KANSAS CITY —A woman who was identified by SAVE KC as high-risk for violence, has been sentenced to 21 years in prison for her involvement in a double homicide that took place in south Kansas City last year, according to Jackson County Prosecutor Melesa Johnson.
Linda Ater, 18, pled guilty to 2nd Degree Murder, Armed Criminal Action, and Unlawful Use of a Weapon. She received 18 years for 2nd Degree Murder and 15 years for Unlawful Use of a Weapon, which will be served at the same time. She also received a three-year sentence for Armed Criminal Action, which will run consecutively, for a total of 21 years.
SAVE KC is a focused deterrence strategy involving the Prosecutor’s Office, the Kansas City Police Department, the City, and service providers, targeting those at-risk of violence. The identified clients are invited to a call-in where they are warned about enhanced enforcement and consequences if they continue engaging in criminal activity. Clients are offered services including housing support, job placement, mental health counseling, and more.
While the defendant was on the SAVE KC target list and was invited to a call-in, she did not attend.
“SAVE KC’s message is clear: give up crime, accept help, or face the full weight of prosecution. There are some, including the defendant, who do not heed our warnings and reject help. As a result, this young woman will spend the rest of her young years in prison,” said Prosecutor Johnson. “As we explain to SAVE KC clients, we care about your future, but violence will never be tolerated.”
According to court records, Kansas City police were dispatched to the 6000 block of Blue Hills Road on Dec. 9 and located a man in the driver’s seat of a Nissan Sentra and a woman on the ground near the vehicle both suffering from apparent gunshot wounds. Both victims were confirmed deceased.
Video surveillance shows the Nissan pulling into the apartment complex parking lot and park in front of the building. An individual, later identified as Ater, exits the Nissan holding a firearm with an extended magazine. Just a minute later, the defendant fires in the direction of the victim in the driver’s seat and then retreats into another vehicle, which flees the scene.