photo by: Kansas Department of Corrections

Anthony Michael Royal

A man was charged Tuesday in Douglas County District Court with second-degree murder in connection with a fatal car crash in April.

The man, Anthony Michael Royal, 55, of Lawrence, faces one felony count of second-degree murder — unintentional but reckless; one misdemeanor count of driving without a required interlock device; and a citation for failure to yield at a stop sign, according to charging documents. The documents also list an alternative of felony involuntary manslaughter to the murder charge.

The charges relate to a car accident on April 8 when John Thomas Kirby, 71, of Lawrence was killed.

As previously reported by the Journal-World, the accident occurred at 6:43 p.m. when Royal allegedly attempted to exit Kansas Highway 10 at the Bob Billings Parkway ramp in a 2017 Dodge Ram and failed to stop at the stop sign.

Royal’s vehicle collided with a 2017 BMW driven by Kirby, who was killed in the crash. Royal was taken to Stormont Vail in Topeka for treatment of suspected serious injuries, according to the Kansas Highway Patrol.

Royal was arrested by Douglas County sheriff’s deputies Monday evening. He is being held on a $75,000 cash or surety bond. Judge Blake Glover on Tuesday appointed Dakota Loomis to represent Royal, whose next court date is Oct. 25.

Royal was convicted of his third DUI offense in 2019 in Miami County, according to Kansas Department of Corrections records.