A Manhattan man facing multiple charges across two cases in Riley County District Court — including attempted murder — now looks to a jury trial for the cases after he pleaded not guilty on Monday. Tyrell Demond Harper, 19, entered not guilty pleas to charges including attempted murder, two counts of aggravated battery, aggravated assault with a handgun, aggravated kidnapping, two counts of aggravated witness or victim intimidation, aggravated domestic battery, domestic battery, aggravated child endangerment, criminal restraint and criminal damage to property. The charges come from cases filed in June 2022 and February 2026. A person born in 2001…
Author: Rose Gruenbacher
A Manhattan man charged with a February stabbing death pleaded not guilty Monday in Riley County District Court. Billy Dee Michael Arnez, 39, pleaded not guilty to one count of murder in the second degree. Police arrested Arnez Feb. 2 after detaining him the day before at the scene of a stabbing incident in the 1900 block of Anderson Avenue. Teray Robinson, 24, was found with a stab wound on Feb. 1 and died at Via Christi Hospital as a result of his injury. Arnez’s attorney, Christopher Biggs, requested the case be heard in a jury trial. The case is…
A registered sex offender from Manhattan on Tuesday pleaded guilty to two counts of violating the terms of his offender registration in Riley County District Court. Darrell Lee Stevens, 41, entered a plea deal with prosecutors and was convicted of the charges after he reportedly failed to provide and verify information as required by the Kansas Offender Registration Act and failed to register a social media account with officials. In return for his plea, a remaining count against Stevens was dismissed. He will be sentenced on Oct. 19. To view the full article visit theMercury.com.
An Ogden man on Tuesday pleaded guilty to 12 charges in Riley County District Court, including aggravated assault with a firearm and theft. Estevan Izik Rochin, 20, entered a plea deal with county prosecutors for charges he faced in three separate cases. He pleaded guilty to five counts of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, four counts of theft and three counts of theft by deception, all from two cases in May and November 2025. He was found guilty of all 12 counts. In return for Rochin’s guilty plea, the prosecution dropped two counts of criminal discharge of a firearm…
The 2025 Westmoreland trial of Dana Chandler may find national attention once more with the upcoming release of a documentary series on HBO max about an Alma couple’s take on the case. The Mercury reported extensively on Chandler’s 2025 trial and sentencing as it unfolded. To view the full article visit theMercury.com.
A Manhattan woman will go to trial in December, after pleading not guilty to arson on Monday in Riley County District Court. Virgina Lynn Beneux, 46, pleaded not guilty to one count of aggravated arson of an apartment building and one count of criminal damage. A jury will hear her case during a 3-day trial beginning on Dec. 28. Beneux was arrested for the alleged crimes on Feb. 26 and is still incarcerated.
Riley County police on Wednesday morning located a 10-year-old Manhattan boy who was reported as missing by his parents at 8 p.m. on Tuesday. The boy, named Victor, was found at 11:20 a.m. after being missing for over 15 hours. Riley County Police Department public information officer Joshua Kinder said the boy was classified as a runaway. Kinder said the boy was found safe near Marshalls in the West Loop shopping center after a tip was called in to police that he’d been spotted.
A Kansas City man pleaded guilty to charges including theft and forgery on Aug. 17 in Riley County District Court. Kahlil Adams Kilian, 47, pleaded guilty to three counts of forgery, two counts of felony theft and attempted theft after reaching a plea agreement with state prosecutors. In return for his plea, Killian’s remaining three charges of identity theft were dropped. Court documents identified multiple victims in the case. A man and woman were listed as victims of forged checks and Cat Cans, KS State Bank, Community First National Bank and Mike’s Plumbing were included as victims for the counts…
An attorney for USD 383 Manhattan-Ogden dropped the school district as a client this month in a case where two families say the school district violated the Americans with Disabilities Act regarding their children. Alan Rupe filed his notice of withdrawal with the U.S. District Court on Aug. 13. His notice did not include a reason for the departure. This makes the second lawyer to leave the school district’s defense team, after Delaney McCoy gave her notice to the court on July 10. McCoy said she was leaving the firm that represented the district, and said Rupe would continue as…
A Manhattan man will face trial in December after pleading not guilty Monday in Riley County District Court to charges of sex crimes. Griffin Dean Day, 24, is charged with rape, aggravated sexual battery and aggravated battery against a woman born in 1972. His attorney, Cole Hawver, entered not guilty pleas on his behalf after Judge Grant Bannister denied Hawver’s motion for a new preliminary examination hearing. Bannister’s denial came after Hawver’s motion in a June hearing, during which he alleged lack of due diligence and ineffective counsel by Day’s former lawyer, Aaron Gipson. To view the full article visit…