An Olathe man was given a life sentence in prison for killing a 17-year-old boy during an altercation in a restaurant parking lot in 2018.
In Johnson County District Court on Thursday, Malik J. Delva, 29, was handed down the punishment by Judge Brenda Cameron.
It includes life in prison without the possibility of parole for 25 years, otherwise known as a “Hard 25,” for one count of first-degree murder and 154 months for one count of possession of marijuana with intent to distribute. Sentences for both counts are to run consecutively, meaning the time served cannot overlap with the other.
Delva was accused of killing 17-year-old Daniel Bowden after shooting him in a restaurant parking lot in Olathe.
The sentence comes after a nine-day jury trial in March during which Delva was found guilty on both counts.
The crimes stemmed from an altercation
The shooting occurred during an altercation in the Chapala Mexican Restaurant parking lot, 105 S. Clairborne St., at about 11:45 p.m. on June 15, 2018.
Bowden later died after being taken to a hospital.
Delva admitted to being the person who pulled the trigger, according to court documents.
In a Facebook post on his campaign page, District Attorney Steve Howe stated the crime was related to drugs.
“We continue to find violence at the crossroads with marijuana, fentanyl and other addictive drugs,” District Attorney Steve Howe posted on his campaign Facebook page. “My office will continue to take these drug cases, and related cases of violence very seriously and will prosecute accordingly.”
Delva is the fourth person to be sentenced
In 2019, codefendants Cesar Herrera, Angelo Vincenzo Monteleone and Isaiah Wisinger each entered guilty pleas to their involvement.
Herrera, 22, pleaded guilty to first-degree murder and was sentenced in May 2019 to a juvenile correctional facility. In March 2022, he was given a conditional release.
Monteleone, 23, pleaded guilty to second-degree murder, aggravated robbery and conspiracy to commit aggravated robbery. In October 2019, he was sentenced to more than 12 years in prison.
Wisinger, 23, pleaded guilty to second-degree murder and three counts of aggravated robbery. In May 2019, he was sentenced to more than 18 years in prison.
District attorney issues political barb
In the previously-mentioned Facebook post, Howe made thinly veiled references to Vanessa Riebli, a Democrat and his opponent in the race for district attorney this November.
“We must not let failed permissive ‘progressive policies’ embraced by my opponent’s party that made war zones out of formerly successful communities take root in Johnson County,” he stated.
Riebli took exception to those claims, stating that he’s taking credit for his employees’ work, Vishal Mathew, communications assistant for her campaign, wrote in an email to the Johnson County Post.
“If Steve Howe wants to actually lower rising violent crime in Johnson County, he should personally prosecute cases in the courtroom, instead of letting his employees do all the hard work and then coming in at the end to claim all the credit,” he stated.
In his Facebook post, Howe does credit assistant district attorneys Will Hurst and Tyler Childress for prosecuting the case.
