Kansas Statutes 21-5109. Multiple prosecutions for same act; lesser included crimes
Terms Used In Kansas Statutes 21-5109
- Complaint: A written statement by the plaintiff stating the wrongs allegedly committed by the defendant.
- Conviction: A judgement of guilt against a criminal defendant.
- Defendant: In a civil suit, the person complained against; in a criminal case, the person accused of the crime.
- Evidence: Information presented in testimony or in documents that is used to persuade the fact finder (judge or jury) to decide the case for one side or the other.
- Indictment: The formal charge issued by a grand jury stating that there is enough evidence that the defendant committed the crime to justify having a trial; it is used primarily for felonies.
- Plea: In a criminal case, the defendant's statement pleading "guilty" or "not guilty" in answer to the charges, a declaration made in open court.
- State: when applied to the different parts of the United States, includes the District of Columbia and the territories. See Kansas Statutes 77-201
- Trial: A hearing that takes place when the defendant pleads "not guilty" and witnesses are required to come to court to give evidence.
(a) When the same conduct of a defendant may establish the commission of more than one crime under the laws of this state, the defendant may be prosecuted for each of such crimes. Each of such crimes may be alleged as a separate count in a single complaint, information or indictment.
(b) Upon prosecution for a crime, the defendant may be convicted of either the crime charged or a lesser included crime, but not both. A lesser included crime is:
(1) A lesser degree of the same crime, except that there are no lesser degrees of murder in the first degree under subsection (a)(2) of Kan. Stat. Ann. § 21-5402, and amendments thereto;
(2) a crime where all elements of the lesser crime are identical to some of the elements of the crime charged;
(3) an attempt to commit the crime charged; or
(4) an attempt to commit a crime defined under paragraph (1) or (2).
(c) Whenever charges are filed against a person, accusing the person of a crime which includes another crime of which the person has been convicted, the conviction of the lesser included crime shall not bar prosecution or conviction of the crime charged if the crime charged was not consummated at the time of conviction of the lesser included crime, but the conviction of the lesser included crime shall be annulled upon the filing of such charges. Evidence of the person’s plea or any admission or statement made by the person in connection therewith in any of the proceedings which resulted in the person’s conviction of the lesser included crime shall not be admissible at the trial of the crime charged. If the person is convicted of the crime charged, or of a lesser included crime, the person so convicted shall receive credit against any prison sentence imposed or fine to be paid for the period of confinement actually served or the amount of any fine actually paid under the sentence imposed for the annulled conviction.
(d) Unless otherwise provided by law, when crimes differ only in that one is defined to prohibit a designated kind of conduct generally and the other to prohibit a specific instance of such conduct, the defendant:
(1) May not be convicted of the two crimes based upon the same conduct; and
(2) shall be sentenced according to the terms of the more specific crime.
(e) A defendant may not be convicted of identical offenses based upon the same conduct. The prosecution may choose which such offense to charge and, upon conviction, the defendant shall be sentenced according to the terms of that offense.