Man charged with first degree murder at El Dorado gas station, out on bond
EL DORADO, Kan. (KAKE) - Last week, Nick Rhodes' 74-year-old uncle Kent Algrim went to a Jump start in El Dorado to top off the tank, when the unthinkable happened.
"He didn't kill just one man. He killed a father, a grandfather, a great-grandfather and uncle, a great uncle," said Rhodes. "With no remorse."
"My uncle called me said, 'hey, been attacked at the gas station. Can you come give me a ride?'"
Rhodes said 23-year-old Ashton McCoy followed Algrim into the busy parking lot and started beating him up for no apparent reason. Police say it was a case of road rage.
After taking his uncle to the hospital to get checked out, it appeared he was just bruised up, so Rhodes went on with his day. But not even an hour later, he got a devastating call.
"Tracy was calling me in tears. My uncle had gone unresponsive and was vomiting," said Rhodes. "They told us that he had a 17-millimeter midline shift, which means the blood in the brain has pooled enough that it's pushed the brain over 17 millimeters. That man stayed there from about one o'clock in the morning until about 9:30 Saturday night when he finally let go."
Police arrested McCoy for aggravated battery and first-degree murder. But it's what happened next, the family said, that left them in shock.
"Prosecutor recommended $100,000 bond. The judge gave him a $50,000 bond and GPS monitoring," Rhodes said. "They're gonna continue to let him walk the streets when he attacked a 74-year-old man unprovoked. The cost is death. It's not right."
Rhodes said the district attorney told him that unless McCoy breaks the rules of his bond, it likely won't be until March of next year before he's back behind bars. He said that while nothing will ever bring his uncle back, he won't rest until justice is served.
"The hope is this kid rots in jail. He never gets to be a father to his child. He doesn't deserve it. And my personal hope is that he makes it to jail. And the convicts do what convicts do," said Rhodes.
The family set up a fundraiser for Children's Mercy in Algrim's honor. If you would like to donate, click here.