State v. Pearce

IN THE SUPREME COURT OF THE STATE OF KANSAS No. 122,961 STATE OF KANSAS, Appellee, v. MICHAEL J. PEARCE JR., Appellant. SYLLABUS BY THE COURT 1. Felony murder is statutorily defined as the killing of a human being in the commission of, attempt to commit, or flight from any inherently dangerous felony. Distribution of a controlled substance is designated in the statute as an inherently dangerous felony. 2. Felony murder contains two causation elements. First, the death must lie within the res gestae of the underlying crime. Second, there must be a direct causal connection between the felony…