Kleypus Ruling Draws Small Crowd

A Southeast Kansas man on death row hears a verdict from the State Supreme Court. For more than one year, the Kansas State Supreme Court has been deliberating on the death sentence appeal of convicted murderer Gary Kleypus. Today, their opinions are made public. This is the first time the high court has had to decide on a capital punishment issue since it was reinstated 7 years ago. So yes, they were very aware of the gravity of their decision. A small crowd was on hand at the Supreme Court to be the first to see the ruling. The justices agreed to uphold Kleypus` conviction for the 1996 murder of Carrie Williams, a student at Pittsburg State University. However, Kleypus` death sentence was overturned by the court, citing faults with a jury verdict form and that a Kansas State statute was deemed unconstitutional as it pertained to this case. Ron Keefover with the Supreme Court says Kleypus will be re sentenced by another empanelled jury and they can issue the death penalty once again. Keefover says preparations being what they are anywhere between 6 and 12 months is the norm for something like this.