Twice-Paroled Man Charged With 17 Counts After Brutal Attack On Family Members
Sedgwick County prosecutors recently levied a total of 17 charges against 47-year-old Hassan Lamont Wright after a brutal attack on his own niece and her two young daughters. The defendant had been out on parole for less than one year prior to the attack, which was only the latest incident in a long history of violence, incarceration, and release.
Feds Decline Criminal Charges In Atchison Grain Elevator Explosion
Five years after a catastrophic explosion at an Atchison grain elevator took the lives of six workers, federal investigators concluded their inquiry deciding not to file criminal charges against the facility’s owner. A state-led investigation already determined the explosion was accidental and caused by the combustion of grain dust at the elevator.
Johnson County Man Arrested For Arson Of Ex-Girlfriend’s Home In Overland Park
A Johnson County man was recently arrested in connection with a blaze that destroyed his ex-girlfriend’s home in Overland Park. Prosecutors charged the man with two counts of arson and one count of violating a protective order and filed a motion revoking his bond over related charges accusing the man of aggravated battery against his ex-girlfriend in a separate incident a few weeks earlier.
Kansas City Man Guilty In Fatal Shooting Of Olathe Rapper
A Johnson County jury recently found a Kansas City man guilty of first-degree murder and assault for the shooting death of an aspiring Olathe rapper outside an Overland Park bar over an altercation in the parking lot. While the defendant, in this case, did not pull the trigger himself, prosecutors nonetheless held him responsible for commanding the shooter, his brother, to do so.
Kansas Court Of Appeals To Rule On “Stand Your Ground” Self Defense
The Kansas Court of Appeals recently heard arguments from state prosecutors on why murder charges should be reinstated against a man they say committed a premeditated attack. A Finney County district judge had already granted the defendant’s immunity from prosecution after he determined the suspect acted in self-defense and that prosecutors could not sufficiently demonstrate the crime was premeditated.
Prosecutors Drop Charges
The Sedgwick County District Attorney’s Office recently dropped a pair of charges against the owner of an infamous Derby exotic dance club, Michelle’s Beach House. While the move is significant for the defendant, the charges were dismissed without prejudice, meaning prosecutors are eligible to refile the case within the five-year statute of limitations for the charges.
2016 Changes To Kansas Theft And Burglary Charges
Recent updates to Kansas’ theft and burglary statutes went into effect on July 1, 2016 which change when and how suspects will be charged with property crimes. The changes are important because many theft and burglary charges are made based on the circumstances of the offense, value of the property allegedly taken, and whether or not the defendant has a criminal background.
Murder Suspect Represents Himself
Shawnee County District Judge Nancy Parrish recently allowed Caleb Kanatzar to dismiss his attorney and represent himself in court despite repeated warnings the legal maneuver could have serious adverse consequences. Kanatzar is charged with intentional second-degree murder for the killing of a Topeka man found dead in his car in the middle of the road during the early morning hours of December 04, 2015.
Teen Murder Suspect to Be Tried as Adult
Authorities recently transferred a 17-year-old murder suspect from juvenile detention to an adult prison to stand trial for the slaying of a Shawnee County man in April. The defendant was only 16 years old at the time he allegedly assisted in the shooting, turning 17 less than three weeks later.
Prosecutors Rest Case Against College Student Accused of Rape on Campus
Prosecutors in Douglas County recently rested their case in the trial against a 20-year-old defendant accused of raping a 19-year-old freshman female classmate at Haskell Indian Nations University. The rape allegedly took place in November 2014 in the defendant’s dorm room with the aid of another former college student whose trial is expected to go on in late July.