Posted: Jul 30, 2026 2:52 PMUpdated: Jul 30, 2026 2:52 PMNathan ThompsonAn Independence, Kansas man has been sentenced to more than 44 years in prison for the 2020 killings of two men whose bodies were found inside a crashed vehicle. 24-year-old James Gofourth was sentenced last week after entering a no contest plea in April to two counts of second-degree murder and one count of aggravated battery. A no contest plea allows a defendant to accept punishment without admitting guilt. Prosecutors say Gofourth was 18 years old when he shot and killed 27-year-old Tyler Cook and 24-year-old Rodricus Dawson on Oct. 16, 2020. Authorities say Cook and Dawson were found dead inside a vehicle after it crashed into an apartment building on North Pennsylvania Avenue in Independence.