Texts between mom and dad of baby who died in Shawnee fire revealed in court records

The Johnson County man accused of setting fire to his ex-girlfriend’s Shawnee home last month, killing their baby, exhibited “high lethality” in a domestic violence incident just over a week before the deadly fire, new court records show.

Nicholas Adam Ecker, 28, arrived on the scene of the Feb. 13 blaze just 20 minutes after firefighters were dispatched — even though authorities had not yet contacted him about the incident.

He told officials he had a “bad feeling” and rushed over to the house, but cell phone records show he had been in the home minutes before the fire was reported, according to a new court filing released Wednesday morning.

Ecker, of Prairie Village, was arrested and charged with first-degree murder and aggravated arson in connection with the fatal fire. He remains jailed in lieu of a $1 million bond.

The infant’s mother, 28-year-old Karlie Phelps, also was arrested late last month and charged with involuntary manslaughter and endangering a child in connection with the blaze. She posted $250,000 bond and remains under house arrest, court records show.

But Ecker was not allowed at Phelps’ home following two incidents of alleged domestic violence against her earlier this year and a court order that prohibited contact.

The most recent incident, just 10 days before the deadly fire, led investigators to conclude Ecker showed “high lethality” after confronting Phelps and a man inside her home, threatening them both, according to another new affidavit released Wednesday morning.

Police were unable to immediately locate Ecker after that incident. Days later, his child was dead.

‘Something is terribly wrong’

Firefighters responded just after 12:50 a.m. Feb. 14 to the house fire in the 10500 block of West 69th Terrace in Shawnee. Several people inside the home were able to escape but Ecker and Phelps’ infant child, born in 2020, was killed.

Ecker arrived at the scene at 1:12 a.m. — without being notified by police or fire officials — and told investigators he had a “bad feeling” something had happened, according to the affidavit.

Phelps also came to the scene and admitted to officials she had been at a friend’s home in Wyandotte County and left the baby alone for a portion of the night, asleep in his crib downstairs.

A review of the pair’s cell phone records revealed Ecker apparently visited Phelps’ home, looking for her and their child, and confronted her about her whereabouts in a series of messages in the hours before the fire, court records show. Ecker accused Phelps of lying about her whereabouts, threatened to harm himself and at 12:33 a.m. — just 20 minutes before firefighters responded to the home — sent a photo of a Valentine’s Day balloon apparently taken from inside Phelps’ home.

The messages continued and just before 1 a.m. Feb. 14, as firefighters had arrived at the scene, Ecker messaged Phelps that something was “terribly wrong.”

“I swear to god something is not right. I know it I can feel it. Something is terribly wrong,” one message read. “Karlie please call me!!!!!! Please something is wrong. I can feel something isn’t right.”

Phelps admitted to investigators she was not where she had told Ecker she went, but instead at a different location to buy prescription pain medication and left the baby at home during that time, according to her arrest affidavit also released Wednesday.

While there, she began receiving phone calls that her home was on fire and even spoke with briefly with Ecker, during which the man overheard her tell Ecker the baby “was in the house, why did you do that,” court records show.

“Go get junior NOW,” Phelps messaged Ecker back at 1:07 a.m. “HES INSIDE YOU DIMB (sic) ASS I CANNOT BELIEVE YOU STARTED THAT FIRE. YOU KILLED OUR BABY!!! And you could’ve killed me!!!”

An autopsy concluded the infant had been alive when the fire began and suffered severe burns from the fire, court records show.

‘High lethality’

Ecker was at first arrested at the scene of the fire on a violation of a protective order charge after he was accused of domestic violence charges involving Phelps twice this year.

On Jan. 4, he was arrested and charged with aggravated domestic battery against Phelps and ordered to have no contact with her, court records show.

But just 10 days before the fire, the night of Feb. 4, Phelps and a man woke up inside her home to find Ecker standing above them, according to a third court affidavit released Wednesday.

Phelps shouted at Ecker to leave, but he began questioning the man about his relationship with Phelps and threatened to take her dog, court records show.

Ecker eventually left the home and Phelps called police, but Ecker sent Phelps a message over the app Snapchat indicating she and the man “were not safe,” according to the affidavit.

“A lethality assessment showed high lethality,” the affidavit concludes.

The Johnson County District Attorney’s Office declined to comment on Ecker’s pending cases Wednesday afternoon.

Police could not immediately locate or make contact with Ecker that night and several days later received notice from his attorney that he would not be making a statement for that case, court records show.

It was only when Ecker arrived at the scene of the fire that police took him into custody for violating the protective order barring him from being near Phelps. He was charged later that day with murder and arson in connection with the fire.

Additional charges

Phelps was arrested two weeks later and charged with involuntary manslaughter and endangering a child in connection with her actions the night of the fire, including admitting to investigators that she left the baby home alone for more than an hour when the fire occurred, court records show.

She also has been charged with felony possession of oxycodone after telling police she had left the home to buy prescription medication but changed her mind when she got there, according to one affidavit.

Her defense attorney Scott Toth declined to discuss her case Wednesday and said her family is still grieving.

“Ms. Phelps is still in the process of grieving for the loss of her son and to this point there’s no indication that she’s done anything other than be very cooperative with the authorities to help assist them in addressing this incredibly tragic series of events,” Toth said.

Attempts to reach Ecker’s defense attorney Wednesday afternoon were unsuccessful.

Neither Ecker nor Phelps have entered pleas in their cases so far and both are scheduled to return to court March 31.