Title: State v. Parker

State: kansas

Issuer: Kansas Supreme Court

Document:

1 
 
IN THE SUPREME COURT OF THE STATE OF KANSAS 
 
No. 118,349 
 
STATE OF KANSAS, 
Appellee, 
 
v. 
 
WILLIE E. PARKER, 
Appellant. 
 
 
SYLLABUS BY THE COURT 
 
1. 
Statements made during a custodial interrogation must be excluded under the Fifth 
Amendment to the United States Constitution unless the State demonstrates it used 
procedural safeguards, i.e., Miranda warnings, to secure the defendant's privilege against 
self-incrimination.  
 
2.  
The voluntariness of a defendant's Miranda rights waiver can be implied under the 
circumstances. Certain factors may contribute to a finding of voluntariness, such as the 
defendant explicitly saying that he or she understood his or her rights and then 
proceeding to answer questions.  
 
3.  
There is no requirement that Miranda rights be read aloud in order to obtain a 
legally sufficient waiver of the right to remain silent.  
 
Appeal from Wyandotte District Court; BILL KLAPPER, judge. Opinion filed March 13, 2020. 
Affirmed. 
 
 
2 
 
Meryl Carver-Allmond, of Kansas Capital Appellate Defender Office, argued the cause and was 
on the briefs for appellant.  
 
Daniel G. Obermeier, assistant district attorney, argued the cause, and David Greenwald, 
assistant district attorney, Mark A. Dupree Sr., district attorney, and Derek Schmidt, attorney general, 
were with him on the brief for appellee. 
 
The opinion of the court was delivered by 
 
ROSEN, J.:  Willie Parker takes this direct appeal to the Kansas Supreme Court 
from his conviction of one count of premeditated first-degree murder. Finding no error, 
we affirm.  
 
FACTUAL AND PROCEDURAL BACKGROUND 
 
Willie Parker was employed as a driver for First Class Medical Transportation, a 
delivery company that takes patients to and from the Kansas City Transitional Care 
Center, which is across the street from the University of Kansas Medical Center. Michel 
Ziade was his employer. On July 28, 2015, Parker and a coworker delivered a patient 
around noon and then returned to a parking garage where their van was located. Parker 
and Ziade got into a verbal altercation in which Parker complained about his working 
hours and having to work night shifts.  
 
Ziade accused Parker of being late picking up a passenger, and the two exchanged 
insults and profanity. At one point, Parker said, "You can't fucking tell me what to do." 
The argument devolved into a fist fight. Witnesses reported that Ziade was bent over 
while Parker repeatedly hit him in the face. The witnesses did not see Ziade hit or strike 
Parker. Another employee, Stanley Burleson, pulled them apart and stood between them, 
and Ziade asked the bystanders to call the police.  
 
 
3 
 
Parker then went to his van, opened the door, and stood for a short time retrieving 
something. After about 60 seconds, Ziade went into the parking garage and walked over 
to his car. He was about to get in when Parker came after him, wielding a pistol. Ziade 
turned and walked quickly or ran from the parking garage. Parker pursued Ziade at a fast 
walking pace, brandishing a gun, and shot at Ziade several times. After the first shot, 
Ziade ran out of the underground parking garage. Parker followed him and fired four 
more shots. Ziade fell to the sidewalk and rolled over on his back. Parker walked up to 
him and shot him one more time before turning and walking back into the parking garage. 
He went to his van, grabbed a bag, and then walked away down an alley.  
 
Although he was taken to the hospital almost immediately, Ziade died within 
minutes of the shooting. He died from a bullet that had been fired into his back and 
penetrated his heart.  
 
On July 31, 2015, based on the statements of eyewitnesses and a search of Parker's 
home, the State filed an Information charging Parker with premeditated first-degree 
murder. On August 6, 2015, investigators located Parker in a church building where he 
barricaded himself for some six hours before tear gas forced him to surrender into 
custody. Within about an hour, detectives began a lengthy interrogation, in which Parker 
admitted killing Ziade.  
 
Parker was sent to Larned State Hospital for a competency evaluation, which 
disclosed that, despite signs of possible mental illness, he was competent to communicate 
with counsel and to be tried. Parker nevertheless was uncooperative, refusing to speak 
with at least one of his appointed counsel.  
 
The case went to trial in June 2017, and Parker presented no witnesses in his 
defense. The court instructed the jury on premeditated first-degree murder and on the 
 
4 
 
lesser included offense of second-degree murder. The jury found Parker guilty of first-
degree murder. He took a timely appeal to this court.  
 
