By EllieAna Hale

Jackson County Prosecutor Jean Peters Baker announced June 27 that 25-year-old Mario Markworth was sentenced to 28 years in a Missouri prison for the deaths of Michael McLin and Kevin Waters that took place in August 2019 in Northeast Kansas City.

Markworth initially pleaded guilty to second-degree murder for the death of Waters and later pleaded guilty to voluntary manslaughter for the death of McLin. Markworth is concurrently sentenced to 28 years for the second-degree murder conviction and 15 years for the manslaughter conviction. 

Northeast News reporting during the time of the incident shows that on August 6, 2019, two bodies were found with several wounds from head trauma and sharp force in a parking lot behind a church in the 5700 block of Winner Road. Information from witnesses at the time led police to the defendant, Markworth, who was taken into custody Wednesday, Aug. 7, 2019.

During the incident, Markworth and McLin had been in an altercation. McLin began to walk away, Markworth then assaulted McLin, forcing him to the ground and then striking his head with his axe. Then, the defendant said he struck the victim more times in the head with the axe so he “wouldn’t tell anyone,” according to charging documents.

As the defendant was attempting to hide McLin’s shoes, he said he saw another man hidden along the fence line nearby. Markworth said he asked him if he had seen him and McLin, then he struck him with an axe.

For the previous reporting on this incident, click the following links: