Bledsoe rental homicide. 2nd degree Murder and Armed Robbery, while on Probation for Robbery.

When David Bledsoe was murdered during an armed robbery, one of the suspects,  Andre M. Broadus, had an active warrant for probation violation. The warrant was issued in 2010. He was on probation, PROBATION, for Robbery. Yes probation, for robbery. The media must not have the url for case net, or they don't feel like it's newsworthy. Back in 2007 Broadus was indicted by a grand jury for what was eventually plead down to 2nd degree robbery. His original bond was 250k, so it must have been a little more serious than snagging some kids lunch money. He was given a 5 year sentence which was suspended for 3 years. He violated a few months shy of completing the probation.

The grandpa of the other suspect is the alleged driver of the getaway car. He has an unlawful weapons charge on his record. The other suspect Anthony Britton was just 18, so he hasn't had enough time to build a respectable rap sheet as an adult, though something tells me he was well on his way.  If convicted, one would assume that probation won't be an option. Of course this isn't the first time I've pointed out a killer who happened to be on probation at the time of the murder they committed.  The 2 scumbags who killed the pregnant woman in front of the Gotham apartments on Armour last year were also out on probation, one of them had a warrant for violation at the time of the killing.

Probation is a funny thing. It rarely works, the probationers aren't held to the stipulations. Broadus was charged for felony non support during his probation, yet he wasn't violated. He never even paid the paltry 68 bucks for court cost and public defender fees. He had an active warrant from 2010 which he either failed to answer, was never caught, or possibly made bond on. It's hard to tell for certain from the way case net enters info. What is certain, this shit heel shouldn't have ever received probation for a felony robbery case.

The Bledsoe family is closing the store they operated on Prospect for somewhere around a half a century. A man is dead. If you ever wondered why the east side of Kansas City remains an undeveloped wasteland, you need look no further than this case, and the countless others, where innocent business owners or their employees have died because some clown with a gun decided he wanted what wasn't his. There was the murder of at least a couple of convenience store/gas station clerks in the last year or so. The one that comes to mind was the clerk from somewhere in the middle east, who was attending college. That case remains unsolved if I recall correctly, even though  they had a pretty good pic of at least one of the perps. 

Who in their right mind is going to try to build a business in a fucking war zone? Our first lady recently lamented the lack of grocery stores in depressed urban areas. That same complaint has been echoed on Kansas City's east side.  Let's be real here, the reason their aren't more big chain stores on the east side is because they would be a constant target for dick heads with low IQ's and an illegal pistol. Robbery, low level robbery, like grocery store and gas station stick ups, are the criminal equivalent of special ed classes. In all my years on the wrong side of the law, I never met a small time stick up guy who was much smarter than a dirt clod. I knew more than a few on the street, and several in the joint. Every one of them shared two distinct characteristics. A small brain, and a bully's disposition.

People who have good intentions but naive belief systems, love to bemoan the Prison Industrial Complex. Hell, I spent time inside and even I haven't been immune to sometimes blaming the system for locking up kids and young men, mostly black, warehouse them, then send them back to the same environment with no skills. Don't get me twisted, I still believe that to some extent. There are some that you can still reach, but here's the rub, even if you don't do a single thing to help those guys better themselves, they aren't likely to get out, walk in a store and kill someone over a little money. It's just not in their DNA. They may sell some dope, steal some cars, whatever their hustle is, but they won't take up a pistol. They won't snuff out a life. In those cases, probation might work. rehabilitation might succeed. But guys like Broadus, those guys you don't reach. If you catch a robbery beef, then you go do your bit. there is no crying in baseball, and there is no probation in a robbery case, or any violent crime. These types you can't reach. So you you put them out of reach. You lock em up. 5 or 10 years might do the trick. Might, but most likely won't.  When you lack the humanity that prevents you from sticking a pistol in some square world guys face, you lack the humanity to live among those in the square world.

The Bledsoe rental murder is a case in point. Broadus didn't pull the trigger according to the other suspect who admits to shooting Bledsoe. But you can bet your ass Broadus is the one who planned it. He was calling the shots. He has the history. If the judge who doled out probation to Broadus, If the judge who heard the felony nonsupport case had violated Broadus probation, and made him do that nickle...then maybe Mr. Bledsoe  would still be alive. That's a lot of maybe, but it's tough to argue that the court didn't have a hand in the death of this store owner.