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JCPAO Press Releases

Posted on: April 24, 2023

Convicted murderer who fled courtroom sentenced to 4 more years in prison

April 24, 2023

For Immediate Release

In July 2021, a Jackson County jury convicted David A. Harris in the Sept. 2018 fatal shooting of Mary K. Scmitze. He was ordered to serve 35 years in prison for those convictions. As Harris was leaving the courthouse, he bolted and escaped from guards.

Harris was apprehended a short time later. Today, a Jackson County judge ordered Harris to serve four more years, on top of the 35 years for the murder-related convictions, for fleeing security.

In July, a Jackson County jury found David A. Harris, dob: 9/30/1999, guilty of Murder 2nd Degree, Armed Criminal Action, Assault 1st Degree and Armed Criminal Action in connection with the Sept. 18, 2018, shooting in Independence that took the life of Mary K. Schmitz, dob: 3/20/1998, and wounded another person at a resident in the 1100 block of Quail Creek Drive.

A Jackson County judge sentenced Harris to 25 years total on the Murder 2nd Degree and first Armed Criminal Action charges, and 10 more years on the Assault 1st Degree and second Armed Criminal Action conviction. Those sentences of 25 and 10 years were set to run consecutively.

Assistant  Jackson County Prosecuting Attorneys Hallie Schuman, Jeremy Baldwin and Harrison Blue represented the state of Missouri in prosecuting the murder case against Harris.

For more information, contact:

 Michael Mansur
Director of Communication
Jackson County Prosecutor’s Office
Jean Peters Baker, Prosecutor
Work : (816) 881-3812
Mobile : (816) 674-3954
www.jacksoncounyprosecutor.com
mmansur@jacksongov.org





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