Court records show Ramel Morgan pleaded guilty to second-degree murder in a shooting documented by surveillance video and witness accounts.

KANSAS CITY, Mo. — A 20-year-old Kansas City man has been sentenced to 14 years in state prison after admitting he fatally shot another man inside a car at an east-side gas station, ending a homicide case built around surveillance footage, witness identifications and records recovered from a vehicle left behind.

Ramel A. Morgan pleaded guilty July 9 to second-degree murder in the Dec. 7, 2025, death of Michael G. Weintraub, according to court and charging records. He was ordered to serve the sentence in the Missouri Department of Corrections. KCTV reported that prosecutors dismissed two armed criminal action counts and one unlawful-use-of-a-weapon count under the plea agreement.

The sentence resolves Morgan’s criminal case about seven months after gunfire broke out at the Phillips 66 gas station at 2911 Van Brunt Boulevard. A probable cause statement filed by Kansas City police described a confrontation that developed over several minutes as Morgan moved between a gray Hyundai Sonata, the convenience store and the area near the pumps. Investigators said witnesses believed a romantic dispute involving Morgan, Weintraub and a young woman contributed to the shooting, although that account came from witness interviews rather than an independent finding about motive.

Officers were sent to the gas station at about 11:49 p.m. after receiving a report of a shooting. By the time they arrived, neither the shooter nor the injured driver was there. A witness told police that a man had left the store, fired at a silver Ford Mustang in the parking lot and then ran south on Van Brunt Boulevard. Officers found a 9 mm Winchester casing and a bullet fragment during their first search of the scene. About 45 minutes later, officers were called to University Health after Weintraub arrived in the Mustang. Police said the rear windshield had been broken and the car showed apparent bullet strikes. Weintraub had called his mother after the shooting and asked for directions to the hospital, according to the probable cause statement. Medical workers pronounced him dead shortly after 2 a.m., and detectives opened a homicide investigation.

The Mustang became a separate source of evidence. Investigators recovered a Glock 22 .40-caliber handgun from the front passenger-side floorboard, along with two cellphones from the driver’s area. When technicians later processed the car, they reported finding four .40-caliber cartridge casings inside. The police statement did not say that Weintraub fired the weapon, and the public materials reviewed for this report do not establish who owned it or how it came to be in the vehicle.

Gas station cameras gave investigators a minute-by-minute view of the events immediately before the shooting. The footage showed a gray 2006 Hyundai Sonata arrive at the pumps at about 11:41 p.m. Three passengers got out and entered the store. Weintraub’s Mustang drove through the lot several minutes later. Morgan then got out of the driver’s side of the Sonata and entered the convenience store, investigators said.

Inside, Morgan was recorded walking with an object that appeared to be a handgun and moving in and out of the building several times, according to the police account. When the Mustang stopped near the entrance, Morgan approached its passenger side and appeared to speak briefly with Weintraub. Investigators said Morgan then pointed a firearm toward the driver and fired several times into the car before running south. The Mustang left the lot about two minutes later.

The people who had arrived with Morgan remained inside during at least part of the confrontation. Surveillance footage showed them leave the store after the shooting, get into a black Jeep and depart. Morgan’s Sonata stayed in the parking lot. Detectives had it towed and obtained a search warrant the next day, giving them an early connection between the abandoned car and the person seen on camera.

Inside the Sonata, police said they found a Missouri vehicle registration receipt that listed Morgan as one of the owners. They also reported finding an identification badge bearing the name “Mel Morgan” and an oil-change receipt naming Ramel Morgan as the customer. Detectives compared Morgan’s Department of Revenue photograph with images from the gas station and said they saw a strong resemblance. Several witnesses later selected Morgan from photo lineups.

The witness interviews added context that the silent portions of the surveillance recording could not provide. One person gave police a cellphone video made around the time of the shooting. According to the probable cause statement, a male voice could be heard threatening to kill Weintraub shortly before the shots, while a female voice responded that he should do what he had to do. The court filing did not identify the speakers by full name in its public version.

One witness told detectives that Morgan arrived at a residence after the shooting and said he had approached Weintraub’s vehicle. According to that witness, Morgan said he asked whether Weintraub had come to see the woman and began firing after seeing a gun inside the Mustang. That statement was reported to police by a witness; the records reviewed do not describe Morgan giving investigators his own account of the confrontation.

Other witnesses said Morgan appeared angry after learning the identity of the Mustang’s driver. One said Morgan asked the woman to come outside while holding a pistol. Another told detectives that Morgan had threatened to kill Weintraub if she did not leave with him. The woman said she refused to go outside and heard gunshots after Morgan left the store. Witnesses described her as having had a relationship with Weintraub while also being romantically involved with Morgan.

The interviews included juveniles whose identifying information was redacted from the public probable cause statement. Investigators said those witnesses separately described Morgan carrying a gun, leaving the store before the shooting and later acknowledging that he had been involved. Police also traced the Jeep seen leaving the gas station and interviewed its registered owner as they reconstructed who was present. Morgan did not immediately make a statement to detectives. On Jan. 12, 2026, he went to Kansas City police headquarters with attorney Molly Hastings, according to the probable cause statement. He declined to answer questions and was placed on an investigative hold. Prosecutors later charged him with second-degree murder and armed criminal action, alleging that he knowingly caused Weintraub’s death by shooting him.

The original charging document stated that a second-degree murder conviction could carry 10 to 30 years or life in prison under the cited Missouri statute. It also said a person convicted and sentenced for that offense would not be eligible for parole until serving 85% of the sentence. The public reports reviewed do not provide a projected release date or explain how credit for time already spent in custody will be calculated.

Morgan’s guilty plea removed the need for a trial, where prosecutors would otherwise have been required to prove the remaining charge beyond a reasonable doubt. The plea also changed the legal posture of the case: descriptions that began as police allegations in January were followed in July by Morgan’s admission to second-degree murder and the court’s imposition of a 14-year sentence.

The available court and police materials do not include a detailed sentencing transcript, statements from Weintraub’s relatives or an explanation from the judge about why 14 years was selected. They also do not identify any additional person as charged in the killing. Morgan is now subject to the prison sentence imposed July 9, while the dismissed weapon counts are no longer pending under the reported plea agreement.

Author note: Last updated Aug. 5, 2026.