State v. Nelson

The opinion of the court was delivered by

Holmes, J.:

This is a direct appeal by defendant-appellant from conviction by a jury of three counts of aggravated robbery (K.S.A. 21-3427), five counts of kidnapping (K.S.A. 21-3420[b]), and one count of aggravated weapons violation (K.S.A. 21-4202).

On February 28, 1976, three black males robbed the Mr. Steak restaurant in Lawrence, Kansas, and the family of four that was eating in the otherwise empty restaurant. One of the men forced the cook to open the unlocked safe, another took the billfold of the man who was dining with his family and the third…