Richard Luse, a 58-year-old Caucasian man, was found shot inside a travel trailer behind a Springdale Road residence on the rural outskirts of Leavenworth, Kansas. Deputies were called in the early morning hours of a December weekend in 2013 after reports of a disturbance; a man later identified as Jeffery Sifford was found outside in the snow and detained. Luse was transported from the trailer to a local hospital but died of his injuries, with an official date of death recorded as January 4, 2014.

Investigators focused on Sifford, who lived at the property. He was arrested and initially charged with second-degree murder; the charge was later elevated to first-degree murder. At a court appearance he pleaded not guilty and a mental evaluation was ordered. Witnesses reported seeing Luse and Sifford struggling over a gun inside the trailer, and Sifford’s defense asserted he believed Luse intended to harm him. Sifford later pleaded no contest to voluntary manslaughter and received a sentence of seven years and three months; he also faced possession charges for marijuana and paraphernalia.

Did anyone know Luse or have information about what happened at the Springdale Road property that morning?