Tahah being charged with 1st Degree murder!

[dgirl]

He got 29 years to life....

[Army_of_One]

They should be more specific...There's a big difference between 29 years and life....either way I'm sure he'll have fun in prison.

[mommiedearestx3]

Taken from the Hutch news:


Former officer gets 'hard 20' for murderIn death of ex-girlfriend, one-time policeman is given the maximum sentence. By Jon Ruhlen -


DODGE CITY - A former police officer convicted of murder in April has been sentenced to a "hard 20" in the death of his ex-girlfriend.

Ford County District Judge Leigh Hood sentenced Chris Tahah to life in prison without the possibility of parole for 20 years for the felony first-degree murder of Erin L. Jones.

Hood sentenced Tahah to a consecutive 8 1/2-year sentence for criminal discharge of a firearm.

Members of Jones' family, addressing the court prior to sentencing, painted a picture of a friendly and vibrant young mother, whose life was cut short by Tahah's jealousy.

"May God forgive him for what he's done, because none of us can," said Carol Wade, the victim's mother.

Carol and Lyman Wade lost a son in a car accident the year before their daughter's May 5, 2007 death. Carol Wade talked about the difficulty of watching two sets of grandchildren deal with missing parents and asked the judge for the maximum sentence.

"That's what we're serving right now - is life without the possibility of seeing her," Wade said.

Tahah declined to say anything during the sentencing hearing but had typed out a letter that his attorney, John Peter Orsi, gave to the court. Orsi said Tahah continues to maintain his innocence, before adding his own comments.

"I hope it would be of some comfort to the family that, according to the testimony of the pathologist, Erin did not suffer," Orsi said.

Ford County Attorney John Sauer said Tahah's position as a law enforcement officer made the crime especially grievous.

"When you see a Dodge City patrol car, it says, 'To Serve and Protect,' " Sauer said. "A cop should be held to a higher standard."

Hood, who denied motions by Orsi to overturn the guilty verdict or grant a new trial, said that Tahah's job as a police officer made the crime especially terrible.

"I've always felt that those of us that serve the justice system - we are held to a higher standard in the eyes of the public," Hood said. "When we commit some type of crime, our punishment should be more than that of the run-of-the-mill citizen."

Hood said that Tahah's actions not only caused a person's death, but also caused great harm to the Dodge City police.

"I know, from talking to people in our community, that our police department currently has a black eye," Hood said. "They will be years removing that black eye."

A friend found Jones dead in her house at 2510 Bell in Dodge City on May 5, 2007. She had been shot. Tahah, a police officer at the time, quickly came under suspicion but fled before Kansas Bureau of Investigation agents could complete their investigation.

Colorado State Troopers arrested Tahah a week later after he led officers on a high-speed chase down Interstate 70 in a stolen Hummer. In a videotaped interview with a KBI agent in a jail cell in Colorado, Tahah admitted to being hurt by Jones after she had broken up with him several weeks before.

Tahah also admitted to sneaking over to Jones' house that night with a loaded rifle and pointing it at a back door that opened into her bedroom, but said it went off accidentally as he lowered the weapon.

Orsi said Tahah intends to appeal the sentence, although the attorney filed a motion to withdraw from the case

[Made in the USA]

IMO he got off rather light for the crime he committed. I would have thought he would have gotten a Life Sentence at minimum.

[357 mag]

I agree, really not long enough at all!

[wordsmythe]

Case closed.

[Jolly Rancher]

Originally Posted by Made in the USA

IMO he got off rather light for the crime he committed. I would have thought he would have gotten a Life Sentence at minimum.

It IS a life sentence. If you don't like that our government lets them have possible parole in 20 years, then speak up to your congressmen and senators!!!!

[Made in the USA]

Originally Posted by Jolly Rancher

It IS a life sentence. If you don't like that our government lets them have possible parole in 20 years, then speak up to your congressmen and senators!!!!

There is a "Hard 40" and a "Life Without Parole"! Erin Jones got "Life without parole" and so did her kids and family!

[pootsy]

and when he is up for parole write the parole board, I will be. He still says he is innocent. In his sick little mind he actually believes that. How sad

[banyon]

Originally Posted by Made in the USA

There is a "Hard 40" and a "Life Without Parole"! Erin Jones got "Life without parole" and so did her kids and family!

If the Judge had given him a hard 40 or Life without Parole, it would have been automatically reversed and vacated by the Court of Appeals as an illegal sentence.

The penalty for felony murder is set by statute. Like Jolly said, it is in the power of the Legislature to alter it, but the court followed the laws they wrote.