KANSAS CITY, Mo. — A capital murder conviction against a Johnson County, Kansas, man was reversed Friday by the Kansas Supreme Court.
Devonte Wash, 33, was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole for the 2018 death of his pregnant girlfriend.
In May 2022, a Johnson County jury found Wash guilty of murdering Ashley Harlan, 23, on Jan. 30, 2018, at a townhouse in Olathe.
In Friday’s announcement, Kansas Supreme Court justices cited “prosecutorial errors” in reversing the conviction and sending the case back to Johnson County District Court for further proceedings.
LINK | Read the court's ruling
The justices found that prosecutors referenced evidence before the jury that had been excluded, and during closing arguments, said certain facts were undisputed when they were in fact still in dispute.
As a result, the state failed to meet the obligation for a fair trial.
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