KANSAS CITY, Mo. — A man who pleaded guilty to the murders of a man and woman inside a Kansas City, Kansas, deli was sentenced to life in prison Thursday.
Jermelle A. Byers, 45, will not be eligible for parole until at least March 10, 2071.
Dennis Edwards, the owner of Edwards Original Corner Market and Deli, formerly at 81 N. Mill Street, and Lachell Day were inside the store when the murders occurred on July 10, 2019.
Byers came into the store with a gun and killed both Day and Edwards.
He also shot at KCK police officers during a standoff after the murders.
Byers was wounded in the exchange of gunfire with police.
"Neither one of them deserved this. Neither one of these people deserves this; it’s sad. It’s very sad," David Edwards, Dennis’ brother, said at the time of Byers' guilty plea in an interview with KSHB 41.
David Edwards told KSHB 41 that a motorcycle David Edwards bought from his brother is one way he remembers him.
"I ride it every day," David Edwards said while sitting on the bike. "It will never leave me."
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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.
