Police report sheds light on Belchers death spiral
 

Less than two months ago, Chiefs linebacker Jovan Belcher sent a foreboding text message to a secret girlfriend, expressing turmoil and frustration with his longtime girlfriend, Kasandra Perkins.

In the message, Belcher said he “would shoot” Perkins “if she didn’t leave him alone,” according to police reports obtained by The Star. At the time, the secret girlfriend thought Belcher was joking.

But on Dec. 1, Belcher emptied his .40-caliber handgun into Perkins, 22, killing her after they argued in the home they shared in the 5400 block of Crysler SAvenue. He then drove to Arrowhead Stadium and killed himself with a different handgun in the parking lot in front of his coaches and the team’s general manager.

Jackson County prosecutors ruled the deaths a murder-suicide and closed the case Friday. The Star obtained the case file, now a public record, which relays a range of facts not previously known.

• Belcher, 25, told his 22-year-old secret girlfriend that Perkins, the mother of his 3-month-old daughter, “knew exactly how to press his buttons and make him angry.” He told her Perkins had “threatened to take all his money and his child if they split up.”

• Chiefs head coach Romeo Crennel said Belcher missed a team meeting a few weeks earlier and blamed it on Perkins, who reportedly hadn’t come home the night before, leaving him to watch the baby. Crennel said he thought the couple had “trust issues” and Perkins expected “a better life” with an NFL player. Crennel said he thought Belcher had contacted a lawyer about getting custody of his daughter.

• Belcher’s mother, Cheryl Shepherd, had moved in with the couple about two weeks before their deaths because they were having “relationship problems due to financial issues associated with Perkins’ spending habits.” Shepherd said the argument that preceded the killings “was in regard to one or both of them going out as in to a club or partying.”

• Police found a bullet hole in the bathroom floor under Perkins’ body that went through to the basement, possibly indicating she was on the floor when Belcher fired that round. Shepherd said she heard a “thump” before the gunshots. Police found eight spent shell casings and three bullet fragments in the bathroom and one spent bullet in the basement. Police observed 10 apparent gunshot wounds on the front of Perkins body, including to her neck, shoulder and chest, and five wounds on her backside. The medical examiner said four bullets remained in her body.

Belcher had numerous tattoos, including the words “Reckless” and “Abandon” on his torso, “Failure is not an option” on his chest and “Loyalty” on his bicep.

The case file contains nearly 60 pages of witness interviews, recovered evidence and officer observations. Police are awaiting toxicology results and crime-scene diagrams, but investigators forwarded the existing file to prosecutors because the pending reports would not change the outcome or challenge the known evidence, the lead investigator said.

The file outlines the couple’s problems, how Belcher’s mother and the Chiefs tried to help them and details Belcher’s activities before the killings.

The events begin at 8:30 p.m. Nov. 30, when Belcher drove to his secret girlfriend’s apartment in the 700 block of Armour Boulevard while Perkins attended a concert downtown with friends. Belcher and his paramour drank and played cards, and Belcher agreed to accompany her and her friends to a club in the Power & Light District at 10:30 p.m. They left the district about 12:45 a.m. and kissed goodbye in the parking lot of her building.

Around 1 a.m., a friend of Perkins has told The Star, the couple argued about Perkins being out late. The friend never specified whether that encounter was in person or by telephone. The police report doesn’t mention this dispute, instead indicating that after his secret girlfriend went inside, he fell asleep in his car.

Police roused him two hours later after someone called 911 to report his Bentley as suspicious. Officers noted the car was running and legally parked. They said Belcher “initially displayed possible signs of being under the influence (asleep and disoriented),” but after a few minutes of being awake, his demeanor and communication “became more fluid and coherent.” The officers and their sergeant could not smell any alcohol on his breath or person.

Belcher tried to call his secret girlfriend but could not reach her. He then knocked on a neighbor’s door. The two women inside said Belcher “appeared to be intoxicated.” He told them his friend wouldn’t come to her door, and they invited him inside to wait. He talked about his past and they said he “seemed to be in good spirits … laughing, joking.” He thanked them for letting him in their home. At 4:30 a.m., they gave him a pillow and blanket and he slept on the couch. He left at 6:45 a.m.

When Belcher arrived home, an argument broke out with Perkins. Shepherd overheard the shouting but didn’t intervene because Perkins had previously accused her of “interfering.”

After Shepherd heard gunshots, she ran to the bedroom and saw Belcher kneeling next to Perkins’ body, saying he was sorry. He kissed Perkins, his daughter and his mother and repeatedly apologized. He backed his Bentley out of the driveway, then got out, pulled off his sweatshirt and threw it in some bushes. He then drove to Arrowhead.

On the way, he apparently broke off the car’s rear-view mirror. Police later noted shattered glass on the dashboard and front passenger seat and the broken mirror resting on the seat. Police also saw blood on the gear shift and noted that Belcher’s body had cuts and blood on his right index and ring fingers.

Once at Arrowhead, Belcher encountered Chiefs general manager Scott Pioli.

“I’m sorry, Scott,” he said. “I’ve done a bad thing to my girlfriend already. I want to talk with (linebackers coach Gary) Gibbs and Romeo.”

