photo by: Chris Conde/Journal-World

Kendrick Atkins appears at his sentencing hearing on April 16, 2025, in Douglas County District Court.

A mother on Wednesday tearfully asked a Douglas County judge to sentence the Lawrence man who gave her daughter cocaine and sexually assaulted her to as much prison time as possible.

However, Kendrick Deandre Atkins, 26, received a mitigated sentence of 10 years for one count of criminal sodomy and one count of attempted aggravated indecent liberties with a child, both felonies.

Judge Amy Hanley sentenced Atkins to 89 months for the sodomy charge and 31 months for the attempted indecent liberties charge, for a total of 120 months in prison. Hanley said that after his prison sentence, Atkins would be on parole for the rest of his life and be required to register as a sex offender.

Atkins pleaded no contest to the charges in February as apart of a plea agreement in which the state dismissed one count of rape, two counts of aggravated human trafficking, one count of criminal sodomy and two counts of aggravated indecent liberties with a child, as the Journal-World reported.

If Atkins had been convicted of the human trafficking or rape charge at trial, he could have been — with his criminal history — sentenced to a minimum of 20 years, in accordance with state law.

The mother shared the perspective of her daughter, who was not present Wednesday, with the court.

“Being alone in my home is overwhelming. You assaulted me in my home that night. When it happened, I thought I was going to die. I thought he was going to kill me, but now I realize that didn’t happen,” the mother read from a letter by the girl, who also wanted the maximum for Atkins.

“Not only did he take away my innocence. He took away my self-confidence, my comfort and the value of who I am. There is no amount of time that could make up for what he did. At least he didn’t get to just walk away. At least for the next 10 years I can feel safe,” the mother read.

The mother went on to say how her daughter had changed since the crimes, closing herself off from the world and feeling afraid. The incident has devastated the family physically, emotionally and financially, the mother said.

“Holding the attacker accountable for his actions is just the first step in making the situation better for her and our community. I pray the court give him the maximum allowable sentence possible that we may feel some sense of justice,” the mother said on her own behalf.

Atkins spoke on his own behalf. He said that he had had plenty of time to think about his actions while in jail, that he has changed as a person and that he hopes the next 10 years will help him build a better foundation for his life.

photo by: Chris Conde/Journal-World

Kendrick Atkins appears at his sentencing hearing on April 16, 2025, in Douglas County District Court.

Atkins’ grandmother spoke briefly after being asked to do so multiple times by Atkins. She said that Atkins was not a bad person and that he should not be punished for something he was “misled” into doing.

“It’s not fair,” the grandmother said.

Atkins’ attorney, Hatem Chahine, said that Atkins blamed the incident on Atkins’ substance abuse issues. He said that Atkins was ready to take a plea deal as soon it was clear that the evidence was not in his favor and that Atkins had agreed to time in prison.

Chahine said that Atkins’ criminal history was minimal but that one felony conviction he received as a juvenile pushed him into a higher sentencing range in Kansas law. He said that if the incident had happened just two weeks later, that conviction would not have affected Atkins’ sentence and Atkins would likely only have faced five years in prison for the sodomy charge.

With Atkins’ criminal history, Hanley could have sentenced him, for the charges he pleaded to, to as much as 134 months, just over 11 years. She said she sentenced Atkins to 10 because, among other reasons, that is what the state and defense both agreed on, and the attorneys knew the details of the case better than she did.

“None of that minimizes what happened here,” Hanley said.

Hanley said she recognized the strength it took for the victim’s mother to come forward and speak about the pain her family has endured.

“Nothing I can do will turn back the clock to make it right. What I can do is try to give you some finality to move on,” Hanley said.

She then told Atkins that she hoped he would take the time in prison to better his life. Hanley said that his convictions need not define him for the rest of his life, though he will always be strictly monitored by law enforcement.

As the Journal-World reported, in June of 2024, the girl testified that Atkins drove by her while she was walking one night in Lawrence and offered her cocaine. She said she initially told Atkins she was 18 when the two had sex but she later revealed she was only 15, which made Atkins grow more aggressive during intercourse, she said. Over the course of three days, Atkins continued to give the girl cocaine in exchange for sex. The girl said the last time she and Atkins had sex, Atkins had brought a friend with him who sat in the front seat of the car while Atkins forced himself on her in the backseat despite her pleading with him to stop.

photo by: Chris Conde/Journal-World

Kendrick Atkins appears at his sentencing hearing on April 16, 2025, in Douglas County District Court.