TOPEKA — The Kansas Court of Appeals says a Wichita man should not have been allowed to use a “Stand Your Ground” defense to avoid trial in the stabbing death of a Wichita woman.
The court overturned a decision by a district judge who dismissed second-degree murder and other charges against 38-year-old Seth Collins. In its ruling Friday, the court said a jury, not a judge, should decide whether Collins’ actions were justified in the April 2016 confrontation.
The Wichita Eagle reports Collins acknowledged stabbing 22-year-old Kayla Brown to death and injuring another woman during a fight that began over a parking spot at a Wichita apartment complex.
The law allows attack victims to use deadly force if they reasonably believe it’s necessary to protect themselves from death or great bodily harm.
