KANSAS CITY, Mo. — After waiting five years to go to trial, prosecutors and the families of multiple murder victims might be forced to wait even longer.
Fredrick Scott is accused of killing six people, five of them on or near the Indian Creek Trail in Kansas City, Missouri. Although no official motive was given, five of the six victims were white men between the ages of 54-67. The sixth victim was a homeless woman.
Scott was arrested in 2017 and charged shortly after that.
But, the case has been delayed multiple times since then.
First, he was found incompetent to stand trial.
Later, after being deemed competent, his attorney asked for a continuance, claiming they needed more time to prepare.
Now, his attorney has formally requested to withdraw from the case, citing an ethical conflict, although he declined to publicly explain what that is.
KSHB 41 News was in court today as the prosecutors objected, telling the judge, "the victims' families are furious" this trial continues to get pushed back, noting they are also extremely frustrated.
The trial was supposed to start in early January.
But, if the judge grants the motion for the current defense attorney to withdraw, the new attorney who appeared via video indicated he will likely need more time to prepare.
That is something the prosecution addressed in court, alluding to the fact this seems like another stall tactic, telling the judge, "...there's been no preparation on the defendants' part," calling this request to withdraw ".... really late in the game," given the fact the trial date is less than two months out.
The current defense attorney has been on the case since 2019.
As for Scott, he appeared in court in shackles, wearing a mask.
He stood with stooped shoulders, listening to the conversation, but never spoke during the hearing.
The next hearing is scheduled for Nov. 22.
