Prosecutors to seek death penalty for man charged with killing 5 people in Kansas City

KANSAS CITY, Mo. – Authorities will seek the death penalty against a man charged with killing five people in a quiet south Kansas City neighborhood.

Jackson County Prosecutor Jean Peters Baker announced the decision in a news release Friday. Brandon Howell is charged with five counts of first-degree murder in the September 2014 killings.

Prosecutors allege Howell beat an 86-year-old woman and her 80-year-old husband before fatally shooting three others outside their homes.

Howell was arrested hours later. Prosecutors said he had fled in the couple's SUV. The couple initially survived but died after being taken off life support.

Michael Barrett, the director of Missouri's Public Defender System, didn't immediately return an email from The Associated Press seeking comment.