Prosecutors say an 18-year-old was shot in a car in Independence as police search for a suspect.
INDEPENDENCE, Mo. — Court records describe a late-night drive that ended in gunfire and the death of 18-year-old Elayjah Murray, as prosecutors charged a Kansas City man with first-degree murder and police continued searching for him months after her body was found.
Jackson County Prosecutor Melesa Johnson said Eric R. Phillips II is charged with first-degree murder, armed criminal action, and abandoning a corpse. A judge set Phillips’ bond at $350,000 cash only. Prosecutors filed the case under seal on Dec. 3, 2025, and unsealed it on Feb. 25, 2026, saying investigators need help locating Phillips.
Records summarized by local news outlets say Murray, her girlfriend, Phillips, and another person spent the night of Nov. 27 into Nov. 28, 2025, driving to several family locations, listening to music, and drinking. The account came from an interview with a witness described in the documents as a second victim. The witness told investigators the group had been laughing and getting along before the mood changed in the early morning hours.
According to the court records, Phillips had a handgun during the night and multiple people handled it. Around 3 a.m., the witness said, Phillips abruptly announced it was time to take everyone home. The group drove toward Murray’s stop in Independence. The witness told police she got out of the car to open the back door so Murray could exit.
At that moment, the records say, Phillips shot Murray several times while she was still in the back seat. The witness told investigators Phillips then threatened her and ordered her back into the car. The witness said she asked why he did it, and the documents quote Phillips as responding, “I was told to kill her.” The witness told police Phillips made a phone call and said he would arrive in about 20 minutes, adding, “I had a problem.”
The witness told investigators Phillips tried to calm her down as he drove away from the shooting scene, telling her not to turn around and look at Murray. The witness said she urged him to go to a hospital but he did not. When they arrived at another location, the witness said she went inside and called police because she was scared, and Phillips left soon afterward.
Prosecutors said Kansas City police received a report on Nov. 28, 2025, that a victim had been shot multiple times in a vehicle at a location in Independence earlier that morning. Detectives worked to locate the vehicle and gather evidence. Through witness reports and surveillance footage, investigators identified Phillips as the shooter, according to the prosecutor’s office.
Authorities said a Ring-style camera captured the sound of gunshots from the area where the vehicle was reported to have been, and video footage showed Phillips carrying a firearm more than once. Investigators also recovered other pieces of evidence as they tried to track the group’s movements after the shooting, including reports that the victim’s phone was later found discarded, according to accounts of the court records.
Murray was entered as a missing person during the investigation, officials said, because of the circumstances and because officers initially could not locate her. On Nov. 29, 2025, police found Murray’s body in south Kansas City. The prosecutor’s office said Phillips’ cell phone connected to towers in the area where her body was located, a detail investigators cited as they built the case.
Murray’s death shook her family, who said she had come home from college for Thanksgiving and never made it back. Her mother, Lezlie Collins, told KCTV that Murray left with a friend while Collins was cooking dinner and did not return. Collins said she felt relief when charges were announced, but said the months since her daughter’s death have been filled with grief and anger.
“She was just taken from me, unfair,” Collins said. Collins described Murray as a nursing student who had already completed clinical work and prerequisite classes while still in high school. Family members told other local outlets that Murray was focused on her education and was close to the people around her, a teenager who talked often about her future.
The prosecutor’s office said Phillips is not yet in custody, and the public unsealing of the case is meant to help law enforcement locate him. Prosecutors emphasized the charges are accusations and Phillips is presumed innocent unless he is convicted or enters a guilty plea. No motive has been described in public statements, and investigators have not said whether they believe additional people may face charges.
The next procedural steps depend on when Phillips is arrested. After an arrest, he would be taken before a judge for an initial appearance, where bond and release conditions can be reviewed and prosecutors can outline the charges in court. From there, the case would move through hearings that can include evidence filings, witness lists, and trial scheduling.
In the meantime, Murray’s family continues to speak out as they wait for an arrest. Collins said she wants anyone with solid information about Phillips’ location to come forward, and she said her daughter’s name should remain at the center of the case as detectives keep working leads.
As of Thursday, Phillips remained at large, according to statements from the prosecutor’s office and local police. The next milestone will be his arrest and the first court date in Jackson County, where prosecutors are expected to seek to keep the cash-only bond in place.
Author note: Last updated Feb. 26, 2026.