KANSAS CITY, MO — A Jackson County jury has found two brothers guilty in connection with a double killing that happened in Kansas City in November 2022. The verdict came Tuesday after jurors weighed the evidence in a case that began with a deadly shooting near East 28th Street and Prospect Avenue.
Police responded to that scene on Nov. 22, 2022, where they found two men, Leerick Kelley and Montez Mack, unresponsive. Both victims were pronounced dead at the scene.
The convictions bring the case closer to sentencing, which is now scheduled for Dec. 11.
Police responded after the November 2022 shooting near East 28th Street and Prospect Avenue
The Kansas City, Missouri, Police Department was called to the shooting scene on Nov. 22, 2022, after reports of gunfire in the area. Officers found two male victims at the location and determined they had not survived the attack.
Authorities identified the dead as Leerick Kelley and Montez Mack. Both men were pronounced dead where they were found, underscoring the severity of the shooting from the moment officers arrived.
The location, near East 28th Street and Prospect Avenue, became the center of a homicide investigation that led to charges against two brothers the next day.
Charges were filed one day later against Marques and Marquan Smith
Prosecutors charged Marques D. Smith and Marquan D. Smith Jr. on Nov. 23, 2022, a day after the shooting. At the time, Marques Smith was 20 years old and Marquan Smith Jr. was 18.
Now 24 and 22 respectively, the brothers were each accused in the same case and later faced the jury together. Their ages have changed since the charges were first filed, but the allegations tied them to the November 2022 deaths from the outset.
The pair’s last names and family relationship made the case notable as it moved through the court process in Jackson County.
Jury returns guilty verdicts on murder, armed criminal action and weapons counts
Jurors found Marques D. Smith guilty Tuesday of two counts of second-degree murder, three counts of armed criminal action and one count of unlawful use of a weapon. Marquan D. Smith Jr. was convicted on the same charges.
The verdicts mean both men were held responsible for the killings of Kelley and Mack, along with the related firearm offenses. The jury’s decision followed the criminal case through the trial stage and left sentencing as the next major step.
Second-degree murder convictions in Missouri indicate a serious homicide finding, and the additional armed criminal action counts reflect the use of a weapon during the crimes.
What the convictions mean as the case moves toward December sentencing
With guilty verdicts now in place, the focus shifts to sentencing in Jackson County court. Both brothers are scheduled to appear at 3 p.m. on Dec. 11, when the judge will determine their punishment.
Sentencing will mark the next phase of a case that has been pending since the 2022 killings. The outcome of that hearing will determine the consequences the brothers face after the jury’s decision.
For the victims’ families, the verdicts represent a formal conclusion to the trial, even as the court still has to set the final sentence.
A violent case that has now reached a major courtroom milestone
The killings near Prospect Avenue were part of a broader wave of violent crime that continues to affect neighborhoods in Kansas City. In this case, the court process has stretched from the shooting in late 2022 to the jury verdict reached this week.
By convicting both defendants on multiple counts, the jury resolved the central question of responsibility in the deaths of Kelley and Mack. The outcome also sets up the final hearing in December, when the court will decide how long each brother will serve.
Until then, the case stands as one of the city’s older homicide prosecutions to reach a verdict in 2026.
