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Funeral Set For Man Who Died After Beating

2,446 views · Published 11 January 2008 · 1:52 · Indexed 4 November 2026

Channel: KMBC 9 · 2008 · News & Politics

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A 49-year-old Raytown man beaten outside a bar over the holidays has died.

Leonard "Joe" Smith died from injuries he suffered during an assault Dec. 29 at the Moose Lodge in Independence. Smith and his wife had stepped outside for a cigarette. Two girls started fighting, and Smith intervened, police said.

"He's a peacemaker. He just doesn't like arguments, he never wants to hear anybody fight or argue. He would get in the middle, especially with girls," said Eva Taylor, Smith's sister. "He would tackle anything and do anything for anybody, he just was that kind of a guy."

Police said two men then attacked Smith. He was hit with a beer bottle, and police said the assault continued when Smith fell to the ground. He died on Sunday.

Shane Burkhart, 27, and Joseph Stoops, 23, were both charged with first-degree assault.

Prosecutors are waiting on autopsy results before deciding whether to upgrade the charges to murder.

Meanwhile, Taylor said her brother's memory lives on because Smith was an organ donor.

"We know Joe lives on in our hearts, and now he lives on in those who were once strangers, but are now part of our family," Taylor said.

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