In the early morning hours of July 7, 2022, 18-year-old DaMarion Kentrell Benjamin was found near East 51st Street and Lawn Avenue in Kansas City with apparent gunshot wounds to his head and body. Spent shell casings were located at the scene and police quickly classified the death as a homicide.

Detectives traced Benjamin’s last phone contact to a number tied to an associate of 25-year-old Malijahjuan M. Smith of Independence, Missouri. Smith at first denied knowledge but later admitted involvement, saying the shooting occurred outside a parked vehicle. Investigators say Benjamin had texted his girlfriend that he intended to confront people connected to his brother’s death. Prosecutors allege Benjamin and Smith planned to buy a stolen car, use a fraudulent plate and retrieve the vehicle at an apartment complex; when they could not find it Benjamin told Smith to pull over, and Smith says Benjamin then moved into the passenger seat and displayed a gun, prompting Smith to shoot him.

Smith was arrested and charged with second-degree murder and armed criminal action; prosecutors requested a $150,000 cash bond. Does anyone have information about Benjamin’s movements that night or about the vehicle mentioned in the reports?