HARRISONVILLE, Mo. — Jessep Carter appeared in front of a judge in Henry County Tuesday morning for charges stemming from a traffic stop, which may seem inconsequential to some — but that’s not the case here.
The date of that traffic stop and Carter’s company that day are key pieces of information in two of the Kansas City area’s most high-profile missing persons, and now murder, cases.
RELATED: KylrYust charged in Cass County with murder in deaths of Kopetsky, Runions
On Sept. 10, 2016, Kansas City police discovered Jessica Runions’s car charred just before 2 a.m. in the area of 95th and Blue River Road.
Later that day, a Henry County Sheriff pulled Carter over outside of Windsor, Missouri. His half-brother, who is Runions’s and Kara Kopetsky’s alleged murderer, was with him.
But at the time, no warrants had been issued for Kylr Yust.
RELATED: Murder charges againstKylrYust bring relief for Kopetsky private investigator
In the murder charges filed last week in Cass County, 41 Action News learned Carter saw Yust set Runions's car on fire and drove Yust to a trailer in Edwards, Missouri.
Once he dropped him off, Carter called Belton Police. Charging documents state Carter told detectives what Yust said to him, what he saw and where Yust was staying.
The next day law enforcement arrested Yust.
For more than a year, Yust was held in Jackson County for allegedly burning Runions's car.
Carter spoke exclusively with 41 Action News.
Carter pointed out he’s been told not to talk specifics about the case.
“We just want Kara and Jessica — those families to have some justice served and if he's found to be guilty we just want them to be — we just want them to feel better at night that he's finally put away. You know and I'm not ok and my family is not ok with anything that he did," Carter said.
Cass County Prosecutor Ben Butler wouldn't say if Carter will face any charges for his role on that September day.
Carter’s next court date in Henry County is set for November 27.
Carter’s hearing happened on the same day Kylr Yust was arraigned in Cass County.
Yust avoided eye contact with the families of Kara Kopetsky and Jessica Runions who packed the second-floor courtroom Tuesday afternoon.
During the hearing, Cass County Judge J. Michael Rumley read Yust the charges he faces, two counts of first-degree murder and two counts of abandoning a corpse.
Yust acknowledged that he understood the charges and the punishment each count carries.
For this hearing, the judge entered a “not guilty” plea on Yust’s behalf.
Moving forward a public defender from St. Louis will be representing Yust.
The next hearing for Yust is set for Dec. 28 at 9 a.m.
