Condemned murderer seeks new trial
TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) An attorney for a man sentenced to die over the killings of a Great Bend couple in 2004 says he should get a new trial because a cousin involved in the crimes reneged on a plea agreement.
Capital appellate defender Sarah Ellen Johnson told the Kansas Supreme Court Friday that Sidney Gleason did not get a fair trial before he was sentenced to death in 2006.
She argued the defense couldn't question Gleason's cousin, Damien Thompson, because he refused to testify at trial. Thompson had struck a deal to testify to avoid a possible death sentence.
The murder victims were Miki Martinez and boyfriend Darren Wornkey. Their deaths came days after a robbery at which Martinez was present.
Prosecutors say Gleason and Thompson worried about what Martinez would tell police.
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