death penalty

Testimony on a bill that would speed up death penalty appeals in Kansas concluded Tuesday at the state Legislature.

A staff member with the attorney general's office told a Senate committee that long filings and delays often extend the process. But Sarah Johnson, a defense attorney who has worked on death penalty cases, said the cases are very complex and a lot of time is needed to prepare.

Johnson said the bill could harm certain defense cases.

The Kansas Supreme Court heard death penalty appeals Tuesday from two brothers convicted in a quadruple murder.

The Kansas Legislative Division of Post Audit will not be analyzing the costs of the state death penalty, at least for now.

A Kansas prosecutor says he's planning to retry a capital murder suspect rather than ask the U.S. Supreme Court to reinstate the man's convictions for killing two women in Topeka.