On January 17, 2018, police in Kansas City, Missouri, were dispatched to a residence in the Northland neighborhood following reports of a shooting. Officers arriving at the home in the 3900 block of North Kensington Avenue discovered the body of 46-year-old Rhonda Carline Evans inside a bedroom. She had sustained multiple gunshot wounds, including a fatal injury to the back of her head, and was pronounced dead at the scene.
Investigators found a second victim, a 58-year-old male
identified as Evans' boyfriend, who had also been shot in the head. Despite his critical injuries, he managed to exit the home and knock on neighbors' doors to plead for assistance, though he was unable to speak due to the severity of his trauma. He was transported to a local hospital with life-threatening injuries but survived the attack. Inside the residence, police located shell casings from a. 45-caliber firearm near where both victims were discovered.
Two days later, on January 19, 2018, the Clay County Prosecutor’s Office announced charges against 38-year-old Thomas W. Farris Jr. of Independence, Missouri. Farris was charged with first-degree murder, first-degree assault, unlawful possession of a firearm, and two counts of armed criminal action. Detectives alleged that Farris had been at the residence and had used Evans' cellphone to send text messages to a witness shortly before the bodies were found. Further investigation revealed that following the shooting, Farris allegedly sold a. 45-caliber IWI Desert Eagle handgun—the same caliber as the casings found at the crime scene—to an acquaintance for $300. At the time of his arrest, Farris was already a convicted felon with a criminal history that included burglary and domestic assault. He was held on a $1 million bond.
