Man convicted of 1988 fire that killed 6 KCFD firefighters granted release
Feb. 27,2026 Fox4 News by: Dillon Seckington
KANSAS CITY, Mo. — A man sentenced to life in prison for killing six Kansas City Fire Department (KCFD) firefighters more than three decades ago will soon be released.
Court records show that Richard Brown, one of five convicted in the case, was granted compassionate release on Friday, Feb. 27, and will now serve five years of supervised release. He was convicted back in 1997, spending the past 29 years in prison.
Brown’s 1997 conviction stemmed from his involvement in a 1988 fire that ultimately led to the deaths of the firefighters.
Court records show that those firefighters were fighting two fires at a highway construction site at 71 Highway and 87th Street in Kansas City, Missouri. An aluminum storage trailer holding 25,000 pounds of explosives was on fire and exploded, killing all six firefighters at the scene. A second trailer with 30,000 pounds of explosives also exploded at the scene.
Five suspects, Brown, Darlene Edwards, Earl Sheppard, Bryan Sheppard and Frank Sheppard were indicted eight years later in 1997. They were all convicted of the capital offense of aiding and abetting an act of arson.
Those court records also show that in his motion for compassionate release, Brown argued the following “extraordinary and compelling” reasons to justify his release:
- Young age at the time of offense
- Need to care for aging and ill parent
- Record of rehabilitation
Those “extraordinary and compelling” reasons are an exception to the finality of a sentence, records say.
The court found those reasons legitimate enough for Brown’s release through Brown’s youth and immaturity at the time, his need to take care of his mother, who is in bad health and his rehabilitation, including his getting a GED, completing over a dozen courses and a clean disciplinary record.
