KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Family members of one of the victims of an alleged Kansas City serial killer say they've been dealt another blow in a criminal case that's already stretched past eight years.
KSHB 41's Caitlin Knute was in a Jackson County courtroom Thursday as Judge Charles McKenzie set the latest trial date for September 2026.
The defendant in the case, Fredrick Scott, is accused in six murders in 2016 and 2017, most near the Indian Creek Trail in south Kansas City, Missouri.
"This was a blow today," said Brian Darby. His father, Mike Darby, was one of Scott's alleged victims. "We were not expecting this. And I don’t see, I’ve talked to some other victims' families, texting, and we don’t have a good feeling that this case is going to go to trial."
Thursday, the Darbys and other families learned Scott's long-awaited trial won't start for another 13 months with opening statements scheduled for September 2026. And that's if he stays on his medications and remains competent.
"Keeping the defendant competent has been a problem in the past," Brian Darby said. "I’m disappointed in the defense; They’re playing every game they can."
The bulk of the delay in the case stems from Scott fluctuating in and out of mental competency. Other factors in the delay include a change in the public defender representing Scott.
Scott was diagnosed with schizophrenia while in custody and was restored to competency while taking his medications at the Missouri Department of Mental Health.
But when he was returned to the Jackson County Detention Center on more than one occasion, he stopped taking his medication. He was then found to be incompetent and went through a cycle of waiting to be evaluated and then sent back to state custody, which has seen months-long wait times due to lack of available beds.
We were in court last month when an expert for the Department of Mental Health testified that her evaluation showed Scott had been restored to mental competency and was ready to go to trial.
The defense hired an independent expert who testified Scott was not competent.
Ultimately, the judge agreed with the state and allowed the case to move forward.
At a hearing on Thursday, prosecutors said they were ready to go to trial as soon as possible, noting how long they’ve already waited and the fact that some of their witnesses have retired and moved out of state, with another witness set to move to Morocco permanently next spring.
"She also said five more people are going to retire from the police force this year," Brian Darby said, referring to the Prosecutor in the case. "And trying to get everybody and keep memories fresh and stuff? You know this is urgent, and the defense is taking advantage of the situation."
However, the defense for Scott said they needed more time to be ready and couldn’t possibly proceed before next spring or preferably next fall of 2026. That's because the defense said, out of an estimated 113 potential witnesses, they had only conducted depositions with 14 of them.
We reached out to two different defense attorneys who are not affiliated with the case.
Former Johnson County, Kansas, District Attorney Paul Morrison told me that when you're dealing with mental competency case, that really is a "fly in the ointment," which can complicate cases. He admits that while eight years is an extraordinarily long time for someone to be pending trial, and setting a trial more than a year out is somewhat unusual, it could be understandable given the number of victims and all the witnesses the defense will need to prepare for.
"If the state is, in fact calling 113 witnesses, then the defense is certainly able to depose them, and that's going to take a considerable amount of time," Kansas City, Missouri, defense attorney John Picerno said. "(It) depends on the court schedule, the prosecutor's schedule, and the defense's schedule."
That's little consolation to the Darby family, who remain skeptical.
"We just had the competency hearing in the beginning of June and we were positive after that. We had a good couple weeks, but our expectations were wrong," Brian Darby said. "We were overly optimistic. And so our family was in good spirits, but now this is a bummer of a day."
As of right now, jury selection is set to begin on Aug. 31, 2026, with opening statements scheduled for Sept. 3.
Another case management hearing has been scheduled for July 30, 2025, to determine a plan to ensure Scott's mental competency is maintained.
While Scott is currently at the Jackson County Detention Center, his care is being handled by the Missouri Department of Mental Health's forensic mobile team.
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