Kansas
'I can't fully mourn': Kansas City mother calls on police for answers following son's death
KANSAS CITY, Mo. — After a tear-filled, candle light vigil on Monday night, a family continues their fight for justice and answers.
35-year-old Jonathan Rodgers was found near Independence Avenue in Kansas City, Missouri’s, Northeast with serious injuries.
He later died at the hospital.
The Kansas City, Missouri, Police Department said officers found Rodgers with bodily trauma on Independence Avenue after receiving another call for a response near the intersection of east 6th Street and Monroe Avenue
Both calls were connected to Rodgers.
Later investigation revealed Rodgers’ injuries were consistent with blunt force trauma.
Rodgers’ family is frustrated with KCPD over their lack of answers.
“Everybody’s just putting this off like, ‘Oh, he was homeless,’” Zelpha Rodgers, Jonathan’s mother, said. “He was not just a homeless person. He had a home, he had a family, he had children.”
Zelpha Rodgers has returned to the intersection of Sixth and Monroe many times, looking for any information about what led up to her son’s death.
She told KSHB 41 News police didn’t initially contact her, and now aren’t responding to her many calls for answers.
“I came down here searching that next morning,” she said. “They never notified me. Everything I know, I have found out on my own.”
Jonathan was living on the streets for periods of time, but would sometimes return home to his mother and three young children.
On Oct. 17, Zelpha says Jonathan decided to come home for good.
“He was just getting things back together,” Zelpha Rodgers said.
According to Zelpha, Jonathan had called her earlier that afternoon and had asked to be picked up at the dollar store on Independence Avenue.
“He tossed his bag in the front seat and said, ‘I’m running around to the ATM, I’ll be right back’,” Zelpha Rodgers said.
But that was the last time she saw her son.
After Jonathan did not return to the car for awhile, Zelpha says she had to take the children home for dinner and bed.
It wasn’t until her family pulled up a news article she realized her son may not be coming home.
“I want to know why my son’s case is being blown over like it’s just somebody that has no family, no nothing,” Zelpha Rodgers said.
KCPD has not identified any suspects or stated why Jonathan had bodily trauma. A spokesperson told KSHB 41 News detectives are actively investigating.
Unsolved crimes among the homeless community is an unfortunate occurrence Shelter KC’s executive director sees too often.
“It’s just not safe in the streets,” Eric Burger said. “It just isn’t.”
Burger explained mental health issues and substance abuse struggles are contributing to the rising rates of chronic homelessness in the KC area.
“That already makes you vulnerable,” Burger said. “That already makes you into a situation where you are more susceptible to be victimized.”
Zelpha explained she refuses to let her son be just another victim.
“I cannot fully mourn or grieve until I got answers,” Zelpha Rodgers said.
If you are experiencing a housing crisis, you can call 211 to get in touch with the Greater Kansas City Coalition to End Homelessness and learn about housing resources.
If you know someone or see someone who is unhoused, calling 311 will notify the Kansas City outreach team who works directly with the shelters.
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KSHB 41 reporter Isabella Ledonne reports on stories about government accountability. Share your story idea with Isabella.
Kansas
White Ex-Cop Accused of Raping Black Women Dies in Apparent Suicide
A white former police detective accused of raping and terrorizing women in the predominantly Black neighborhood he was sworn to protect in Kansas City, Kansas, died in an apparent suicide Monday morning just as jury selection was set to begin in his criminal trial in nearby Topeka.
Roger Golubski, 71, was found dead on the back porch of his home in Edwardsville, Kansas, shortly after a neighbor called 911 to report hearing a gunshot around 9 a.m., the Kansas Bureau of Investigations said in a statement. Golubski died from a fatal gunshot wound, the bureau said, and there were no indications of foul play. An autopsy and “thorough investigation” were set to be conducted, the agency said.
At the time he died, Golubski was supposed to be in the courtroom for the start of his long-awaited trial. He was facing six felony counts related to the alleged civil rights violations suffered by two women while Golubski was a police officer in Kansas City, Kansas, during his many years on the force.
Prosecutors said that between 1998 and 2001, Golubski forced one victim identified by the initials S.K. to perform oral sex on him inside his vehicle. They said Golubski also digitally and genitally penetrated the victim without her consent during sexual assaults and rapes that took place in and next to his vehicle on multiple occasions. Golubski allegedly started targeting the victim when she was a young teen in middle school.
Golubski allegedly terrorized his second victim, identified by the initials O.W., by raping her in her home between 1999 and 2002. Prosecutors said Golubski also forced O.W. to perform oral sex on him. If convicted as charged, he was facing a maximum sentence of life in prison.
The second victim, Ophelia Williams, ultimately stepped forward with her full identity and said Golubski first raped her in 1999, shortly after her twin teen sons were arrested in connection with a homicide Golubski was investigating, the Wichita Eagle reported.
“He didn’t want to face the facts, so he decided to kill himself,” Williams said Monday when reached by the Eagle. The death meant she would not be testifying against Golubski as planned. In her straightforward reaction, she said, “I guess that’s what happens to people who do all the wrong stuff they do.”
Golubski’s death led the U.S. District Court judge overseeing his case to dismiss the charges at the request of prosecutors.
“This matter involved extremely serious charges, and it is always difficult when a case is unable to be fully and fairly heard in a public trial and weighed and determined by a jury. The proceedings in this case may be over, but its lasting impact on all the individuals and families involved remains. We wish them peace and the opportunity for healing as they come to terms with this development and ask that they all be treated with respect and their privacy respected,” Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke and U.S. Attorney Kate E. Brubacher for the District of Kansas said in a joint statement Monday.
