KANSAS CITY, Mo. – In a groundbreaking federal sentencing, Shawn Burkhalter, alias ‘Deuce,’ and Joshua Nesbitt, known as ‘T,’ have been handed life sentences without parole for their involvement in a drug-trafficking conspiracy that resulted in two murders.
On Aug. 28, 2023, U.S. District Judge Brian C. Wimes sentenced Burkhalter, aged 35 of Kansas City, Mo., to life imprisonment following his conviction on multiple counts including conspiracy to distribute cocaine and marijuana, robbery, and the murder of a potential witness. Co-defendant Nesbitt, aged 30 from Crowder, Mississippi, was also sentenced to life in federal prison without parole.
Both men were found guilty on Aug. 28, 2023, after a trial that revealed their decade-long conspiracy to distribute drugs. They robbed Danny Lamont Dean on Sept. 10, 2015, and Anthony Dwayne Johnson on Oct. 4, 2015, both resulting in murders committed with a Rock River Arms AR-15 rifle. Evidence indicated that Johnson was killed because Burkhalter believed he had provided information to investigators regarding the first murder.
Burkhalter’s criminal activities also included robbing a Kansas City business on Sept. 8, 2015, while armed with the same firearm. Nesbitt was implicated in additional assaults on detention facility staff members during his pre-trial detention.
Other co-defendants, including Sharika Hooker and Autry Hines from Kansas City, Mo., Joslyn Lee and Nickayla Jones from Blue Springs, Mo., Rachel Ryce of Raytown, Mo., and Anthony Peltier of Lawrence, Kansas, have pleaded guilty and were previously sentenced.
The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys David Raskin, Patrick C. Edwards, and David Wagner, with the investigation led by the FBI and the Kansas City, Mo., Police Department.
Related Federal Cases
Key Facts
- State: Missouri
- Agency: DOJ USAO
- Category: Drug Trafficking|Fraud & Financial Crimes|Violent Crime|Weapons|Organized Crime
- Source: Official Source ↗
🔒 Get the grimiest stories delivered weekly. Subscribe free →
Browse More
