KANSAS CITY, Mo. — A Kansas City, Missouri, teen is slated to make his first appearance before a judge Tuesday on charges of second-degree murder in July 2024.
Last week, Clay County prosecutors charged Marshawn Gardner with second-degree murder, armed criminal action and felony stealing in connection to a homicide on July 19, 2024.
Gardner, born in 2006, is being held in the Clay County Detention Center on a $1 million bond.
Court documents filed in support of the charges revealed Gardner could be connected to several other violent crimes throughout 2024, including a strong-armed street robbery and homicide on April 2 near E. 55th Street and Michigan Street.
Court documents also list Gardner as a suspect or person of interest in two armed street robberies at E. 43rd Street and S. Benton and 3401 Bellefontaine on April 15.
He is connected to another armed street robbery on E. 39th Street and Warwick Boulevard on May 29, 2024, and an armed street robbery on July 17 in the 11100 block of Blue Ridge Boulevard.
The armed street robbery on July 17 involved a stolen Dodge Challenger.
In the course of investigating the July 19 homicide, detectives spoke with a victim who said she had put up her black 2007 Chrysler 300 SRT8 for sale on Facebook Marketplace.
She told detectives that a user with the Facebook profile "Mar Mar" contacted her about buying the car for $9,000. The two parties agreed to meet at the victim’s address to complete the transaction.
When the parties met, the previously stolen Dodge Challenger arrived at the victim’s house with two people inside.
One of the males in the Challenger got out and asked to see the vehicle identification number of the Chrysler. He then asked the victim if he could take the Chrysler 300 for a test drive.
The victim agreed but wanted to be along for the ride. However, before she could get in the passenger seat, the male entered the Chrysler 300 and sped off, followed by the Dodge Challenger.
A neighbor sitting in his truck witnessed the altercation and followed both the Dodge and Chrysler. The victim spotted all three vehicles driving on Chouteau Trafficway before hearing the sound of gunfire.
The neighbor caught up to the other vehicles and was shot. He lost control and crashed near Chouteau and Parvin Road.
The man died from his injuries the following day.
Detectives put a person of interest entry into a law enforcement database for Gardner.
Court documents indicate he was taken into custody on July 23 for a trespassing incident in Lee’s Summit. Gardner was then taken to police headquarters for questioning.
Detectives, the deputy juvenile officer and Gardner’s mother were all present for the interview of Gardner, who declined to participate after he was read his juvenile Miranda waiver.
Police continue to review records of Gardner’s cell phone and Facebook profile.
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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.
