In the early hours of a Tuesday morning in Kansas City, Missouri, a life was tragically cut short in a room at the Days Inn & Suites on Hillcrest Road. Carl L. Stewart, a 36-year-old man, was found deceased by police officers responding to a call of a disturbance and gunshots. The events that unfolded on April 4, 2023, would reveal a story of a struggle that ended in violence.
That morning, just before 5 a.m., a witness at the hotel heard a commotion coming from room 102.
When someone inside asked him to open the door, he discovered two men, later identified as Carl Stewart and Makail Rogers, engaged in a struggle. Recognizing them as the pair who had checked in together the previous evening, the witness quickly shut the door and, upon hearing gunshots, dialed 911. When officers arrived and entered the room, they found Stewart lying face-down on a mattress that had been pulled from the box spring, having sustained multiple gunshot wounds. First responders pronounced him dead at the scene.
The investigation quickly led to 28-year-old Makail Rogers. Surveillance footage captured Rogers falling from the hotel room window before he was seen firing into Stewart's vehicle and rummaging through it. He then unsuccessfully attempted to re-enter the room multiple times before fleeing through a side door, where he was met by responding officers. An exchange of gunfire ensued between Rogers and the police, though no one was injured in the shootout. Rogers was subsequently taken into custody, and a. 40 caliber handgun was found underneath him.
During his interview with detectives, Rogers claimed that he had rented the hotel room for himself and Stewart. He alleged that he woke up to Stewart sexually assaulting him at gunpoint. According to Rogers, Stewart fired four shots at him and missed, at which point Rogers was able to disarm him and fire several shots in self-defense before leaving the room. He stated that he did not remember if the police had fired at him during their encounter because he was 'out of it.'
Makail Rogers was charged with second-degree murder and armed criminal action. Ultimately, on June 25, 2025, Rogers pleaded guilty to the lesser charge of voluntary manslaughter, as well as armed criminal action and three counts of second-degree assault on a law enforcement officer. He was sentenced to a total of 18 years in prison for his role in the death of Carl Stewart and the subsequent confrontation with police.
