Some conservatives in Kansas are counting on the issue of capital punishment to oust four state Supreme Court justices. They maintain that those justices were too lenient in dealing with appeals by the Carr brothers. Reginald and Jonathan Carr were tried and convicted on multiple counts, including kidnapping, robbery, rape, capital murder and first-degree murder in a notorious Wichita crime spree in December, 2000. Four Wichita residents were killed and others assaulted and wounded. Reporter Sam Zeff has details on how that case may be a major factor in the upcoming decision on whether to retain the four justices.
Sam Zeff is a reporter for KCUR Radio, a partner with Kansas Public Radio in a statewide collaboration covering elections in Kansas this year.
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(And now... a longer version of the story.)
Kansas Death Penalty Cases Play a Role in Supreme Court Retention Vote
It’s been a half century since Kansas has executed a convicted killer and it’s not much of a political issue in the state. But, as Sam Zeff reports, conservatives are banking on the issue of capital punishment to oust four state Supreme Court justices.