Kansas Supreme Court upheld Topeka man’s murder sentence conviction
TOPEKA, Kan. (WIBW) - A man who was convicted in the 2020 shooting death of D’Angelo Payne had his conviction appeal denied.
James D. Boatwright was among the three defendants charged in the shooting death of Payne. He was sentenced to life in prison with no possibility of parole for 50 years. Boatwright later appealed his conviction to the Supreme Court.
Kansas Supreme Court officials announced in a news release on May 23, 2025, that there was no error in the conduct of Boatwright’s trial.
Boatwright was charged with the following:
- Murder in the First Degree, Premeditated
- Alternatively, Murder in the First Degree, Committed during an Inherently Dangerous Felony
- Conspiracy to Commit Murder in the First Degree, Premeditated
- Criminal Discharge of a Firearm into an Occupied Vehicle
The Kansas Supreme Court stated that witnesses placed Boatwright at the crime scene and other witnesses testified that he sent text messages and made phone calls, which show that he participated in the crime.
The court sentenced Boatwright to life term on the murder charge, with additional terms for the other charges.
Justice Eric Rosen, writing for a unanimous court, held there was no error in the trial’s conduct. In addition, the court determined the Shawnee Co. District Court was not required to give the jury an instruction on the reliability of accomplice testimony.
Officials said the Court further ruled that the prosecutor did not commit errors in his statements to the jury in closing arguments.
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