17-year-old is seventh person charged in fatal shooting during drug deal in Olathe park

A seventh teenager has been charged in Johnson County juvenile court in the killing of 19-year-old Marco Cardino in Black Bob Park in Olathe, according to court documents.

The 17-year-old Kansas City resident was charged in late July with first-degree felony murder in the fatal shooting of Cardino, of Smithville, on May 14. The teen appeared in court Monday and pleaded not guilty.

The teen’s attorney could not be reached for comment.

Six other teens, four 14-year-olds and two 13-year-olds, have also been charged with felony murder in juvenile court in the case. The six teens allegedly lured Cardino to the park with the plan to rob him during a marijuana deal, according to court documents.

The teens are not being identified because they are minors. All of the teens previously had pleaded not guilty. However, one of the 14-year-old defendants pleaded guilty in July to intentional second-degree murder and is scheduled to be sentenced on Sept. 14. A second 14-year-old is scheduled for a plea hearing on Aug. 24.

The alleged role of the newest defendant in the killing is not made clear in court documents. Under Kansas law, murder charges can be filed against a person committing a felony that led to the killing of a person. In the new case, the underlying alleged offense is distribution of a controlled substance.

At the time the charges were filed against the four 14-year-olds, the district filed motions to charge all of them as adults. A hearing on that motion for one of the teens is scheduled for Aug. 25. A similar hearing is scheduled for Nov. 1 for another teen.

The district attorney has also filed a motion to charge the 17-year-old as an adult. The two 13-year-olds will not be tried as an adult because of their age.