On September 2, 2014, the life of Susan D. Sandhaus Choucroun, a 69-year-old White female resident of Kansas City, Missouri, came to a tragic end during a violent spree that shook her quiet Woodbridge neighborhood. Susan was a well-known figure in her community, recognized for her activism and active membership in multiple local Jewish congregations. She had just celebrated Labor Day weekend and was standing in the driveway of her home in South Kansas City when the senseless violence occurred.
A gunman, who had already begun a deadly rampage at a neighbor's residence, pulled up in a stolen vehicle and fatally shot her with a shotgun before continuing his path of destruction.
The sequence of events began nearby at the home of George and Anna Taylor. The assailant broke into their residence, severely beating the elderly couple before stealing their Toyota Highlander. He then drove to Choucroun’s home, where he exited the vehicle and fired the fatal shot. Following the attack on Choucroun, the perpetrator moved to another house on the same street, where he shot and killed Lorene Hurst and her son, Darrel Hurst, who had just returned from a grocery trip. In total, the spree resulted in five deaths, as the Taylors later succumbed to their injuries in the hospital.
Law enforcement launched an immediate manhunt for the suspect, identified as Brandon B. Howell. Hours after the attacks, police received reports of a suspicious person walking along Interstate 29 in the Northland area of Kansas City. Officers located and arrested Howell, finding a shotgun nearby. The investigation revealed that Howell had a history of legal troubles and had been acquitted in a previous murder case years earlier due to witness intimidation issues. For the Woodbridge killings, prosecutors charged him with five counts of first-degree murder, along with multiple counts of armed criminal action, burglary, and stealing a motor vehicle.
Although prosecutors initially considered seeking the death penalty, they eventually withdrew that option months before the trial. In April 2019, a Jackson County jury found Howell guilty on all counts, including the five murders. The following month, the court sentenced him to five consecutive life terms in prison without the possibility of parole, ensuring he would spend the remainder of his life behind bars. The sentencing brought a measure of closure to the families of Susan Choucroun and her neighbors, concluding a legal process that spanned nearly five years after the devastating loss of life in the cul-de-sac.
