KANSAS CITY, Mo. — U.S. District Judge Howard F. Sachs sentenced Derron D. Nevels, 21, on Wednesday to 13 years in federal prison without parole for shooting a zTrip driver 26 times during an armed robbery.
In August 2021, Nevels pleaded guilty to one count of robbery and one count of discharging a firearm during a violent crime.
The incident happened the evening of Dec. 4, 2018.
Nevels was picked up in Kansas City, Missouri, on Wabash Avenue around 8 p.m. and was taken to Benton Avenue.
Once at the destination, Nevels waited in the car for a second person to provide the trip fare.
According to a U.S. Department of Justice release, Nevels held a gun to the victim’s head and demanded everything she had when the second suspect approached, despite cameras inside and outside of the car capturing the ride.
The driver attempted to fight back, struggling against Nevels and the second suspect.
In the struggle, Nevels shot the woman 26 times before fleeing the scene with the other suspect.
Nearly 10 minutes later, Nevels returned to the scene to retrieve a cell phone.
Court documents state he asked the victim if she was okay before leaving once again.
The driver survived but continues to “suffer from her serious and debilitating injuries inflicted by Nevels,” per the U.S. DOJ release.
Authorities arrested Nevels on Dec. 10, 2018, after identifying him using cellphone and Facebook data.
Additionally, Nevels had the rifle on his person used in the incident when he was arrested.
Bailee Anna Maria Prieto, 21, of Kansas City, Kansas, and Melanie “Mel” Yitzel Collazo Jimenez, 24, of Kansas City, Missouri, each pleaded guilty to being accessories after the fact to the robbery.
Prieto’s phone was used to order the trip, and she disposed of the phone to avoid it being searched.
Jimenez housed Nevels and Prieto, among others, the night after the incident and returned to the scene to collect the cellphone.
The case was investigated by the Kansas City, Missouri, Police Department and the FBI - Kansas City Bureau Office and was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Bruce Rhoades.
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