In the late hours of a Wednesday evening in Kansas City, Kansas, the tranquility of Kensington Park was shattered by an act of violence that claimed the life of 26-year-old Fabian Arriaga. On September 20, 2017, Arriaga, a Caucasian male, was discovered fatally shot within the park, located in the 2900 block of State Avenue. He was not alone in this tragedy; another young man, 22-year-old Jose Morales, also lost his life in the shooting.
A third man was found at the scene, critically wounded but alive.
The grim discovery launched an investigation by the Wyandotte County Sheriff's Office. Details of what precipitated the violent encounter were not immediately released to the public, leaving a community to grapple with the sudden and brutal loss of two of its members. The authorities appealed to the public for any information that could shed light on the circumstances of the triple shooting, urging witnesses to come forward.
In the subsequent investigation, a suspect was identified and brought to justice for the murders. Jose Varela Jr., who was 28 years old at the time of his sentencing, was charged with the deaths of Fabian Arriaga and Jose Morales. Varela was found guilty of two counts of first-degree murder. For his role in the double homicide, he received two life sentences. Under the terms of his sentence, Varela is required to serve a minimum of 25 years in prison before he becomes eligible for parole.
