An Anderson County man who was recently sentenced for child sex crimes has filed an appeal. The Kansas Court of Appeals will decide in coming weeks whether to hear an appeal from convicted Garnett child molester Joe Wilper, after his defense attorney filed a “notice of the action” in January.
Wilper was sentenced earlier in January to more than 27 years in prison and ineligible for parole until at least 23 years after he was convicted in October of six related felonies involving indecent liberties with a child, aggravated incest and criminal sodomy and rape. The victim, Wilper’s daughter, was between the ages of 14 and 16 at the time the assaults occurred.
Anderson County Attorney Steve Wilson says the court received notice the appeal had been filed January 13th. Wilson says the Kansas Attorney General’s Office will handle the appeal case. Appeals judges can affirm or reverse a lower court decision or order a new trial. If the appellant loses a granted appeal, they can file an appeal to the Kansas Supreme Court.
Wilper’s sentence reflected the maximum allowable, according to the state’s criminal sentencing grid.
