2 Lawrence men charged with raping a woman and sharing photos of her; one charged with battering her with a pellet gun
![](https://ogden_images.s3.amazonaws.com/www.ljworld.com/images/2023/04/03165513/Malachi-Thomas-Leavenworth-470x289.jpg)
photo by: Leavenworth County Detention Center
Malachi Samuel Thomas
Two Lawrence men were charged on Monday with raping a 29-year-old woman and sharing nude images of her. One of the men is also charged with battering her with a pellet gun.
Malachi Samuel Thomas, 23, is charged in Douglas County District Court with one count of rape, one count of aggravated sodomy, one count of aggravated battery with a pellet gun and one count of breach of privacy for disseminating images of the woman in the nude, according to charging documents.
Murphy Theodore, 25, is charged with two counts of rape and one count of breach of privacy of the same woman.
All of the charges are felonies. The incident is alleged to have occurred on or about March 25, according to charging documents.
Thomas first appeared in court on Monday, when Judge Amy Hanley appointed defense attorney Angela Keck to represent him. Hanley then sustained a $200,000 cash or surety bond that had previously been set by another judge after Thomas was arrested Friday. He is scheduled to appear on Wednesday for a scheduling conference. He is currently being held at the Douglas County jail.
Thomas recently pleaded guilty to misdemeanor theft in Leavenworth County on March 15, for taking an Xbox, a television and a Louis Vuitton purse. He is scheduled to be sentenced in Leavenworth for that case on April 19, according to court records.
During Theodore’s first appearance, Hanley sustained a $175,000 cash or surety bond that had been ordered by a previous judge for Theodore after he was arrested Saturday. Hanley appointed attorney Branden Smith to represent Theodore, who will next appear for a scheduling conference on Wednesday. He is also being held at the Douglas County jail.
The Journal-World has requested Theodore’s booking photo from the Douglas County Sheriff’s Office.