Marcell Shavers, Participating in a Conspiracy to Possess Meth with Intent to Distribute, Missouri 2014

Marcell Shavers, 27, of Kansas City, Mo., was found guilty by a federal jury in connection with a methamphetamine deal that exploded into violence on New Year’s Day 2014. Shavers was convicted of one count of participating in a conspiracy to possess meth with intent to distribute, a charge stemming from a botched drug transaction that left Jose Medellin dead in the laundry room of an apartment building.

Medellin, a known drug source, was shot multiple times after meeting with Shavers and James P. Roberts, 26, also of Kansas City, during what was supposed to be a routine exchange. When a car alarm sounded outside, the witness who arranged the deal stepped away—only to return and watch through the window as Medellin was shot in the abdomen, then in the right buttock as he turned to flee, and finally in the back as he lay on the ground. The killer walked free as Medellin staggered to a nearby Quik Trip before collapsing.

Police discovered more than 55 grams of methamphetamine in Medellin’s possession at the scene, along with shell casings scattered near his body. The shooting was reported by a man who had connected Medellin with Roberts after meeting Roberts at Discount Smokes on Independence Avenue. Roberts admitted to carrying a handgun during the encounter but claimed he never fired it. He later pleaded guilty on Feb. 1, 2018, to conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine resulting in death and faces 20 to 30 years in federal prison without parole.

Shavers, however, remained silent until he allegedly confessed to a third party: he and Roberts had gone to meet Medellin to close a drug deal. That admission, combined with eyewitness testimony and forensic evidence, sealed his fate. After seven hours of deliberation across two days, the jury returned a guilty verdict in U.S. District Court before Chief District Judge Greg Kays.

Under federal law, Shavers now faces a mandatory minimum of five years in prison without parole, up to a maximum of 40 years. The court will determine his exact sentence after a presentence investigation by the U.S. Probation Office. While Congress sets statutory maximums, the final term will be shaped by advisory sentencing guidelines and other legal factors.

The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Jeffrey Valenti and Joseph M. Marquez and investigated by the Kansas City Police Department and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. With the conviction, federal authorities underscore the deadly consequences of drug networks operating in urban corridors across Missouri.

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