On January 5, 2020, in Kansas City, Missouri, 39-year-old African American male Earl Finch III was discovered deceased in a driveway in the 4900 block of Walrond Avenue. Officers responding to the scene around 12:21 p.m. found Finch suffering from multiple gunshot wounds. Investigators recovered fifteen shell casings near the body, marking the city's first homicide of the new year.
Detectives quickly obtained surveillance footage from a neighboring residence that proved critical to the
investigation. The video captured a dark-colored Chevy Impala with a distinctive large dent on the rear passenger bumper driving past the victim's home before parking nearby. Two men were seen exiting the vehicle, approaching Finch in the driveway, and firing several shots before running back to the car and fleeing the scene. This visual evidence allowed police to identify the suspect vehicle and subsequently track down the individuals involved.
Two days after the shooting, on January 7, police arrested 25-year-old Anderson D. White. While White declined to provide a statement to authorities, the investigation proceeded rapidly. The following day, January 8, police arrested a second suspect, 25-year-old Darren D. Hamilton. During questioning, Hamilton admitted to being the passenger in the Impala and identified White as the driver. He further confessed to investigators that he had shot Finch after White had already fired at the victim.
Prosecutors from the Jackson County Prosecutor’s Office charged both Anderson D. White and Darren D. Hamilton with second-degree murder and armed criminal action. The charges were supported by the surveillance video which placed them at the scene, as well as Hamilton's admission of guilt. Authorities requested a bond of $250,000 for the defendants as the legal process against them commenced.
