In the early hours of August 20, 2020, a young man's life was tragically cut short on a street in Kansas City, Missouri. Sage Walston, a 22-year-old male, was found in the road at Linwood Boulevard and Elmwood Avenue by police officers who were initially responding to a medical assistance call. At first, the scene suggested a possible hit-and-run, with glass scattered near his body.
However, the devastating truth soon became clear: Sage had been shot in the head.
The investigation into Sage's death uncovered a story of betrayal and violence. Detectives were led to Martel L. Harrison, a 26-year-old man, through a combination of surveillance footage, license plate reader data, and witness statements. Investigators learned that Walston's Toyota Corolla was in the area around the time of the shooting, and a nearby camera's microphone had captured the sound of a single gunshot. Just two hours after Walston was found, his car was discovered burned and abandoned in a church parking lot in Independence.
Witnesses provided crucial information that painted a grim picture of Sage's final hours. One witness revealed that she had been given money by Harrison to buy the gasoline used to set Sage's car ablaze. Another witness told police that Harrison had confessed to shooting Walston in the back of the head when he wasn't looking. It was also discovered that Harrison had used Sage's phone to make a call after the murder, in an apparent attempt to mislead investigators by leaving his own phone at home. Following the crime, Harrison reportedly sustained burns to his face and neck while setting the car on fire and subsequently shaved his head. Despite denying his involvement during a police interview, the evidence against him was substantial.
In March 2023, a Jackson County jury convicted Martel L. Harrison of first-degree murder, armed criminal action, and knowingly exploding or burning property. The conviction for first-degree murder carries a mandatory sentence of life in prison without the possibility of parole. Harrison was scheduled for sentencing in June of that year.