ANALYSIS 
 
Motion to Suppress 
 
Parker made several self-incriminating statements during the interrogation that 
took place immediately after his arrest. Before his trial, Parker moved to suppress these 
statements. The district court denied that motion. Parker argues on appeal that the district 
court should have suppressed his statements because the investigators did not take 
sufficient steps to ensure that he understood his Miranda rights. We conclude that, 
despite the unusual manner in which Parker received an explanation of his rights—
necessitated by his refusal to allow the detectives to explain the rights out loud—no 
reversible error occurred.  
 
A dual standard is used when reviewing a decision ruling on a motion to suppress 
a confession. We review the factual underpinnings of a district court's ruling under a 
substantial competent evidence standard. The ultimate legal conclusion drawn from those 
facts is reviewed de novo. We will not reweigh the evidence, assess the credibility of the 
witnesses, or resolve conflicting evidence. State v. Dern, 303 Kan. 384, 392, 362 P.3d 
566 (2015). 
 
The voluntariness of a waiver of a defendant's Miranda rights is a question of law 
that an appellate court determines de novo based on the totality of the circumstances. 
State v. Kirtdoll, 281 Kan. 1138, 1144, 136 P.3d 417 (2006). 
 
Statements made during a custodial interrogation must be excluded under the Fifth 
Amendment to the United States Constitution unless the State demonstrates it used 
 
5 
 
procedural safeguards, i.e., Miranda warnings, to secure the defendant's privilege against 
self-incrimination. These safeguards are triggered only when an accused is (1) in custody 
and (2) subject to interrogation. State v. Regelman, 309 Kan. 52, 59, 430 P.3d 946 (2018). 
On appeal, the appellate court assesses whether a Miranda waiver was knowing, 
voluntary, and intelligent under a totality of the circumstances test. State v. Mattox, 305 
Kan. 1015, 1042, 390 P.3d 514 (2017). 
 
The voluntariness of a defendant's Miranda rights waiver can be implied under the 
circumstances. Kirtdoll, 281 Kan. 1138, Syl. ¶ 1. Certain factors may contribute to a 
finding of voluntariness, such as the defendant explicitly saying that he or she understood 
his or her rights and then proceeding to answer questions. 281 Kan. at 1146-47; see also 
State v. Wilson, 215 Kan. 28, 30, 523 P.2d 337 (1974) (when defendant says he or she 
understands his or her rights and makes no showing that statements were coerced or in 
some other way involuntary, Miranda safeguards are satisfied).  
 
There is no requirement that Miranda rights be read aloud in order to obtain a 
legally sufficient waiver of the right to remain silent. See, e.g., United States v. Collins, 
40 F.3d 95, 98 (5th Cir. 1994), cert. denied 514 U.S. 1121 (1995); United States v. 
Bailey, 468 F.2d 652 (5th Cir. 1972); United States v. Alexander, 441 F.2d 403, 404 (3d 
Cir. 1971); United States v. Van Dusen, 431 F.2d 1278 (1st Cir. 1970); State v. Olquin, 
216 Ariz. 250, 252-53, 165 P.3d 228 (Ct. App. 2007), review denied (2008); Wise v. 
Commonwealth, 422 S.W.3d 262, 271 n.4 (Ky. 2013); State v. A.M., 237 N.J. 384, 400, 
205 A.3d 213 (2019); People v. Warren, 2 A.D.3d 1317, 1318, 770 N.Y.S.2d 266 (2003), 
leave to appeal denied 1 N.Y.3d 636 (2004); State v. Strobel, 164 N.C. App. 310, 313-14, 
596 S.E.2d 249 (2004), cert. denied 545 U.S. 1140 (2005). 
 
There is also no requirement that interrogators follow a specific protocol for 
determining whether questioned individuals understand their rights. To be sure, 
interrogators may not wait until questioning is underway to administer Miranda warnings 
 
6 
 
and then rely on statements made before they gave the warnings. See, e.g., Missouri v. 
Seibert, 542 U.S. 600, 617, 124 S. Ct. 2601, 159 L. Ed. 2d 643 (2004) (when 
investigators intentionally employ two-step interrogation strategy, postwarning 
statements related to substance of prewarning statements must be excluded unless 
curative measures taken before postwarning statement is made).  
 
