State v. Woods

After a jury trial, Defendant was convicted and sentenced for first-degree premeditated murder. The Supreme Court affirmed, holding that the district court did not err by (1) concluding that Defendant was competent to stand trial after an adequate competency hearing and by failing to sua sponte order a second competency evaluation; (2) determining that Defendant’s confession to the police was voluntary; (3) limiting the defense voir dire of potential jurors regarding mental illness and mental disability; (4) overruling Defendant’s claim of insufficient evidence to support the murder conviction; (5) declining to give a lesser included offense instruction on voluntary manslaughter; and (6) ordering Defendant to register as a violent offender under the Kansas Offender Registration Act. View "State v. Woods" on Justia Law