Kelly denies clemency for brothers who committed ‘Wichita Horror’ crime spree

Kansas Gov. Laura Kelly denied clemency requests for two brothers known for a week-long violent crime spree in Wichita in 2000.

Reginald and Jonathan Carr, originally from Dodge City, Kansas, were sentenced to death for killing five people and severely injuring two others during the week-long crime spree, known as the Wichita Massacre or Wichita Horror.

The Carr brothers were together convicted of more than 90 counts, including murder, kidnapping, robbery and rape.

The brothers invaded a home in Wichita and sexually abused five people inside before taking them to an ATM and robbing them. The brothers then took the five people to a soccer field where they fatally shot four of them. One woman survived and escaped, later becoming a key witness in the brothers’ trial.

“If ever there were a situation in which the death penalty is justified, it is that of the unspeakably heinous acts of torture and murder committed by Reginald and Jonathan Carr,” Kelly said in a news release.

Kelly said she has long supported repealing the death penalty because it is an “impractical, expensive burden on the state.” She said the opportunity for multiple appeals delays closure for the families of victims.

The Carr brothers’ case went through multiple rounds of appeal. In 2014, the Kansas Supreme Court.

In 2014, the Kansas Supreme Court reversed seven of the Carr brothers’ eight capital murder convictions due to issues with the jury instructions and overturned their death sentences, ruling that they were entitled to separate sentencing proceedings under the Eighth Amendment.

The U.S. Supreme Court reinstated the death sentences in 2016 after an appeal from the Kansas attorney general.

The brothers are imprisoned at the El Dorado Correctional Facility, where they have received dozens of disciplinary violations.

Ryan Becker, an attorney for Reginald Carr said the brothers’ trial was “plagued by racial bias” and said his lawyers at the time provided an inadequate defense against the death penalty.

“By denying clemency, Governor Kelly ensures that Kansas will continue to spend vast resources defending a death sentence infected by racial bias and other constitutional errors,” Becker said.

Meredith Schlacter, an attorney for Jonathan Carr said the case was reflective of Kansas’ broken capital punishment system.

“Jonathan’s case was marred by racial bias at every stage,” Schlacter said. “His state-appointed attorneys failed to present the jury with considerable evidence that would have demonstrated the appropriateness of a sentence less than death. A commutation to life without parole would have held Jonathan accountable while acknowledging these problems.”

Eight of the nine people on death row have requested clemency, which would change their sentences to life in prison without parole. Along with denying the request from the Carr brothers, Kelly last month denied a clemency request for Olathe serial killer John Robinson.

Kansas Attorney General Kris Kobach has encouraged Kelly to oppose all eight clemency requests, saying he opposes “any effort to set aside the jurors’ decisions to impose this penalty.”

A group of faith leaders from across Kansas asked Kelly to approve the requests, saying the death penalty “prolongs the suffering and delays the healing of the victim’s family members as they are forced to relive the trauma again and again while they endure the appeals process.”

Capital punishment is legal in Kansas, but the state hasn’t executed anyone in 60 years.

This story was originally published July 14, 2026 at 12:24 PM.