Here, however, the detectives provided Parker with a written statement of his 
rights along with an offer to read them out loud, and he read the statement of rights, all 
before the substantive interrogation began. Although the better practice is that 
interrogators read the Miranda summary of rights out loud and make follow-up inquiries 
about whether the person being questioned understands those rights, that protocol was not 
possible in this case, because Parker insisted that an oral explanation of the rights was 
condescending behavior that he would not tolerate. In this unusual situation, we must 
look to the circumstances and the words used by both the detectives and Parker in order 
to determine whether he understandingly waived his rights against self-incrimination. 
 
State v. Davis, 306 Kan. 400, 417, 394 P.3d 817 (2017), sets out a nonexclusive 
list of factors to be examined in evaluating whether a confession was voluntary. The 
factors are: 
  
"'(1) the accused's mental condition; (2) the duration and manner of the interrogation; (3) 
the ability of the accused on request to communicate with the outside world; (4) the 
accused's age, intellect, and background; (5) the fairness of the officers in conducting the 
interrogation; and (6) the accused's fluency with the English language. [Citations 
omitted.]'" 
 
Before denying Parker's motion to suppress, the district court went through these 
factors in order, resolving them in favor of the State: 
 
 
7 
 
"The court resolves factor number one, the issue of competency, in favor of the State. 
Parker seems to be competent. He did not appear to be suffering from any type of 
delusions about why he was there. As previously indicated he did not seem to be under 
lingering effects of any chemical agents, he seemed to understand the reason for the 
interview and there was no violation as far as number one is concerned. As to factor 
number two the court is directed to consider the duration and manner of the interrogation. 
The interrogation lasted one hour 49 minutes and 45 seconds. At no time were the 
detectives in any way threatening Parker. Only Parker and the two detectives were 
present. The detectives were not armed. Parker was not restrained in any way. There were 
no handcuffs or leg shackles. Parker was of course confined in the interview room with 
the detectives but the court finds nothing amiss with the confinement. As to factor 
number three, the ability of the accused to request to communicate with the outside 
world, Parker made no request to communicate with the outside world. The detectives 
made it clear during the statement that he had a right to consult with an attorney if he 
chose to do so. He did not make that request. As to factor number four, the accused's age 
intellect and background, detective Sutton testified that Parker was 40 years of age, that 
he appeared to be well educated and fluent. Parker's background was not really discussed 
but it did not appear from a review of the video that anything about his age, his intellect 
or his background would have affected his ability to give a voluntary statement. The fifth 
factor is the fairness of the officers in conducting the interrogation. The interrogation was 
a very conversational event. No threats were made, no shouting and no aggressive 
movements by either of the detectives. They remained seated and calm throughout the 
interview. The court finds nothing that would have affected fairness of the investigation 
based upon the interrogation or based upon the officers' behavior. The defendant seemed 
to speak and understand English without any problem. The court must make its 
determination of admissibility of defendant's statement based on the totality of the 
circumstances. The prosecution has born its burden of proving Parker's confession is 
admissible by a preponderance of the evidence, See State v. Gilliland, 294 Kansas 519, 
528-529, 276 P.3d 165 (2012), and viewing the totality of the circumstances surrounding 
the statement believes it was freely and voluntarily given."  
 
Parker insists that the officers did not do enough to ensure he understood his 
rights. He points to several areas of concern—his troubled mental state, the recent 
standoff with police and exposure to tear gas, and an asserted inability to communicate 
 
8 
 
with anyone outside the interrogation. Parker centers his argument for reversal on the 
asserted failure of the investigators to make sure that he understood his rights:   
 
"Because the police in this case did nothing to ensure that Mr. Parker—a 
defendant who they had been informed was mentally ill and who had freshly been 
sprayed with tear gas at the end of a long standoff—understood the Miranda warnings on 
the sheet of paper handed to him, his purported waiver of his rights was invalid."  
 
Our review leads us to the conclusion that substantial competent evidence 
supported the district court's factual findings and that those findings showed a voluntary 
waiver of Miranda rights. 
 
