KANSAS CITY, Mo. — A St. Louis man was sentenced Friday to seven to 20 years in prison for the murder of a Roeland Park man in 1985.
Gary Watson, 36, was found dead in the apartment he lived in with his wife and three children on March 13, 1985.
Detectives from the Metro Squad, consisting of several Kansas City area law enforcement agencies, investigated the homicide, before the Johnson County Sheriff's Office stepped in as the lead agency.
The case went cold until it was later revisited in 2020. After the sheriff's office conducted new interviews and re-examined evidence, deputies arrested Geter Watson Rhymes, Jr.
On May 11, 2023, Rhymes pleaded no contest to one count second degree murder.
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For jurisdictions that utilize the Greater Kansas City Crime Stoppers Tips Hotline, anonymous tips can be made by calling 816-474-TIPS (8477), submitting the tip online or through the free mobile app at P3Tips.com. Tips leading to an arrest made through the Tips Hotline may be eligible for up to a $25,000 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.
