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Johnson County Jury Convicts Andrea Cothran of First-Degree Murder in Officer Jonah Oswald’s Death

Prosecutors relied on Kansas’ felony-murder rule, which treats a death during certain felonies as murder for all involved in the underlying crimes.

Overview

  • Jurors returned a guilty verdict Thursday after deliberating part of Wednesday and several hours on Thursday, delivering the decision shortly after 2 p.m.
  • Prosecutors argued the felony-murder theory applied because the killing followed crimes tied to fleeing officers, including theft and attempts to elude arrest.
  • Evidence shown to jurors included body and dash camera video, store surveillance, a recorded interrogation that a judge ruled voluntary, and DNA linking Cothran to the gun.
  • The defense said Shannon Marshall alone fired the shot and stressed that officers had already handcuffed Cothran in a separate restroom before the gunfire.
  • The case stemmed from an August 2023 spree that led to a chase, a crash, and a Mission QuikTrip confrontation where Marshall was killed by police and Oswald, 29, was fatally shot.