involuntary manslaughter, found guilty in August 2016 of first-degree burglary regarding events from 2015, and he was found guilty of delivery or possession of a controlled substance in November 2023 for a 2020 incident.
Additionally, Cottonham was sentenced in 2016 for second-degree robbery.
Cottonham is currently being held in the Jackson County Detention Center on no bond.
His first court appearance was Monday afternoon.
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If you have any information about a crime, you may contact your local police department directly. But if you want or need to remain anonymous, you should contact the Greater Kansas City Crime Stoppers Tips Hotline by calling 816-474-TIPS (8477), submitting the tip online or through the free mobile app at P3Tips.com. Depending on your tip, Crime Stoppers could offer you a cash reward.
Annual homicide details and data for the Kansas City area are available through the KSHB 41 News Homicide Tracker, which was launched in 2015. Read the KSHB 41 News Mug Shot Policy.