The topic of Parker's rights came up a couple of times during the interrogation. 
After a few preliminary discussions of what he wanted to drink, Detective Sutton said:  
"We'll be able to sit down and have a good conversation, but I do have to read you your 
Miranda Rights, okay?" The following dialogue then took place: 
 
"[Parker:]  I will not be signing any— 
"[Detective Jason Sutton:]  Okay. 
"[Parker:]  —documents. 
"[Sutton:]  That's okay. 
"[Parker:]  . . . From here on out. 
"[Sutton:]  That's, that's understandable. I, I hear ya. 
"[Parker:]  Uh . . . if you wish me to read it, I will, you don't have to read it to me. 
"[Sutton:]  That's the laws that it says I have to read it. 
"[Parker:]  Uh-uh, I didn't need it, but I will read it. 
"[Sutton:]  Yeah, if you wanna read it and y— and you understand that, and then that's 
great, too. 
"[Parker:]  Well, it— 
"[Detective Anthony Sanchez:]  Do you wanna read it out loud then? 
"[Parker:]  No, I don't, I don't need no one to, to read it for me, I don't need to read it out 
loud. 
 
9 
 
"[Sutton:]  Okay. You wanna read it? 
"[Parker:]  Ye—yeah. 
"[Sutton:]  Yeah, we, uh, we started workin' on that case, and, and it became obvious to 
us that there was two sides to this, because the video wasn't telling everything, and that's 
one thing, you know, like, we'd talk to ya, Mr. Parker, is we'd like to hear more about 
what you've been talkin' about in your own words, in your own way. You know, if you're 
in a position where you wanna do that with us, then we appreciate that. If you're in a 
position where you don't want an, an attorney with you, then we agree to that with you 
and we understand that, and we can sit here and, and discuss whatever you wanna discuss 
about how that day went, the parts you wanna talk about and the parts you don't wanna 
talk about, and like you said, it, there was a certain level of an agreement between you 
and Mr. Ziade, and, and, obviously, he broke that, that, uh, level of, of trust and, and 
agreement between you two, somethin' a man shouldn't do, m'kay? So if all that's okay 
with you, then, uh, we would like to hear more about, um, your thoughts on this."  
 
Parker looked at the statement of Miranda rights for 62 seconds and then put the 
form down. He refused to initial or sign the statement. He then proceeded to answer (or 
refuse to answer) questions about the shooting. Much later in the interrogation, the 
subject of Miranda rights came up again. 
 
"[Sanchez:]  Okay. Okay, when we said that we're gonna say the rights to you, you got 
upset. I mean, is there a reason why you didn't want us readin' the rights to you? Uh, we 
understand you can read, you're an educated man, we know that, especially with the, you 
know, readin' the dictionary, thesaurus, all that. 
"[Parker:]  Who told you I read the dictionary? 
"[Sanchez:]  I'm sayin' we, we interviewed several people. 
"[Sutton:] I seen two dictionaries in your house. 
. . . . 
"[Sanchez:]  [T]hat's the reason why we wanted to know about the Miranda, because we 
understand you can read and you understand that you know that, but you got upset 
because you didn't want him readin' 'em or me readin' 'em to you. 
"[Parker:]  What, one, I said I wasn't goin' sign anything. 
"[Sanchez:]  No, we un—we respect that. 
 
10 
 
"[Parker:]  Two, yes, it did make me upset, because I don't need no one treatin' me like a 
child, and that's exactly what they did. 
"[Sanchez:]  Who did? 
"[Sutton:]  First Class? [Parker's employer.] 
"[Sanchez:]  Yeah, but we, we understand you're not a child, you're a man. 
"[Parker:]  Doesn't matter what they, uh, you understand. 
"[Sanchez:]  You know, the whole thing is we're just tryin' to see who you are. So, like I 
said, you refused to sign it, but you understood your rights? 
"[Parker:]  I understand everything I read." 
 
First, we note that the refusal to sign a rights waiver form is not tantamount to a 
desire not to be questioned. Subsequent voluntary responses to inquiries after an initial 
Miranda warning can create an effective waiver. State v. Boyle, 207 Kan. 833, 841, 486 
P.2d 849 (1971).  
 
Second, we acknowledge that there were signs of mental illness but conclude that 
substantial competent evidence supports the district court's findings with regard to 
Parker's competence, Parker's ability to contact the outside world, and the fairness of the 
officers in conducting the investigation. We further conclude that the findings show 
Parker's waiver was voluntary.  
 
Going into the interrogation, Detective Sutton spoke with people who knew 
Parker. They told him that Parker was eccentric:  he would read the dictionary, he drank 
large quantities of vinegar, and he had said he thought he was God. These topics came up 
obliquely during the interrogation, with Parker responding with some annoyance that he 
wished people would not talk about him outside his presence.  
 
