Missouri Press Association
Serving Missouri Newspapers Since 1867
Ruslan Huseynov has been charged with four felonies related to the death of Dennis Sharkey, Liberty, a reporter killed near the intersection of southbound Interstate 29 at Northwest 72nd Street on Jan. 10.
Sharkey was the sports writer for the Platte County Citizen, a Northland community newspaper.
According to Platte County Prosecutor Eric Zahnd, investigators identified Huseynov as a suspect using witness accounts, surveillance footage and cellphone data.
Cellphone data placed both Sharkey’s and Huseynov’s phones near the location at the time of the shooting. Huseynov’s was later tracked traveling south on I-29, matching the timeline and geography of the incident.
Per the warrant, Huseynov has been charged with second degree murder, two counts of armed criminal action and unlawful use of a weapon.
His first court appearance was June 12. Huseynov appeared via video and with an Azerbaijani interpreter via language line. The court entered a plea of not guilty on the defendant’s behalf. The defendant is referred to the services of the public defender.
Sharkey was killed on the day after his 50th birthday. He had worked at several newspapers in Kansas and Missouri, including the Mound City News and Mexico Ledger.
This report is based on information originally published in the June 19 edition of the Courier-Tribune, Liberty. It is reprinted with permission and edited slightly for length. Additional information included based on prior Missouri Press News reporting.
