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Suspected Stowers Institute researchers' murderer stalked female victim before killing

Camila Behrensen and Pablo Guzman-Palma
Posted at 3:48 PM, Nov 14, 2023
and last updated 2023-11-14 16:51:31-05

KANSAS CITY, Mo. — The man suspected of murdering two Stowers Institute researchers 13 months ago had stalked and sexually assaulted one of the victims before eventually killing her, according to documents obtained by KSHB 41.

Camila Behrensen and Pablo Guzman-Palma were shot and killed Oct. 1, 2022, in the 4100 block of Oak Street in Kansas City, Missouri, before their apartment was set on fire.

KCFD responded shortly before 4:45 a.m. to extinguish the fire and found the bodies.

Behrensen, from Buenos Aires, Argentina, and Guzman-Palma, from Santiago, Chile, were both pre-doctoral researchers at the Stowers Institute at the time of their deaths.

Investigators identified Kevin R. Moore, who died roughly two weeks later in a murder-suicide in the Northland, as the suspect in the murders of Behrensen and Guzman-Palma.

Four days before the killing, Behrensen's boyfriend was at her apartment when they heard a noise coming from her room, according to a KCPD probable cause statement.

Behrensen's boyfriend said he went to check it out and found slash marks in her window. She called apartment staff and requested the window be fixed.

While processing the scene of the murder, investigators noted that all three smoke detectors in the apartment had been removed from their brackets and broken.

KSHB 41's Cameron Taylor previously reported that investigators suspect Moore set a fire to the apartment to conceal the murders.

During the investigation, detectives reviewed surveillance video showing "an unknown party," who investigators believe to be Moore, in the area of Behrensen's and Guzman-Palma's apartment around the time of the killing.

It showed him around 3 a.m. appearing to stash property near the intersection of East 42nd and Oak streets before walking toward the apartment. The person returned multiple times to the area before leaving the area about 10 minutes before firefighters arrived at the crime scene.

Detectives matched shell casings found at the apartment where Behrensen and Guzman-Palma were murdered to those found at the scene where Moore allegedly killed Misty Brockman before turning the gun on himself.

Detectives applied for a search warrant for the email and phone number associated with Moore. They also executed a warrant at Moore's residence where they found an SD card belonging to Moore among other pieces of evidence.

Detectives discovered a video on the SD card that Moore apparently took of Behrensen sleeping from outside of her window.

Investigators noted Moore's DNA was found inside Behrensen, on the broke smoke detectors in her apartment and his blood was found in the bathroom of the apartment, according to court documents.

It's unclear how Moore initially came in contact with the victims or if they knew each other.