Inset left: Rasheed Turner (Jackson County Sheriff’s Office). Inset right: Layla Freeman (obituary). Background: The Kansas City, Missouri, intersection where Turner killed Freeman (Google Maps).
A Missouri man will spend the rest of his life in prison after being convicted of luring his former girlfriend to a meeting on her 21st birthday and fatally shooting her, authorities in the Show-Me State said.
Rasheed Turner, 26, was convicted in August by a Jackson County jury of first-degree murder and armed criminal action in connection with the May 2025 killing of 21-year-old Layla Freeman.
On Wednesday, Jackson County Circuit Judge Adam Caine sentenced Turner to life in prison without the possibility of parole for the murder conviction. He received an additional 15-year sentence for armed criminal action, which will be served consecutively.
The shooting occurred on May 13, 2025, near the intersection of West 37th Street and Pennsylvania Avenue in Kansas City.
When officers arrived after receiving reports of gunfire, they found Freeman near a parked Chevrolet Malibu with multiple gunshot wounds. She had been shot several times and was bleeding heavily.
A preliminary police investigation indicated that Freeman “had an interaction with one or more suspects” before the fatal shooting, according to a police report obtained by Kansas City-based Fox affiliate WDAF.
Turner was arrested on May 28, 2025.
Witnesses told police they did not see the shooting, but they heard the gunfire and a woman screaming. They also reported that a man left the Malibu immediately afterward and ran to the driver’s side of a Ford Mustang.
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Investigators used city surveillance footage to locate the Mustang and identify Turner. Detectives also reviewed social media activity and text messages exchanged between Turner and Freeman before the shooting.
According to WDAF, police determined that Freeman’s birthday was connected to the events leading up to the killing.
Freeman’s cousin told investigators that she had been speaking with Freeman on FaceTime several hours before the shooting. During the call, the cousin learned that Freeman and Turner planned to meet, according to court documents obtained by the television station.
Turner reportedly told Freeman he wanted to see her because he had a birthday gift for her. About 90 minutes after the FaceTime call, Freeman spoke with her cousin again.
During that conversation, Freeman said she was with Turner. She was crying and told her cousin she would call back.
She never made that call.
Freeman’s obituary remembers her as a compassionate woman whose faith shaped the way she lived:
“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.”