Defendant Junah Sisney and his attorney, Branden Smith, appear before Senior Judge Nancy Parrish in Douglas County District Court on Wednesday, July 22, 2026.

Updated at 5:35 p.m. Wednesday, July 22

A 23-year-old man was convicted Wednesday in Douglas County District Court of two attempted murders and aggravated assault for a series of public shootings more than three years ago in downtown Baldwin City.

The defendant, Junah Sisney, was convicted after pleading guilty to one count of attempted first-degree murder, one count of attempted second-degree murder and one count of aggravated assault, pursuant to a plea agreement with the state. He conceded that all three felonies were committed with a deadly weapon, and he is expected to face nearly 20 years in prison when he is sentenced later this summer.

Deputy District Attorney David Melton, in providing a factual basis for Sisney’s plea, told Senior Judge Nancy Parrish that on Dec. 30, 2022, Sisney — intending to kill people — drove from Baldwin City to a relative’s home in Arkansas, where, without permission, he retrieved a gun. He then drove back to Baldwin City, where that evening he drove by the Bullpen bar twice and the Baldwin City Public Library once and fired multiple rounds out his car window toward people inside and outside those establishments.

photo by: Kim Callahan/Journal-World

The Bullpen in Baldwin City is pictured April 17, 2026.

photo by: Kim Callahan/Journal-World

The Baldwin City Library is pictured April 17, 2026.

Sisney’s bullets did not strike anyone. The people at the library were exiting the building after a child’s birthday party, and one man — the victim of the first-degree murder attempt — was putting a baby in a car seat. The victims of the other two crimes were at or near the bar, which Sisney shot at until he ran out of ammunition. He then drove away but was eventually stopped by Baldwin City police.

Sisney, originally charged with attempted capital murder, admitted to Judge Parrish that the state had evidence to support all three felonies if the case were to proceed to trial.

As the Journal-World has reported, Sisney waived his Miranda rights after being arrested and told police in a videotaped interview that he shot at the bar and library because he “wanted to kill some people.”

“Ever since I was a little kid, I’ve thought about killing people when they pissed me off,” he said in the interview.

Sisney’s previous attorney, Nicholas David, who was removed from the case, said that in October 2025 Sisney had offered to plead guilty to two counts of attempted second-degree murder but that the offer had been rejected by the state.

Senior Assistant District Attorney David Melton said in February that the state was not interested in a plea deal.

“The state has determined that this is a case that needs to be tried,” he said, but on Wednesday the parties avoided a trial and completed a plea deal.

photo by: Kim Callahan/Journal-World

Junah A. Sisney, right, appears Monday, Feb. 9, 2026, in Douglas County District Court with defense attorney Branden Smith.

Under that deal, in exchange for Sisney’s guilty pleas, the parties agreed to recommend that he serve 235 months, or 19.5 years, in prison. Sisney is believed to have juvenile adjudications that make his criminal history score an “H” on a scale of “A” to “I,” with “A” being the worst criminal history. Even if a pre-sentence investigation doesn’t consider the juvenile record and returns a better score of “I,” the parties will still recommend 235 months, Melton said.

Sisney’s competence to stand trial has been in question at various points during the legal proceedings, and he has done multiple stints at Larned State Hospital since his arrest. His previous attorney, in an attempt to suppress his incriminating statements to police, had said that Sisney suffered from “untreated schizophrenia coupled with severe autism spectrum disorder.”

However, on Wednesday, when Parrish asked Sisney if he had ever been diagnosed with or treated for a mental illness he said in a soft voice, “Not sure I remember.” His current attorney, Branden Smith, told Parrish that Sisney was taking his medications, which Smith didn’t specify, and said he had no concerns “about his competence today.”

Sisney is scheduled to be sentenced by Judge Stacey Donovan on Sept. 8.