The moment the white van drove away, Dr. Emily Riegel, knew she had lost her husband, Tom Pickert.
In 2017, Kansas City lawyer Tom Pickert was shot and killed outside his home. David Jungerman, a local millionaire, was later charged and convicted of his murder.
Prior to his death, Pickert represented plaintiffs in a civil suit against Jungerman for personal injuries suffered after Jungerman shot them. Pickert obtained a $5.75 million dollar verdict in favor of his clients. After the judgment was entered, Pickert began the process to collect the award.
Days later, on October 25, 2017, Pickert returning home from walking his children to school, was just outside of his Brookside home, when he was shot to death. Pickert’s wife, Dr. Riegel, hearing the shots rushed outside to her husband, where she saw the white van drive away.
On April 11, 2018, Jackson County Prosecutors charged Jungerman with first degree murder for the brutal killing. Tim Dollar was selected as the lead trial attorney to pursue justice for Pickerts family and the community.
After years of litigation and work, the case was finally tried by a jury. Over two weeks, Dollar and his team meticulously presented the jury with evidence establishing Jungerman calculated, planned, and executed Pickert in cold blood. Part of the evidence the prosecution presented was an audio recording of Jungerman discussing the case where he stated, “ When I think about it, I grin. That (expletive) has caused me a lot of problems …..”. The evidence also included a video of Jungerman’s white van traveling to and from the scene of the crime, and that Judgerman owned weapons consistent with the weapon used.
The jury found Jungerman guilty of first-degree murder and armed criminal action.
Dollar was honored to lead the team that worked tirelessly to seek justice for Pickert, his family, and our community, stating “After all these years, we are very, very thankful that the jury has spoken and that justice has finally been brought to this family,”