Executive Summary
- Joseph Kiesling pleaded guilty to attempted second-degree murder in Johnson County District Court.
- The charges stem from a February 2025 spree involving an armed robbery and a failed carjacking.
- Police reported shots were fired at a vehicle during the attempted carjacking in Prairie Village.
- Sentencing is scheduled for March 25, 2026, following a presentence investigation.
KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Joseph Kiesling, 20, entered a guilty plea on Wednesday in Johnson County District Court to a charge of attempted second-degree murder, waiving his preliminary hearing regarding a violent crime spree that occurred in February 2025.
According to court records, the series of criminal events began around 6:30 p.m. on February 25, 2025, in Penn Valley Park, Kansas City, Missouri. Investigators stated that Kiesling and accomplices approached two men and forcibly took a moped at gunpoint. Victims reported to police that the robbers were riding dirt bikes and that Kiesling pointed a firearm at the head of one of the robbery victims during the altercation.
Prairie Village police officials reported that approximately two hours later, officers responded to an attempted carjacking near West 75th Street and State Line Road. Authorities established that Kiesling and a second suspect, traveling on a motorcycle, attempted to hijack a vehicle but were unsuccessful when the driver managed to escape. During the incident, one of the suspects fired shots at the fleeing vehicle, though police confirmed the bullets missed the driver.
Following the failed carjacking, Kiesling and the second suspect sped into Kansas City, Missouri, on West 75th Street before crashing their vehicle. They were subsequently apprehended by officers from the Kansas City Police Department (KCPD). Detectives investigating the earlier robbery at the Metro Patrol Station recognized Kiesling as a suspect in the Penn Valley Park incident. Kiesling is currently incarcerated at the Western Reception and Diagnostic Correctional Center in St. Joseph, Missouri, having pleaded guilty to the robbery charges in September.
Judicial Proceedings
The resolution of this case underscores the legal coordination required when criminal activities span multiple jurisdictions, in this instance involving both Missouri and Kansas. With a presentence investigation now ordered, the court will review all factors before the scheduled sentencing on March 25, 2026. It is important to note that while a guilty plea has been entered in this specific instance, all individuals named in criminal complaints are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.
