photo by: Mugshot courtesy of the Kansas Department of Corrections

Major Cornelious Edwards is pictured with the Douglas County Judicial and Law Enforcement Center.

A Lawrence man who was paroled in 2022 in a well-known voluntary manslaughter case has been deemed fit to stand trial in a new sexual battery case.

The man, Major Cornelious Edwards, 44, was convicted in 2010 of voluntary manslaughter in connection with the shooting death of Lawrence hip-hop artist Anthony “Clacc” Vital, 28, on Oct. 14, 2006.

Edwards is now facing one felony count of aggravated sexual battery in Douglas County District Court in connection with an incident on June 10, 2023, involving an 18-year-old woman.

Edwards was ordered to stand trial on the charge after a preliminary hearing on Aug. 14, 2023. At that hearing the court ordered a competency evaluation for Edwards. Over the next two months he was found competent, but then received another evaluation that deemed him incompetent, according to court records. He then asked to be allowed to represent himself, a motion the court denied.

On Thursday, Edwards appeared in court, having returned from Osawatomie State Hospital, where he was treated and his competency was restored. His attorney, Cooper Overstreet, and the state, represented by Samantha Foster, accepted the evaluation report from Feb. 21 from the hospital declaring Edwards fit for trial.

Judge Stacey Donovan set a trial date for Aug. 26.

Besides the voluntary manslaughter conviction, Edwards has additional felony convictions for drug distribution in 2001 in Douglas County and battery on a corrections officer in 2015 in Pawnee County, Kansas. He was also convicted in 2008 in the U.S. District Court of Kansas for being a felon in possession of a firearm.