Judge to allow death penalty in Kansas quadruple homicide case
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}A judge has ruled that prosecutors may seek the death penalty against a man accused in the deaths of four people at a Kansas farm, including an 18-month-old girl, in 2013.
Franklin County District Judge Eric Godderz ruled during a hearing Friday the death penalty will be allowed in the case against 29-year-old Kyle Flack of Ottawa. He is charged with murder and rape after two men, a woman and her daughter were found dead near Ottawa. Flack has pleaded not guilty.
The Lawrence Journal-World reports Flack's attorney argued the death penalty should be banned because of "evolving standards of decency," noting that 120 countries have rejected the punishment.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Godderz said his court is bound to follow precedent in Kansas and the U.S., which allow the death penalty.