Missouri man pleads guilty to buying gun used in Kansas JCC shooting

Marcy Oster

(JTA) — A Missouri man admitted that he purchased the shotgun used in a 2014 attack on two Kansas City Jewish facilities.

John Mark Reidle, 48, said he purchased the weapon from a Walmart store in Missouri on behalf of the killer, a former Ku Klux Klan grand dragon named Frazier Glenn Miller. Reidle claimed on the federal background check form that he was buying the gun for himself.

Miller, who is also known as Frazier Glenn Cross, had asked Reidle to fill out the form for him, claiming he did not have identification with him at the time of the purchase. Miller was a convicted felon who was therefore unable to lawfully purchase a firearm, according to the Associated Press.

As part of a plea agreement, Miller said the gun was a gift for his son, the Kansas City Star reported, citing the agreement.

Four days after the purchase, Miller killed three people outside two Jewish facilities in Overland Park, Kan., the Jewish Community Center and an assisted-living facility. None of the victims were Jewish, but Miller assumed they were when he shot them. He was found guilty of capital murder on Aug. 31.

In September, a jury recommended the death penalty for Miller, who said in an interview: “I wanted to make damned sure I killed some Jews or attacked the Jews before I died.”

Reidle’s plea agreement was accepted last week. He faces up to 10 years in prison.

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