Police: Kansas City man used axe to kill 2 men

KANSAS CITY, Mo. – A Kansas City, Missouri, man was charged Thursday with using an axe to kill two men after a drug dispute with one of them.

Citing charging documents, The Kansas City Star reported that 22-year-old Mario Markworth was charged with two counts of second-degree murder. Markworth is jailed on $250,000 bond and doesn’t have a listed attorney who could comment on the allegations.

The bodies of Michael McLin, 56, and Kevin Waters, 52, were found just before 6 a.m. Tuesday in the parking lot of Sheffield Family Life Center, a church in eastern Kansas City. Police initially said both men had been stabbed, but Markworth allegedly told detectives that he used an axe, according to charging documents.

Both victims had head trauma and cuts. Police said one had defensive wounds on his hands, while the other appeared to have also been bitten by a human.

A witness told police that Markworth confessed to the killings, according to court documents. The witness said Markworth killed McLin in a dispute involving drugs, and that he killed Waters because he believed Waters saw McLin being killed.

Markworth was taken into custody Wednesday, and police said he was wearing a backpack with an axe in it that appeared to have blood on it. He also had McLin’s debit card, according to court records.

Markworth said in a police interview that he picked up McLin and dropped him on the pavement, causing his head to strike Markworth’s axe on the ground, according to charging documents. Worried McLin would tell someone what happened, Markworth allegedly said he struck McLin four times in the head with the axe.

Markworth then saw Waters, who apparently woke up during the attack on McLin, police said.

“Did you see that?” Markworth asked, according to court documents.

“No,” Waters responded, “I’m just sleeping.”

Markworth then allegedly hit Waters with the axe. Waters tried to grab the weapon, Markworth allegedly told detectives, so he bit Waters to get control of it and eventually killed him with the axe.

___

Information from: The Kansas City Star, http://www.kcstar.com