MARC JACOBS
Hutch Post
HUTCHINSON, Kan. — A Reno County man originally convicted of first-degree murder in a 2015 shooting has been resentenced after his conviction was overturned by the Kansas Supreme Court due to a violation of his constitutional rights.
Brennan R. Trass had been convicted of first-degree felony murder and firearm charges in the death of Jose Morales during a drug deal. Trass admitted to the shooting but claimed he acted in self-defense. He was initially sentenced to 610 months in prison.
On appeal, the Kansas Supreme Court found the district court violated Trass’ Sixth Amendment right to counsel by forcing him to represent himself without ensuring he fully understood the risks of self-representation. Just weeks before his 2019 trial, Trass’ attorneys withdrew due to a conflict, and the court ordered him to proceed pro se with standby counsel.
Trass was later removed from the courtroom after refusing to participate in the trial, at which point standby counsel assumed representation.
The high court determined Trass neither knowingly waived his right to an attorney nor forfeited that right through misconduct. Because the violation was classified as a structural error, the court reversed his convictions and ordered a new trial.
However, the court rejected other arguments raised in the appeal, ruling there was no violation of Trass’ right to a speedy trial and that sufficient evidence existed to support the original felony murder charge.
Following the ruling, Reno County District Attorney Thomas Stanton reoffered a previous plea agreement after consulting with the victim’s family. This time, Trass accepted the deal ahead of a new trial.
Under the agreement, Trass pleaded guilty to one count of voluntary manslaughter, three counts of aggravated assault, one count of aggravated battery and one count of criminal possession of a firearm by a convicted felon.
On April 20, Trass was sentenced to 228 months for voluntary manslaughter, along with additional consecutive sentences totaling 55 months for the remaining charges. His total sentence is 283 months in prison.