Sentencing delayed in fatal car crash

Sentencing for the driver convicted of killing a Lawrence woman in a high-speed police chase in 2003 has been postponed.

Nam Ouk Cho, 21, Lee’s Summit, Mo., was due in Douglas County District Court Tuesday to be sentenced on a count of second-degree murder in the August 2003 death of Judith Vellucci.

He’ll be sentenced on April 1 instead.

Cho struck and killed Vellucci at 31st Street and Nieder Road as he fled from police.

In February, he entered a plea to the murder charge and three drug charges. Douglas County Dist. Atty. Charles Branson’s office agreed to recommend he be given a lightened sentence of 90 months, or about 7 1/2 years in prison, assuming his criminal-history investigation finds no more than one felony in his background.

Courts

Teen charged as adult in KU student’s death

A 17-year-old boy accused of killing a social worker during a home visit last summer will be tried as an adult.

Appearing Monday in the juvenile division of Johnson County District Court, Andrew R. Ellmaker, of Overland Park, agreed not to challenge the transfer of his case.

Later in the day, prosecutors charged him in adult court with first-degree murder, which could result in a life prison sentence.

Ellmaker, who turns 18 Saturday, is charged with the fatal stabbing last August of Teri L. Zenner, 26, a Kansas University graduate student who worked for the Johnson County Mental Health Center.

District Judge Brenda Cameron ruled there was “substantial evidence” to support his prosecution as an adult, including the “aggressive, violent and premeditated manner” of the crime.

Ellmaker’s lawyer, Joe Dioszeghy, said that his client was in need of long-term mental health treatment that would exceed the time he would remain under jurisdiction of the juvenile court system.

Dioszeghy said the defense would probably hinge on Ellmaker’s mental state at the time of the crime.

Election

Campaign donations listed on ljworld.com

Hundreds of people are contributing to efforts supporting and opposing the statewide amendment banning gay marriage in Kansas.

Same-sex marriage donations pour in

Lists of those who contributed as of March 21 are available on the Journal-World’s Web site, www.ljworld.com.

The lists are contained in finance reports filed with the state on Monday.

The constitutional amendment banning same-sex marriage will be on the April 5 ballot.