Six months after fatal eviction attempt, new homeowner sues accused killer Larry Acree

More than six months after an Independence man allegedly fatally shot a police officer and a court worker during an attempted eviction from the home he rented, the owners of that home are suing him over damages.

Larry Acree, 70, has been charged with fatally shooting Independence police officer Cody Allen and Jackson County civil process server Drexel Mack on Feb. 29. Two other Independence police officers were also injured in the shooting.

The lawsuit was filed Aug. 6 in Jackson County Court by Craig Fedynich, who purchased Acree’s former house at the beginning of February with his wife. Along with Mack, he was one of three people who arrived at Acree’s home at 1111 N. Elsea Smith Road to carry out the eviction on the morning of Feb. 29.

After Mack knocked on Acree’s door and a contractor broke his lock, gunfire came from inside Acree’s home, killing Mack, according to court documents. Three Independence police officers responded to the shooting and exchanged gunfire with Acree, during which Allen was fatally shot before Acree was taken into custody.

Craig Fedynich witnessed the shooting from the end of the driveway, according to the lawsuit. He was also responsible for placing a 911 call after the shooting.

A Jackson County grand jury indicted Acree on 18 felony counts in March, including two counts of first-degree murder. Prosecutors announced in May that they were seeking the death penalty. Acree was assigned a new public defender in July.

Fedynich and his wife Julie purchased the Independence home at auction on Aug. 14, 2023, according to court documents. The sale was finalized on Nov. 20, and a deed for the property was issued to Fedynich on Feb. 1, four weeks before the fatal shooting.

Attorneys for Fedynich estimated that Acree caused upward of $25,000 in damages to the home, according to the lawsuit, including broken windows and doors, bullet holes, damaged flooring and several dead animals in various states of decay on site.

According to the lawsuit, Fedynich was traumatized by his experience of the shooting.

The lawsuit also alleged that Acree had been delinquent on property taxes for three years at the time the house went to auction.

Fedynich will first appear in court on Jan. 8, 2025 at 8 a.m. for a conference hearing.

Previous reporting by The Star’s Kendrick Calfee and Nathan Pilling, Robert A. Cronkleton and Katie Moore was used in this article.