Judge dismisses mother's lawsuit over fatal stabbing of her son at Kansas middle school

A Jackson County judge on Tuesday dismissed a wrongful death lawsuit against Kansas City Public Schools, ruling that the school district was not at fault in the killing of a 14-year-old on school grounds in 2022.

Manuel “Manny” J. Guzman was fatally stabbed by a classmate in a Northeast Middle School restroom on April 12, 2022.

Police responded to the school, located at 4904 Independence Avenue in the South Indian Mound neighborhood of Kansas City, around 9 a.m. that same day after reports of a cut. Guzman was pronounced dead at a local hospital around 8 p.m., while a fellow student was arrested the same day. The student was not identified because he was a minor.

The youth was initially charged with premeditated murder, criminal conduct and illegal use of weapons.

In April 2023, the then 15-year-old youth pleaded guilty to manslaughter. The original charges were dropped as part of his guilty plea and he was not charged as an adult.

After the teenager was charged, Guzman's mother, Vicenta Guzman, said she was disappointed with the way the prosecution handled the case.

Vicenta Guzman filed her lawsuit against Kansas City Public Schools in October 2023, claiming that the school district was negligent in allowing the murder weapon – a small knife – to be brought onto school grounds.

The lawsuit also pointed to “obvious blind spots,” including “dangerously defective metal detectors” that school officials allegedly knew about before Guzman's death. In addition to the metal detectors, Northeast Middle School students were required to carry clear backpacks that are routinely searched.

According to court records, the school district first filed a motion to dismiss the lawsuit in January.

Jackson County District Judge J. Dale Youngs ruled Wednesday that the lawsuit should be dismissed and ordered Vicenta Guzman to pay court costs.

Guzman's death sparked widespread outrage and led to numerous protests, including a school walkout by his former classmates. Six friends and family members told The Star in 2022 that Guzman and the boy accused of murder had clashed several times in the past, culminating in a widely publicized brawl that Guzman allegedly won.

Former KCPD Superintendent Mark Bedell said last year that the killing, which he described as “devastating,” prompted the school district to review its safety policies.

This article used reporting by Bill Lukitsch, Sarah Ritter and Aarón Torres of the Star.