KANSAS CITY, Mo. — The three attorneys appointed last month to represent a man charged in the death of Kansas City, Kansas, Police Ofc. Hunter Simoncic notified the judge Wednesday they are withdrawing from the case.
Attorneys Peter Conley, Brandi Studer and Mark Manna are part of the Kansas Death Penalty Defense Unit and were assigned to represent Dennis Mitchell. They were assigned after Wyandotte County District Attorney Mark Dupree charged Mitchell, 31, with capital murder in Simoncic’s death.
The charge gives prosecutors the option to seek the death penalty at sentencing if the defendant is found guilty.
The trio cited several sections of the Kansas Rules of Professional Conduct in their letter to Wyandotte County District Court Judge Michael Russell. The group asked the court for an order to "withdraw as counsel in the above-captioned case due to multiple, unavoidable, conflicts of interest. Mr. Mitchel has been advised of the conflict.”
Mitchell remains in custody at the Wyandotte County Detention Center on a $2 million bond. A court deadline for the filing of initial preliminary motions was set for Sept. 26 for Mitchell’s defense team and Oct. 10 for prosecutors.
It’s not clear if those deadlines will be changed due to Mitchell’s attorneys withdrawing from the case. A motions/status hearing was previously set for Oct. 21.
The capital murder charge against Mitchell was the second such charge filed this summer in Wyandotte County.
The Wyandotte County District Attorney’s Office filed capital murder charges against Shawn Harris in the line-of-duty death of Deputy Eilijah Ming. Dupree announced his intent to seek the death penalty as a sentencing option in the case if Harris is found guilty.
Two of the three attorneys who withdrew representation for Mitchell — Mark Manna and Peter Conley — remain listed as attorneys of record in Harris’ case.
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