Trial date set for Independence man accused of shooting cop, court worker during eviction

A judge has set a 2026 trial date for Larry Acree, the Independence man accused of fatally shooting a police officer and a court worker during an eviction at his home earlier this year.

Defense attorneys had asked Judge Megan Benton to delay the proceedings in Acree’s case while he had a “number of surgeries.”

Acree, 70, was not present at the hearing on the matter at the Eastern Jackson County Courthouse in Independence Tuesday afternoon.

Attorney Charles Moreland pushed the judge to hold off on setting a trial date, and privately conferred with her and other attorneys during the hearing. He did not elaborate further publicly, and a motion filed with the court by Acree’s attorneys has “several” medical conditions redacted.

The attorneys wrote in their motion the treatment was “constitutionally mandated” and needed so he could assist in his defense and participate in court proceedings. Moreland said Acree’s defense team planned to proceed with their efforts during the proposed delay, and emphasized the amount of work that would be needed to prepare for a capital case.

Assistant prosecuting attorney Jeremy Baldwin asked Benton to set a trial date to give loved ones of Jackson County civil process server Drexel Mack and Independence police officer Cody Allen, who were fatally shot Feb. 29, a date to anticipate.

“A stay is a dramatic request when we know this will take time to get to trial,” Baldwin said.

Moreland countered the capital case would require additional time and work, and said setting a trial date now would set up family and friends following the case to be disappointed if it didn’t proceed as planned. He asked Benton to delay proceedings for a couple months to allow for Acree’s surgeries.

“This is unfair to the family and colleagues that are here in support,” he said, referencing a group of people gathered in the courtroom.

Benton declined to delay the proceedings, however, and set the trial for July 6, 2026 through Aug. 10, 2026. Attorneys estimated the trial would take four to six weeks.

After Benton denied the stay request, Moreland said he planned to submit a brief to the court outlining the extensive amount of work needed to prepare for a capital trial.

Acree faces a pair of first-degree murder charges and a swath of other charges for the shooting in February. Acree lost his home in Independence over back taxes, court records show, which led to the eviction proceedings during which Acree allegedly fatally shot Mack and Allen.