Brandon Howell.

Now that’s a long sentence.

Death would have been better, of course, but I guess the families of the victims thought that might be a little bit mean.

Fox4KC:

The Jackson County Prosecutor’s Office says that convicted murderer Brandon Howell will spend the rest of his life in prison, getting five life sentences on Thursday for a 2014 killing spree in south Kansas City.

Howell, 38, was convicted in April by a jury on all counts of first -degree murder he faced for beating two people to death and shooting and killing three others on September 2, 2014. His sentences are consecutive, and he’ll never be eligible for parole.

The killings happened on Woodbridge Lane, near Wornall Road and Blue Ridge Boulevard. The victims were 86-year-old Ann Taylor, 80-year-old George Taylor, 88-year-old Lorene Hurst, her 68-year-old son Darrel Hurst and 69-year-old Susan Choucroun.

In August 2015 Jackson County prosecutors said they would seek the death penalty for Howell. However, Jackson County Prosecutor Jean Peters Baker said in April that her office met with all of the family members and decided it was best to remove death as an option in this case and to see the rest of Howell’s nature life in prison.

…

Court documents say Howell allegedly tried to steal a vintage Jaguar from Ann and George Taylor. Police found the couple badly beaten and barely clinging to life in their basement. They later died at the hospital.

According to a police investigation, Howell hot-wired the car and tried to get away. But the car didn’t work, and neighbors came outside to try to help. That’s when court documents say Howell allegedly shot at them and killed Lorene Hurst, Darrel Hurst and Susan Choucroun.

Then, court documents say Howell drove off in another one of the Taylor’s cars, a Toyota SUV. It all happened in broad daylight, around one o’clock. Hours later, just before midnight, police found Howell walking with a shotgun they said he brought to the Taylor’s home and used in the killings, near I-29 and Northwest Barry Road.

They said he attacked three people at a Motel 6 after he left Woodbridge. Howell is facing charges in Platte County related to that incident.

Brandon Howell.

Imagine murdering five people over a damn car.

It might not make sense to a human, but it sure makes sense to a nigger.

Daily Mail:

A man who beat an elderly Missouri couple to death and stole their SUV before fatally shooting three of their Kansas City neighbors who witnessed the theft was convicted by a jury on Monday.

Brandon Howell, 39, was found guilty on five counts of first-degree murder and seven other felonies in the killings.

Prosecutors have said they intend to seek the death penalty.

The Jackson County jury deliberated less than two hours after getting the case Monday morning.

The defense did not call any witnesses during the week-long trial, according to the Kansas City Star reported.

Court records indicated Howell beat 80-year-old George Taylor and his wife, Anna Mae ‘Ann’ Taylor, 86, before trying to steal a classic Jaguar from the home.

Police have said Howell couldn’t get the car started, so he stole the Taylors’ sports utility vehicle instead.

Witnesses told police they saw the driver of the Taylors’ vehicle stop in front of Susan Choucroun’s house next door, the Kansas City Star reported.

He got out and shot Choucroun in her driveway before leaving. Arriving officers found the Taylors severely beaten in their basement. They died a week later in a hospital.

Two other potential witnesses to the theft – 88-year-old Lorene Hurst and her son, 63-year-old Darrel Hurst – also were shot to death, possibly as they were returning from the grocery store.

The SUV later was found abandoned near a Motel 6 in neighboring Platte County, where Howell is charged with assaulting three people.

Howell was arrested that night walking along a freeway carrying a shotgun in his pants.

A man charged with murder in connection with three deaths in the Woodbridge area of south Kansas City now faces two additional murder charges.

Brandon Howell, 34, previously had been charged with three counts of first-degree murder in the Sept. 2 shotgun slayings of Susan Choucroun, 69, Lorene Hurst, 88, and her son Darrell Hurst, 63.

Since those charges were filed, two other people injured that day, George and Anna Taylor, have died. Howell had been charged with first-degree assault in connection with their injuries.

The assault charges were upgraded to two additional first-degree murder charges in a Jackson County grand jury indictment, Jackson County Prosecutor Jean Peters Baker said Sunday evening.

Howell continues to be held without bond and is scheduled to be arraigned on the additional murder charges at 10:30 a.m. Monday before Circuit Judge Mary Frances Weir.

Court documents allege that Howell burglarized the Taylor home at 1 E. Woodbridge Lane and a woman at the residence called 911.

Officers arrived and found Choucroun dead in the driveway of her home, 3 E. Woodbridge, next door to the Taylor residence. They went into the Taylor home and found the couple both critically injured in the basement.

Officers then began a house-to-house search and found the bodies of the Hursts in the front yard of Lorene Hurst’s home at 7 E. Woodbridge. She and her son may have just returned from the grocery store when they were shot.

Witnesses told police that after hearing several gunshots, they saw the Taylors’ Toyota Highlander speed down the street. One witness said the driver stopped in front of Choucroun’s house, got out and shot her before getting back in the vehicle and driving away.

A few hours later, police were called to a Motel 6 at 8230 N.W. Prairie View Road, where they found three victims, one with several cuts on his head. The victims alerted police that a man had followed them to their room and asked for a cigarette. He ran after them and assaulted them, they said.

Police searching for the motel assault suspect soon found the Highlander abandoned in a restaurant parking lot a few blocks from the Motel 6.

