By Associated Press - Tuesday, October 4, 2016

HUTCHINSON, Kan. (AP) - The Kansas Supreme Court won’t block a mental evaluation for a Hutchinson boy who was convicted of killing his mother and sister in a fire.

The Hutchinson News (https://bit.ly/2cQuqPF ) reports that the justices on Monday denied Reno County District Attorney Keith Schroeder’s request for a temporary stay or injunction.

The request stems from a Reno County judge ordering Samuel Vonachen to remain in juvenile custody pending sentencing and then ordering that the teen undergo a mental evaluation. Schroeder says a pre-sentence examination is “needless.”



Vonachen was convicted in August of two counts of first-degree murder and other charges for the September 2013 fire that killed 47-year-old Karla Jo Vonachen and 11-year-old Audrey Vonachen. He was tried as an adult, although he was 14 at the time of the fire.

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Information from: The Hutchinson (Kan.) News, https://www.hutchnews.com

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