Man convicted for failed contract killing attempts in Kansas City
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (KCTV) - The man behind two failed contract killing attempts in Kansas City has been found guilty and could spend the next three decades in federal prison.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Kansas says that on Friday, May 16, Thomas D. Clegg, 42, of Kansas City, Missouri, was federally convicted for his role in a murder-for-hire conspiracy. He was found guilty by a jury of his peers.
Court documents indicated that the conspiracy included two occasions during which Clegg shot his victim. On Aug. 19, 2021, the victim was shot in the leg and back while in the parking lot of Ugly Joe’s. Then, on May 25, 2022, the victim was again shot in the back in the parking lot of a strip mall at 4010 Sterling Ave.
Law enforcement officials noted that businesses in the vicinity of the second shooting included an ing firm, a daycare and a fitness center. One witness had just picked up her two children when her car was hit by gunfire. One of her windows was shot out, however, no one in her vehicle had been injured.
Investigators said they seized Clegg’s phone during his arrest following the second shooting. A search warrant obtained for the device revealed text messages between Clegg and co-conspirators that indicated he had been hired to murder the victim.
After the presentation of evidence, court officials indicated that the jury deliberated for nearly two and a half hours before they came back with a guilty verdict. Clegg previously had pleaded guilty to a single count of being a felon in possession of a firearm.
Investigators noted that Clegg also has two previous felony convictions, which bar him from the possession of a firearm. He could now be sentenced to spend up to 30 years in prison without the chance of parole.
A sentencing hearing will be set after the completion of a presentence investigation by the U.S. Probation Office. No further information has been released.
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