A 50-year-old Missouri man is facing a slew of charges following the alleged murder of three family members and their pet dog over the past weekend. The accused, Armando Navarro, Jr., is believed to have killed his girlfriend, Jodie Hopcus, 49, her daughter Hailey Hopcus, 24, and her mother Sherri Duncan, 73. Additionally, he is charged with causing harm to another daughter of his girlfriend.
The surviving victim managed to escape the horrific scene and sought help from a neighbor. The incident took place at her residence on NW 65th Street in Kansas City, shortly after 12:30 a.m. on Sunday. Law enforcement officers, upon reaching the scene, were met with a gruesome sight, as detailed by Platte County Prosecutor Eric Zahnd during a press conference on Monday. The three women and the dog were found dead at the scene.
The surviving victim, who was not physically injured but had a portion of her hair shot off while fleeing, provided a detailed account of the incident to the detectives. She mentioned that Navarro and her mother were engaged in an argument, a frequent occurrence, with Hopcus urging Navarro to leave. Navarro reportedly refused, stating he had nowhere else to go. After an hour-long argument, Navarro allegedly began packing his belongings, only to return with a handgun and start shooting.
According to the affidavit, Hopcus was shot in the upper arm, and Navarro continued firing until he ran out of bullets. He then allegedly grabbed a knife, but Hopcus shielded her surviving daughter from him. Navarro left and returned with a larger firearm, which he held under his chin as if to shoot himself. Hopcus attempted to escape, but Navarro allegedly shot her in the face.
The surviving victim believed her grandmother had already been hit by the gunfire, as she saw her motionless on the floor. As she fled the house, Navarro allegedly fired at her again, causing a clump of her hair to be shot off. She managed to hide behind a house and heard Navarro calling her name.
Navarro is believed to have fled the scene in a 2020 Ford Expedition, which belonged to one of the victims. The vehicle was later found in a ditch some 150 miles west of the crime scene. Navarro was taken into custody after Kansas City police identified him as a suspect in the triple homicide. A gun with five spent shell casings was recovered from the car.
In a separate development, Navarro’s son contacted the Kansas City police, claiming his father had called him around 2 a.m., confessing to the murders. Navarro is currently being held without bond in the Dickinson County Jail, awaiting extradition back to Missouri.