RAYMORE, Mo. – A husband and father charged in a fatal stabbing in Raymore was accused of domestic violence several times over the last two years, according to court documents.
John W. Adams, 41, was arrested for domestic assault involving his wife in October 2016, April 2018 and twice in July 2018.
Brian Kile, the man he's accused of killing Friday, had been dating Adams' estranged wife. Kile's family was shocked to learn the extent of Adams' criminal past.
"I just don't feel like he should have been on the streets for anybody, not just my dad, for anybody. He could have hurt anybody," said Emilee Kile, Brian's daughter.
On July 9, 2018, court records show deputies were dispatched to the couple's house because Adams was refusing to leave. Dispatchers were also advised Adams had a knife at one point but had not hurt anyone. He was reportedly yelling at his estranged wife and her mother. Once authorities arrived, one of the couple's children told them, "my daddy's scary," according to the probable cause statement.
Later that month, deputies again responded to their Raymore house. Adams' estranged wife told them Adams had reached around her neck from behind and started choking her. She also said Adams grabbed her by the hair, twisting so hard she thought he was trying to "snap (her) neck off."
The couple's 3-year-old son tried to intervene, hitting Adams and telling him to stop, court documents show.
"To me my son should still be alive, because he should've been still in jail," Kile's mother, Debby, said of Adams.
Adams pleaded guilty last month in one of the assault cases and was sentenced to five years' probation with an automatic seven-year prison sentence if he violated the conditions.
But more records show the Cass County Prosecutor's Office may have faced an uphill battle. Adams' estranged wife was supposed to appear in court last month, but the prosecutor's office was never able to make contact with a subpoena, according to documents.
Experts say appearing in court can be a major hurdle for survivors.
"Unfortunately that can be really emotionally difficult, and it can also be dangerous to their safety, because if the abuser sees them participating in that system, that can escalate the situation," said Annie Struby of the Rose Brooks Center, which helps victims of domestic violence.
41 Action News reached out to Adams' estranged wife but has not heard back. A family member was not aware of the subpoena issued in the assault case.
