Second Kansas woman convicted after man shot in 2017, body found in burning home
A second woman has been convicted of murder in the shooting death of a man whose body was found in a burning home south of Lawrence in 2017.
Christina L. Towell, 38, of Leavenworth, pleaded no contest Thursday to felony first-degree murder in the November 2017 death of 34-year-old Joel Wales, the Douglas County District Attorney’s Office announced Thursday.
Wales’ body was found on the night of Nov. 3, 2017, after deputies were called to a house fire south of Lawrence in the 1100 block of East 1200 Road.
An autopsy showed Wales had been shot six times before the fire.
Police had been aware of ongoing difficulties between Tria L. Evans, a co-defendant in the case, and Wales over child custody plans.
Police never recovered a gun, but investigators found a box for a .380 caliber handgun in Evans’ bedroom closet — a model of gun that matched the bullets and casings recovered from Wales’ body and crime scene, according to prosecutors.
Earlier this year, Evans, 39, was found guilty of first-degree murder and other charges in Wales’ death. She was sentenced on Tuesday to life in prison without the possibility of parole for 50 years.
Prosecutors said Towell was involved with planning the murder and used her car to drive Evans to and from the scene.
Towell was charged in Wales’ murder and was initially scheduled to go to trial next week.
After she pleaded no contest this week, the court scheduled Towell to be sentenced April 18.
“This was a heinous and calculated murder,” District Attorney Charles Branson said in a statement. “We are very relieved to provide closure to Joel’s family.”
Editor’s note: An earlier version of this story included incorrect information from the the Douglas County District Attorney’s Office.
This story was originally published March 21, 2019 at 9:01 PM.
