Richard Gary Beach

Case details

Richard Gary Beach was a Kansas City man who killed his stepson and four other men in 1999. His decomposing bodies were found in his Kansas City house.

Timeline

• April 5, 1999 — Five decomposing bodies were found in Gary Beach’s Kansas City home.
• April 6, 1999 — Beach was arrested at a hotel near the house and charged with first-degree murder and armed criminal action in the death of his stepnephew, Kenneth Gulley.
• April 7, 1999 — Gary Beach was charged with first-degree murder for one of five bodies found decomposing in his house.
• April 20, 2002 — A judge ruled that Beach would serve life in prison instead of being put to death.
• February 2002 — Beach pleaded guilty to five counts of first-degree murder and armed criminal action.
• April 19, 2002 — The life sentence was handed down.

The offence

Beach admitted the deaths after prosecutors said his decomposing bodies were found in his Kansas City house.

Prosecutors said Beach admitted to shooting each victim in the head multiple times.

Prosecutors said Beach also admitted to hastening Davis’ death by beating him with a hammer and speeding Nelson’s death by pinching his nose after opening fire.

Victims

• Kenneth Gulley, 45, of Independence, was Beach’s stepnephew.
• Michael Davis, 32, Beach’s stepson who shared the home, was among the victims.
• Mark Nelson, 28, of Kansas City, was among the victims.
• Jeral Nickerson, 61, both of Kansas City, was among the victims.
• Christopher Conrad, 27, of Overland Park, Kan., was among the victims.

Prosecutors said:

• Nelson, Davis and Conrad were shot and killed on or about March 29.
• Nickerson was shot on or about March 30.
• Gulley was shot on or about April 1.
• Gulley was found April 5 in Beach’s home.

A rational type, Beach left behind a handwritten card listing the names of the dead and how they could be identified.

Investigation

Investigators located the bodies over more than nine hours because of the complicated crime scene. The bodies were in:

• the kitchen
• the living room
• the bathroom
• a basement stairwell
• the basement

Police said their reluctance to disturb bloody footprints delayed their search of the basement, where the fifth body lay. Detectives called in carpenters to build a platform so they could walk over the footprints.

Capt. Jerry Gallagher said:

"I've never seen anything like it," said Capt. Jerry Gallagher. "We have no idea why this occurred. It's hard enough to tell one family their relative is dead. We are going to have to tell five."

Arrest

Beach was captured without a struggle at a hotel parking lot just five blocks from the crime scene after he called his other Kenny’s brother and said: "Tell that (expletive) nephew of mine he is next. Tell him I am going to get him."

Police believed Beach was staying at a hotel after he moved out of his house over the weekend. Detectives directed all available patrol cars to saturate the midtown area, especially hotels.

Officer Marty Lyons said he and Paul Myers, a field training officer who had graduated from the academy three weeks ago, decided to check the parking lot of Embassy Suites, 220 W. 43rd St., a few blocks from Beach’s house. Lyons said:

"When he saw we were behind him, he pulled up behind a Dumpster, stopped his car and got out," Lyons said. Then Beach told them, "You got me. You got me. No resistance. I have a gun in the front seat and it's unloaded."

The officers were first at Beach’s house after the relatives discovered the bodies and were the officers who found Beach.

Admission and explanations

Beach previously allegedly called The Kansas City Star and left a voice-mail message for a reporter. In the voice-mail, Beach said:

"I think you're on the wrong track. You kept emphasizing about men, men, men. It was all a crazy crack situation, where crack suppliers wouldn't leave certain people alone, and I finally got fed up with it. And two of the boys there, Mark Nelson and Mike Davis, I just didn't want them to live with the shame on their conscience of what they were."

A relative of Gary Beach and a long-time neighbor identified the voice on the message as Beach’s.

Beach also left another voice-mail. In that message, Beach said:

"Christine, this is Gary Beach calling. I understand that people are looking for me about the bodies that were found at 4275 Jefferson. Reading the article in the newspaper yesterday, I'm going to call the police department next, I think you're on the wrong track. You kept emphasizing about men, men, men. It was all a crazy crack situation, where crack suppliers wouldn't leave certain people alone and I finally got fed up with it. And two of the boys there, Mark Nelson and Mike Davis, I just didn't want them to live with the shame on their conscience of what they were, and Mark was about ready to go back to jail. The rest of it was strictly-crack related, nothing else at all."

The explanation for the killings attributed his crimes to mental illness and anger over drug use by his victims.

Background and personal details

Beach was described by his longtime friends as the hard-working driver of an airport limousine. Friends said he was a large, gentle man who wore pressed black suits and loved to trade jokes with other chauffeurs.

Friends said he was unusually close to Davis, his stepson from a marriage that failed more than 20 years ago.

Friends said Beach ate meals and vacationed with Davis, who was among the victims found at Beach’s home.

Beach, who was 56 at the time described by prosecutors, was also described as a limousine-driving mass murderer.

Charges and procedural history

Beach was charged with first-degree murder and armed criminal action in the death of his stepnephew, Kenneth Gulley.

Prosecutors said they added four additional murder counts Friday after Beach admitted to shooting each victim in the head.

Beach pleaded guilty in February to five counts of first-degree murder and armed criminal action.

Trial and sentencing

After hearing extensive testimony, Judge Charles E. Atwell of Jackson County Circuit Court handed down the life sentence.

The decision stunned the victims’ families.

A judge ruled on April 20, 2002, that Beach would serve life in prison instead of being put to death.

Outcome

Richard Gary Beach was sentenced to life in prison on April 19, 2002.