Jackson County prosecutor Jim Kanatzar announced yesterday afternoon that Marlan Epps, 18, and JaNae Haygood, 21, the Kansas City, Kan., residents suspected of murdering former KU student Brandon Fauntleroy-McDowel, have both been charged with second degree murder, first degree robbery and two counts each of armed criminal action.

According to the prosecutor’s office, the two could face up to four life sentences if found guilty.

Epps turned himself into the Kansas City Missouri Police Department Sunday and Haygood, whose involvement was previously unknown, turned herself in Monday. Both suspects are expected to make their first appearance in court today.

According to a Kansas City Missouri Police Department press release, on Tuesday evening the police received a call that a black male in his 20s had been shot near 8th and Jefferson streets. The man, who was pronounced dead a short time later, was identified as 25-year-old Brandon Fauntleroy-McDowel. A witness saw the shooting and then a carjacking. The vehicle described matched McDowel’s. The abandoned vehicle was later discovered at about 11 p.m Thursday in Kansas City, Kan.

Darin Snapp, public information officer at the KCPD said McDowel’s 2002 red Chevrolet Tahoe had been torched and the police had to turn the vehicle over to find a readable VIN.

Snapp said a witness saw a man identified as one of the suspects leaving the scene of the crime. Police released a detailed sketch of the male suspect Friday. He said there was a lot of pressure for the man to turn himself in because of the sketch.

In a KCPD statement released yesterday, Haygood said she dropped a man who she knew as “Mug” at 8th and Jefferson near a red Chevrolet Tahoe. After being shown a picture of Epps, Haygood said he looked too young to be the person she dropped off.

However, Haygood said she saw Mug driving the Tahoe when she returned to Kansas City, Kan. She said she followed Mug to the “Motorcycle Club,” where Haygood worked, and they left the vehicle there. Haygood said Mug and her later met up with other people where the vehicle was hidden. Once there, they removed items from the vehicle.

She also said she did not know Mug was going to steal the vehicle when she dropped him off in Kansas City, Mo.

According to the statement, a witness said Haygood told her that after Epps took the vehicle, Haygood followed him back to Kansas City, Kan., to dispose of the vehicle. The witness said she saw Haygood steal McDowel’s laptop and CDs out of his vehicle.

The witness also said Haygood told her that she had a gun during the robbery and that Epps had told her multiple times that he had shot McDowel in the leg but that he did not mean to kill him. The witness said Epps told her McDowel’s vehicle needed to be burned because he had shot McDowel.

Terry Riley, a family friend of McDowel’s and a member of the Kansas City, Mo., City Council, said McDowel’s death was a shock to everyone who knew McDowel.

“Why would you have to kill someone to take their car?” Riley said. “You can look at this thing a thousand different ways and you still say, ‘Why?’ Why did it have to happen like this?”

Riley said people had fond memories of McDowel. He said he was friendly, upbeat and very respectful as well as a good listener. He was also involved in many activities, such as his church.

Riley said the people suspected of murdering McDowel didn’t understand that McDowel’s family, as well as the suspects’ families, will suffer because of their actions.

“This is a cycle and it needs to be broken and there are answers to everything out here other than violence,” Riley said.

Riley said he was unsure why McDowel transferred from the University to UMKC, but said it was probably for financial reasons. He said McDowel’s parents lived in Kansas City, Mo., and because of it McDowel had to pay out-of-state tuition to attend the University of Kansas.

Riley said McDowel was supposed to graduate with a master’s degree from UMKC in May and had plans to attend law school next fall.

Riley said his wife and McDowel’s mother were friends and he and McDowel were members of the same fraternity, Alpha Phi Alpha, at UMKC though they did not attend the college at the same time.

McDowel’s funeral was held Saturday. A prayer vigil originally scheduled at the scene of the crime has been post-poned at the McDowel family’s request.

­—Edited by Nick Mangiaracina