WRITER: Kim Callahan

After numerous delays, May 2026 trial date set for defendant accused of murdering 2 men and attempting to kill multiple officers

A Lawrence man accused of murdering two men and attempting to kill multiple law enforcement officers will now stand trial in May 2026 — nearly four years after the date of the alleged crimes. Judge Amy Hanley, saying that she was "acutely aware" of how long Rodney Marshall's case had been pending, nevertheless noted that such delays weren't uncommon in a justice system that cautiously moves at the pace of a ...

Lawrence school district asks judge to halt civil lawsuit until criminal sex abuse case against speech pathologist has concluded

The Lawrence school district is asking a judge to delay a civil lawsuit against it relating to alleged child sexual abuse by one of its former employees. In a motion filed late last week, the school district asked Douglas County Judge Catherine Theisen to stay the civil proceedings until a pending criminal case against speech pathologist Mark Gridley "is concluded by acquittal, sentencing or plea" — a process ...

Sentencing likely to be delayed after convicted murderer refuses to attend a hearing

A convicted murderer refused to appear for a court hearing Thursday, resulting in a probable delay in his sentencing and certain disappointment for relatives of the victim, who would have turned 41 Friday had he not been gunned down last year in front of the Lawrence Public Library. Nicholas Beaver was convicted by a jury of first-degree murder in the March 6, 2024, shooting of Vincent Lee Walker, 39. On ...

Affidavit: Shelter resident charged with fatally stabbing woman was found with knife and blood-stained clothes but blamed others

The Lawrence Community Shelter resident accused of fatally stabbing a Lawrence woman last month also reported her death but blamed others for the killing, according to his recently released arrest affidavit. Aaron Blake Wright, 63, is facing second-degree murder charges in the death of 35-year-old Jina Reyes-Woehler, a member of the Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe and mother of two whose body was found Aug. 29 ...

Man accused of shooting drug dealer in leg gets 32-month sentence, suspended to probation

A man who shot another man in the leg during a botched drug deal last year was granted probation Friday in Douglas County District Court after a judge suspended his 32-month prison sentence. Cameron Jay Cooper, who was 18 at the time, was accused of shooting a 26-year-old Iowa man twice in the leg on Nov. 11, 2024, at the Easy Living mobile home park in Lawrence. In August, he was found guilty of reckless ...

Police assist remaining campers out of Burcham Park ahead of 2nd homeless camp cleanup this week

One city worker estimated on Wednesday morning that it would take 30 dumptruck loads to clear a single encampment at Burcham Park. The large area of makeshift dwellings had the day before been home to half a dozen people, some of whom had lived there for years in a grove of towering cottonwood trees and accumulated objects, including an assortment of signs saying "KEEP OUT!" and "BEWARE OF DOG." On ...