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. Gilmour explains what it takes to get ready for a criminal jury trial.
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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 can decide that. Only a jury can. Prosecutor Marc Bennett asked a jurors to do that because a father had betrayed his child’s trust.
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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 spent 10 years in prison for a drug crime. He got out and five years later was convicted of breaking into a business. On probation, he began using drugs again. Judge David Kaufman had to decide if prison was the right place for McGee and his illnesses..
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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.
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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, public defender Lacy Gilmour objected. Judge David Kaufman excused the jury, as happens frequently during trials for legal arguments. The judge had to decide if the jury needed to hear the answer.
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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 of his public defender, Lacy Gilmour, Benson filed a motion to fire her as his lawyer. Gilmour explains the difficulties of contacting clients long distance.
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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, which provides links to various pages to help local residents navigate the court system.
Well, right now there’s one link, which takes you to a page on how to file a small claims lawsuit. These are suits where claims are less than $4,000 and filed by people who don’t have lawyers. This will give you a step-by-step guide on how to file a case and links for other resources, including the documents you need.
As time allows, I’ll add future pages on jury duty, diversion programs and other court processes.
I also will link to other resources around the web I find useful and reliable, so you don’t have to spend time searching them out yourself.
If you have an area or a part of the court system you’d like to see explained here, leave a comment, or send me an e-mail
I’d like to hear from judges, too. What is information you wish people had before they come to your courtroom?
The hope is to make this a resource you can use to help navigate the court system.
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 month, killing one and wounding two others. According to one witness, the shooting didn’t stop Fritz from trying to flirt with her.
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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 abuse and attempted murder plea of Chris Newberry.
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