KANSAS CITY, Mo. (KCTV) - On Monday, the Jackson County Prosecutor’s Office announced a man’s sentence after he pleaded guilty to voluntary manslaughter.

The charges against Marquis Earl-Lee Savannah, born in 2005, stemmed from a double homicide on April 13, 2024, in Blue Spring’s Wilbur Young Park.

Around 10:30 p.m. that night, officers with the Blue Spring Police Department were called to the volleyball courts after 19-year-old LaDronal Hamilton Jr. and 20-year-old Karmello Matlock were each shot multiple times. Both were pronounced dead at area hospitals.

Witnesses told police there had been a fistfight before the shots were fired, and surveillance footage of the scene showed a large crowd of bystanders running as multiple guns were pulled. Another person, a 17-year-old, sustained non-fatal injuries.

A probable cause statement shows officers recovered multiple guns, bullet fragments and at least 28 shell casings from the shooting scene at the park.

Savannah was seen leaving the scene in a dark blue Chevrolet Cruze. He was ultimately tracked down and taken into custody with the help of area Flock cameras.

He was charged with voluntary manslaughter and armed criminal action, both felonies. On Feb. 27, 2025, he entered a guilty plea on both counts and was later sentenced by a Jackson County judge to 25 years in prison.

“Two young lives were cut short, and another young person will now spend decades behind bars as a consequence of his actions. Violence will never be tolerated, regardless of one’s age,” said Jackson County Prosecutor Melesa Johnson. “Our office remains committed to seeking justice for victims and their families.”