Wyandotte County District Attorney Jerome Gorman today answered questions about a quadruple homicide case in Kansas City, Kan. (Staff photo)
Attention at a news conference today focused on a suspect in a quadruple homicide case being an undocumented person who had been in custody and been released previously.
The issue of undocumented persons involved in crime is part of a national debate, with local authorities not ready to say what should be done, but just that something should be done.
“We can’t go on this way, something needs to be corrected so the system works properly,” said Wyandotte County District Attorney Jerome Gorman at a news conference Wednesday afternoon. “We’ve seen now, twice or more times than that, that the system did not work properly.”
Gorman said it was for the politicians to decide what to do about the system, but something needed to be done.
The suspect in the quadruple homicide, Pablo Serrano-Vitorino, also was wanted for questioning in a fifth murder that occurred in New Florence, Mo., about 170 miles away. He was captured in Montgomery County, Mo., in the early morning hours Wednesday.
The suspect was a Mexican national who was not in America legally, and who had been deported previously in 2004, according to authorities. He had been held in the Wyandotte County Jail in July of 2015 on domestic battery, and also had been stopped by Johnson County law enforcement authorities.
The Kansas City, Kan., Municipal Court dockets and jail records showed he had been held at the Wyandotte County Jail for less than a day in July in the domestic battery case.
Police Chief Terry Zeigler said if there is a felony case, and there is a question about a person’s status, federal immigration authorities are contacted. Traffic citations are often misdemeanors. Serrano-Vitorino was the victim of an auto theft in April and came into contact with the police then, Zeigler said. Both in April and the domestic battery case later, a misdemeanor crime, there was no reason to run his information at that time, he said.
The Sheriff’s Department did send a request to immigration authorities during the hold for the domestic battery, according to Gorman. There is usually a four-hour limit for ICE to respond, and if they do not respond, the person is released. Overland Park also had requested a check of this person’s status and immigration authorities sent it to the Johnson County Sheriff’s Department instead, according to Gorman.
“Everybody makes mistakes, and ICE has been very helpful to us when we call on them for assistance,” Zeigler said.
If the local authorities receive a response from immigration authorities that a person is in the nation illegally, usually local judges would issue a court order, Gorman said.
Gorman said they have just begun to work with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives to trace the gun that Serrano-Vitorino had. According to the Missouri Highway Patrol, he was known to have had an AK-47.
This morning, according to information from the Missouri State Highway Patrol, Serrano-Vitorino was arrested. He was found lying face down in a ditch at the intersection of two highways, according to the highway patrol, with a rifle near him.
Serrano-Vitorino has been charged with four counts of first-degree murder. When officers arrived at the 3000 block of South 36th Street late Monday night, Gorman said they found inside two people who had been shot and killed, on the couch. A third person was alive but died shortly after their arrival, he said. A fourth person, a little distance from the house, had also been shot and was taken to the hospital, but died shortly afterward, he said.
The suspect had already fled the scene, Gorman said. His vehicle was located along I-70 in Montgomery County, Mo., about 170 miles away. He was arrested early this morning in Montgomery County.
Gorman said Montgomery County was filing charges against the suspect.
“Wyandotte County is prepared to take custody of the person of Pablo Serrano,” he said. “We’re prepared to proceed with our criminal charges against him.”
So far, there is no agreement between Montgomery County and Wyandotte County on who will try the defendant first, he said.
Gorman declined to state a possible motive in the case. The suspect lived next door to some of the victims, he said.
He also said that he is waiting to have all the facts before making a decision on whether the death penalty would be sought. Kansas City, Kan., Police Chief Terry Zeigler today addressed concerns at a news conference about a quadruple homicide. (Staff photo)
Preparations are well underway for the Kansas City Kansas Community College Foundation’s 20th-annual Mid America Education Hall of Fame induction.
The event is April 21 at the Dr. Thomas R. Burke Technical Education Center, 6565 State Ave. The reception starts at 5:30 p.m. with the program and awards beginning at 6:30 p.m. Tickets are $45 per person and reservations must be made by April 16. In addition to the community recognitions, the event serves as a fundraiser for scholarships at KCKCC, helping students who would otherwise be unable to afford to attend college.
“This event is a great opportunity to meet and chat with individuals who have made a tremendous contribution to education,” said Dawanna Fangohr, coordinator of the KCKCC Foundation. “In talking to the inductees over the phone, you can tell they are very dedicated to what they do for education. It is clear why they were nominated and selected to be inducted in to the Mid America Education Hall of Fame.”
