KANSAS CITY — A Clay County grand jury Tuesday indicted three men on second-degree murder charges in the beating death of a man who was trying to collect a $45 debt.
Charged were Milton W. Sparks Jr., 28, of Aurora, Mo.; Spencer T. Satterwhite, 25, of Liberty; and Zachary S. Moore, 24, also of Liberty.
The three are accused of beating Aaron L. Mayberry, 26, on Aug. 22, 2010, at a duplex in the 1400 block of La Chateau in Liberty.
Bond for each was set at $1 million.
Mayberry died of asphyxiation, authorities said Tuesday. It took several months to determine the cause of his death.
Authorities said Mayberry went to the duplex and got into an argument over $45 one of the men owed him.
Police were called to the home on a report of a burglary, but they found Mayberry lying face up in the living room. His wrists and ankles were bound with extension cords. His face was covered with blood, and he was unconscious. He was pronounced dead at a hospital.
Witnesses saw three men running from the area, and police later arrested them, court documents said.
Moore’s mother told police she answered Mayberry’s knock at the duplex door. She told officers that she assaulted him because he had forced his way in and threatened to kill her, according to court documents, but police did not believe her. She was held and later released.