An Osage County man who was convicted of murdering his wife, their two daughters and his wife’s grandmother in Burlingame in 2009, has lost his appeal to have his convictions and death sentence vacated. James Kahler filed the lawsuit petition, alleging his legal counsel did an ineffective job of selecting the jury during the trial that resulted in his being convicted and sentenced to death. The petition cites 14 reasons Kahler’s convictions and/or death sentence should be overturned, with 12 saying he received ineffective legal representation during his trial and appeals process, and he was too mentally ill at the time to be held legally responsible for the killings.
A 170 page document provided by Attorney General Kris Kobach’s office says Kahler’s claims are “not supported by facts or law”. Kahler is an inmate being held under special management at El Dorado Correctional Facility. No execution date for Kahler has been set, as he hasn’t exhausted his legal options.
