Western District of Missouri

www.justice.gov/usao/mow

For Immediate Release

September 11, 2012

David M. Ketchmark, United States Attorney

Contact: Don Ledford, Public Affairs
(816)426-4220

KC Man Sentenced to 10 Years for Illegal Firearm & Found Responsible for Murder

KANSAS CITY, Mo. – David M. Ketchmark, Acting United States Attorney for the Western District of Missouri, announced that a Kansas City, Mo., man was sentenced in federal court today for illegally possessing a firearm.

Tyron Jones, 32, of Kansas City, was sentenced by Senior U.S. District Judge Dean Whipple to 10 years in federal prison without parole. The Court found Jones responsible for the March 10, 2011, murder of Raymond Pettaway.

On March 12, 2012, Jones pleaded guilty to being a felon in possession of a firearm. On March 10, 2011, after a night involving marijuana and PCP use, Jones used a Jimenez Arms, J.A. Nine, 9 mm semiautomatic handgun to shoot and kill Raymond Pettaway at a Kansas City, Mo. residence. When police arrived, Pettaway's body was found outside on a back porch. Inside, police detected a strong smell of bleach. Detectives and crime scene investigators later determined that the bleach had been used in an attempt to clean up blood and other evidence. The firearm was found hidden behind a nearby church.

It is illegal for anyone who has been convicted of a felony to be in possession of any firearm or ammunition. Jones has prior felony convictions for second degree robbery and possession of cocaine.

This case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Justin G. Davids. It was investigated by the Kansas City, Mo., Police Department and the ATF.

Project Ceasefire

Project Ceasefire, launched in October 1999, is a cooperative initiative by federal and local law enforcement and the Kansas City Crime Commission that targets for federal prosecution persons who unlawfully use or possess firearms.

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