State v. Valdez

The opinion of the court was delivered by

Lockett, J.:

The defendant appeals, raising 11 issues which include his certification as an adult; trial errors regarding his convictions of premeditated first-degree murder, aggravated kidnapping, conspiracy to commit murder, conspiracy to commit aggravated kidnapping, aggravated robbery, and aggravated battery; and the imposition of the 40-year mandatory prison sentence.

On February 3, 1996, a group of young people met to party at a residence in Garden City, Kansas. The group included several members of a local gang, the Young Crowd (Y.C.) and others…