On November 1, 2014, law enforcement officials in Platte County, Missouri, were alerted to a grim discovery at a residence in the 6600 block of Northwest Twin Springs Road, just north of Parkville. Family members had become concerned after being unable to reach the resident, Francisco Javier Vargas III, and went to his home to check on him. Upon entering the house, they found the 27-year-old Hispanic male lying face down in a pool of blood, having sustained multiple gunshot wounds.
The initial investigation by the Platte County Sheriff’s Department and the Kansas City Metro Squad revealed that the victim, known to friends and family as Frankie, had been shot inside his home, where investigators recovered numerous shell casings.
Detectives delved into the circumstances surrounding the death and learned that Vargas had allegedly been selling marijuana from the residence. Witnesses reported seeing a gray Dodge Charger parked at the scene around the time of the incident, a lead that eventually directed authorities toward a person of interest. The vehicle was traced to a relative of Zakary F. Mergy, a resident of Kansas City, Kansas. Further investigation uncovered that Mergy’s cell phone, along with that of an associate named Kevin Hardin, had utilized cell towers in the immediate vicinity of the crime scene when the murder occurred, contradicting their initial alibis.
As the case progressed, authorities gathered significant physical evidence. Zakary Mergy was interviewed multiple times and allegedly provided details about the crime scene that only the perpetrator or investigators would know. He eventually directed detectives to his mother's backyard in Kansas City, Kansas, where a Springfield. 40-caliber XDM handgun had been buried, wrapped in plastic bags. Ballistic testing confirmed that the shell casings and bullets found at Vargas's home were fired from this specific weapon. DNA analysis on the gun identified Mergy as a major contributor and Hardin as a minor contributor. Mergy attempted to shift blame to Hardin, claiming Hardin had committed the shooting and that he had only assisted in disposing of the weapon.
Legal proceedings ensued, with Zakary Mergy being arrested and charged in December 2014. It was not until August 2017 that prosecutors formally filed charges against Kevin Hardin for second-degree murder and armed criminal action, alleging he acted as an accomplice. In September 2017, a Platte County jury found Mergy guilty of first-degree murder and armed criminal action. During the trial, prosecutors argued that while Mergy might not have pulled the trigger, he was instrumental in planning and executing the crime. Consequently, Mergy was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole, plus an additional 30 years for the armed criminal action conviction.
