In the quiet neighborhood of the 1900 block of South Boeke Street in Kansas City, Kansas, the evening of May 9, 2017, was shattered by violence. Inside a residence, 47-year-old Bernadette Gossarand was killed in a tragic event that also claimed the lives of 47-year-old Vincent Rocha and 26-year-old Jeremy Rocha. The female victim, Bernadette, along with the two other victims, were fatally shot. A fourth person, a man in his twenties, was also shot but survived his injuries.
Miraculously, three young children, all under the age of five, were present in the home during the horrific incident but were physically unharmed.
The violence that unfolded left a community in shock and mourning the loss of three of its members. Neighbors remembered Bernadette and Vincent as friendly and welcoming people, always willing to lend a hand, making the brutality of their deaths even more difficult to comprehend. The tranquility of their dead-end street was irrevocably disturbed as police descended upon the scene. The investigation into the triple homicide began immediately, with law enforcement quickly identifying a person of interest.
Within about an hour of the shootings, authorities located and apprehended a suspect near 32nd Street and Waverly Avenue. The individual taken into custody was 29-year-old Jason Tucker. He was subsequently charged with capital murder in connection with the deaths of Bernadette Gossarand, Vincent Rocha, and Jeremy Rocha. The legal process moved forward, and in February 2018, Tucker pleaded guilty to the capital murder charges brought against him. Two months later, in April 2018, he was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole, ensuring he would be held accountable for the devastating loss of three lives.
