Matthew T. Brooks, 35, pleaded guilty to second-degree murder and was sentenced to 15 years in the Missouri Department of Corrections for the September 2023 crash that killed Sharon Ault, 50, in Independence, FOX 4 Kansas City reported. The sentence runs concurrently with a separate 2023 Jackson County burglary case, according to the report.
What the prosecutor alleged
The Jackson County Prosecutor’s Office complaint charged Brooks under a felony-murder theory, alleging that Ault died during his flight from a lawful stop. The filing also alleged that Brooks resisted a lawful stop and committed first-degree motor-vehicle tampering.
The complaint says officers were attempting to stop a Ford F-150 after it was observed without a license plate. Brooks allegedly continued driving, reached speeds above 100 mph and entered the northbound lanes of Little Blue Parkway while traveling south. The truck struck Ault’s Dodge Avenger near Bundschu Road. Police found Brooks injured and trapped behind the wheel; a female passenger who left the scene was later found in brush and treated for minor injuries.
The charging materials identify the truck as a stolen 2012 Ford F-150 and allege that Brooks’ conduct created a substantial risk of serious injury or death. Officers broke a window of Ault’s car while trying to reach her, but she was pronounced dead at the scene.
What policy governed the pursuit?
According to the Independence Police Department’s 2024 Police Pursuit Policy Review, department policy allowed officers to pursue vehicles for misdemeanor and felony violations when they followed the policy, with supervisory oversight during the pursuit. The review also found that 62% of the department’s pursuits were terminated during the nine-year period it analyzed.
Case resolution
Brooks entered the guilty plea in Jackson County Circuit Court, and the additional charges were dismissed, FOX 4 reported. The complaint describes the second-degree murder charge as a Class A felony carrying a possible sentence of 10 to 30 years or life imprisonment. It also states that a person convicted under that provision must serve at least 85 percent of the sentence before becoming eligible for parole.
For broader context, the Missouri Department of Transportation reported that the state recorded 911 traffic deaths in 2025, a 5 percent decline from the prior year. That statewide figure does not specifically measure crashes involving police pursuits or wrong-way driving.
