What the Judge Ate for Breakfast
"Inside the courts of Wichita, Kan."
Author: Ron Sylvester is an investigative and courts reporter at the Wichita Eagle.
Blawg Related Categories: Criminal Justice • Judiciary • Trials & Litigation • States • Kansas • Legal News Publication
Recent Posts from What the Judge Ate for Breakfast
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Common Law: Preparing for trial
Public defender Lacy Gilmour expects one of her cases to go to trial next week. Her client is accused of stealing money from an elderly woman. He said she loaned him the money for school.…
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Common Law: A father’s trust betrayed
He had sex with her on Mother’s Day and after her best friend’s birthday. She was 14 years old. He was her father. Did he deserve a harsher sentence because of that relationship? No judge…
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Common Law: Will prison help an addict?
If mental illness seems like a recurring theme here, that’s because it often surfaces in our courts. A majority of Kansas prison inmates suffer from a mental disorder. Mark McGee was one of them. He…
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Common Law: A quick verdict of ‘not guilty’
Public defender Lacy Gilmour compares her case to that of the prosecution in a recent theft trial before Judge Kaufman, and how it won an acquittal for her client. (Watch video after the jump)
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Common Law: Outside the jury’s presence
Beverly Mitchell went to trial this week accused of stealing an expensive piece of equipment from his former employer. But when the prosecutor asked the company’s human resources director why Mitchell no longer worked there,…
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Common Law: Youthful squabble nets felony
Dominique Willis, 18, got into an argument over $10. Willis punched another young man and took the money. He was charged with aggravated robbery and faced four years in prison, unless a judge departed from…
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Common Law: In a jail far away
Ryan Benson was in jail awaiting his day in court in Sedgwick County. But because of crowding in the local jail, he was being held in Ottawa County. After trying unsuccessfully to get a hold…
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Want to sue someone? Here’s how
Today we’re launching a new feature on this site to help guide people through the sometimes daunting halls of justice. If you click the “Court Guides” tab above, it will take you to this page,…
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Common Law: Seeking reason in violence
Lacy Gilmour drew a murder case this week and explained what she looks for in defending a crime of violence. Her client: Frederick Fritz, accused of a shooting spree inside a west Wichita apartment last…
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Common Law 27: A plea bargain for victims
People often look at plea bargains as a deal given to the defendant. But it also helps those harmed by crimes. Prosecutor Marc Bennett said that’s an ultimate goal in cases such as the sex…