In the late autumn of 2022, a violent encounter in a quiet Kansas town tragically ended the life of 59-year-old Craig Guinn, a White male from Pineville, Missouri. On the afternoon of November 28th, gunshots erupted from a residence in the 2400 block of Lincoln Avenue in Baxter Springs. When officers from the Baxter Springs Police Department arrived at the scene around 2:40 p.m., they discovered a grim tableau.
Inside the home, three individuals had been shot.
Craig Guinn and another man, 47-year-old Jeremy Murphy of Anderson, Missouri, were found deceased at the scene. A third victim, 27-year-old Seth Guinn, also from Pineville, was found with life-threatening injuries. He was quickly transported to a Joplin hospital in critical condition. The bodies of Craig Guinn and Jeremy Murphy were turned over to the Cherokee County Coroner, with autopsies scheduled to be performed later that week.
As law enforcement descended upon the area, a description of the suspect was immediately circulated among responding officers. Shortly after, officers located a man walking in the vicinity who matched the description. The individual, identified as 41-year-old Kyle Butts of Independence, Missouri, was taken into custody after a brief struggle.
Butts was subsequently booked into the Cherokee County Jail. He was formally charged with two counts of first-degree murder for the deaths of Craig Guinn and Jeremy Murphy, one count of attempted first-degree murder for the shooting of Seth Guinn, and one count of interference with law enforcement. He was held without bond. The investigation into the double homicide was a collaborative effort involving the Baxter Springs Police Department, the Cherokee County Sheriff’s Office, and the Kansas Bureau of Investigation.
