A Kansas City man has been charged in the fatal shooting of his brother over the weekend, in what relatives chillingly described as a “Cain and Abel” situation, according to court documents released Monday by the Jackson County Prosecutor’s Office.
Jacob Ackerman faces one count of second-degree murder and one count of armed criminal action in connection with the July 5 shooting in Sugar Creek, Missouri. The charges were announced by Jazzlyn Johnson, Director of Communications for the Prosecutor’s Office.
According to a probable cause affidavit, Sugar Creek police officers responded around 10 p.m. Saturday to a welfare check request at the intersection of Missouri Route 291 and Route 210. The request came from a family member tracking the victim’s location via the “Life360” app, which showed the victim had not moved in seven hours.
Upon arriving, officers discovered the victim’s body lying on the bank of a pond with a gunshot wound to the back of his head. A large pool of blood surrounded the area, according to the affidavit, according to the Kansas City Star.
At around 3 a.m., family members contacted police to express their suspicions about Ackerman, telling officers they believed he was responsible for his brother’s death. In a call to the medical examiner’s office, relatives described the killing as “a ‘Cain and Abel’ situation,” referencing the biblical story of fratricide.
Further evidence quickly began to mount. Family members told detectives the victim’s car was found parked in Ackerman’s driveway. A photograph shown to investigators depicted Ackerman and the victim together in the same area where the body was later found. Relatives also noted that Ackerman had long harbored jealousy toward his brother, citing his struggles in contrast to the victim’s success.
Surveillance footage from a nearby gas station corroborated the claims, showing both brothers traveling together in a black Mercedes shortly before the murder, reported KMBC.
Ackerman was taken into custody without incident at around 6:45 a.m. Sunday. During a police interview, he initially denied knowledge of his brother’s whereabouts. But when officers pressed him on the seriousness of the situation, Ackerman reportedly said, “If it looks bad, then it’s bad.”
He then admitted to shooting his brother in the head following an argument over a woman, the affidavit states. Ackerman is currently being held on a $300,000 cash-only bond. As of Monday, no future court dates have been scheduled.