Kansas Supreme Court upholds murder conviction in 2009 Wichita shooting

The Kansas Supreme Court on Friday upheld the felony first-degree murder and aggravated assault convictions of a man who argued that jurors never should have heard his victim’s deathbed statements.

In a 20-page opinion, the state’s high court rejected Michael Reed’s assertions that a Sedgwick County judge wrongly allowed testimony at his trial about the final utterances of Vincent “Vinny” Barnes, 33, who was shot and killed May 15, 2009, at his apartment at Central and West in Wichita. The shooting happened during an argument Reed started while trying to find someone to sell him cocaine during his younger brother’s bachelor party, according to court records and The Eagle’s news archives.

When police and Barnes’ sister, who witnessed the attack, asked him who was responsible in the minutes after the shooting, Barnes mentioned a man named “Mickie.” He fell unconscious as paramedics were taking him to an ambulance and was pronounced dead at the hospital.

Investigators who searched Barnes’ phone contacts found one for a “Mickie Norms Buddy,” which later was linked to Michael Reed and several phone calls he made to Barnes that night, looking for drugs.

Robert Reed, who was out that night celebrating his upcoming wedding, was the gunman. A third man, Jeremy Trout, also took part in the assault. According to records, the trio went to Barnes’ apartment in anger after he hung up during a phone conversation with Michael Reed while he was searching for drugs and refused to answer later calls.

Sedgwick County Judge Jeffrey Syrios, in pre-trial hearings, ruled that Barnes’ statements were admissible at trial as dying declarations because they were made voluntarily and under the fear of death.

Reed, among issues raised in his appeal, said his rights were violated because he couldn’t confront and question Barnes in court.

He also argued that there was too little evidence to support some elements of the murder charge and that jurors should have been given a wider range of less-severe alternative charges to mull over in their deliberations.

The Supreme Court rejected Reed’s arguments and affirmed his convictions in Friday’s ruling. Justice Carol Beier wrote the opinion.

Reed, 33, was found guilty at trial of a more severe offense – first-degree felony murder – than his brother and was given a life sentence. Robert Reed pleaded guilty to second-degree murder and was sentenced to 19 years in prison.

Trout is serving an 11-year prison sentence for his role in the shooting.

This story was originally published July 11, 2015 at 10:53 AM with the headline "Kansas Supreme Court upholds murder conviction in 2009 Wichita shooting."