Brent bollinger trial

She also added, "Brent will stand in front of God one day" and urged the judge to "make him feel the pain my daughter felt. Stewart, also emotional and teary while standing before the judge, made eye contact with Bollinger while she spoke. She said she did not know how someone "could do this to another person, especially Brenna, who still loved you. Prior to sentencing, Ward said the court had reviewed the pre-sentence investigation reports and also impact statements made by family members.

Attorneys on both sides of the case said they also reviewed the PSI and the defendant's criminal history and had no objections. Ward said the criminal history check indicated that Bollinger had one prior conviction, a misdemeanor. Paul Morrison, Bollinger's attorney, also had a chance to issue comments on behalf of the defendant prior to sentencing and called the case "a horrible tragedy.

And his family suffers as well. Morrison said his client was taken into custody at the age of 25 and has "given up his youth as a result of this conviction. Morrison told the judge he has tried or been involved in more than 50 homicide cases and it is rare that the defendants in such cases are granted parole.

He said Bollinger would "at the earliest be in his 50s" if and when he is allowed an early release from prison. Bollinger will remain in the custody of the county until he is transferred to the KDOC. He was arrested and booked on charges in January Two weeks after responding to a call to serve, and eight hours after beginning deliberations, jurors handed down their verdict shortly after 11 a.

Bollinger was found guilty of murder in the first degree, aggravated arson, and aggravated endangerment of a child. Jurors found that on Oct. Their then 2-year-old son, Bryson, was in the home at the time and received severe burn injuries.

Brent Bollinger also was injured in the fire. Bryson was transported to the Shriners Hospital in Cincinnati, Ohio, for treatments. He was led out in handcuffs. Before before asking jurors for the verdicts, Judge Ward admonished the audience to not make any outbursts, warning that he would remove those who cause a disturbance.

Sentencing has been set for 9 a. Brent Bollinger is facing a life sentence with possibility of parole after 20 years for the murder charge. The judge also will determine sentences for the arson and child endangerment verdicts. Those sentences may run concurrently or consecutively. That's what the jury system is for. You put your sign on, give it your best shot, and the chips fall where they may. I have no criticism of anybody. He Brent got his right to trial, and he had a good defense and it is what it is.

We were disappointed in the verdict, obviously, but in our system, that's how it works. Although filing an appeal in a murder case is common, Morrison said the decision on whether to appeal has not been made yet. Judge Ward set a post-trial hearing for p. Morrison said it is common in a murder trial for a review to take place to determine if there were any errors. It's always very sad," Morrison said. Jury selection began Sept.

Bollinger screamed that his wife was still in the house and needed assistance. A smoke detector could be heard beeping in the background on one of the calls.

A child's screaming could also be heard. Bollinger himself held his head down and some spectators in the courtroom sobbed while listening to the calls. Agencies that responded to the fire included multiple local fire departments and Mercy EMS, Medflight.

Paul Morrison, the defendant's attorney, asked Taylor some questions about how times are generated and comments are entered in dispatch's digital recording system called Computer-Assisted Dispatch CAD. Morrison also asked Taylor if he heard another voice that could be heard in the background on the second call, but which was overshadowed by Bollinger yelling, to which Taylor responded that he could not.

Long testified about her job duties the night of the fire and said two dispatchers are on duty at all times. She was working with Taylor at the time, who took the emergency calls. The CAD reflects the times and dispatchers who make notes in the system, Long said upon questioning.

Long said when the correct address was obtained, she edited the dispatch record to make it correct. Long said ambulances were sent to the scene, as well as two Medflight helicopters and later, an "all call" was issued, meaning all off duty personnel were to report to the station.

Dale Bollinger is Brent Bollinger's father. Long said she was also advised by Bill Martin, then Bourbon County undersheriff, to contact KBI, as the incident may possibly be a homicide. Morrison asked Long a few questions about entering times and numbers in the CAD system and their meaning and how busy dispatchers were that night. He asked if both dispatchers had been listening to the calls but Long said both dispatchers "can't hear what's going on.

Eric Shoemaker who was at home and not on duty the night of the fire but heard about it after his wife received a phone call. Shoemaker said he knows Dale Bollinger as a coworker at the fire department.

Shoemaker said he took his personal vehicle to the scene the night of the fire and noticed a helicopter and people standing outside at Mercy Hospital and saw Dale Bollinger, so he pulled in. Shoemaker said he asked Bollinger if he needed anything, to which Dale responded he "needed Brent's fing truck. Brent Bollinger's truck was sitting in the Mercy ER parking lot. Shoemaker testified that a Fort Scott Police Department officer told him not to touch the truck when he went over to it.

Shoemaker said he backed away from the truck. Shoemaker said he had phone contact with his boss, Ballou, who wanted to know where he was.

Shoemaker said he didn't talk about Dale's behavior nor did he ask for Ballou's assistance. Shoemaker said he was still at the hospital when Dale left. Shoemaker eventually went to the fire scene, where City Manager Dave Martin had also arrived to see if "everything was OK. Upon arriving at the fire scene, Shoemaker testified it was secured with yellow tape and several fire trucks were on scene.

He met there with Ballou but never got close to the house. Ballou asked Shoemaker if he had seen Dale Bollinger and wanted to know where he was. Shoemaker said he remained at the fire scene for awhile and stayed with Martin in the street the entire time.