Win one for the Bad Guy

This week, in one of the most liberal cities in Kansas, a man was convicted of killing three people, wounding numerous others and arson. Jason Rose was sentenced Monday to 10 years in prison for setting a Lawrence apartment complex fire that killed three people and injured others. Rose, 21, was found guilty by a jury of one count of aggravated arson, three counts of involuntary manslaughter and seven counts of aggravated battery for the Oct. 7, 2005, blaze. Killed in the fire were Nicole Bingham, a University of Kansas student; social worker Yolanda Riddle; and electrician José Gonzalez.

But the defense argued that the confession was inaccurate, that Rose told police what they wanted to hear and that he had the emotional capacity of a child. At Rose’s trial, prosecutors sought felony murder convictions against him for the three deaths, but jurors opted to convict him of the lesser manslaughter charges instead. The 122-month sentence Rose received Monday was the maximum for those crimes. Douglas County District Attorney Charles Branson issued a written statement following the sentencing thanking jurors for their service in the case. “This was a difficult case for all involved, especially the jury,” Branson said. “I hope the victims, their families and everyone who was touched by this tragedy can now focus on healing.”

Difficult? What about the murder of innocent people in what is supposed to be the security and safety of their own homes? The Kansas Legislature many years ago established a law called “Felony Murder”. Felony Murder means that if you kill, intended or not, during the commission of a felony you will be tried for murder.

This case has ended in a judicial tragedy. A pathetic arsonist, who killed innocent people, being convicted of involuntary manslaughter by a jury of his peers more concerned with why it happened as opposed to punishment for his actions. In less than ten years this serial arsonist and convicted murderer will strike again.

Welcome to Lawrence, Kansas the San Francisco of the Midwest.

Currie Myers is the editor and publisher of the Kansas Federalist E-Newsline. He is the former sheriff Johnson County, Kansas from 2003-2005 and is a 20-year law enforcement officer serving also as a KBI special agent and state trooper. Sheriff Myers is a published author as well as a security consultant and adjunct professor.