On the evening of October 29, 2023, 23-year-old Adonis Laurence Knight and his 30-year-old brother, Mario Batrez, were fatally shot during a domestic disturbance at a home in the 21100 block of East 50th Terrace Drive South in Independence, Missouri. Police responded after the victims’ mother called 911 to report that her husband had shot her two sons. Officers found both men deceased in the kitchen.

Investigators say the altercation began earlier that night between the brothers and their stepfather, 40-year-old Terrill S. Anderson. Interior surveillance footage reportedly captured assaults in the sub-basement and by the garage, then showed Anderson retrieving a handgun. The probable cause statement alleges Anderson fired warning shots into the ceiling before shooting the two men, continued firing after they fell, and stood over them and stomped on one victim. Police say no weapons were found with either victim.

Anderson was taken into custody and charged by the Jackson County Prosecutor’s Office with second-degree murder, voluntary manslaughter, and two counts of armed criminal action. Knight had recently graduated in criminal justice and worked in asset protection. Did anyone in the Independence area know Adonis or have information about the events that night?