Pioli then called the coaches to the parking lot. A security guard tried to stop them, but the coaches insisted. Despite their pleas for Belcher to put down the gun, Belcher only briefly lowered the Beretta .40-caliber handgun to chamber a round. He then walked away.

Crennel raised both his hands, pleading with Belcher to put the gun down. “You’re taking the easy way out!” Crennel yelled.

Belcher glanced at an approaching police officer , then knelt behind a minivan, made the sign of the cross on his chest with his left hand and fired a bullet into his head above his right ear. After the gunshot, Crennel slumped, dropped his hands and turned away from Belcher.

Read more here: http://www.kansascity.com/2012/12/17...#storylink=cpy

Fire Pioli; hug Romeo.

Goddamn this whole thing is ****ed up.

holy shit... he literally put a cap in her ass.

Jesus..... that's rough.

He was most likely drunk; and those cops are going to get in huge trouble for letting him drive away drunk.

Why did you bold the description of Belcher's tattoos?

Because the guy was reckless?

What a monster. Couldn't face what many people go through in relationships.

A stretch. "Playing with reckless abandon" is a sports cliche.

so sad....

Three people (Belcher, Perkins and Anon) making life much more difficult than it needs to be. In light of having two girl friends, the "Loyalty" tat is pretty ironic. Sad story.

Not lost in all of this is Romeo's pep talk talent. Confirming to an agitated man the easy way to exit. :facepalm:

He didn't look drunk at all in the Police cam video.

It said it went inside the house.

Man, one has to feel for Romeo after this tragedy.

It's also ironic. The guy owned a car that was as worth as much as his house, cheated on his baby mother, and killed her. What a mess.

Sorry to go off topic but now that the star charges for articles, isn't it dicey to post the whole thing in a thread?

Further proof that Jovan Belcher was scum. This murder was not a crime of passion. Belcher premeditated this murder. Why anyone can show any ounce of remorse for this piece of shit is beyond me. Chiefs ownership on down should have never attended any memorial for a murderer. What a slap in the face to his victims, his child and Perkins.

Out of all the years I have been a Chiefs fan, the wins, the losses, the cheers, the disappointments. And believe me the disappointments have been many. But they have all been on the field. This disappointment is one that I seem to not be able to shake. Those pictures of Clark Hunt on down attending that damn murderers memorial about takes the cake for me. They should have distanced themselves as far away from Belcher as humanly possible if they had even the tiniest amount of respect for his victims. But they didn't. They expected their money to do that for them.

More and more I find myself cheering the losses of this franchise. Laughing at the on the field **** ups. Or having any desire to even care about the Chiefs. While seeming to get more excitement out of watching other teams play. I still love the Chiefs brand, I just hate the team from top to bottom. I simply can't be any more ashamed of a Chiefs team than I ever have been at this point in time.

So he was worried about her taking him for all of his money because he had a kid with her so he decided go sleep with other women and increase his chances of having more kids. That makes sense.

So...you just expect Romeo to "say the right thing" in that circumstance? I can't believe you would even seize on that...and challenging Belcher in that way probably made sense. Might have made him stop and explain himself more. Obviously it didn't, but at that point I'm sure Romeo was desperate.

You're kind of an idiot.

Crazy bastards don't make sense.

:spock:

Sheesh...money grubbing bitch...dude whoring around...money problems but he's driving a Bentley...what a ****ing mess.

My heart goes out to Crennel.

Those are exit wounds.

yep. The guy was grade A scum, IMO.

Hope so. Their actions/inaction definitely played a part in the 'spiral' and should not be ignored.

I don't think he was going to call him 'chicken' but that is what he did. Reverse psychology, perhaps? Hoping Belcher would show a shred of integrity that Crennel believed he possessed and not make matters worse.

Terribly sad story. Amazing how reality can sometimes play out as if scripted.

Dude was pure scum.

They both were young and dumb with their money, but lots of young people blow money away frivolously.

Yeah...hard for me to generate much sympathy for the money woes of a Bentley owner. I think my 5 year old daughter possesses more emotional and financial maturity than this clown did.

So has the secret GF talked to the media or gone into hiding?

How so? He did not appear to be drinking and/or intoxicated and he did not drive away from the scene.

Just more nonsensical BS from you.

Oh, man. I just feel horrible for Romeo. Slumps, hands fall, and he turns away from Belcher. Good Lord...

No shit - it's not much of a stretch to realize he was under extreme duress, and in that time, it sounds as is he just reached for the truth : Belcher WAS taking the coward's way out...

This is the biggest bag of bullshit I've ever came across.

I'm positive that she does.

Jovan Belcher??

Pretty big bag of shit.

I like how they break up the quotes to form a sentence or an opinion. The "reckless" tattoo really adds to the piece as well.

The whole thing

I find it strange that he crossed himself with his left hand.

Yep. I sincerely feel like shedding a tear for Romeo. Can't imagine what that would feel like.

Wrong. Wrong. Wrong.

Why?

He was assumedly holding the gun with his right and it's unlikely he's a practicing Catholic and probably ignorant to what that actually means.

