TOPEKA, Kan. — A Topeka man will stand trial for murder after a toddler used a gun to accidentally kill a teenager in June.
Shawnee County District Judge David Debenham ruled Monday that prosecutors had enough evidence to try DeJuan Yelverton for first-degree murder and armed criminal action. The Topeka Capital-Journal reported Yelverton pleaded not guilty to the two charges. He pleaded guilty to criminal possession of a weapon by a felon. Prosecutors allege Yelverton left a gun hanging off the top of a refrigerator.
A toddler later got the loaded gun and accidentally shot 13-year-old DaMya Hudnall in the head. She died a few days later.