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Man Sentenced in Slaying of Young Mother Bound in Duct Tape, Shot in Front of Son

A Kansas City man who bound a young mother with duct tape and shot her in the head with their 2-year-old son nearby has been sentenced to prison, according to the Jackson County Prosecutor’s office. A Jackson County judge sentenced Joseph Gonsalez, 24, of Kansas City to 54 years in prison for the slaying of 19-year-old Elizabeth K. Richards in January 2018. Gonsalez was convicted at trial in March and was sentenced last week to 15 years for voluntary manslaughter, 25 years for armed criminal action, seven years for endangering the welfare of a child and seven years on a second armed criminal action conviction. The sentences are to run consecutively.

Richards was found on the floor of a home in the 11100 block of College Avenue where Gonsalez lived with his parents. According to court records, on the day of the homicide Gonsalez asked his parents to leave the house, leaving him alone when Richards came over to drop off their son. The two shared custody of the child.

A young mother found shot and killed in Kansas City has been identified as 19-year-old Elizabeth K. Richards. Richards’ family created a GoFundMe page to raise money for her funeral expenses. GoFundMe

When his parents returned home, they found Richards’ body with her son, who was unharmed. Gonsalez was found nearby with a gunshot wound in his abdomen. In the house, police found a receipt for the duct tape purchased the day before at a hardware store. Surveillance video showed Gonsalez purchasing the duct tape.

1 of 2 Elizabeth K. Richards, 19, was found shot and killed with her son nearby. The father of the child has been sentenced to prison. GoFundMe GALLERY