I'm guessing he got that Bentley for pennies on the dollar then?

Two immature people trying to lead mature lives, and he caved under the pressure of being an adult. Its sad that bling and entourages are the priorities for alot of people, rather than taking care of their own first and foremost.

The dashboard video catches the police telling Belcher they are cutting him a break. What is the break if he wasn't drunk?

What where they going to do, charge him with sleeping?

So they cut him a break by not charging him for sleeping in his car with it running? Dude was drunked up and the cops let him off

Not billyclubbing his ass into hamburger for this shit show we've all had to endure every Sunday this Fall.

Geez. Can't you ****ing people read?

So why did the cops tell him they were cutting him a break? What's the break for?

Did you read the story? Is sleeping in your car with it running, while not smelling like booze or appearing to be intoxicated a crime? Belcher is the only one at fault, not those officers.

You pretty much have to kill someone or be riding a skateboard to get picked up by the KCPD.

Wasn't there, I have no idea.

then why even say it?

So she threatened to take his kid and his money and had a history of going out partying all night without coming home causing him to miss practice because he had to watch the kid?

I'm not saying he should have killed her...but I understand. /Chris Rock

I don't care what Winston says, football players are our gladiators. But I would just give Romeo a big hug if I saw him on the street. I'd even have the restraining order framed ala Sheldon Cooper.

The 2 women whose apartment he entered said he "appeared to be intoxicated' Guess they were wrong then. Why would they even say that?

You new here?

Not only can people here not read, as soon as anything happens where someone does something bad, they become the most morally sound group of people on the entire planet.

Belcher had a side girlfriend? Nobody here has ever done anything like that at 25 years old.

If you want to hate him for shooting his GF, no problem, wigging out over the other girlfriend is pretty silly.

Sounds like a bad relationship made worse by pressures of having a child together when they probably weren't a good match to begin with. Not saying she deserved death, no one deserves that, but it sounds like she was pushing things to a boiling point herself.

Just a ****ed up situation all the way around.

Point is, he didn't drive away. Didn't do anything that would get him in trouble for drunk driving. The cops said they didn't smell anything on him. You can say they are lying, but even if he had been drunk as hell, they don't have anything on him. He was asleep in the car and not driving. Then he went into the apartments. What should they have done?

Exactly. I agree with this post word for word.

Agreed. Lots of young people have similiar issues in life.

Belcher was a mental midget who couldnt deal with it and snapped.

well the fact of the matter is IF he was drunk, in a car, with keys he is legally DUI.

and what do you guys EXPECT the police to say?


watch the video, listen to their comments, then read what the neighbors say and i think any reasonable person can assume he was drunk.

You don't have to even be in the car. You can be sitting on the hood drinking and get a DUI. You don't even have to have the keys to get a DUI. You think cops care about in the car, driving, keys or any other specifics when making thier quota?

Stupid POS should have just killed himself, not the mother.

He was worried about 2.6% of his income going for child support. 97.4% of 1.9 million doesn't go very far now days.

I watched an interesting documentary last night called "Head Games" about sports and concussions....it was very interesting.

Ah. Did not know that.

Where did you get 2.6%?

Isn't the average child support payment for 1 kid closer to 20%?

I don't have kids, but I know my friends who pay support give out a shit load more than two and a half percent.

There were 2 double shootings here last weekend, one in which a child suffered life threatening injuries. I'm not saying it's right, but 0 ****s are given by the KCPD about a guy sleeping in his car.

Belcher who?

If that were any regular Joe, he would have been arrested for DUI, or at the very least been given a field sobriety test. There's no doubt in my mind that the cops let him go because he was an NFL player.

Does that make them responsible for what happened later? Maybe a little. It certainly makes them negligent in the performance of their duties.

Did they let him drive away? Or were they present when he knocked on his gf's door then entered the other apartment? We don't really know that Belcher didn't party it up with the neighbors before going to bed.

So the KCPD doesn't issue DUIs?

Sometimes its best not to post when you don't have a clue what you are talking about.

Because it's a prayer and it's supposed to be done with the right hand.

So you really think that police should be handing out DUIs to people who aren't driving? That's your personal opinion?

Of course they do. But even if they thought Belcher was too intoxicated to drive, he took refuge at the scene with his friend's neighbor to sleep it off (I understand according to their statement above that they didn't think he was intoxicated). I understand that might get you rung up for DUI in the burbs, but that was likely enough for KCPD to move on to something else.

My opinion doesn't have anything to do with it. They DO, and it's the law.

Does he sound like the kind of guy that's well-versed on the proper way to cross himself?

I know a couple of people that have gotten a DUI for sleeping in their car because the keys were in the ignition. Not sure if it's the law re the keys in the ignition or not but the few times I've passed out drunk in my car I made sure the keys weren't in the ignition.

Is the law to be enforced 100% of the time with no room for officer discretion? Should going 66 in a 65 earn a ticket every time?

Your point is dumb. Better to back away from it now rather than doubling down on it. The guy wasn't driving, and they didn't smell alcohol on his breath. There was no reason to arrest him.

Liberty is useless. Who cares about freedom.

We could have SAVED TWO LIVES! Incarcerate him!