Sugar Creek man charged with committing murder, covering body with concrete

KANSAS CITY, Mo. — A Sugar Creek man is accused of committing murder and covering the body with concrete.

William Morrison, 62, is charged with first-degree murder and armed criminal action.

On May 13, Independence police were notified the victim, 45-year-old Johnathon Brown, was missing. Friends and family told police Brown was a frequent communicator, so it was odd that all messaging had abruptly stopped.

Surveillance cameras captured the victim in the passenger seat of an older white sedan on May 10. Per court documents, Brown was in the vehicle with Morrison on the way to pour concrete.

A witness told investigators she saw the men arrive and was instructed by Morrison to order them Taco Bell. But when she returned to the basement with the food, the victim was gone.

While Morrison told the woman Brown left with an unknown woman, no surveillance cameras backed up that statement. Plus, Brown's cellphone data showed it stayed at the location until the white sedan left.

On May 23, a cadaver dog searched the property and alerted handlers to human remains in the basement. A newly-poured concrete slab was excavated, and the corpse of Brown was unearthed.

Upon further investigation, it was determined the victim had a gunshot wound to his head, per a court document.

An employee of Morrison told detectives the same day, May 23, that his boss had called him from jail and directed him to locate hidden cash and a wallet, which had the driver’s license of the deceased. Police obtained a search warrant and recovered the wallet, just as the employee had said.

Another employee told detectives that Morrison asked her to dispose of two phones. She admitted to getting rid of them at a Casey’s along the way to Springfield, despite believing they did not belong to her boss after trying his known passwords. Morrison had told people Brown went to Springfield when asked about the victim’s whereabouts.

Other witnesses said Morrison was known to have ongoing financial dealings with Brown, involving “settlement money and business ventures,” per court documents.

Morrison is being held in the Jackson County Detention Center on no bond. He will appear in court Sept. 8 for a bond review hearing.

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