New sentencing ordered in KCK murder case
The Kansas Supreme Court on Friday ordered a new sentencing for a man convicted in the 2008 killing of a Kansas City, Kan., woman.
The court upheld the first-degree murder conviction of Olin L. Coones for killing 45-year-old Kathleen Hadley-Schroll. But the court ruled that a subsequent U.S. Supreme Court case required vacating his sentence of life in prison with no chance of parole for 50 years.
Coones, 57, initially had been charged with killing the woman and her husband, 64-year-old Carl Schroll. They were found shot to death in their Kansas City, Kan., home minutes after Hadley-Schroll had called a relative and said Coones was in their home and wanted to kill them, according to trial testimony.
A jury acquitted Coones in the killing of Carl Schroll but found him guilty in Hadley-Schroll’s death.
The new sentence was ordered because a judge, and not a jury, imposed the “Hard 50” sentence. If prosecutors do not seek to have a new jury consider the Hard 50 sentence, Coones would be sentenced to life in prison with no chance of parole for 25 years.
To reach Tony Rizzo, call 816-234-4435 or send email to trizzo@kcstar.com.
This story was originally published December 12, 2014 at 12:03 PM.