William Morrison faces first-degree murder and armed criminal action charges after investigators recovered his business partner’s remains from an Independence basement.

KANSAS CITY, Mo. — A Jackson County grand jury has indicted William Morrison on first-degree murder and armed criminal action charges in the death of 45-year-old Johnathon Brown, advancing a case in which police say Brown’s remains were recovered beneath freshly poured concrete at an Independence property tied to Morrison.

The indictment, filed Sept. 24, moves the prosecution beyond the initial charges announced earlier in September and sends the case toward trial without a preliminary hearing. Morrison remained jailed without bond in the most recent court reporting and was scheduled for arraignment at 9:30 a.m. Oct. 20. The allegations have not been proven, and Morrison is presumed innocent unless he is convicted or enters a guilty plea. Prosecutors have not publicly announced a trial date or a final determination about why Brown was killed.

The criminal case grew from a missing-person investigation that began after Independence police received a report on May 13. Brown had last been seen several days earlier. People who knew him told investigators that he normally remained in frequent contact with relatives, friends, his children and motorcycle club associates. His sudden silence stood out to them. Investigators also learned that Brown had sent his mother a Mother’s Day message on May 10, which police said was his final known communication with her before he disappeared.

Detectives eventually focused on Brown’s movements late May 10. Surveillance footage reviewed by investigators showed him riding in an older white sedan and later leaving an excavation and demolition business with another man. Court records say Brown had gone with Morrison to perform concrete work in the basement of an Independence residence owned by Morrison. A woman living at the property told police the two men arrived late that night and began basement work that involved digging and preparing an area for concrete.

The resident described a break in the work that became important to investigators. She said Morrison asked her to arrange food for the men. When she later returned to the basement area, Brown was gone. According to the probable cause statement, Morrison told her Brown had left with an unidentified woman. Police then compared that account with surveillance video from a nearby residence. The footage showed the white sedan at the property from late May 10 until shortly after 3 a.m. May 11, while the only other vehicle to approach briefly appeared consistent with a food delivery.

Historical cellphone location records added another layer to the timeline. Investigators said Brown’s phone remained around the Independence property until roughly the time the white sedan left early May 11. Police considered that evidence inconsistent with the account that Brown had departed earlier with another person. Detectives later traced the phone as it moved away from the residence, through areas associated with Morrison and then south of Kansas City. The device ultimately connected to a tower near Urich, Missouri, before losing its network connection, according to the probable cause statement.

The search for Brown took a decisive turn on May 23. Detectives obtained permission to search the Independence residence and brought in cadaver dog teams. Two dogs independently alerted in the basement, including near the corner of a recently poured concrete slab and a nearby dirt pile. Investigators excavated the area and recovered human remains beneath the concrete. The remains were later identified as Brown. The Jackson County Medical Examiner’s Office classified his death as a homicide after finding that he had suffered a single gunshot wound to the head.

Police also developed evidence involving Brown’s personal property. An employee of Morrison told detectives that Morrison contacted him from jail and directed him to retrieve money from Morrison’s home and deal with items located near an air duct. The employee told police he found a brown leather wallet containing a Missouri driver’s license belonging to Brown and left it where it was. Detectives later searched the residence and located the wallet, according to the court filing. The prosecutor’s office included the discovery of the victim’s wallet among the evidence cited when announcing the murder charge.

Another branch of the investigation concerned two cellphones. The probable cause statement says an administrative employee who worked for Morrison told detectives that Morrison had given her two Android phones and directed her to travel toward Springfield and dispose of them. Investigators connected surveillance video from a gas station in Urich with the path shown by phone-location records. The woman later told detectives she discarded a phone case at the gas station and threw the devices in a field rather than continuing to Springfield. Police searched the area she identified but said the phones were not recovered.

Investigators were also examining Morrison’s relationship with Brown. Witnesses described the two as business partners with continuing financial dealings involving settlement money and business ventures. They told police Morrison had influence over parts of Brown’s finances, housing and business affairs. The public court filing does not establish a motive, and prosecutors have not said those financial ties explain the killing. The evidence described so far instead lays out the sequence that authorities say links Brown’s final known movements, the basement work, the location of his remains and the handling of his belongings after his disappearance.

The case was initially presented publicly Sept. 3, when Jackson County Prosecutor Melesa Johnson’s office announced that Morrison had been charged with first-degree murder and armed criminal action. The prosecutor’s summary said Brown had gone with Morrison to do concrete work, that surveillance recorded a white sedan arriving and leaving the property, that two cadaver dogs alerted near the fresh basement slab and that investigators found Brown’s wallet inside a residence connected to Morrison. The office emphasized that the charges were accusations rather than findings of guilt.

The later grand jury action changed the procedural posture of the case. Instead of prosecutors presenting evidence at a preliminary hearing to determine whether the case should continue, the indictment allows the charges to proceed in circuit court toward a possible jury trial. It does not determine whether Morrison committed the crimes. The prosecution would still have to prove the charges under the standards required in a criminal trial, while Morrison will have the opportunity to challenge the state’s evidence and present a defense.

As of Oct. 19, Morrison remained held without bond, and his arraignment was scheduled for the following morning. No trial date had been publicly reported, and the available records did not disclose a proven motive. The indictment leaves the central accusation unchanged: prosecutors allege Morrison killed Brown and concealed his body beneath concrete, while the evidence and the state’s allegations remain subject to review in court.

Author note: Last updated October 19, 2026.