Memorial case
Kansas City, MO
•
2025-12-22
•
girlfriend
Repeat offender
Stabbing-Fatality
Prior-History-of-Domestic-Violence
Substance-Abuse-PCP
Multi-Victim-Incident
Long-Term-Relationship
Co-habitation
Life and memory
Sherrie Sue Baier was a 52-year-old resident of Kansas City, Missouri, remembered by loved ones for her resilience, deep faith, and warm, giving nature. Born on March 27, 1973, in Fairfax, Missouri, Sherrie was a dedicated daughter, sister, mother to her son Louis, and an adoring grandmother to six grandchildren. Professionally, she maintained a strong work ethic, spending more than six years with Walmart, working for General Motors, and serving as an employee at Dollar General at the time of her passing. A woman of profound personal faith, she found great joy in her church community at Day Spring Pentecostal Church, where she was baptized a year before her death. Sherrie was also known for her vibrant spirit, her talent for cooking, her fondness for Mickey and Minnie Mouse, and her enthusiastic support as a local sports fan cheering on the Kansas City Chiefs.
Fatal incident
On December 22, 2025, Sherrie Baier was killed inside the home she shared with her partner of 20 years, Leonard Johnson Jr., at 6616 E. 16th Street. License Plate Reader data tracked her vehicle in the immediate area at 8:23 a.m. Surveillance footage from Johnson’s mother's home indicated that Johnson returned briefly to the vicinity around 9:09 a.m. Later that morning, following a separate vehicular knife assault on another acquaintance nearby, police arrived at the 16th Street residence. While officers were outside taking Johnson into custody, Johnson's son entered the home to check for a missing knife and discovered Baier deceased on the kitchen floor. Emergency medical personnel pronounced her dead at the scene. A subsequent examination revealed she died from multiple severe stab wounds to her abdomen.
Aftermath
Following his arrest outside the residence on December 22, 2025, Leonard Johnson Jr. was transported to Police Headquarters. Investigators reported that Johnson gave conflicting statements, initially admitting to the homicide of Baier before later denying it and claiming both victims had been arguing over him earlier that morning.
The Jackson County Prosecutor's Office officially charged Johnson with one count of Second-Degree Murder, one count of First-Degree Assault, and two counts of Armed Criminal Action. He remains held in Jackson County custody on a $500,000 cash-only bond. A Celebration of Life service honoring Sherrie Baier was held by her family on January 9, 2026, at Muehlebach Funeral Care in Kansas City.
Prevention context
This case underscores severe, long-standing systemic warning signs and patterns of escalating domestic abuse:
• Intimate Partner Violence History: Family members noted a continuous, 20-year history of violence and assault by Johnson toward Baier, which persisted through periods of his incarceration.
• Criminal Justice History: Johnson was documented by law enforcement as a habitual and persistent offender with past contacts involving arson and weapons violations, presenting a continuous threat of lethal violence.
• Substance Abuse Intervention: The suspect’s alleged acute usage of PCP immediately surrounding the violent episodes indicates that intersections of heavy substance abuse and severe violent history are critical points for emergency intervention failures.
Family interviews and memorial voices
When families choose to speak, their words help preserve memory, context, and the human reality behind the public record.
Family interview
Man charged with murder, assault after domestic violence incident
Man charged with murder, assault after domestic violence incident
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