A Manhattan man charged with murder made his first appearance in court Tuesday.
Steven Harris, who faces charges of first-degree murder and attempted first-degree murder, had his preliminary hearing set for July 21 at 1 p.m. in the Riley County District Courthouse.
Harris is suspected of being the man behind the trigger on the night of May 21 in a shooting at the 2800 block of Nelson’s Landing in Manhattan that left 39-year-old German Gonzalez-Garcia dead at the scene. A second man, Adrian Ortega, was also shot. He was transported in critical condition to Stormont Vail Hospital in Topeka and survived.
Harris fled the scene with his fiance, Cora Brown, also of Manhattan. They were both found and apprehended in Wichita, after police there noticed a vehicle connected with the couple at a Motel 6 on E. Kellogg.
Brown was charged with possession of methamphetamine.
Harris isn’t new to the criminal system.
According to the Kansas Department of Corrections website, Harris was released from KDOC on May 21, 2015, after serving 14 years for attempted second-degree murder in Franklin County. According to court documents filed Jan. 14, 2008,, Harris was convicted of shooting a man inside a bar in Ottawa, Kan., on Dec. 2, 2000.
He was also convicted for drugs found in his home, which was located within 1,000 feet of an elementary school. Harris was on parole at the time of the offense. Harris plead no contest to his charges.
