The life of Ahkeem Hobby, a 27-year-old African American male, came to a violent end on the afternoon of December 29, 2016, in Kansas City, Missouri. Authorities discovered his body around 2:00 p.m. inside a parking garage located near the Plaza Library at 4801 Main Street. Hobby had sustained two gunshot wounds to the head and was pronounced dead at the scene.
Initial reports indicated that neither the victim nor the potential suspects resided in the immediate vicinity, suggesting the garage had been selected specifically as a meeting place.
For several years, the circumstances surrounding Hobby's death remained unclear as investigators worked to identify those responsible. A breakthrough in the case eventually came through a combination of surveillance footage, forensic evidence, and witness testimony. Detectives tracked a Toyota Camry seen on security video at the crime scene to a rental agreement under the name of Travon Cross. A subsequent search of the vehicle, which was located at Cross's residence, yielded a. 32 caliber revolver stained with blood that matched the weapon used in the homicide. Furthermore, an anonymous tipster directed police toward Cross's brother, Marquis D. Henderson, identifying him as the shooter.
In May 2020, the Jackson County Prosecutor's Office formally charged Marquis D. Henderson and Travon Cross with second-degree murder in connection with Hobby's death. During interviews with law enforcement conducted years after the incident, Henderson admitted to shooting Hobby. He detailed that the three men had met in the parking garage for a narcotics transaction, where Cross intended to sell marijuana to Hobby. Henderson claimed that during the exchange inside the rental vehicle, Hobby attempted to rob Cross at gunpoint, prompting Henderson to shoot him in defense of his brother. Cross, who was 28 at the time charges were filed, told investigators he knew his role but denied direct wrongdoing. Both men were taken into custody with bonds set at $150,000 each.
