OVERLAND PARK, Kan. — A Kansas City comedian will spend the next 23 years in prison for shooting a man to death at an Overland Park Apartment complex two years ago.
Mike Smith was convicted of voluntary manslaughter in the death of 28-year-old Anthony Shuster. According to Shuster’s family, Shuster was one of Smith’s clients at his barber shop.
Smith’s biography on the barber shop website described him as “a far cry from the man he used to be.” The bio described how he spent several years in prison in the late 1990s on drug and robbery charges.
When first-degree murder charges were first filed against Smith in February 2017, it sent shock waves through several communities. Prosecutors later dismissed those charges and amended them to voluntary manslaughter in February 2019.
Smith was known for making people laugh on stages across the country, opening for comedians such as Kevin Hart and Dave Chappelle.
The comedian performed the night before the shooting and sold T-shirts to support his cause.
“We’ve known him since he was in his late 20s into his early 40s as a guy who has been nothing but a great dad to his two little boys,” owner of Stanford and Sons Comedy Club Craig Glazer told FOX4 when charges were filed.
According to Glazer, Smith’s children are the only reason he hadn’t moved to Hollywood where he’s sure he could’ve become a household name.
