Takeaways
- The Second Look Act would resentence people based on how much they have changed since their crime.
- The bill is very early in the legislative process. It may never become law.
- Studies show younger Kansans are more impulsive and more likely to age out of crime as they get older.
Ariana Cook was in a bad place in 2020. She was hooked on hard drugs and in love with a “master manipulator.”
“I just knew I was gonna marry him and be a hood-rich junkie for the rest of my life,” she said. “I had no care in the world of regaining contact with anyone who actually cared about and loved me.”
In July 2020, she grabbed a hammer and other items to kill Wichitan Roy Hayden. Cook didn’t kill Hayden, multiple people were accused, but she stood by as he reportedly begged for his life.
She suspects she would have been killed if she tried to stop the 2020 murder, but if she could go back, she would have made different choices. Cook said she regrets her mistake with every fiber of her being, and said she was young and reckless.