KSHB 41 reporter Alyssa Jackson has been covering the murder of Fairway Ofc. Jonah Oswald since his death in 2023. Share your story idea with Alyssa.
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The jury trial for a woman accused of being a co-conspirator in a Fairway police officer’s death is less than a week away.
KSHB 41 covered the officer's death for months. Fairway Ofc. Jonah Oswald was killed while responding to a crime spree in August 2023.
"He loved life. He loved being a son, he loved being a husband and father," said Paula Oswald, Jonah's mother. "He wanted to make a difference in the world."
According to investigators, two suspects from Tennessee — Andrea Cothran and Shannon Marshall — stole a vehicle. During a police chase, they hit a Lenexa police vehicle.
The pair then crashed the stolen vehicle and hid in separate restrooms in a Mission QuikTrip. A Mission police officer took Cothran into custody from the women's restroom.
When Ofc. Oswald attempted to take Marshall into custody from the men's restroom, Marshall opened fire. Another officer returned fire and killed Marshall.
Marshall is accused of firing the shot that killed Oswald.
Cothran faces eight charges:
- Aggravated battery on a law enforcement officer;
- Fleeing or attempting to elude a police officer;
- Reckless driving;
- First-degree murder;
- Theft of a firearm;
- Felony theft;
- Possession of a firearm by a convicted felon.
KSHB 41 reporter Alyssa Jackson reached out to Paula Oswald after a person connected to the family shared the upcoming trial date.
While she does not plan to follow the trial, she is certain there will be some form of consequences for the defendant.
"I don’t think much about the justice or retribution because he’s not here, he’s not coming back in the physical," Paula Oswald said. "The karma involved in the situation will play out, and I just hope for this woman’s soul, Andrea, that she gets healing and is accountable, and realizes what has happened and what she’s responsible for."
KSHB 41 learned Cothran has a criminal history from Sumner County, Tennessee.
In 2022, she was convicted of soliciting sexual exploitation of a minor under 13. In 2023, she was convicted of a drug-related probation violation.
The case against Cothran in Oswald's death was initially scheduled before a jury in 2024, but she fired her attorney a month before trial for ineffective counsel.
Trial is scheduled to begin with jury selection on May 4.
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