KANSAS CITY, Mo. — David Jungerman, of Raytown, was found guilty of murder and armed criminal action in the 2017 death of an attorney Thursday.
The 84-year-old was charged in April 2018 with first-degree murder and armed criminal action charges in the death of Tom Pickert, an attorney at Fowler Pickert Eisenmenger.
On Tuesday, a judge ruled Jungerman was competent to stand trial, which originally began Sept. 12 but was delayed due to concerns Jungerman may have been exposed to COVID-19.
Pickert was shot dead in the front yard of his Brookside home in October 2017.
He was shot once by a .17 caliber round, which is relatively rare, according to the Jackson County Prosecuting Attorney's Office.
Days before Pickert's death, Jungerman lost a civil judgment totaling $5.75 million, a case Pickert worked on.
Jungerman was not deemed a suspect after initially being questioned about Pickert's homicide.
However, police obtained a search warrant for Jungerman's car, house and business in March 2018.
During the search, police found an unspent .17 caliber bullet under the passenger seat of a white van.
The white van matched witnesses' description of a vehicle traveling around Raytown to Pickert's neighborhood.
A man walking his dog nearby said he saw an older white man with gray hair standing behind a white van, which was parked directly across from Pickert's house.
Jungerman told media outlets that no one used his van that day and that he was the only one with a key.
While searching his home and business, police also found a printout from the Jackson County property tax database that showed Pickert's home address at his business.
Authorities also obtained an audio recording of a discussion Jungerman had with an employee about a .17 caliber rifle and killing Pickert.
Jungerman will be sentenced Nov. 18.
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