On a Thursday in November 2017, Clinton Peckman, a 58-year-old male from rural Paola, Kansas, was working in Blue Springs, Missouri. His day took a tragic and unexpected turn when he was fatally shot in what appeared to be an attempted carjacking. The incident occurred in the parking lot of the Bethlehem Cafe on Northwest Woods Chapel Road. Peckman, a painter, had been getting supplies for a job when the encounter took place.
Witnesses at the scene provided a description of the shooter,
which allowed law enforcement to quickly locate a suspect. A short time after the shooting, officers found John D. Jeffries, a 26-year-old from Raytown, about three blocks from the crime scene and took him into custody. The investigation revealed that after shooting Peckman, Jeffries had also carjacked a couple at gunpoint outside another nearby restaurant.
In the aftermath of the violent events, the Jackson County Prosecutor's Office charged John D. Jeffries with second-degree murder, two counts of armed criminal action, and first-degree robbery. Investigators do not believe that Jeffries and Peckman knew each other prior to the fatal encounter. Subsequently, John D. Jeffries pleaded guilty to second-degree murder and robbery. He was sentenced to 22 years in prison for his role in the death of Clinton Peckman and the armed robbery that followed.
