KANSAS CITY—A jury on Friday convicted a Kansas City area man of two felonies in connection with a fatal shooting in Raytown in 2021, according to Jackson County Prosecutor Melesa Johnson.
The jury convicted 47-year-old Robert E. Matlock Jr. of 2nd Degree Murder and Armed Criminal Action. The jury recommended 18 years for murder and seven years for Armed Criminal Action.
According to court records, Raytown police were dispatched to the 7700 block of Raytown Road after receiving a call from Matlock, who said he had shot his roommate who lunged at him during an argument.
Police said the shooting happened at the home the two men shared as they argued over Matlock’s decision to place a lock on a door leading to Matlock’s medical marijuana kept in the garage..
Police arrived at the residence and found the victim suffering from several gunshots. Matlock also showed police a video from his phone, showing him shooting the victim.
An autopsy on the victim revealed gunshot wounds along his right side and the right quarter of his back.
“I am proud of our incredible prosecution team who worked tirelessly on this challenging case to ensure justice was served. While the defendant claimed self-defense under the castle doctrine, the prosecution team was able to show the jury those rights do not apply just because an incident occurs near someone’s bedroom door in a shared home. The prosecution team was able to help the jury understand that roommates share common areas, where the victim was standing at the time of the shooting, and deadly force is not reasonable in those situations. The team’s work on this case shows the castle doctrine cannot be used as a blanket excuse for any act of violence inside a home,” Prosecutor Johnson said.
Matlock will be sentenced on March 20.