SEDGWICK COUNTY — Sentencing is scheduled August 14 for a Kansas woman convicted of first-degree murder in the decapitation death of her ex-boyfriend's mother, whose head she left in the kitchen sink.
The judge has said he would allow family members of the victim to be in the courtroom for the sentencing, according to the Sedgwick County District Attorney's office.
Rachael Hilyard cut off 63-year-old Micki Davis' head using two steak knives on April 9, 2017.
A prosecutor said the 38-year-old Hilyard attacked Davis without provocation then grabbed a knife “to finish what she started.”
Hilyard testified that she thought Davis was dead when she cut off her head. Her defense attorney says his client made bad decisions with horrible consequences.
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WICHITA, Kan. (AP) —A Kansas woman has been convicted of first-degree murder in the decapitation death of her ex-boyfriend's mother, whose head she left in the kitchen sink.
Prosecutors say Rachael Hilyard cut off 63-year-old Micki Davis' head using two steak knives on April 9, 2017. Hilyard was convicted Thursday and sentencing is set for March 27.
A prosecutor said the 38-year-old Hilyard attacked Davis without provocation then grabbed a knife “to finish what she started.”
Hilyard testified that she thought Davis was dead when she cut off her head. Her defense attorney says his client made bad decisions with horrible consequences.
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Wichita, Kan. (AP) —A Kansas woman on trial in the decapitation of her ex-boyfriend's mother told jurors that she “had to hurry to let her soul out"and that she thought there were people watching her out of her own eyes through a cellphone app.
38-year-old Rachael Hilyard, of Wichita, referred repeatedly to “things" that she said would give her suggestions or orders when she took the stand Wednesday.
She is charged with first-degree murder in the April 2017 killing of 63-year-old Micki Davis. The jury was to hear closing arguments and start deliberating Thursday.
Hilyard is being held on $550,000 bond. She has four previous drug convictions, according to the Kansas Dept. of Corrections.
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Wichita, Kan. (AP) —Prosecutors say a Kansas woman should be convicted of first-degree murder for decapitating her ex-boyfriend's mother after demanding that the victim come over and pick up her son's stuff.
The trial for Rachael Hilyard, of Wichita, got underway Tuesday. Defense attorney Quentin Pittman didn't dispute that Hilyard killed 63-year-old Micki Davis and told them he anticipated they would find her guilty of the “appropriate charge."
But he didn't say what that charge might be during a brief opening statement.
Prosecutors introduced evidence including testimony from the police officers who discovered Davis’ body in Hilyard’s garage, a taped law enforcement interview with Davis' 9-year-old grandson who called 911 when Hilyard attacked his grandmother, and photos of the crime scene.
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SEDGWICK COUNTY —The jury trial for a Kansas woman accused in the decapitation death of her ex-boyfriend's mother is underway in Sedgwick County, according to the district attorney's office.
Rachel Hilyard, 37, Wichita is charged with first-degree murder in the April 2017 death of 63-year-old Micki Davis.
Davis was attacked after she went with her 9-year-old grandson to a home to retrieve property belonging to her son. The boy ran away and called 911.
Police found Davis’ body in a garage and her head in the kitchen sink.
In August, Hilyard underwent a mental health evaluation at Larned State Hospital and then a judge ruled that she was competent to stand trial.
Hilyard is being held on $550,000 bond. She has four previous drug convictions, according to the Kansas Dept. of Corrections.