Man convicted in brutal murders of his two girlfriends, 9 years apart

In this episode of Crime Watch Daily Updates: Two women disappeared nine years apart, and their remains were found in the same area. The victims unfortunately have one more common denominator: Kylr Yust.

Seventeen-year-old Kara Kopetsky lived in the small city of Belton, Missouri, and dated Kylr for about a year. They broke up, but Kylr didn’t necessarily agree. One time, he reportedly kidnapped her. Another time, he supposedly choked her.

Kara’s parents eventually filed for a protective order against Kylr, but it didn’t last long.

Kara was last seen May 4th, 2007. Kylr told police he saw Kara May 3rd and last spoke to her on the phone that night, but records show the two called each other the day she disappeared. Later, numerous witnesses reportedly told police Kylr admitted he choked Kara to death and hid her body in the woods.

He was not charged at the time with her death.

Fast forward nearly a decade, and Kylr is dating 21-year-old Jessica Runions. On September 8th, 2016, Jessica and Kylr went to a house party, and she was never seen alive again. Her parents reported her missing the next day. Then, on September 10th, 2016, police found her car on fire.

Kylr was arrested on September 11th, 2016, in connection with the burning car.

Jessica and Kara’s whereabouts remained unknown, but their families finally received some answers seven months after Jessica went missing.

On April 3rd, 2017, a mushroom hunter found a human skull in a rural part of Cass County, Missouri. The hunter called police, and investigators at the scene soon discovered more remains — including another skull.

Those remains were later positively identified as Kara Kopetsky and Jessica Runions.

Kylr was charged with two counts of murder in October 2017 and pleaded not guilty to the charges. Kylr’s trial was initially scheduled for November 2019, but it kept getting delayed. Plus, Kylr’s half-brother and potential star witness for the prosecution, Jessep Carter, died from apparent suicide in jail in September 2018.

Kylr eventually went to trial in April 2021. Kylr testified that Jessep killed the two women, but that didn’t sway the jury. He was convicted of voluntary manslaughter for Kara’s death and second-degree murder for killing Jessica.

Kylr was sentenced to 15 years for the manslaughter charge and life in prison for second-degree murder, though life in prison in Missouri has a maximum term of 30 years.

His attorneys requested a new trial, but the judge denied the defense attorney’s motion. Court records show his attorneys are appealing the conviction.

Let’s look back at the case in which two young women lost their lives at the hands of one boyfriend.

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