On December 4, 2020, authorities in Kansas City, Missouri, responded to a distress call near 10th Street and Winner Road regarding a vehicle engulfed in flames. Firefighters arrived at the scene around 6:00 a.m. to extinguish the blaze consuming the blue Ford SUV. Although the fire was put out early in the morning, it was not until that afternoon that a passerby peered into the charred wreckage and discovered a body lying on the rear floorboards.
Police were subsequently notified, launching a homicide investigation into the suspicious death.
The victim was identified as 25-year-old Devonta James Dunson. An autopsy and further investigation revealed that Dunson had not died from the fire itself but had sustained fatal gunshot wounds. Detectives determined that he was shot twice while sitting inside his vehicle. Following the shooting, the perpetrator allegedly drove the SUV roughly five blocks from the crime scene to the location where it was found and set it on fire in an apparent attempt to destroy evidence and conceal the body.
Investigators utilized surveillance footage from the neighborhood to piece together the events leading up to the murder. The video evidence reportedly showed the shooting taking place in front of a residence on Oakley Avenue. The footage captured a suspect shooting into the vehicle with Dunson inside. After the shooting, the suspect was seen entering a nearby home, changing clothes, and then returning to move the victim's vehicle. Additional leads were provided by the victim's family, who helped police connect the suspect to the residence through social media profiles.
In January 2021, prosecutors charged 22-year-old Keith J. Hernandez, a white male, with second-degree murder, armed criminal action, knowingly burning, and tampering with physical evidence. Court records indicate that after the shooting, Hernandez allegedly told his girlfriend that the victim 'got what he deserved.' He reportedly fled to New Mexico shortly after the incident but was eventually taken into custody. DNA analysis later linked blood found in Hernandez’s own vehicle to Dunson, further implicating him in the crime.
