KANSAS CITY, Mo. — The Jackson County Prosecutor’s Office announced Friday charges against a Kansas City, Missouri, man for his role in a deadly stabbing in July 2025.
Dimitri Elder is facing one count of second-degree murder and one count of armed criminal action, according to court documents.
The charges stem from a July 24, 2025, incident that resulted in the death of 54-year-old Tyrone A. Bates, Sr.
On that day, the Kansas City, Missouri, Police Department was called to an apartment building parking lot, located near Admiral Boulevard and Tracy Avenue, on a reported stabbing.
Responding officers found an unresponsive victim with multiple lacerations, and he was pronounced dead at the scene by Kansas City, Missouri, Fire Department paramedics, per a probable cause statement filed in the case.
Police observed blood splatter around the apartment building, including on a basement door where a black knife sheath was located. A trail of blood was also found in an interior stairwell that led to the back door of the apartments, a court document said.
Detectives also reviewed surveillance footage during the investigation that showed an altercation prior to the stabbing, a press release from the Jackson County prosecutor said.
He was interviewed by detectives starting in February.
He told police he was homeless in July 2025, admitted to using methamphetamines, and he would often stay with his grandmother or sneak on the balcony to sleep.
Elder claimed the victim punched him in the face before he stabbed him.
During a second interview, Elder told police his previous confession of the stabbing was false and that someone else had stabbed the victim, per court documents.
It was determined that Elder’s DNA was on the knife sheath.
Elder’s bond has been set at $300,000 cash only.
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