A Johnson County judge has scheduled a December jury trial for one of the six teenagers charged with first degree murder in a deadly shooting at Olathe’s Black Bob Park in May.
What’s new? At a hearing Monday, Judge Brenda Cameron scheduled several upcoming hearings and the December trial dates for the 14-year-old girl, who has pleaded not guilty.
- An online court docket shows the jury trial is currently set to begin Monday, December 12, and scheduled to last at least 8 days over the course of the following two weeks.
- The Post is not naming any of the defendants in this case because they are all minors.
Why it matters: This is the first of the six teenaged defendants, who were all either 13 or 14 years old when the shooting occurred, to have a trial scheduled.
- The Johnson County District Attorney’s office has taken the unusual step of seeking to try four of the defendants — the 14-year-olds — as adults.
- Under Kansas law, the two 13-year-olds also charged with murder in the shooting cannot be tried as adults.
The background: The six teens are all charged with first degree murder in the shooting death of Marco Cardino, 19, of Smithville, Missouri, who graduated from Shawnee Mission West in 2021.
- Prosecutors allege the teens set up the deal with Cardino at Black Bob Park early on the morning of Saturday, May 14, with the intention of stealing marijuana from him.
- In a series of court filings, the 14-year-old’s lawyer Thomas Bath has argued that there were misstatements and inaccuracies in the original criminal affidavit and has filed motions, among other things, objecting to his client being charged as an adult and also seeking to challenge some of the evidence the state aims to use in a trial.
What’s next: The 14-year-old girl is next scheduled to appear in court on August 2 for Judge Cameron to make a ruling, though it’s not clear on what exact motion that ruling pertains to.
- There are at least two other waiver hearings for the 14-year-old girl set for August before the trial’s first date on December 12.
- None of the other three 14-year-old defendants charged in the case have so far had trial dates set. Two of them have hearings scheduled for later in August.