This year’s list of honorees include:
Rob Hassig. Hassig is a retired teacher, spending his education career teaching History throughout the Kansas City area including Free State High School in Lawrence, Shawnee Mission Northwest and Sumner Academy of Arts and Sciences. He was also an adjunct professor at KCKCC for 18 years. He has coached basketball, softball, golf and football at various times in his academic career and has received numerous awards and recognition during his career. In his nomination letter, Hassig is said to have “played an instrumental role” in the creation of the International Baccalaureate program at Sumner Academy. “The preparation of such a program is demanding on teachers, and Rob flourished. He had truly found his calling.” Hassig is described as having “unbridled energy, a pure devotion to learning and to students” and “a high moral sense that others recognize.”
Anita Reach. Reach, who was the director of online learning at KCKCC from 1997 to 2007, is considered to be the driving force for bringing online education to KCKCC. During those 10 years, the program grew from eight to 270 courses. In addition, Reach worked to ensure all faculty members received the training and support needed to move their courses to an online format. However, it was not just KCKCC’s online program Reach contributed to, but other community colleges in Kansas through Colleague-to-Colleague. The program supported faculty and staff who were interested in providing online learning opportunities to students. “Anita understood the value of faculty-driven innovation and worked with a team to organize, develop, promote and grow online education at KCKCC.”
Greater Kansas City Hispanic Collaborative. The Greater KC Hispanic Collaborative grew out of the Hispanic Chamber of Commerce of Greater Kansas City. Formed in 2016, its purpose is to improve the quality of life for Hispanics and other minorities in the Kansas City area. KCKCC has partnered with GKCHC to provide the KC BizFest Entrepreneurial Workshop and Scholarship Competition for area high school students. Its other programs include Latinos of Tomorrow, a year-round program to help high school and college students in their educational advancement; the Young Latino Professionals, a program to engage and support young Latino professionals by offering professional development and networking opportunities and the Leo Long Hispanic Chamber of Commerce UMKC Endowed Scholarship, which provides up to $1,500 per year to students who have participated in a GKCHS program.
Henry Louis. With his 39 years of service at KCKCC, Louis was one of the longest serving faculty or staff members in the college’s history. He came to KCKCC as a social science instructor, eventually becoming chair of the Social Science Division. During his tenure, he added criminal justice, addiction counseling, paralegal, early childhood education and victim/survivor services to his division offerings. He was also active in the creation of Phi Theta Kappa, the Child Care Center, the Intercultural Center and the Program for Adult Career Education. Louis’s love for education took him all over the world in the form of grants from the Fulbright Foundation and the National Endowment for Humanities. He promoted a global perspective in his classroom including diversity and inclusion and valued multiculturalism, creating a division that was rich in diversity. “I have never seen anyone with such a thirst and passion for learning – not only for himself but for the students he taught and administered. He was far more than just a teacher or an administrator; he was an educator in every sense of the word.”
Melanie Scott. Scott spent more than 30 years at KCKCC before retiring in 2014. She was co-founder and director of the Intercultural Center and a professor in the Social and Behavioral Science Division. Together with Karen Hernandez, Scott restarted the Wyandotte County Ethnic Festival in 2005, which brings hundreds of performers, organizations and vendors to campus celebrating diversity. She spearheaded programs and guidelines to promote civil rights, affirmative hiring practices, employee rights and acceptance for alternative lifestyles. “She has demonstrated her commitment to the education of students, faculty and community members regarding the importance of inclusion and diversity, thereby creating a rich environment for all to enjoy. She has worked continuously to improve the quality of life for all members of society through education, particularly by dispelling biases against often-marginalized populations. In doing so, she has increased educational opportunities for many to advance beyond their dreams.”
The Mid America Education Hall of Fame was started in 1996 by the KCKCC Endowment Association as a way to recognize individuals, organizations and corporate supporters in the community who have made notable contributions to education. Hall of Fame inductees are selected based on a demonstrated commitment to education, their effort to improve the quality of life in the community through a commitment to education, increasing educational opportunities for others and supporting significant changes that have improved the quality of education.
Sponsorship opportunities for the 2016 Mid America Education Hall of Fame are available at several different levels. This includes the Title Sponsor for $2,500; Corporate Sponsor for $1,000; Investor Sponsor for $500 and Event Sponsor for $250. Depending on the level, sponsorships come with a variety of benefits including reservations to the Mid America Education Hall of Fame reception, sponsorship recognition in the event program, recognition on signage and video screens and advertisement in the program, among others.
For more information about tickets and reservations or sponsorship opportunities for the Mid America Education Hall of Fame, contact Dawanna Fangohr at 913-288-7675 or by email at [email protected].
