Judge Convicts Terry Blair of Murdering Six Women Whose Bodies Were Found in Kansas City in 2004
Blair agreed to a trial without a jury in return for prosecutors dropping the death penalty. His semen was found on one of the women.
Published
In 2004, the bodies of women were found in an area of Kansas City, Missouri, and anonymous 911 calls led police to some of them. On March 27, 2008, Jackson County Circuit Judge John R. O'Malley found Terry Blair, 46, guilty of murdering six of the women.
The six were Sheliah McKenzie, 38; Anna Ewing, 42; Patricia Wilson, 45; Darci Williams, 25; Carmen Hunt, 40; and Claudette Juniel, 31. Blair waived a jury trial under an agreement in which prosecutors dropped two other murder charges, along with assault and rape charges, and did not seek the death penalty. Prosecutors showed that Blair's semen was found on McKenzie's body and presented evidence that he may have made the 911 calls reporting where bodies were. Blair denied involvement, and his lawyers called the evidence weak and circumstantial.
When he was arrested in September 2004, Blair was on parole after serving 21 years for the 1982 murder of his pregnant former girlfriend, Angela Monroe. On April 24, 2008, he was sentenced to six consecutive terms of life without parole, and the Missouri Court of Appeals affirmed the convictions in August 2009.
The Missouri Court of Appeals spelled the first victim's name Sheliah McKenzie, while the Associated Press spelled it Sheliah McKinzie.
Sources
- State v. Blair, 298 S.W.3d 38 (Mo. Ct. App. W.D. 2009), No. WD 69602, Missouri Court of Appeals, Western District (via Caselaw Access Project)
- Judge convicts Kansas City man of killing 6 women, Southeast Missourian (Associated Press)
Related News
- September 14, 2004: Terry Blair Charged With Murder as Kansas City Police Investigate the Deaths of Six Women