Convicted murderer Kylr Yust seeks to overturn convictions, asks for new trial

KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Convicted killer Kylr Yust is asking a judge to overturn his convictions and grant a new trial.

In a motion hearing held Tuesday, a Cass County judge heard Yust’s amended motion to vacate his sentences and remand the case for a new trial or sentencing.

Yust was convicted in 2021 of voluntary manslaughter in the death of Kara Kopetsky and second-degree murder in the death of Jessica Runions.

He was sentenced to 15 years for manslaughter and life for second-degree murder. The sentences were ordered to run consecutively.

Kopetsky was 17 when she went missing in May 2007, and Runions was 21 when she went missing in September 2016. The remains of both were found in the woods in Cass County in 2017.

FULL COVERAGE | Yust trial

Yust was dating Kopetsky at the time of her disappearance. Yust knew Runions, and they were reported to be at the same party right before she disappeared.

His history of abuse toward girlfriends came up during the trial, as well as Yust admitting to acquaintances that he had harmed Kopetsky and Runions.

Despite trying to cast doubt on his brother, calling him a “serial killer” while on the stand in his own defense, Yust was found guilty.

However, the amended motion, originally filed in May 2024, seeks to vacate his sentences due to several grievances.

The motion states, “Trial counsel provided ineffective assistance of counsel, in violation of Mr. Yust’s rights to effective assistance of counsel, a fair trial and due process of law…” when they:

• Failed to file a motion for severance;
• Failed to investigate and present evidence from an expert on memory creation and false memories;
• Failed to file a motion in limine and object as needed to the prosecutor arguing and presenting the two charges as proof of one another;
• Failed to investigate and present evidence related to what Yust’s truck looked like in 2007;
• Told the jury the defense would prove who actually did it;
• Failed to object to an improper sentencing argument that asked the jury to sentence Yust more harshly because of the trial impact on jurors;
• Prosecutorial misconduct for improperly arguing that the jury should sentence Yust more harshly because of the impact of the trial on jurors;
• Nunc pro tunc (written judgment that did not track the oral pronouncement).

According to the motion, the failure to sever the charges resulted in a trial where the charges were “improperly used as evidence to prove one another.”

Another item that came up was the trial counsel telling the jury that the defense would answer the question of "if Mr. Yust didn’t do it, who did?” The motion claimed that statement assumed a burden it did not have to, and Yust was prejudiced by the “trial counsel’s deficient performance." The motion stated the move consequently undermined the credibility of the defense with the jury.

The motion also took issue with the prosecutor arguing the jury should sentence Yust more harshly because of the impact of the trial on jurors. Had that argument not been made, “there is a reasonable probability the outcome of the case would have been different," the motion states.

Additional details were provided for the other grounds for vacation.

In the motion hearing held Tuesday, evidence was heard and exhibits were received. The court also heard oral argument.

Ultimately, the matter was taken under advisement, and it was ordered that each side must provide Findings of Fact and Conclusions of Law to the court by Oct. 1.

Yust returned to the custody of the Crossroads Correctional Center in Cameron, Missouri, after the hearing.

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