KANSAS CITY, Mo. — A Kansas City, Missouri, landlord is facing a second-degree murder charge after witnesses told investigators that he fatally stabbed a tenant, who lodged a heating complaint, more than 30 times.
According to court documents, Gordon McBeth, 44, confronted tenant Darryl “Brent” Gilland Jr. and Gilland’s girlfriend at the rental property on Friday, WDAF-TV reported.
Samantha Pohlman, Gilland’s girlfriend, told KCTV that the couple had an arrangement with McBeth through which they paid lower rent in exchange for helping remodel the property, but the lack of heat was an issue they politely asked him to address.
“At first, (McBeth) was perfectly nice about it. He was like, ‘Yeah, I’ll come over, and we’ll do that,’ and then just out of nowhere he completely flipped and acted like we were asking too much and being a complete burden,” Pohlman told the TV station.
According to KCTV, witnesses told investigators that they heard McBeth drive erratically into the driveway, and Pohlman said that the landlord tossed insulation at her and said if that wasn’t good enough, he would kill her fiancé.
Pohlman told investigators that McBeth then produced a large hunting-style knife and stabbed Gilland repeatedly, at which point she fled to a neighbor’s home, WDAF-TV reported, citing court documents.
Another neighbor who responded to Pohlman’s screams told investigators that he found McBeth straddling Gilland with a knife, so he pointed his gun at the landlord and ordered him onto the ground, holding him at gunpoint until officers arrived. Gilland died at the rental property before first responders arrived, the TV station reported.
The probable cause statement said that officers determined that McBeth “viciously stabbed a man to death for no apparent reason,” noting that surveillance video footage obtained from one of the witnesses supports at least portions of the witnesses’ accounts, WDAF-TV reported.
McBeth, who pleaded not guilty to second-degree murder and armed criminal action charges, is being held on a $1 million bond, KCTV reported.
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