Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives

KANSAS CITY, Mo. – Tammy Dickinson, United States Attorney for the Western District of Missouri, announced that two Kansas City, Mo., men were indicted by a federal grand jury today for committing a murder as part of a drug-trafficking conspiracy.

James P. Roberts, 24, and Marcell Shavers, 25, both of Kansas City, were charged in a two-count superseding indictment returned by a federal grand jury in Kansas City, Mo. Today’s superseding indictment replaces an indictment returned on March 29, 2016.

Today’s indictment alleges that Roberts and Shavers conspired with each other to possess methamphetamine with the intent to distribute on Jan. 1, 2014. The indictment also alleges that Shavers, aided and abetted by Roberts, used a firearm to murder Jose Medellin in perpetration of the drug-trafficking conspiracy on that day.

The original indictment charged Roberts and Shavers with using a firearm during a drug-trafficking offense, which carries a penalty of five years to life in prison upon conviction. Today’s superseding indictment replaces that charge with one count of using a firearm during a drug-trafficking offense to commit murder, which carries a penalty of life in prison or death upon conviction.

Dickinson cautioned that the charges contained in this indictment are simply accusations, and not evidence of guilt. Evidence supporting the charges must be presented to a federal trial jury, whose duty is to determine guilt or innocence.

This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Jeffrey Valenti and Joseph Marquez. It was investigated by the Kansas City, Mo., Police Department and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.

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This news release, as well as additional information about the office of the United States Attorney for the Western District of Missouri, is available on-line at

http://www.justice.gov/wdmo

Twitter:

@USAO_WDMO

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http://www.Facebook.com/USAOMOW

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