The Kansas City Star
The Wyandotte County district attorney’s office on Thursday charged Adrian Burks with four counts of first-degree murder for Monday’s quadruple homicide in Kansas City, Kan.
District Attorney Jerome A. Gorman announced the charges at a news conference Thursday. Burks was being held in the Wyandotte County jail on a $2 million bond.
Gorman also charged Burks with one count of fleeing and eluding law enforcement, and he had been charged earlier this week for an aggravated battery two to three hours before Monday’s homicides.
Gorman did not immediately charge Burks with capital murder, which would carry a possibility of the death penalty, but he said he was gathering information toward that end.
“I don’t have a timetable for that consideration,” Gorman said.
The victims were James Warren, 66; Peggy Castleberry, 41; Amanda J. Remmers, 21; and Juanita D. Castleberry-Bess, 3.
After the news conference, victims’ relatives met for about an hour with prosecutors. Jesse Bess, the father of 3-year-old Juanita, said that rather than have his daughter’s killer face the death penalty, he wanted him to suffer.
“In fact, I want my daughter’s picture in his cell so every day when he wakes up, he knows what he did,” Bess said.
The families declined further comment.
Burks made his first appearance Thursday afternoon in Wyandotte County District Court and looked down as lengthy charges against him were read.
“You need to hire an attorney, sir,” said District Court Judge Jan A. Way. Burks’ next court appearance was set for Tuesday.
Victims’ relatives previously had said Burks and Remmers had a relationship at one time and that Burks had threatened to kill Remmers and the other residents who lived at the house at 5234 Muncie Drive.
Gorman would not elaborate on how the two knew one another, but said, “Obviously domestic violence is the driving factor in this case.”
Burks’ cousin, Kaylita Burks of Kansas City, Kan., said Wednesday that her cousin did fatally shoot another man in March, she said, but he did it in self-defense and was not charged.
In that incident, Burks and two other men struggled with a gun, according to police. All three were shot, but Johnny Baer, 24, later died from his injuries.
Burks was never charged in that case, but Gorman said Thursday that charges are still being considered.
When asked if the quadruple homicide would speed up that investigation, Gorman said, “That alone will not influence our decision.”
That incident wasn’t the last brush Burks had with Baer’s family. In April, Burks was charged with battery and a criminal threat against Baer’s sister in Johnson County. As part of his bond agreement, Burks was ordered not to contact the woman and a witness. He also was ordered not to consume alcohol or drugs and not to possess firearms.
Burks also has served about 10 years in Kansas prisons for robbery and aggravated burglary.
Kaylita Burks said her cousin worked fixing up houses and called her from time to time to check up on what she was doing, she said.
“He’s really a good person to me — fun and loving,” she said. “I never had trouble with him at all.”
One of the victim’s relatives, Shenia Gutto, a cousin of 3-year-old Juanita, said that the little girl was her first cousin but that, because of their age difference, she was more like a niece.
Gutto said she didn’t know why anyone would want to kill any of the victims — least of all a small child.
“She was only 3 years old,” Shenia Gutto said. “She’s innocent. She didn’t have nothing to do with anything.”
Relatives and acquaintances described Warren as a kind man who regularly offered shelter for people who were homeless or going through drug rehabilitation.
“He took a lot of people in and tried to help a lot of people out,” Gutto said. “He was a real nice man.”
Warren’s visitation and funeral will be Saturday at the Christ Church of the Jesus House, 1119 N. 18th St. Visitation is set for 9 a.m. to 11 a.m., and the funeral will immediately follow from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m.
Castleberry’s relatives said the mother and daughter will be buried together. However, services had not been finalized.
Law enforcement officials are asking for the public’s help in determining Burks’ actions and whereabouts between Monday afternoon and Tuesday night, when he was arrested.
“We believe there are people out there that know more about this incident,” Gorman said.
Anyone with information is urged to call the TIPS Hotline at 816-474-8477.
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