Ultimately, however, Parker has not directed us to anything that shows his mental 
condition rendered him unable to voluntarily waive his rights or the officers' conduct 
unfair. In fact, Parker does not argue that he actually did not understand his rights. He 
 
11 
 
only asserts that the police should have done more to ensure that he understood. This is a 
subtle yet important distinction. Parker points to nothing in the record that suggests that 
he did not understand his rights or the interrogation process. In fact, toward the end of the 
interrogation, Parker stated that he understood what he read. 
 
Although he was not always responsive and he was often argumentative, Parker 
displayed a clear understanding of what was going on and the roles of the detectives. For 
example, he sometimes responded to questions by turning them back around and 
challenging the detectives in a somewhat humorous fashion to figure out what had 
happened. When they asked how he had managed to leave the crime scene so quickly, he 
laughed and said, "That's somethin' you goin' have to find out." Later on, after the 
interrogators speculated how he might have gotten away, he said, "Well, y'all the 
detectives."  
 
His statements indicated that he understood that he did not have to provide 
affirmative answers to questions from the police. When the detectives asked him why he 
finally surrendered to police and suggested he was hoping they would shoot him, he 
responded, "I don't know anything about all that. . . . You tryin' to get me to say somethin' 
that I don't have no ideal [sic] about." He also clearly understood the general nature of the 
charge against him:  when an interrogator asked him if he knew what he was charged 
with, Parker responded, "Prolly chargin' me with first degree murder." 
 
The overall tenor of the interrogation showed a defendant who knew what crime 
he had committed and how he had done it; who understood that the police were trying to 
obtain incriminating statements from him; who was playing a cat-and-mouse game with 
the interrogators; and who understood his rights and how the interrogation process 
worked.  
 
 
12 
 
Collins, 40 F.3d 95, presented a situation remarkably similar to what we address 
here. The Fifth Circuit wrote: 
 
"It is axiomatic that an accused must be informed of his Miranda rights in a way 
that ensures his knowing, intelligent, and voluntary exercise or waiver thereof. The 
record supports the district court's finding that Collins was effectively informed of his 
rights. Collins perused the form for a minute before returning it to the agents with the 
words 'I ain't signing that.' One agent testified that Collins appeared to read and 
understand the form. We perceive no error in the district court's crediting of this 
testimony and determining that Collins was informed of and understood his rights 
considering his age—38, his education—GED degree, and his familiarity with the 
criminal justice system as a consequence of his extensive criminal history. 
"Whether Collins waived his Miranda rights presented a factual question for the 
district court. Such waivers may be direct or, in some instances, they may 'be clearly 
inferred from the actions and words of the person interrogated.' The mere answering of 
questions is insufficient to show waiver; however, there must be some affirmative action 
demonstrating a waiver of Collins' Miranda rights. We find such action to be present 
herein. 
"The record reflects that after Collins refused to sign the form one of the agents 
told him, 'You know, you can talk to us if you want. You don't have to. You read the 
form. But if you want to talk to us, you can.' At that point Collins replied 'Okay.' 
Thereafter, upon being questioned about the Dallas robberies he confessed. In this 
setting, the trial court did not err in finding that Collins waived his Miranda rights. The 
confession was properly admitted." 40 F.3d at 98-99. 
 
Like the Fifth Circuit in Collins, we conclude that the district court here made no 
error when it admitted the interrogation statements.  
 
Jury Instruction  
 
Before trial, Parker requested a voluntary manslaughter committed upon a sudden 
quarrel or in the heat of passion instruction. The district court denied the request and 
 
13 
 
instructed the jury on premeditated first-degree murder and intentional second-degree 
murder. Parker asserts that the voluntary manslaughter instruction was justified and that 
reversal is required. 
 
The analytic steps for reviewing the denial of a requested jury instruction are as 
follows: 
 
"'(1) First, the appellate court should consider the reviewability of the issue from both 
jurisdiction and preservation viewpoints, exercising an unlimited standard of review; (2) 
next, the court should use an unlimited review to determine whether the instruction was 
legally appropriate; (3) then, the court should determine whether there was sufficient 
evidence, viewed in the light most favorable to the defendant or the requesting party, that 
would have supported the instruction; and (4) finally, if the district court erred, the 
appellate court must determine whether the error was harmless, utilizing the test and 
degree of certainty set forth in State v. Ward, 292 Kan. 541, 256 P.3d 801 (2011).'" State 
v. Williams, 303 Kan. 585, 598-99, 363 P.3d 1101 (2016). 
 
