HUTCHINSON, Kan. — A trial date has been set for a Hutchinson man on a first-degree murder charge following a status conference Tuesday afternoon. The trial date for Isaac Ervin is now set for Dec. 9.
Isaac Ervin is accused of killing Lora Beth Stratton in August of 2019. Stratton was found unconscious in an alley on Aug. 24. She died at a Wichita hospital.
The defense has also filed a motion for dismissal of charges claiming self-defense. The motion states that Ervin took action against Stratton under the state’s “Stand Your Ground” law, where the use of force against another person was justified in self-defense. Reno County District Attorney Tom Stanton says Ervin’s claim does not hold any legal ground. That hearing is set for November.
The co-defendant in the case, Delshay Vinsonhaler, has already entered guilty pleas to lesser charges and was sentenced to three years in prison.