Woman gets 10 years in prison for fatal stabbing of fiancé in Leavenworth: Prosecutors
A 41-year-old woman was sentenced Wednesday to spend 10 years in a Kansas prison for the fatal stabbing of her fiancé in Leavenworth in 2021.
Eva Olisha Banks, of Leavenworth, pleaded guilty in November to voluntary manslaughter and two counts of aggravated battery in the killing of Jerrold Jermaine Rhodes. She was sentenced to 93 months for the voluntary manslaughter conviction and a combined 13 months for the assault convictions, Leavenworth prosecutors announced Wednesday.
On June 12, 2021, Leavenworth police were called to the 2500 block of Fourth Avenue after Banks called 911 saying her fiancé had been stabbed and needed help. Banks and Rhodes were found in the master bedroom.
Rhodes had been stabbed in the abdomen, according to prosecutors, and Banks was holding a towel against the wound. Rhodes was pronounced dead by medical personnel.
During early police interviews, authorities say Banks reported she and Rhodes had an argument at a convenience store and she returned home to find him stabbed — a story prosecutors say was disproved. She later admitted that she stabbed him in the bathroom with a paring knife in response to a long history of domestic abuse, prosecutors said.
In a statement, Leavenworth County Prosecutor Todd Thompson said there was “no evidence” to suggest that Banks was facing “any imminent threat” from Rhodes before the stabbing. He also said the case stands as an example of why domestic violence should be viewed by the community as more than a “private family matter.”
“It is a social, economic, and public health concern and reporting incidences of domestic violence is critical to our community’s safety,” Thompson said. “Without early intervention, the domestic violence cycle continues to escalate in severity, and too often results in severe harm or death.”
This story was originally published December 14, 2022 at 6:21 PM.
