Kansas City man fatally shotgunned buyer of Ford Mustang amid dispute, prosecutors say

A Kansas City man is accused of firing a fatal shotgun blast into the chest of the buyer of his convertible Ford Mustang outside his Scaritt Point neighborhood home last month.

Jackson County prosecutors have charged Jerry Plater, 59, with second-degree murder and armed criminal action in the July 28 shooting of 58-year-old Manuel E. Valentine-Ruperto.

Prosecutors say charges were filed under seal, which was lifted after Plater’s arrest on Tuesday. He was being held in the county jail Wednesday night.

The killing unfolded in broad daylight outside Plater’s rental home in the 3400 block of Roberts Street, according to court documents. Kansas City police officers were called there around 5 p.m. on a reported shooting.

Valentine-Ruperto, 58, was found flat on his back on the sidewalk. He had a single defect to the chest, according to court documents, and a 12-gauge shotgun shell was discovered in the grass nearby.

Officers first on scene interacted with a resident of the street, identified in court papers as Plater, who had been crossing into the crime scene despite directions not to. He was ordered to stay in his house.

Officers also spoke with an unnamed person on scene who said Valentine-Ruperto had been having issues with a person called “Shorty” who lived on the block. It had to do with the payment and title of a white convertible Ford Mustang.

Officers saw a car of that make, model and description parked by the alley behind Plater’s home.

As detectives canvassed the area for witnesses, one knocked on Plater’s front door. No one answered. The detective took note of a sticker posted there that read “Shorty.”

Kansas City police were investigating a homicide Friday after a man was found fatally shot on the sidewalk in the 3400 block of Roberts Street.

Information provided to police led detectives to a nearby liquor store on Independence Avenue that Valentine-Ruperto had visited about 30 minutes before he was shot. Surveillance video showed him pull into the parking lot in the Ford Mustang, with its top down, and park.

Meanwhile, Plater allegedly arrived and interacted with the Mustang while Valentine-Ruperto was distracted. Plater and another man left the area together, according to court documents.

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Video also showed a man, identified by authorities as Plater, return to the liquor store minutes after the shooting and drive the Mustang out of the parking lot.

Detectives were back to the 3400 block of Roberts Street the next day as a search warrant was executed on Plater’s home. Among the evidence collected was a Remington 12-gauge in the closet, and a clear plastic bag containing 15 shotgun shells.

Police also seized the Mustang that officers had observed the previous day.

During a later interview with detectives, a witness recalled being with Valentine-Ruperto during the afternoon leading up to the shooting. He followed him to Discount Smokes & Liquor, 4019 Independence Ave., and learned of the recent purchase of the Mustang from Plater.

As they were in the parking lot, the witness told detectives, Valentine-Ruperto did not notice Plater arrive, take the keys out of the Mustang, yell toward him, and then leave.

Upon realizing his car keys were gone, Valentine-Ruperto asked for a ride to Plater’s house, the witness said. When they got there, he said, Plater was painting a white pickup truck out front.

There was a loud machine running in the background, the witness said, so he could not hear precisely what was being discussed. But then he heard a gunshot and saw Plater pointing a long gun toward Valentine-Ruperto, according to charging documents.

The eyewitness picked Plater out of a photo lineup presented by detectives as the person who killed Valentine-Ruperto.

Online court records available Wednesday night did not list a case number or a defense attorney representing Plater.

Under Missouri law, Plater faces up to life in prison if convicted of second-degree murder. Armed criminal action carries a maximum prison sentence of 15 years to be served consecutively with time served for the underlying felony conviction.

The Star’s Luke Nozika contributed to this report.