KANSAS CITY, Kan. -- Kansas City, Kansas police detectives say they’ve solved a cold case murder nearly seven years after a deadly shooting.
The Wyandotte County district attorney charged a man who’s currently in a Kansas prison with murder in the 2017 killing of 15-year-old December Htoo.
His mother died two years ago, but KCKPD said family members felt peace and gratitude now that someone is charged.
“It was nice to finally be able to, you're never going to get justice, but finally be able to get answers for the family,” Homicide Detective James Gunzenhauser said.
Police say 24-year-old Luis Samano killed the teenager, and the DA’s office charged the suspect with premeditated felony murder and attempted aggravated robbery.
Samano is currently serving time in Larned State Correction Facility for an unrelated crime in Johnson County where he was convicted for two counts of aggravated arson and theft.
Detectives say Htoo was found dead inside a laundromat where he worked at 34th and Gibbs in November of 2017.
“The kid literally migrated, immigrated into the U.S., was active in his church, was active in sports, was working a part-time job and was killed for no other reason other than for being at work on that day,” Gunzenhauser said.
“This is just one of those cases that just stuck with everybody up in the detective bureau because of the senselessness of it.”
Lenexa police recovered a gun in 2021 that matched the shell casings from the shooting that killed Htoo. Gunzenhauser said he linked that gun to Samano, but the case went cold.
Investigators said their cold case unit helped them discover more answers. Detective Lily Szewc said she connected a vehicle caught on camera to Samano, placing him at the crime scene.
“In the hours of video, 30-to-50 cars that drove through that lot, so pinpointing one specifically, was like finding a needle in a haystack,” Det. Szewc said.
Wendy with victim services read a note from Htoo’s family.
“December is loved and is deeply missed by his loved ones, family friends and community. We want to thank the community and the police department for looking up the case again, we understand it's pretty hard to get cold cases solved,” she read.
Since launching the cold case unit in 2022, KCKPD says it’s submitted eight cases to the district attorney’s office. It currently has 289 cases; 63 the unit has reviewed and 25 that are now active.
While Samano faces charges, it’s still to be determined whether he’ll face them as an adult. He was 17 years old when Htoo was killed, and the charges were filed in juvenile court.
