Category Archives: Trial coverage

Defense: Stories conflict too much to convict 18-year-old

July 29, 20087:25 p.m.

Kamaronte Jones’ public defender said today that the scene at a Wichita party last August was too chaotic to yield enough evidence to convict the 18-year-old of murder.

Sedgwick County public defender Mark Orr told jurors this morning that witnesses called into court this week will tell too many differing stories to find Jones guilty of first-degree murder.

But C.J. Rieg said that while party-goers scattered after seeing Keith Fritter Peters fatally shot just after midnight on Aug. 26, enough stuck around to give police a detailed description of the shooter. Enough details, Rieg said, to prove premeditation.

Following are excerpts from the opening statements Rieg and Orr gave to the jury this morning:

For the state:

For the defense:

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Evidence begins begins Tuesday in murder trial for 18-year-old

July 28, 20088:32 p.m.

Opening statements are set for 9 a.m. Tuesday in the murder trial of Kamaronte Jones.

Jones was 17 at the time he was accused of killing Keith “Fritter” Peters, 18, on Aug. 26, 2007, during a party in the 1600 block of East Fortuna. Police said Peters was shot to death when he tried to break up a fight.

The Fritter Foundation was established in Peters’ honor help steer young people to an alternative to street gangs.

Assistant Sedgwick County District Attorney C.J. Rieg is prosecuting. Public defender Mark Orr represents Jones, now 18. Ben Burgess is the judge.

A jury was seated today.

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Jury returns guilty verdict in Riener case

July 23, 20083:10 p.m.

A jury this morning convicted Scott Riener of attacking and injuring two police officers.

Testimony at Riener’s trial this week showed that he clotheslined a police officer who had chased him down by car, then by foot. The officer received 12 stitches. He had other medical complications from the injury after he was released from the hospital. Another police officer had earlier been dragged about 50 feet, when he had reached into the car during a traffic stop and Riener sped away.

The 6-foot-7 Riener had skipped out on parole a half dozen times. Because of his criminal history, he could be looking at a lengthy sentence when he returns Aug. 21 before Judge Rebecca Pilshaw.

The question is, when will Riener be up for parole next?

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Repeat parole violator faces trial in dragging, beating of police

July 18, 20086:46 p.m.

RienerUpdated: The jury is set to get the case this afternoon.

A man set for trial next week had skipped out on his parole five days before police reported pulling him over in a traffic stop on June 27, 2007. Apparently to avoid detection, Scott Riener, 40, gave officers the name of his brother as his own, police said.

Problem was, Riener’s brother had a warrant for his arrest.

When confronted with his brothers’ warrant, police said Riener drove off, dragging an officer, who had reached into the car, about 50 feet. Another officer gave chase north on Broadway, then west on Morris before Riener’s car hit a curb. The officer chased Riener and became involved in a lengthy fight before finally arresting him. Police said both officers required treatment at a local hospital.

Riener, listed in prison records as 6 feet, 7 inches tall and weighing 230 pounds, has pleaded not guilty to aggravated battery of an officer. He had been on parole six times in the past 15 years. He’d stopped reporting to his parole officer four times.

Wichita lawyer Mark Schoenhofer, a candidate for district attorney, represents Riener. Deputy District Attorney Kevin O’Connor is prosecuting.

The trial began Monday before Judge Rebecca Pilshaw.

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Live coverage of McCullough murder trial here

July 10, 20083:51 p.m.

I’ve been filing live updates from Cherish’s McCullough’s trial on charges of first-degree murder in a convenience store stabbing last summer.

You can follow updates in the feed in the left hand margin of this page, or by following this page on Twitter.com.

What’s this Twitter thing? It allows you to keep track of your friends, and they keep track of you, very short messages (140 characters or less), including our coverage of notable trials.

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