Kansas prosecutor to retire amid protests over handling of KC murder case
The Douglas County district attorney’s office has announced this week that one of its senior attorneys will be retiring next month.
Chief Assistant District Attorney Amy McGowan is transitioning her cases to other attorneys in preparation for her Nov. 1 retirement, according to a statement obtained by the Associated Press.
McGowan could not be immediately reached for comment through the district attorney’s office Friday.
The announcement of McGowan’s retirement comes amid protests that called for her firing or resignation over her handling of a 1996 double-murder case in Kansas City that helped send Ricky Kidd to prison. The case against Kidd was dismissed after a judge, citing recanted testimony and evidence prosecutors failed to disclose, ruled that Kidd was innocent of the crime.
Evidence — including changed testimony and the unavailability of witnesses — was found to be insufficient to proceed with another trial, the Jackson County Prosecutor’s Office said. Kidd was released after spending 23 years behind bars.
“She should be disbarred,” Kidd said of McGowan during an interview with The Star’s Editorial Board in September.
McGowan also was accused of withholding evidence in the case against Richard Buchli II, a Kansas City attorney who spent about five years in prison over the 2000 death of his law partner before his conviction was overturned. Charges later were dismissed.
In 2013, the Kansas Supreme Court found McGowan made improper comments during closing arguments in five cases between 2007 and 2009. In one instance, the court vacated a sentence in a child-exploitation case. She was removed from her trial duties in Douglas County after that. District Attorney Charles Branson said McGowan was allowed to return to regular courtroom duties in 2014.
Cheryl Wright Kunard, a spokesperson for the district attorney’s office, told the Lawrence Journal-World that it would be inappropriate to respond to questions about whether the protests influenced McGowan’s decision to retire.
This story includes reporting from the Associated Press.
This story was originally published October 25, 2019 at 8:48 PM with the headline "Kansas prosecutor to retire amid protests over handling of KC murder case."
