We have a brand new updated website! Click here to check it out!

Retrial set for Salina man accused of 2 murders

kansas supreme courtSALINA, Kan. (AP) — A man convicted of murdering two people in Salina is scheduled to go back on trial in April.

The second trial of Willie Jerome Smith-Parker for the 2009 deaths of 22-year-old Justin Letourneau and 24-year-old Alfred Mack Jr. is scheduled for April 27 in Saline County District Court. The Kansas Supreme Court reversed Smith-Parker’s convictions in December, citing several errors in his first trial.

The Salina Journal reports that Smith-Parker was convicted in 2010 of first-degree murder Mack’s death and second-degree murder in Letourneau’s death. He was sentenced to more than 80 years. Mack was found shot to death at his apartment when officers investigated a burglary.

The court ruled overall weakness of evidence and several errors in the first trial mean Smith-Parker was denied a fair trial.

Copyright Eagle Radio | FCC Public Files | EEO Public File