On the evening of November 2, 2014, the life of 29-year-old Dustin McKinney was cut short in a violent home invasion in Topeka, Kansas. At his residence at 734 N.W. 62nd, several men, masquerading as law enforcement officers executing a drug raid, forced their way inside. In the presence of his fiancée, Staci Liles, and their three children, McKinney was shot multiple times.
While his family was left physically unharmed, they witnessed the tragic event that took his life.
The subsequent investigation into the homicide uncovered that the motive was likely drug-related, as authorities found over $40,000 in cash and a quantity of marijuana within the home. The assailants had fled the scene, but law enforcement was able to piece together the events of that night and identify five individuals connected to the crime. A critical piece of evidence was a pair of gloves discovered near the McKinney residence, which contained the DNA of one of the suspects. Cell phone data also proved instrumental in disproving the alibis of those involved.
In the wake of the investigation, several arrests were made. Jorge Ramirez-Belmontes, then 28, and Anthony Rocky Guerrero II, 31, both from Topeka, were identified as having acted as lookouts during the robbery and murder. They faced charges of felony first-degree murder, aggravated robbery, aggravated burglary, and conspiracy to commit burglary. It was alleged that Guerrero had supplied some of the police and tactical gear used by the perpetrators. Another man, Jonathan Emil Maldonado-Vasquez, was also implicated. During the home invasion, he was shot in the bicep. Maldonado-Vasquez later pleaded no contest to voluntary manslaughter and aggravated robbery and was sentenced to 13 years and five months in prison.
The paths of the other two suspects took different turns. Angel Gabriel Olavarria-Velez, 26, stood trial but was ultimately acquitted of murder and the other major charges against him. He did, however, plead guilty to misdemeanor intimidation of a witness and felony interference with law enforcement. Having already spent 20 months in jail awaiting trial, he was released. The fifth suspect, Angel's brother, Julio Antonio Olavarria-Velez, would never face a jury for his alleged involvement. In April 2016, he was found slain in Puerto Rico.
