LAWRENCE — A Douglas County judge has upheld the conviction and sentence of a Wwashington woman who killed two highway workers while driving on U.S. 59 north of Ottawa five years ago. The Lawrence Journal-World reported that Judge Paula Martin ruled that Ramona Morgan’s court-appointed attorney made some mistakes, but weren’t bad enough to affect the jury’s decision. Morgan had argued she received ineffective counsel and that her 26-year sentence was excessive. Witnesses testified that Morgan drove around a pilot car twice in a U.S. 59 work zone on Sept. 11, 2007, and the second time struck and killed two workers. That started a lengthy police pursuit that ended after officers punctured her pickup truck’s tires. Morgan said she thought people were chasing her and trying to rob her.
Monday, Nov. 26, 3 p.m.