Prosecutors said seven other women had agreed to testify that Golubski abused or harassed them as well, the Associated Press reports. “There is no justice for the victims,” Anita Randle-Stanley, who went to court to watch jury selection, told the AP on Monday after hearing about Golubski’s death. Randle-Stanley claimed Golubski harassed her as well, when she was a teenager decades earlier, but she always refused him.
The pending trial was part of a larger investigation of the Kansas City Kansas Police Department involving multiple civil lawsuits and parallel allegations that Golubski accepted money from and provided protection to several men who allegedly ran a violent sex trafficking operation in Kansas City in the late 1990s.
Jay-Z’s social justice organization Team Roc has been pushing for further investigation and reform of the Kansas City Kansas Police Department after Golubski’s case fueled questions about corruption or lack of oversight. Team Roc filed a court complaint last month accusing city and county officials of stonewalling their efforts to access public records about alleged police misconduct. The department did not respond to Rolling Stone‘s request for comment on the lawsuit.
Kansas
Taylor Swift sends sweet gift to Kansas City Chiefs heiress Ava Hunt
Entertainment gossip and news from Newsweek’s network of contributors
As the record-shattering Eras Tour comes to an end, Taylor Swift is apparently sharing mementos with friends and family, including Kansas City Chiefs heiress Ava Hunt.
Hunt, 19, posted an Instagram Story on Monday, December 2, in which she showcased a special gift she received from the “Cruel Summer” singer, 34. Swift, who is in a relationship with Chiefs player Travis Kelce, sent Hunt a care package with a sweet note, which the Southern Methodist University student was happy to share.
“Oh hi!” wrote the singer. “As we conclude the wildest, most extraordinary adventure of my LIFE, The Eras Tour, I wanted to share with a few friends my memories from it. The friendship bracelets, the traditions, the backstage secrets, the costumes, The world travels, the rain shows and sunsets.”
Hunt quickly cut away from the note to reveal the gift, which was a copy of The Official Taylor Swift: The Eras Tour Book.
Swift also explained what made her proudest about her tour, which was groundbreaking in both its scope and the money it generating. “What truly made this tour what it became,” she wrote, “was the passion, joy, unbridled emotion, and love the fans showed us every night. I hope you’ll enjoy this journey through the memories of my proudest moments: The Eras Tour. Love, Taylor.”
Swift is a frequent guest at Chiefs’ games due to her relationship with Kelce, 34. Mecole Hardman’s fiancée Chariah Gordon even posted a picture of the “Fearless” songstress holding the couple’s baby on Instagram, and she has been spotted hanging out with several other wives and girlfriends of the players. The Swift and Kelce families reportedly spent Thanksgiving together this year, marking an important milestone for the two families. Hunt and Swift appear to have first met in December of 2023, when Hunt posted a photo of the two on Instagram with the caption, “Enchanted to meet you @taylorswift ♥️.”
Hunt’s older sister, Gracie Hunt, also received an Eras Tour book gift, which she posted to her Instagram Story on Monday as well.
Kansas
Chiefs vs. Raiders Grades: KC Benefits from Change at Cornerback
The Kansas City Chiefs did just enough to defeat the Las Vegas Raiders on Black Friday, but much of the discussion about the reigning back-to-back champions has revolved around a series of underwhelming performances, despite KC’s 11-1 record.
Who stood out in KC’s post-Thanksgiving victory? A closer look at Pro Football Focus grades from the Chiefs’ narrow win can point out some highlights and lowlights of the team’s standing late in the 2024 season.
The Chiefs have struggled to stabilize their cornerback position since losing No. 2 corner Jaylen Watson to a season-ending ankle injury in Week 7. Behind clear-cut No. 1 cornerback Trent McDuffie, 26-year-old former seventh-round pick Nazeeh Johnson has received the most opportunities since Watson’s injury. On Friday, Johnson got the start again but was pulled early in the game. After playing 90%, 100% and 94% of the defensive snaps in KC’s previous three weeks, Johnson played just 19% (13 snaps) against the Raiders. After a few surprise snaps from cornerback Keith Taylor, the Chiefs turned back to a familiar face for the rest of the game: 2022 fourth-round pick Joshua Williams.
After two weeks without seeing a single snap on defense, Williams took 78% of the defensive workload on Friday and was given a strong 79.0 grade from PFF, good for the Chiefs’ fourth-best grade of the day as Kansas City’s highest-graded defender.
Will Williams get the nod on Sunday night against the Los Angeles Chargers? Is he the new de facto starter opposite McDuffie? Could the Chiefs use Williams and Johnson in order to allow McDuffie to move into the slot instead of almost exclusively relying on safety Chamarri Conner (who recorded the team’s third-worst 44.2 PFF grade against Las Vegas) to cover slot receivers? These are questions for defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo and defensive backs coach Dave Merritt to answer. With a solid day on Friday, Williams at least provides another option for KC’s struggling secondary.
In his first game back since suffering a torn ACL in January’s AFC Championship Game, defensive end Charles Omenihu took half of the Chiefs’ defensive snaps and graded out nicely from PFF in his return to live action.
Omenihu’s 71.0 mark isn’t eye-popping, but his workload and burst was immediately noteworthy for a player coming back from a serious injury and rehabilitation process.
Among qualifying Chiefs players (20+ snaps), left tackle Wanya Morris landed where most fans would have expected to see him after Friday’s disastrous start: alone at the bottom. Morris earned a ghastly 30.5 grade from PFF in a game that resulted in Morris’s benching deep into the fourth quarter. After sliding left guard Joe Thuney to left tackle for the end of Friday’s game, the Chiefs have their eyes set on the pending availability of newly signed left tackle D.J. Humphries.
Read More: Chris Jones on the ‘Self-Inflicted Wounds’ and Silver Linings of the Chiefs’ Defensive Performance vs. Raiders
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