NORTH ST. LOUIS, Mo. (KMOV) – A 27-year-old man has been charged in the death of an elderly North City landlord.
First-degree murder and armed criminal action charges have been filed against James Cody in the shooting death of Michael Kelly.
Detectives found Kelly, 72, of St. Ann, gunned down inside his pickup truck in the 3900 block of North 25th Street before noon on March 8. Relatives later told News 4 Kelly was a landlord for properties in North City. The family said Kelly owned dozens of properties across North City for more than three decades. They said he dedicated his life to helping the north side.
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“He was a good guy, you know. He had people employed that were cutting the grass and doing stuff. Never got a bad vibe from him. This is truly sad,” a neighbor who wished to be anonymous explained.
Court documents state Cody was seen on surveillance video holding something in his hand and then moving out of camera view before gunshots hit Kelly’s truck. After the shooting, a gray sedan is seen coming into camera view. Authorities state the sedan was rented by Cody’s girlfriend.
After police obtained search warrants to track Cody and his girlfriend’s phones, the suspect was arrested and the car was brought to the police lab. According to court documents, Cody was given his Miranda rights and then admitted to shooting Kelly. Cody also reportedly told detectives were the guns used in the fatal shooting were location and clothes worn during the crime were also recovered.
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