Kansas court lets stand inmate’s pleas in double killing

The Kansas Supreme Court has rejected an inmate’s bid to withdraw his no-contest pleas in a 2003 attack that killed two women and wounded a third.

Friday’s ruling rejected 44-year-old King Phillip Amman Reu-El’s claims that a Shawnee County judge misinformed him about appellate rights that would be waived by making the pleas.

Amman Reu-El was convicted in 2005 of capital murder and other charges in the Topeka shooting deaths, and he was sentenced to death. Those convictions were overturned, and Reu-El entered his no-contest pleas at retrial.

He’s now serving a life sentence without the possibility of parole for 25 years, as well as a consecutive term of nearly 14 years for attempted murder.

Amman Reu-El changed his name from Phillip Cheatham Jr. while awaiting the retrial.]