Grandview man sentenced to life in prison for Olathe murder

A Grandview teenager will serve a life sentence for killing an Olathe North High athlete and wounding a 13-year-old girl at a Mission apartment complex in 2022.

On Thursday, 19-year-old Deon Austin of Grandview, Missouri, was convicted in Johnson County Court of first-degree murder and aggravated assault for shooting a 16-year-old boy and wounding a 13-year-old girl at SilverWood Apartments on Foxridge Drive in Mission on April 10, 2022.

Austin remained stoic as Judge Thomas Sutherland laid out his sentence and was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole, known as the Hard 50, for first-degree murder and 43 months for aggravated assault. The counts are carried out one after the other.

The conviction comes after a five-day jury trial in July and August that resulted in a guilty verdict.

The shooting occurred in a parking lot

On April 10, 2022, at approximately 8:50 p.m., Mission Police responded to a report of shots fired at the apartment complex. When they arrived, arriving officers found two juvenile victims in the parking lot of the apartment complex, Chief Dan Madden said.

Jammaal Blacknoll Jr., also known as Jamal Pratt, 16, was pronounced dead at the scene. A 13-year-old girl was shot in the leg and transported by ambulance to an area hospital, where she survived.

According to court documents, Blacknoll was in the parking lot trying to buy a gun when he was shot by Austin. According to court documents, the 13-year-old girl was there to observe the purchase. Both shootings occurred “without apparent cause,” Johnson County Assistant District Attorney Megan Williams said in court documents.

“These crimes were unprovoked, cold-blooded and premeditated,” Williams said in court documents.

Austin, then 17, was later charged as an adult.

The victim's family mourns the loss of his son

During victim impact statements at Austin's sentencing, Blacknoll Sutherland's family members explained the life that was taken from them.

Blacknoll, also known as “Tank,” was a “standout” football player and student at Olathe North High, said Caroline Doyle, the boy's mother.

“Jammaal was an extraordinary boy. He won’t get a chance to be a man,” she said. “He was supposed to play football at Auburn…He had a 4.0. I’ll never understand why all this happened.”

In addition to mourning her son, Doyle expressed her sympathy for Austin's family, who stood behind him at his sentencing.

“My heart is still heavy for his mother today. She will also lose a son,” she said. “It just sounds to me like all we can conclude is that violence is never an answer to anything, and I will never understand where that was ever a choice for you to steal my baby from me.”

Family demanded maximum punishment

Throughout the trial, Austin showed no remorse for the murder, Williams said.

“The court heard evidence that Austin spoke to his parents on the phone and referred to Jammaal as, quote, 'that little victim,' and referred to (the 13-year-old victim) as, quote, 'that little bitch.' .” she said.

In a statement Williams read in court from Jammall Blacknoll Sr., the victim's father, he called for the maximum sentence.

“(Austin) grinned and smiled in the courtroom as we sat there in pain,” he explained. “For this reason, I pray that this court imposes a maximum sentence.”

The judge responds to comments

In his sentencing, Sutherland acknowledged Doyle's comments.

“I am very pleased with the mother's comments today acknowledging that two lives were lost as a result of this event, one literally and one figuratively,” he said. “I don't know that I can add anything other than to say I can't, and I don't find there are any substantial, compelling reasons to deviate from the presumptive sentence.”

After Sutherland's verdict, family and friends on Blacknoll's side of the courtroom left the courtroom in tears, while Austin's family stayed to say goodbye to Austin.

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