In the crisp autumn air of October 25, 2017, the life of 39-year-old Thomas Pickert, a male attorney, was tragically cut short on the front porch of his Kansas City, Missouri, home. He had just returned from walking his two young sons to school when a single gunshot ended his life. The brazen morning attack in the quiet Brookside neighborhood sent shockwaves through the community and launched a meticulous investigation into his death.
Suspicion almost immediately fell upon David
Jungerman, an 80-year-old millionaire businessman. The motive appeared to be rooted in a significant legal defeat Jungerman had recently suffered at the hands of Pickert. The attorney had successfully represented a homeless man whom Jungerman had shot, securing a substantial $5.75 million judgment for his client. Investigators learned that just a day before the murder, the Jackson County Sheriff's Office had served Jungerman with property liens to begin the process of collecting on that judgment. This act was seen as the catalyst for Jungerman's violent retaliation.
The investigation into Pickert's murder uncovered a trail of evidence that pointed directly to Jungerman. Witnesses reported seeing an older, white-haired man in a white van near Pickert's home around the time of the shooting. Surveillance footage tracked a van matching the description of Jungerman's from his home in Raytown to the victim's neighborhood and back. A crucial piece of evidence came from an audio recorder recovered from Jungerman. He had inadvertently recorded himself discussing the murder, at one point stating, 'People uh know that I murdered that son of a...' Another recording captured him saying, 'When I think about it, I grin.' During a search of his car, police found an unspent bullet of the same rare caliber as the one used to kill Pickert.
In April 2018, David Jungerman was arrested and charged with first-degree murder and armed criminal action. Despite his claims of innocence, the evidence presented during his trial in September 2022 was overwhelming. The prosecution painted a picture of a man driven by revenge, who meticulously planned and carried out the execution of the attorney who had bested him in court. After deliberating for less than two hours, the jury found Jungerman guilty on both counts.
However, the legal saga did not end with the verdict. Before he could be sentenced, Jungerman's health began to decline. In March 2023, a judge ruled that he was not competent to proceed with sentencing due to a neurocognitive disorder and committed him to the Missouri Department of Mental Health. While awaiting a reevaluation of his competency, 85-year-old David Jungerman died in September 2023, bringing a final, albeit unconventional, close to the tragic case of Tom Pickert's murder.
