On the afternoon of December 9, 2024, a violent sequence of events unfolded in the parking lot of the Charter Landing apartment complex in Kansas City, Missouri. 19-year-old Deontae Marchbanks, a Black male, was sitting in the driver's seat of a Nissan Sentra in the 6000 block of Blue Hills Road. He was accompanied by 17-year-old Cierra Pennington. Around 3:30 p.m., the quiet of the Citadel neighborhood was shattered when gunfire erupted, targeting the vehicle where the two teenagers sat.
Police officers rushing to the scene found Marchbanks and Pennington unresponsive inside the car, both suffering from multiple gunshot wounds. Marchbanks was pronounced dead at the scene, while Pennington was transported to a nearby hospital, where she later succumbed to her injuries.
The investigation into the double homicide revealed a calculated attack captured on surveillance footage. Authorities discovered that 18-year-old Linda S. Ater had arrived at the complex in the same vehicle as the victims. Video evidence showed Ater exiting the Nissan and walking over to a Chevrolet Malibu that had pulled into the lot, where she spoke with the occupants. Moments later, Ater returned to the Nissan and allegedly attempted to fire a handgun at Marchbanks and Pennington, though detectives believe her weapon malfunctioned. As she retreated to the backseat of the Malibu, another individual, later identified as Terrell Simpson, exited that vehicle and unleashed a volley of gunfire into the Nissan, fatally striking both victims. Investigators recovered over two dozen shell casings from the scene.
Law enforcement efforts led to the arrest of Linda Ater on January 3, 2025. She was initially charged with four felonies, including accessory to second-degree murder and armed criminal action. Prosecutors noted that Ater had previously been flagged as a high-risk individual by a local violence prevention organization but had not engaged with the intervention services offered. Following her arrest, Ater remained in custody on a cash bond as legal proceedings advanced. Terrell Simpson was also charged in connection with the killings, facing counts of accessory to first-degree murder and armed criminal action for his role as the alleged shooter who fired the fatal shots.
In April 2025, the legal case against Linda Ater reached a conclusion. Rather than proceeding to trial, she pleaded guilty to charges of second-degree murder, armed criminal action, and unlawful use of a weapon. Consequently, a judge sentenced her to 21 years in prison for her involvement in the deaths of Marchbanks and Pennington. The sentencing closed one chapter of the tragedy, highlighting the fatal consequences of the ambush that claimed two young lives in South Kansas City.
