The Kansas Supreme Court unanimously ordered a new trial in 2015 Hutchinson murder case because a Reno County District Court judge improperly forced the defendant to represent himself at trial. In addition, the Supreme Court set a precedent by declaring a defendant in Kansas could forfeit the right to court-appointed counsel by engaging in extreme misconduct. (Kansas Reflector screen capture from Kansas Supreme Court’s website
TOPEKA — The Kansas Supreme Court unanimously ordered a new trial for a Hutchinson man because a Reno County District Court judge violated the defendant’s constitutional right to assistance of an attorney during a 2019 murder trial.
The justices found Judge Trish Rose’s order that defendant Brennan Trass had to assume responsibility for his own defense violated the 6th Amendment of the U.S. Constitution. Trass, 40, was accused of shooting to death Jose Morales during a 2015 methamphetamine transaction. It took more than three years to go to trial, in part, because 11 attorneys assigned to defend Trass were excused after clashing with Trass.