Parole denied for Shawnee Mission school janitor who killed Prairie Village girl

The former school janitor convicted in the 1974 killing of a 13-year-old girl in Prairie Village has been denied parole.

John Henry Horton will have to wait until 2023 for his next chance to be released from prison, the Kansas Prisoner Review Board recently ordered.

Horton, now 71, was not arrested and charged until 2003 for the killing of Lizabeth Wilson, who disappeared while walking through the parking lot of Shawnee Mission East High School. Horton worked at the school as a custodian.

Lizabeth’s remains were found in Lenexa about six months later.

Although Horton was initially investigated as a suspect in her disappearance, charges were not filed until 2003 after Prairie Village police re-opened the investigation.

After two trials, Horton was convicted of first-degree murder and sentenced to life in prison. Under Kansas law in place at the time of the killing, he was eligible for parole after serving 15 years from the date he was first taken into custody.

According to Johnson County prosecutors, Lizabeth died after Horton drugged her with chloroform in order to sexually assault her.

Johnson County District Attorney Steve Howe was among those who asked the prisoner review board to keep Horton in prison.

“This horrific crime should result in him spending the remainder of his life behind bars,” Howe said. “Especially since he escaped prosecution for decades.”

Kyle Shipps, the former Prairie Village detective who led the re-opened investigation, said the board heard “compelling” testimony from Lizabeth’s family and investigators, and he thinks they made the right decision.

“And you can bet we will all be back the next time he is eligible,” Shipps said.