A Manhattan man entered a guilty plea Thursday to second-degree murder in connection to a 2019 fatal attempted robbery.
21-year-old Jaylon Hitsman additionally pleaded guilty to attempted aggravated robbery and aggravated battery. In exchange, prosecutors dropped charges of aggravated assault and criminal discharge of a firearm at an occupied vehicle and recommended a lower sentence of approximately 15 years.
Hitsman’s brother, 21-year-old Dylan Hitsman was sentenced in March to 24 years in prison on similar charges. Riley County Chief Justice Grant Bannister will sentence Jaylon Hitsman on Aug. 31.
Two other co-defendants are awaiting court proceedings. At a May 3 status hearing, 46-year-old Shamar Sutton’s attorney informed Judge Bannister his client would await the result of an August trial for the fourth co-defendant, 30-year-old Richard Goens, before entering a plea. Both men face similar charges as the others, but are each facing a charge of first-degree murder. Sutton’s hearing is set for Aug. 30.
The four men were involved in an attempted robbery of 24-year-old Tanner Zamecnik, who was shot and killed Nov. 1, 2019.
