Jury finds 25-year-old guilty of murder, kidnapping of Kansas City man

The second of two Kansas City men who stood trial in the kidnapping and killing of a 52-year-old rancher was found guilty on Friday by a Jackson County jury.

Rashaud Q. Lewis, 25, was convicted of second-degree felony murder, first-degree kidnapping and two counts of armed criminal action, according to the Jackson County Prosecutor’s Office. He was accused of killing Gilberto Gutierrez, who vanished from his south Kansas City ranch only to be found dead six days later.

Prosecutors said Gutierrez, 52, was beaten and stabbed to death. His body was discovered underneath a blue tarp on a dead-end road at 56th Street and Elmwood Avenue.

Lewis was accused, alongside alleged accomplice Ahmad Herring, 33, of Kansas City. Herring was found guilty during a separate trial of felony murder, kidnapping, armed criminal action and abandonment of a corpse.

Kansas City detectives began investigating the disappearance of Gutierrez on May 11, 2021. His daughter told police she went to check on him and stumbled upon a troubling discovery. In the barn and stables was a bloody piece of clothing, a pair of boots and zip tie, according to court documents.

A friend of Gutierrez reported receiving a call from Gutierrez’s phone. A man on the other line demanded $100,000 in ransom for his safe return. Several other phone calls were received that day, including one where Gutierrez could be heard shouting, according to court documents.

Police reviewed surveillance tapes and received tips that led them to focus on a white Dodge Charger associated with Herring. On May 14, 2021, police attempted to pull the car over and Herring was arrested after a police pursuit.

Inside the Charger were containers of bleach, vinegar and ammonia plus a receipt for the purchase of three blue drop cloths. Several cell phones were also found inside, according to court documents.

As Herring was being held in the county jail on a felony charge of eluding police, Lewis allegedly spoke with him over the phone and said: “Everything is good. Everything is 100.”

A cell phone taken from Lewis during a December 2021 arrest was also searched. Authorities found text messages that they alleged demonstrated the coordination of the kidnapping with Herring.

Detectives also received an anonymous tip that led them to a property associated with Lewis. A search warrant for the property led authorities to conclude Gutierrez had been kept in a shed there.

Herring was sentenced July 6 to 46 years in prison. Lewis is scheduled to be sentenced in September.