Former Columbia Water and Light director Kraig Kahler has received the death penalty for the murders of his wife, two daughters, and his wife’s grandmother in rural Kansas in November 2009. Osage County, Kansas judge Phillip Fromme sided with the state and sentenced Kahler to death Tuesday.
By Ryan Schmidt (Columbia, Mo.)
Kahler’s defense attorney Tom Haney said he filed a notice of appeal this morning, and he explained the process.
“It involves having the Supreme Court of the state of Kansas to start with, looking at the entire case from day one on, and looking at the conduct of the trial judge, conduct of the jury, conduct of the attorneys, and having a complete review of the case,” he said.
Prosecuting attorney Brandon Jones says there is an automatic right of appeal in capital murder cases in Kansas. The murders occurred shortly after Kahler moved to Burlingame, Kan. in 2009. City of Columbia officials asked Kahler to resign from his position as director of Columbia Water and Light earlier that year