Death penalty will be sought for F. Glenn Miller Jr. in Jewish center killings
Johnson County prosecutors will seek the death sentence for the man charged with killing three people outside Jewish facilities in Overland Park in April, defense attorneys said in court filings.
As a result, the defense is seeking a continuance of the preliminary hearing for F. Glenn Miller Jr. that is scheduled to begin Nov. 12 in Johnson County District Court.
Ron Evans of the Kansas Death Penalty Defense Unit said in a motion for a continuance filed Tuesday that District Attorney Steve Howe recently informed him of the decision to seek the death sentence.
That will require a second defense lawyer who will need time to familiarize himself or herself with the case, Evans said.
Howe’s office has not responded to the continuance request, but a hearing on the motion is scheduled for Friday in Johnson County District Court.
Miller, also known as Frazier Glenn Cross Jr., is charged with capital murder in the April shooting deaths of Terri LaManno, 53, William Lewis Corporon, 69, and Reat Griffin Underwood, 14.
At age 73, Miller is believed to be the oldest person ever charged with capital murder in Kansas.
An avowed racist and anti-Semite, Miller allegedly drove from his southern Missouri home to the Jewish Community Center in Overland Park, where he allegedly killed Corporon and his grandson in the parking lot. Reat was there to audition for a talent competition.
According to the allegations, Miller then drove to the nearby Village Shalom care center and shot LaManno, who was there to visit her mother.
He is also charged with three counts of attempted first-degree murder for allegedly firing shots at three other people who were not injured.
Howe said Wednesday he could not comment because of judicial orders in the case. Under Kansas law, he is not required to file notice of intent to seek the death penalty until after the preliminary hearing.
To reach Tony Rizzo, call 816-234-4435 or send email to trizzo@kcstar.com.
This story was originally published October 29, 2014 at 10:35 AM with the headline "Death penalty will be sought for F. Glenn Miller Jr. in Jewish center killings."