First Felony Murder Trial Under Way in Slaying of Kansas Lawyer
Nearly a year after a Kansas lawyer was shot to death as she returned home after celebrating her 40th birthday, the first trial is well under way in an unusual felony murder case involving multiple defendants.
Nine individuals are accused of involvement in the fatal shooting of Natalie Gibson and the wounding of her 42-year-old companion, Lori Allison, as the two returned to the home they shared in Topeka.
Anceo D. Stovall, 26, is facing multiple charges including two felony murder counts and two robbery counts related to the July 21, 2011 shooting of the two women, as well as additional counts concerning other crimes in the neighborhood. His lawyer, Jonathan Phelps, has indicated in a court filing that he intends to present alibi evidence that Stovall was elsewhere at the time of the crimes, according to the Capital-Journal.
An inmate co-defendant who has been testifying against Stovall exited the Shawnee County courtroom in the middle of his cross-examination Thursday, but did so in slow motion because he was handcuffed and wearing leg irons, another Capital-Journal article reports. Two plainclothes officers assigned to guard him exited in his wake.
Additional coverage:
ABAJournal.com: “9 Charged with Felony Murder and Robbery in Slaying of Kansas Lawyer Shot to Death at Her Home”
ABAJournal.com: “Slain Kansas Lawyer Was Shot to Death Last Year in Robbery at Her Home, Eyewitness Testifies”
Capital-Journal: “Coroner: Gibson had only seconds of consciousness before death”
Capital-Journal: “Witness: Only Stovall had .45-caliber pistol in dog shooting”
