LIBERTY, Mo. — A Kansas City, Missouri man has been sentenced for a 2020 murder during a drug deal in the Northland.

On Tuesday, a Clay County judge sentenced 22-year-old Blade Elliott to a total of 67 years in the Missouri Department of Corrections.

Elliott was charged for the deadly shooting outside of the Price Chopper on Ash Avenue, near Interstate 35 and Route 291. The victim, identified as 21-year-old Trinton Phillips, was found dead inside his vehicle.

He was found guilty by a Clay County jury in August.

Detectives determined Elliott and Phillips met for a marijuana sale when Elliott attempted to reach for the drugs and shot Phillips four times before running from the scene, court records say.

A witness in Phillips’ passenger seat at the time of the shooting said the two men set up the meeting on Snapchat, which helped police identify Elliott as the suspect. The witness also provided a suspect and vehicle description that matched Elliott.

Surveillance footage also showed the incident, and police recovered the gun used in the shooting at Elliott’s home.

At the sentencing hearing, several members of the victim’s family took the stand to testify,
including Phillips’ older sister. She stated that, “Now I have to remember my brother longer than I’ve known him. When I want to visit him, I have to go to a gravesite.” She went on to say that, “Holidays have been robbed from our family. You never know when it’s going to be the last holiday you have with someone.”