Shortly before midnight, officers acting on the tip pulled Howell over. Besides the shotgun, the keys to the Highlander were found in his pants pocket, according to the court documents.

Two of the three victims from the motel incident identified Howell as the man who assaulted them. Platte County prosecutors also charged Howell with multiple crimes related to that incident.

The family of George and Ann Taylor gathered Friday afternoon, coming from near and far to make a brief statement about their loved ones who were brutally attacked Tuesday, Sept. 2 in their home at 1 Woodbridge Lane in South Kansas City.

Ann and George Taylor were severely injured. Three others were killed by a gunman who stole the Taylors’ SUV. On Thursday, prosecutors charged Brandon Howell, 3, with three counts of first degree murder for the deaths of Lorene Hurst, 88, her son, Darrel Hurst, 63, and neighbor Susan Choucroun, 69.

Relatives of the Taylors said they are forever indebted to the Hursts and Choucroun, who became victims themselves when they witnessed the gunman stealing the Taylors’ vehicle.

“Our family would like to send our love and thoughts to the relatives and friends of Ann and George’s neighbors who tragically lost their lives that day. We believe that they were killed trying to support Ann and George,” said a niece of the Taylors, who wanted to remain unnamed.

She said both Ann and George remained on life support. The family thanked supporters including emergency responders, doctors, nurses and police.

“Today Ann and George are fighting for their lives. They are both on life support measures,” their niece read in a statement. “We remain optimistic, but we know this is going to be a tough and long struggle.”

The family described Ann as an entrepreneur and a member of the Red Hat society. George is a veteran, an avid Chiefs and Royals fan and a brick mason.

“The family is in complete shock,” she said. “We cannot understand how such a heinous crime could happen to two such wonderful and kindhearted people.”

The family also thanked the community for their outpouring of support and encouragement and prayers.

“The family would like just to say, even in these troubled times, it is so heartwarming to see the entire community come together over this senseless crime that could affect anyone of us,” said their niece.

A man previously accused in a double murder faces three counts of first-degree murder in connection with a deadly south Kansas City crime spree that left three dead and two injured.

Brandon B. Howell, 34, also faces two counts of first-degree assault and other charges. Charges are expected to come in Platte County after three guests at a Motel 6 were assaulted.

Howell, a convicted felon, used a shotgun he purchased more than five years ago.

Howell was arrested late Tuesday walking along Interstate 29 after a massive manhunt.

Howell is suspected of assaulting three Motel 6 guests after ditching an SUV stolen from the scene where three residents were fatally shot and two others were critically injured after they were nearly beaten to death.

The suspect has an extensive criminal record including first-degree murder, kidnapping, robbery, assault and animal abuse charges in both Kansas and Missouri. He beheaded a cat during a home invasion robbery in Johnson County. However, he has not been convicted of all of those accused crimes. He had numerous disciplinary infractions including fighting while serving prison time in Kansas.

On March 9, 2009, a Jackson County jury found Howell not guilty of those first-degree murder charges.

When he was 25 years old, Howell was charged with two counts of first-degree murder stemming from the deaths of Nicholas Travis, 19, of Lenexa, KS, and Tabitha Brewer, 16, of Shawnee, KS. The couple were last seen with Howell leaving her home on April 27, 1998.

Travis’ body was found in the backyard of a Kansas City, MO, duplex on Aug. 12, 1998. Howell’s father owned the duplex and Howell and Travis had both worked there, according to a detective’s probable cause statement. Brewer’s body has never been found.

Three witnesses told authorities that Howell had confessed to killing the couple or had discussed a plan to kill them, according to the statement. The motive may have been a $40,000 settlement that Brewer had received after a car accident, although she was unable to access the money because it was in a trust fund, the statement said.

Then Jackson County Prosecutor Michael Sanders said the charges were made possible by “good, old-fashioned police work,” rather than DNA matching.

Howell was incarcerated at the time at the Lansing Correctional Facility on robbery and assault charges. He was later acquitted by a Jackson County jury.

The shooting spree in south Kansas City began about 1 p.m. Tuesday in a neighborhood on Woodbridge Lane just east of Wornall Road near the Blue Hills Country Club.

The suspect was attempting to steal a Jaguar from the Hurst residence but was having difficulty fleeing in it. One of the victims was shot after confronting the suspect.

The five were found either inside or outside three separate residences. Responding officers and residents were warned the suspect was armed with a shotgun.

The three shooting victims died at the scene. Two other victims were taken to area hospitals with life-threatening injuries. The three dead included one man and two women, police said.

Lorene Hurst was killed along with her son, Darrel, who was making one of his frequent visits to his mother when the tragic events unfolded. Also killed was Susan Choucroun, 69.

Howell was arrested shortly before midnight Tuesday as he walked along Interstate 29 near 72nd Street in the Northland. He was armed with a gun at the time of his arrest, police said.

His arrest occurred about two miles from a Motel 6, 8230 NW Prairie View Rd., where three people had been assaulted about 3:15 p.m. Tuesday. No weapon was used, police said, and the victims were not seriously injured.

Investigators later linked Howell to the deadly shooting spree in south Kansas City.

An SUV taken from the homicide scene was found within four blocks of the motel where the assaults occurred, police said.

When officers arrived, they located Howell in dark clothing. He was later identified as the suspect from the earlier assaults at a nearby motel.