On December 8, 2016, a violent double homicide occurred at a residence in the 3900 block of Chestnut Avenue in Kansas City, Missouri. Police officers were dispatched to the home after reports of a shooting and discovered the bodies of two men inside. One of the victims was identified as 54-year-old Jonathan Echols, a male resident of Kansas City, who had sustained fatal gunshot wounds. The second victim was identified as 52-year-old Freddie Jones, who had also been shot multiple times.
Investigators determined that the victims had been killed inside the home, and witness statements later indicated that the men had allowed their attackers entry into the residence prior to the shooting.
Following an investigation by the Kansas City Police Department, authorities identified two teenagers as the primary suspects in the slayings. It was alleged that the young men had gone to the residence with the specific intent to rob the victims of marijuana and firearms. According to witness accounts provided to law enforcement, the robbery escalated into violence when one of the suspects, armed with an AK-47 assault rifle, opened fire on the two men.
Prosecutors from the Jackson County Prosecutor’s Office subsequently filed charges against the two suspects involved in the incident. Tyren Lamar, who was 17 years old at the time of the offense, was charged with two counts of first-degree murder, one count of first-degree robbery, and three counts of armed criminal action. His co-defendant, 18-year-old Seth S. Reed, faced charges of two counts of second-degree murder, one count of first-degree robbery, and three counts of armed criminal action. Prosecutors requested high bonds for both defendants as they moved forward with the criminal proceedings.
