Man convicted of murdering KC lawyer dies at 85
KANSAS CITY, Mo. — David Jungerman, a Raytown man convicted of shooting and killing Kansas City lawyer Tom Pickert in his front yard in 2017, died on Monday at age 85 according to his attorney.
While a jury found Jungerman guilty of murder in the Brookside shooting, he was never sentenced because a judge found him incompetent, and he was committed to a state mental health facility for six months in March.
Stolen truck flees from Independence police, ends in deadly crash
He was due for a second mental health examination within 30 days of September 18, but passed away before it could take place. His attorney said he died at University Health in the custody of the Missouri Department of Mental Health.
Jungerman shot and killed Pickert after he represented someone who won a $5 million judgement against Jungerman. This occurred after Jungerman shot two homeless men who he said had broken into his business.
Court documents say the bullet that killed Pickert was a .17 caliber round, a relatively rare caliber. When officials searched Jungerman’s white Toyota Sequoia on March 8, 2018, they located an unspent .17 caliber bullet under the passenger seat.
A witness told investigators he spoke with Jungerman that same month, and during that conversation, Jungerman stated he had killed a lawyer with a gun and gotten away with it. According to court documents, Jungerman said he did it because the lawyer stole his money.
Garmin KC Air Show says there won’t be a 2024 event
On March 9, 2018, the day after searching Jungerman’s SUV, investigators executed a search warrant at his home where they located a recording of the conversation the witness described.
Court documents say it contained audio recording of a court hearing in Vernon County, Missouri, where Jungerman was charged for a crime.
After the hearing, the recording continued to run. Jungerman left the hearing and met up with an unnamed individual. The two drove to Jungerman’s property to investigate some deer poachers thought to be hunting there.
While there Jungerman stated, “It’s a shame I don’t have a 17 (inaudible), from a distance, we could take ’em out.’” The conversation between the two continued and Jungerman eventually confessed to murdering Pickert.