Parker preserved this instruction issue, presenting the proposed voluntary 
manslaughter instruction to the district court and arguing that the testimony of some 
witnesses supported it. The instruction would have been legally appropriate because 
voluntary manslaughter is a lesser included offense of first-degree murder. See State v. 
Gallegos, 286 Kan. 869, 874, 190 P.3d 226 (2008). 
 
The question, then, is whether the instruction would have been factually 
appropriate. Voluntary manslaughter is "knowingly killing a human being committed: (1) 
Upon a sudden quarrel or in the heat of passion; or (2) upon an unreasonable but honest 
belief that circumstances existed that justified use of deadly force . . . ." K.S.A. 2018 
Supp. 21-5404(a). The core elements of voluntary manslaughter are an intentional killing 
and legally sufficient provocation. State v. Campbell, 308 Kan. 763, 775, 423 P.3d 539 
(2018).  
 
14 
 
Although the statute does not define "sudden quarrel" or "heat of passion," we 
have defined "heat of passion" as "'any intense or vehement emotional excitement of the 
kind prompting violent and aggressive action, such as rage, anger, hatred, furious 
resentment, fright, or terror', based 'on impulse without reflection.'" State v. Hayes, 299 
Kan. 861, 864, 327 P.3d 414 (2014). The provocation must be "'sufficient to cause an 
ordinary man to lose control of his actions and his reason.'" 299 Kan. at 864. 
 
"Sudden" means "'[h]appening without warning; unforeseen[;] [c]haracterized by 
hastiness; abrupt; rash[;] [c]haracterized by rapidity; quick; swift.'" And "quarrel" means 
"'[a]n altercation or angry dispute; an exchange of recriminations, taunts, threats, or 
accusations between two persons.'" State v. Bernhardt, 304 Kan. 460, 476, 372 P.3d 1161 
(2016). "Mere words or gestures, however offensive, do not constitute legally sufficient 
provocation." Hayes, 299 Kan. at 866. 
 
In the present case, the surveillance cameras showed and the eyewitnesses testified 
that, after Burleson got between Parker and Ziade, Parker took about a minute to walk 
back to his van, retrieve a handgun, and walk quickly in pursuit of Ziade, firing as he 
pursued him.  
 
In Campbell, this court held that the conduct was neither abrupt nor unforeseen 
when the defendant left a house, took the time to cock his gun, and returned to the house, 
whereupon he shot the victim. Under those facts, this court held that the conduct 
"reveal[ed] a level of calculation" that belied heat of passion or loss of control. 308 Kan. 
at 776. We cited to Hayes, which in turn cited to State v. Wade, 295 Kan. 916, 925, 287 
P.3d 237 (2012), holding that a defendant's "calculated conduct" undercut a claim that the 
action was taken "upon impulse without reflection," thus rendering a heat-of-passion 
instruction inappropriate. 308 Kan. at 776. 
 
 
15 
 
Here, Parker took approximately 60 seconds to go from his van to the underground 
garage and shoot Ziade.  There was no active confrontation at the time; Ziade was 
walking away from him.  
 
Parker urges this court to find sufficient evidence in the record to demonstrate a 
heated quarrel that would support a voluntary manslaughter instruction. There is indeed 
evidence of an argument in which both men used strong language in an accusing manner, 
and there is even some evidence (not supported by other witnesses or the surveillance 
recordings) that Ziade may have struck back against Parker. But the evidence is 
substantial and uncontested that, following the argument, Parker walked back to his van, 
spent some time retrieving a gun from a duffel bag, walked back to Ziade, and shot him 
in the back as he attempted to get away. In his interrogation, Parker did not say that he 
lost control of his ability to make decisions; he instead stated that he went for his gun 
because he had been unable to kill Ziade with his fists and he wanted to finish the 
undertaking. There is so little evidence of heat of passion at the time of the shooting and 
so much evidence of calculated decision-making that, in line with Campbell and Wade, 
the voluntary manslaughter instruction was not factually appropriate. We find no error in 
the district court's rejection of the requested instruction. 
 
The district court is affirmed.  
 
PATRICK D. MCANANY, Senior Judge, assigned.1 
                                          
 
1REPORTER'S NOTE:  Senior Judge McAnany was appointed to hear case No. 
118,349 under the authority vested in the Supreme Court by K.S.A. 20-2616 to fill the 
vacancy on the court by the retirement of Chief Justice Lawton R. Nuss.