Topeka records 7 homicides in 2014

Topeka made it through 2014 with seven homicides, its lowest total in nearly a decade.

According to unofficial records from The Topeka Capital-Journal, the first homicide of the year occurred in late May — about six months after the capital city’s last previous homicides occurred in a quadruple slaying in December 2013.

The seven slayings were the lowest in Topeka since 2005, when the same number was reported in the city.

Among Topeka’s seven homicides this past year were two that involved Topeka police officers.

¦ The first officer-involved slaying resulted when police Cpl. Jason Harwood was shot and killed in the line of duty while making a car stop on the afternoon of Sept. 7 in East Topeka.

Ross Preston Lane, 30, was charged with capital murder in Harwood’s death. His preliminary hearing date is set for Jan. 13 in the Shawnee County Courthouse.

Another man, Randy Allen Ridens Jr., 30, was charged with felony obstruction of apprehension from prosecution and felony possession of stolen property in the case. Ridens is set to enter a plea Jan. 16. He also is scheduled to testify for the prosecution in Lane’s preliminary hearing.

¦ The second police-related shooting occurred late the morning of Dec. 13 near S.W. 6th and Buchanan.

In that incident, police officers shot and killed an armed man, Joseph Michael Rodriguez, 19, after he refused repeated commands to drop his gun and instead pointed it at officers and bystanders. Numerous witnesses said police did all they could to avoid shooting the man before being forced to open fire.

Arrests have been made in four of the other five homicides of 2014 in Topeka:

¦ Tiffany Davenport-Ray, 42, was shot and killed early in the morning of Sunday, May 25, while in a car near S.W. 18th and Kansas Avenue. just hours after her wedding. Awnterio D. Lowery, 30, was arrested and charged with first-degree murder in Davenport-Ray’s death. Lowery is scheduled for a jury trial starting May 11 in Shawnee County District Court.

¦ Germaul L. Rayton, 20 was killed and two others were injured in a shooting late in the afternoon of Saturday, May 31, at Freedom Valley Park, 1400 S.E. Locust. Jourdan M. Hunt, 24, of Topeka, was arrested in connection with the shooting. Hunt’s trial date is set for Feb. 23.

¦ Jermel R. Robbins, 26, was shot and killed the afternoon of Friday, June 13, after a verbal exchange with another person outside a home at 2129 block of S.E. Kentucky. No arrests have been reported in that case.

¦ Patrick Lightbourn Jr., 19, was shot and killed about 1:50 a.m. Friday, June 20, while outside a residence at 620 S.W. Tyler. Two teenagers, both of Topeka, were arrested in connection with Lightbourn’s death. One was identified as Damieon Matthew Ortega-Brown, 18, who was charged with first-degree murder. The second person arrested was identified only as a 17-year-old boy.

Ortega-Brown is set for a criminal assignment docket appearance on Jan. 8 and a pre-trial hearing Jan. 22, both in Shawnee County District Court.

¦ Lacie Atchison, 22, was stabbed to death at her home about 7 a.m. Wednesday, Sept. 24, at 912 S.E. 34th. Her boyfriend, Trevor Adkins, 23, was sentenced Wednesday to nearly 13 years in prison after pleading guilty to intentional second-degree murder in Atchison’s death. The couple had a 1-year-old daughter, who was adopted by Atchison’s family members.

Another homicide was recorded in 2014 outside the Topeka city limits in Shawnee County.

¦ In that case, Dustin McKinney, 29, was shot to death the evening of Sunday, Nov. 2, at his residence at 734 N.W. 62nd.

Two arrests were made in the case.

Jonathan Emil Maldonado-Vazquez, 36, of Topeka, was arrested Nov. 5 and charged with premeditated first-degree murder, two counts of aggravated robbery of McKinney and his fiancee, one count of aggravated burglary of their home, and four counts of criminal restraint of the fiancee and three children. Maldonado-Vazquez was charged with first-degree murder, aggravated burglary, aggravated robbery and criminal restraint. He remained Thursday in the Shawnee County Jail on a $5 million cash or professional surety bond. He also was being held on a parole violation, which was nonbondable.

Another man, Julio Antonio Olavarria-Velez, 26, who had been listed as a person of interest in the McKinney slaying, was arrested later in November in New Britain, Conn. He remained Thursday in the Shawnee County Jail on $500,000 bond in connection with felony obstruction.

In addition to the city’s seven homicides in 2014, one person was killed in a house fire in 2014 in Topeka. Morgan Duncan, 18, died in the fire, which occurred at 8:19 a.m. Thursday, Nov. 20, at the home she shared with her mother at 1106 S.W. 8th.

According to the Kansas Bureau of Investigation, the city and county’s homicide totals since 2003 are as follows:

2003 — 16 city, 1 county

2004 — 8 city, 0 county

2005 — 7 city, 1 county

2007 — 12 city, 0 county

2008 — 9 city, 0 county

2009 — 11 city, 1 county

2010 — 14 city, 0 county

2011 — 15 city, 0 county

2012 — 15 city, 3 county

2013 — 11 city, 0 county

In certain years, discrepancies may exist in the number of homicides reported by The Capital-Journal and official numbers from the KBI or local law enforcement agencies, depending on whether homicides determined to be justifiable are counted.