Wyandotte County District Attorney Jerry Gorman wants first crack at prosecuting Pablo Serrano-Vitorino, the Mexican man accused of killing four people in Kansas City, Kansas, Monday night.
Kansas City, Kansas, police found Michael Capps, 41; Jeremy Waters, 36; Clint Harter, 27; and Austin Harter, 29, at a home on South 36th Street in what Gorman described as a “rural” location.
They quickly identified Capps’ neighbor, 40-year-old Serrano-Vitorino, as the primary suspect. He was apprehended early Wednesday morning in Montgomery County, Missouri, where he has been charged in the killing of Randy J. Nordman, 49, of New Florence.
“I would love to have him here first,” Gorman said at a news conference. “He’s killed four persons in my community for which I’m responsible.”
Gorman said he spoke early this morning with Montgomery County Prosecutor Nathan Carroz to confirm Serrano-Vitorino was in custody, but so far there’s no extradition agreement.
Serrano-Vitorino, who is in the U.S. illegally after he was deported in 2004, had contact twice last year with law enforcement officials in Wyandotte County. In April, his car was stolen. And in June, he was arrested for domestic battery. The Wyandotte County Sheriff’s Office reached out at the time to Immigration and Customs Enforcement, which did not respond within four hours, the time frame within which the agency is supposed to respond.
Serrano-Vitorino also had contact with Overland Park police in September. In that instance, ICE was contacted but forwarded paperwork to the wrong law enforcement agency.
“We would love to discuss with ICE why it’s happened,” Gorman said. “I wish I had a say in making sure it doesn’t happen again.”
Gorman would not discuss motive.
Police are also investigating how Serrano-Vitornio obtained an AK-47 they believe was used all five murders.
Elle Moxley is a reporter for KCUR. You can reach her on Twitter @ellemoxley.
