New details have emerged from court documents regarding the tragic incident that occurred on the night after Christmas, resulting in the death of a woman in her apartment.
At approximately 10:45 p.m. on December 25, 2024, the Kansas City Police Department received their first dispatch call to the Forest Ridge Villas apartment complex.
A 16-year-old resident of one of the apartments, along with her mother, 42-year-old Tiffany Chrisman, and her mother’s boyfriend, Eddie Covington Jr., made a distress call, as stated in the probable cause statement.
Chrisman worked as a property manager at the apartment complex.
According to the teen, she reported to the police that she could hear what appeared to be a physical altercation taking place between her mother and Covington in one of the rooms of the apartment.
According to reports, when she returned to check on her mother, Covington abruptly shut the door and locked it. In the midst of the chaos, she could hear her mother shouting for her to run. Without hesitation, she quickly exited the apartment and immediately reached out to her father, who resides in Des Moines, Iowa, seeking assistance.
The officers stated that they visited the apartment to check on Chrisman and Covington, but received no response. As they could not establish evidence of a crime, they were unable to enter the apartment. Consequently, they escorted the teenager to her aunt’s residence.
Shortly after, the apartment manager at Forest Ridge reported to the police that a blue Mazda 5, one of the complex’s vehicles, had gone missing. Fortunately, the car was equipped with GPS tracking, allowing the manager to provide the police with its location. The authorities swiftly tracked down the vehicle near I-29 and NW 64th Street in Platte County, Missouri.
When the officers turned on their emergency lights and sirens to pull over the car, the driver, who police noticed was a Black male, refused to stop. He led the chase into North Kansas City, where officers tried to end the pursuit by deploying stop sticks. However, their attempts were unsuccessful, and they eventually decided to call off the chase.
The apartment manager quickly notified the police about the location of the car, which was stopped at Russell Road and North Cherry Street in Clay County, Missouri. Upon reaching the scene, the officers discovered Covington hiding behind a dumpster, approximately 90 feet away from the stolen vehicle. Subsequently, he was apprehended and taken to KCPD’s metro patrol detention center, where he faced charges for his actions.
The doctors pronounced her dead at 4:48 a.m. on December 26th.
After discovering that Covington had been released from custody on a signature bond, law enforcement officers actively pursued him and promptly apprehended him once again on an investigative arrest for the charge of murder.
Covington is now facing charges of second-degree murder and armed criminal action in Jackson County. Additionally, he is also being charged with aggravated fleeing a stop/detention and tampering with a motor vehicle in Clay County. These two counties are collaborating in their ongoing investigation of the incident.
Covington remains in Clay County custody and is expected to appear in court on January 7th at 9 a.m.
The family of Tiffany Chrisman has released the following statement:
“We are devastated by the loss we have suffered. These past few days have been incredibly difficult, and we are still trying to come to terms with it. Tiffany was a remarkable individual with a kind heart, a radiant smile, an infectious laughter, and a selfless spirit. She would go to great lengths to assist her family, friends, and even strangers in need.
She found immense joy in her career as a property manager because it allowed her to provide people with a sense of home. We will forever miss her presence in our lives. We would like to express our gratitude to the Kansas City Police for their unwavering dedication and thorough investigation into her death. Their relentless efforts in apprehending the person responsible for this tragedy have not gone unnoticed. Now, we can only hope that the justice system will serve Tiffany’s memory well.”
