A Kansas City, Kansas, man who spent years behind bars for a 2008 killing is free after a judge found prosecutors failed to disclose evidence that should have been turned over to his defense. The ruling puts a fresh spotlight on a case that had already survived years of appeals.
According to KSHB 41, the Wyandotte County District Attorney’s Community Integrity Unit reviewed Ronnell Burnett’s case and found a Brady violation. A jury convicted Burnett in 2011 of first-degree murder, criminal discharge of a firearm at an occupied dwelling and possession of a firearm by a convicted felon, then sentenced him to life in prison.
The case traces back to July 7, 2008, when gunfire erupted at a Kansas City, Kansas, home and killed Rahi Larks. The Kansas Supreme Court’s appellate opinion said Burnett’s convictions were affirmed in 2014, although the court found that one piece of evidence about other shootings had been improperly excluded and deemed the error harmless.
Why The Brady Finding Matters
Under the Brady rule, prosecutors must disclose material evidence favorable to the accused, including information that could undermine a witness, weaken the government’s case or change how jurors view the evidence. When that information is withheld and the omission undermines confidence in the verdict, a conviction can be overturned.
Wyandotte County District Attorney Mark Dupree’s office filed a motion to vacate Burnett’s conviction, and a district court judge granted it after finding that a previous administration failed to disclose exculpatory evidence, KSHB reported. The judge ordered Burnett’s immediate release; the initial announcement did not detail whether prosecutors will seek a new trial.
County Integrity Unit Gets A High-Profile Test
The county’s published Community Integrity Unit policy describes the unit as an independent investigative branch intended to promote transparency and public trust. In Burnett’s case, the review has now produced one of the most consequential outcomes such a unit can deliver: the undoing of a life sentence after prosecutors’ disclosure failure came to light.
