reSee.it Video Transcript AI Summary
Eight years ago, people were scared to walk Kansas City’s Indian Creek Trail after a string of murders. Killed there were John Palmer, Mike Darby (a local cook, philanthropist, and sports bar owner), David Lennox (a Vietnam veteran), Steve Gibbons, Timothy Rice, Karen Harmeyer, and a homeless man.
Police arrested Frederick Scott, whom they said fatally shot Mike Darby and five other people, most of them on or near the trail. Security video and DNA evidence led police to the then 22-year-old, who they said admitted to routinely using the trail. Although police made the arrest, Scott still had not gone to trial years later.
The delays were tied to the state’s mental health system. Some of Scott’s case involved fluctuating in and out of mental competency while in the Jackson County Jail. After changes in judges and defense attorneys, his case was delayed again when a judge ordered another mental health evaluation and referred Scott to the Missouri Department of Mental Health, citing concerns about him taking his medication while in the Jackson County Detention Center. A facility official said inmates are not forced to take medication and must be allowed the opportunity to decline.
Once referred to Missouri DMH for competency restoration, the transcript describes a bottleneck caused by a lack of available beds. Fulton State Hospital was listed as one of three state-run facilities used for restoration. An official said the average time to restore is about four to six months once people are admitted, but DMH said it had no available beds. As of January 9, DMH reported 418 individuals in Missouri jails awaited admission under court orders for competency restoration, with an average wait of fourteen months. Another official said evaluations can take 60 to 90 to 120 days, and nearly six months after Scott was most recently referred, he remained 65 on the wait list.
Darby’s brothers said they believe more could have been done to speed up the process, including pushing for the death penalty to encourage a plea deal that would avoid trial. A former prosecutor, Jean Peters Baker, said she was ethically bound from seeking the death penalty to pressure a guilty plea, and that a court would not allow a guilty plea if a defendant is incompetent, though she said she empathizes with families.
Mike Darby’s brothers described him as optimistic and noted the continued impact of his legacy, including Tour de Hope bike rides that raise money for causes such as the Hope Center in Kansas City, and a scholarship covering tuition for students to attend Mike’s alma mater, Rockhurst High School. The family attends every hearing to keep both Mike’s memory and the case alive, with other families still waiting as the weight of the delay takes a toll.