Kansas City man charged in killing of 22-year-old pregnant woman: Prosecutors
A Kansas City man is accused of murder after he surrendered to police early Thursday in the fatal shooting of a 22-year-old pregnant woman in the city’s North Town Fork Creek neighborhood, according to charging documents filed in Jackson County Circuit Court.
Emmett C. Williams, 33, is charged with second-degree murder and armed criminal action in the killing of Shayla Curts, Jackson County Prosecutor Jean Peters Baker’s office announced Friday. As of Friday evening, Williams was being held without bond in the Jackson County jail.
Kansas City police were dispatched Wednesday around 8 p.m. to the 4900 block of Bellefontaine Avenue on a reported shooting. Inside a residence there police found Curts unresponsive after she had suffered an apparent gunshot wound to the head, according to court documents.
Witnesses told detectives a man known as “EW ‘‘ had visited with Curts that night and at one point abruptly said he was leaving. Both reported hearing one gunshot, and one saw someone run north on Bellefontaine right after.
Crime scene investigators found a single spent shell casing in the living room of the house. The Jackson County Medical Examiner’s Office found Curts had died of a single gunshot to the head, and confirmed by X-ray that she was pregnant at the time.
Around 4:15 a.m. Thursday, roughly 8 hours after Curts was shot, authorities say Williams called 911 from the 2600 block of Blue Parkway and told the dispatcher he “had shot someone” and wanted to turn himself over to police.
During an interview with homicide detectives at Kansas City police headquarters, Williams allegedly told police he has known Curts for a few years and accused her of frequently “antagonizing” him over the course of their relationship.
Williams allegedly said he had been dealing with emotional problems, including the recent deaths of family members, along with mental health and drug abuse issues that caused him to “snap,” according to court documents.
Following his arrest, authorities say Williams led police to a wooded area where they could find the firearm. A K-9 assisted detectives with finding a 9mm firearm and other belongings Williams
Mike Mansur, a spokesman for Baker’s office, said in a statement to The Star that prosecutors would be evaluating the case to determine whether additional criminal charges would be brought against Williams related to Curts’ pregnancy.
