(KAIR)--Guilty.
That's the plea entered by the Atchison man accused of taking a young girl from her home and killing her while engaged in a standoff with police.
According to a joint statement from Acting U.S. Attorney Tom Beall and Leavenworth County Attorney Todd Thompson, 32-year-old Marcas McGowan entered the plea Thursday, admitting his guilt to the federal charges of one count of kidnapping resulting in death and one count of discharging a firearm during a crime of violence.
The prosecution says McGowan, in his plea, admitted that on July 18th, 2014, he shot and killed the 5-year-old girl after he kidnapped her and exchanged gunfire with police.
That fatal shot was fired on Leavenworth's Metropolitan Avenue, after McGowan's vehicle became ensnared in a work zone. That followed a high-speed pursuit that began in Atchison, crossed into Missouri, and ended in Leavenworth. Authorities say it stemmed from a domestic dispute between McGowan and his girlfriend at her Atchison residence. Threatening her with a gun, prosecutors say McGowan drove off with her daughter as police arrived.
Sentencing for McGowan is set for September 6th, with an agreement having been reached to recommend a life sentence for the kidnapping charge, which is the statutory minimum penalty.
The firearm-related count requires a statutory minimum penalty of 10-years consecutive to the other sentence.
© Many Signals Communications
You will need to be logged in to leave a comment.
Please Login
The posting of advertisements, profanity, or personal attacks is prohibited.
Click here to review our Terms of Use.
Comments
Scott (05/27/2016 11:18 AM)
Now that he had admitted guilt stop calling him accused. Call him what he is, a child killer. He should be shot in the head on the courthouse steps.
MOST VIEWED STORIES
Horton man arrested following weekend shooting
Morrill pair arrested on drug, child endangerment charges
Holton man killed in Jackson Co crash
Falls City man sentenced to Federal Prison
Jackson Co traffic stop leads to arrest
Ground Broken for new Sac and Fox Trad'n Post
One held for past Atchison shooting
Inmate dies at Lansing Correctional Facility
Early Thursday storms leave damage, outages, locally
Mound City Mayor Duane Nauman remembered
Community Healthcare System hires new CEO
Brown Co Planning Commission established
90 mph+ downburst winds blamed for Thursday damage
Valley Falls' future set for Wednesday eve discussion
KS' LaTurner will not seek another term
PBPN breaks ground for new business
Richardson County Board agrees to mediation
LATEST STORIES
Holton man killed in Jackson Co crash
90 mph+ downburst winds blamed for Thursday damage
Morrill pair arrested on drug, child endangerment charges
Rates to increase at Brown Co landfill
NOAA weather radio event set in Seneca
Falls City man sentenced to Federal Prison