Prosecutors have dropped the charges against one of the two teens accused of the murder of Irish chef Shaun Brady in August at the rear of his restaurant in Kansas City, Missouri on August 28.
A spokesperson for the Jackson County Circuit Court confirmed that charges against "L.M." have been dropped and there are no pending hearings.
According to the Kansas City Star, L.M. had been charged with second-degree murder, attempted theft of a motor vehicle, and armed criminal action.
The second teen, identified as "K.H.", remains in custody and will hear later this month if he will be tried as an adult.
A spokesperson for the Kansas City Police Department described the investigation into Brady's killing as "open" and that "detectives will continue to pursue all leads."
Matthew Merryman, the lawyer from the Bates & Merryman Law Firm representing L.M., said on Tuesday that it would be a question for law enforcement as to why it was recommended that L.M. be charged.
"Our law firm has been relentlessly advocating for our client to ensure that this outcome would happen," he told reporters on Tuesday.
"It's a very strong belief that we had from the very beginning - and once we started digging into the case - that this was just an incidence where they got the wrong kid."
Merryman said there was a "gut reaction" to Brady's murder, which drew international attention.
"People raced to affix and to accuse and then to seek judgment," he said.
Merryman added: "If you can imagine, being arrested and being accused of something you didn't do - one - but then being accused of having committed a murder of someone who is a pillar of our community, the shock was just overwhelming.
"What my client and his family had to go through over the past three months has really tested their resolve and their faith."
The Kansas City Police Department confirmed on August 29 that Shaun Brady was the victim of a shooting the previous evening in Kansas City, Missouri.
Police said that a preliminary investigation revealed Shaun was taking out trash when he observed multiple subjects by a vehicle. An interaction between the victim and subjects occurred that led to the victim being shot.
KCPD said that within an hour of the incident, two juvenile male teen subjects were taken into custody pending further investigation in regard to the case.
The vehicle used in the crime was also recovered. The subjects were taken into custody and the vehicle was found a short distance away in Midtown.
KCPD said that the incident was being investigated as a homicide.
Both of the juveniles were charged on August 30.
One of the juveniles was charged with second-degree murder or, in the alternative, felony murder, which is a Class A felony. This juvenile is also charged with the attempted stealing of a motor vehicle, an E felony, and armed criminal action, which is an unclassified offense.
The other juvenile was charged with second-degree murder, which is a Class A Felony, and attempted stealing, a Class E felony.
Shaun, a native of Nenagh in Co Tipperary, opened his restaurant Brady's KC in the Brookside area of Kansas City in 2022. Ahead of his restaurant's opening, Shaun spoke with IrishCentral, where he was emphatic that his restaurant was Irish American, not just Irish.
A popular figure within the local Irish American community, Brady was a fixture at the Kansas City Irish Fest. This year's event, which was hosted just days after his tragic death, featured a special Mass in his memory.
The Board of Directors of the Kansas City Irish Fest also launched a memorial GoFundMe to benefit Shaun's wife and their two young children. The fund, which now has donations disabled, has received more than $191k.
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