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.
Case Study
According to police, the defendant stabbed his niece and her two daughters, ages 4 and 6, during the early morning hours on November 4. The 6-year-old succumbed to her injuries while her mother and sister were severely wounded.
The defendant even went so far as to try and set the mother on fire while inside her vehicle. Police discovered the 4-year-old wandering through a field in the Wichita area.
In March 2016, Wright left prison on parole as a registered sex offender after serving over a decade for sexually assaulting a Wichita woman in her apartment in 2005. That 2005 conviction came just 11 months after his release for a 1989 second-degree murder charge in which prosecutors accused Wright of fatally shooting a teenager outside of a restaurant in Kansas City, Kansas.
Both the victim’s family and community members alike questioned why a man with Wright’s violent past was even allowed to set foot outside of prison after his second conviction for violent crimes. Under Kansas’s sentencing guidelines, penalties become more and more severe depending on the defendant’s criminal background.
Additionally, judges have discretion as to how they use the sentencing guidelines in terms of sentencing and whether or not to allow an individual to avoid jail time altogether and go on probation. While judges must weigh the individual defendant’s crimes and criminal history to determine the appropriate punishment, stories like this can influence judges and prosecutors come sentencing.
For that reason and many others, defendants should retain an experienced Overland Park criminal defense attorney to help ensure they receive a fair and impartial trial and sentencing hearing. Often times, individuals who could otherwise be released back to their families spend more time than they should due to the bad acts of others like the defendant in this case.
Olathe criminal defense attorney
If you or a loved one was charged with a crime, contact our office for a consultation about your case. The Morrison Law Firm represents clients throughout Kansas including Olathe, Overland Park, and Johnson County. Call today (913)780-6666.
