WRITER: Kim Callahan

'May this tree stand as a visible reminder': Douglas County specialty courts celebrate growth and second chances with planting

A trio of Douglas County judges and others associated with the county's three specialty courts gathered Tuesday to celebrate National Treatment Court Month with a tree planting on the lawn in front of the Judicial and Law Enforcement Center. Tim Shoulderblade, a 2024 graduate of the Drug Court program, told a noontime crowd how the specialty court had made a huge difference in his life, turning him from a path ...

Jurors in double-murder trial hear police-station confession; defense attorney emphasizes client's heavy drug use, 'word vomit'

During Rodney Marshall's police-station confession to fatally shooting two Lawrence men, he took a break to call his mother in California. "It's been a weird week, Mom," he says, in a 2022 video seen by jurors Tuesday at his double-murder trial. "I got into some legal trouble out here in Kansas." He tells his mom he loves her and doesn't want her to have a heart attack. After a stretch of silence on the video ...

Jurors in double murder trial hear defendant's confession, forensic pathologist's explanation of fatal wounds, ballistics report

Hours after two Lawrence men were fatally shot, Rodney Marshall, surrounded by dozens of cops on Kansas Highway 10, confessed to the murders and claimed he had a very "good reason" for the killings. "What a load off," he appears to say on video as he is taken into state custody, where he would remain for the next four years and likely, if convicted, for the rest of his life. As his trial entered its second ...

Cellmate of alleged Hawk shooter hoped for probation after reporting inmates with contraband; judge gives him prison

Joshua Mayo thought that telling on fellow inmates for possessing contraband in the jail might be a substantial and compelling reason to get a lighter sentence for himself — probation instead of prison —  but a Douglas County judge on Monday disagreed and ordered Mayo to 15 months in prison. As the Journal-World reported, Mayo was listed as a witness in the cases of two inmates who've been charged with ...

Teen who took nude photo of special-needs student at Free State High gets maximum sentence

A Lawrence teen who took and shared a nude photo of a special-needs student in a high school bathroom received the maximum possible sentence for his crime — six months of probation — after the victim and his family told a Douglas County judge how the incident had profoundly affected their lives. "I felt scared and embarrassed, and I don't know what to do anymore," the victim, Shawn Danger Collier, told the ...

Judge declares Lawrence man accused of murdering his grandmother incompetent to stand trial

A Lawrence man who has been charged with first-degree murder in the death of his grandmother has been declared incompetent to stand trial. Judge Stacey Donovan on Tuesday ordered Marcus Logan Cassella, 25, to Larned State Hospital and set a new status conference for Aug. 25 in the case. If Cassella can't get a bed at Larned by that date, the court will set a new date. Inmates frequently have to wait months for ...