Kylr Yust, the Cass County man serving 45 years for the killings of Kara Kopetsky and Jessica Runions, was back in Cass County court on Tuesday to challenge his convictions. The hearing addressed arguments in the case.
Yust was convicted in March 2021 of voluntary manslaughter in the death of Kopetsky, who was 17 when she was killed, and second-degree murder in the death of Runions, who was 21. Tuesday's hearing concerned Yust's effort to challenge that 45-year prison sentence. The proceeding follows the August 2023 ruling from the Missouri Court of Appeals Western District, which unanimously affirmed his convictions and rejected all six points he raised on direct appeal, including challenges to excluded alternate-perpetrator evidence and the admission of prior bad act testimony.
With his direct appeal exhausted, Yust's latest bid falls under Missouri Supreme Court Rule 29.15, which allows people convicted of a felony after trial to seek post-conviction relief in the original sentencing court based on constitutional violations or ineffective assistance of counsel, according to Ernst Law LLC. It's a narrower and steeper legal path than a direct appeal, one that requires showing the trial itself was constitutionally flawed rather than simply re-arguing the evidence. In an unrelated case, the Missouri Court of Appeals Western District reviewed the denial of a Rule 29.15 motion for post-conviction relief in Terrell E. Dawson vs. State of Missouri. The Missouri Court of Appeals Western District has also considered an unrelated Rule 29.15 case in which Sean Lee Sykes filed a pro se motion for post-conviction relief.
Two Cases, One Rural Field
Kopetsky vanished in May 2007, just four days after filing a protection order against Yust following reports of domestic violence during their nine-month relationship, the Associated Press has reported. Runions also disappeared.
The two cases are presented together in this account of a double-homicide case.
The Trial and the Blame-the-Dead-Brother Defense
At his April 2021 trial, Yust took the stand and offered a defense account of the killings. Jurors ultimately rejected it.
Defense attorneys challenged the prosecution's case. During closing arguments, prosecutors argued for Yust's conviction. The jury later convicted him.
The trial proceeded after jury selection.
How 45 Years Was Calculated
The article describes Yust's sentence for the two deaths as totaling 45 years.
Tuesday's hearing addressed arguments in the case. No ruling was reported.
