KSHB 41 reporter Alyssa Jackson covers Kansas City, Missouri. Share your story idea with Alyssa.
An 18-year-old has been sentenced to 20 years in prison for the 2024 shooting death of 11-year-old Kourtney Freeman, according to KSHB 41’s Alyssa Jackson.
Jackson attended the sentencing Monday at the downtown Jackson County Courthouse.
She reported Re’Mori Roath, 18, was sentenced to 20 years for second-degree murder.
At the time of the crime, he was a juvenile. But in 2024, the court decided he would be tried as an adult.
Roath pleaded guilty in November 2025 in the April 10, 2024, killing.
He fired several gunshots into a home near East 33rd Street and Flora Avenue, striking Kourtney inside.
Police ultimately traced him to the crime through city surveillance cameras. Detectives also found his DNA on the murder weapon, which was located during a search of his home.
Kourtney was beloved by many.
“I could barely get sleep when Kourtney died. It was really hard letting her go,” her best friend Emily Castro told KSHB 41 in April 2024.
Many noted Kourtney’s involvement in a student-led violence prevention group, Kauffman Cares, at her school, the Ewing Marion Kauffman School.
“She really had love for people, and she would stand up for people. And for her to go that way was just heartbreaking,” Rikai Mason, a member of Kauffman Cares, said in 2024. “She was the number one student inside Kauffman Cares that didn’t like violence at all.”
In November 2025, KSHB 41's Jackson caught up with Kourtney's classmates and former teacher. They said they plan to host an annual anti-violence workshop, dedicating the effort to Kourtney.
"I see it as this is our responsibility," said Teresa Fliger, Kauffman School teacher. "They don’t have to wait for someone else to do it — you can do it."
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If you have any information about a crime, you may contact your local police department directly. But if you want or need to remain anonymous, you should contact the Greater Kansas City Crime Stoppers Tips Hotline by calling 816-474-TIPS (8477), submitting the tip online or through the free mobile app at P3Tips.com. Depending on your tip, Crime Stoppers could offer you a cash reward.
Annual homicide details and data for the Kansas City area are available through the KSHB 41 News Homicide Tracker, which was launched in 2015. Read the KSHB 41 News Mug Shot Policy.
