Inset left: Rasheed Turner (Jackson County Sheriff's Office). Inset right: Layla Freeman (Obituary). Background: The intersection where Turner killed Freeman in Kansas City, Mo. (Google Maps).
A Missouri man will spend the rest of his life behind bars for shooting and killing his ex-girlfriend after tricking her into meeting him on her 21st birthday, Show-Me State authorities have announced.
In August, Rasheed Turner, 26, was found guilty by a Jackson County jury on one count each of first-degree murder and armed criminal action for the May 2025 death of 21-year-old Layla Freeman.
On Wednesday, Jackson County Circuit Judge Adam Caine sentenced the defendant to life in prison without the possibility of parole for the murder conviction. The court also tacked on a 15-year sentence — to be served consecutively — for the armed criminal action conviction.
The killing happened on May 13, 2025, near the corner of West 37th Street and Pennsylvania Avenue in Kansas City.
Officers responded to a shooting that night and found Freeman suffering from multiple gunshot wounds. She had been shot repeatedly and was bleeding out near a parked Chevrolet Malibu.
The preliminary police investigation suggested the victim "had an interaction with one or more suspects" that resulted in the fatal shots being fired, according to a police report obtained by Kansas City-based Fox affiliate WDAF.
Turner was arrested on May 28, 2025.
Witnesses at the scene did not see the shooting but heard the gunfire, police said. They also heard the woman screaming. The witnesses also said that immediately after the gunfire, a man left the Malibu and ran to the driver's side of a Ford Mustang.
Using city surveillance cameras, law enforcement spotted that Mustang and then tracked it to identify the defendant. Detectives also relied on social media and text message exchanges between Turner and the victim from before the violence unfolded.
Police learned that Freeman's birthday played an indirect role in what happened to her that day, WDAF reported.
Freeman's cousin told law enforcement that she had been on FaceTime with Freeman hours before the shooting. During their call, the cousin learned the victim and her eventual killer were planning to meet, according to court documents obtained by the TV station.
Turner had told Freeman he wanted to meet because he had a birthday present for her, the cousin told police. Then, roughly an hour and a half after the FaceTime, the cousin and Freeman spoke again.
This time, Freeman said she was with Turner, but she was crying and told her cousin that she would call her back.
That return call was never made.
The slain woman's obituary remembers her in fond terms:
Layla accepted Christ at 16, and her faith guided her life of service and love. Whether caring for others professionally or lifting spirits with her smile, she radiated peace and grace. Though her time was brief, her impact was lasting. Layla's legacy of love and faith will forever be cherished by all who knew her[.]
"Domestic violence-related homicides leave lasting harm on families and our community," Jackson County Prosecutor Melesa Johnson said in a post on X (formerly Twitter). "Our office works every day to hold abusers accountable and prevent these tragedies."
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