Murder charges dismissed in fatal Kansas park water slide accident
Murder charges filed against the owners of a water slide which decapitated a boy in a horrifying accident have been dropped.
Second-degree murder charges were filed against the Schlitterbahn park owner Jeff Henry, designer John Schooley and the contractor of the slide.
Judge Robert Burns dismissed the charges, saying ‘irregularities and improprieties improperly influenced the grand jury to indict these defendants.’
"Quite simply, these defendants were not afforded the due process protections and fundamental fairness Kansas law requires."
The indictment said the slide was a ‘deadly weapon’ and the defendants rushed it into operation without the necessary safety tests.
Investigations found the ‘Verrukt’ ride had injured 13 people in six months.
The judge said the Kansas Attorney-General had ‘irreparably tainted’ the grand jury hearing with evidence that would never be admissible in court.
Kansas Attorney-General Derek Schmidt said his office would ‘review the ruling carefully’ and could ‘continue to pursue this matter in a criminal court’ at a later date.
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Editor for TravelMole North America and Asia pacific regions. Ray is a highly experienced (15+ years) skilled journalist and editor predominantly in travel, hospitality and lifestyle working with a huge number of major market-leading brands. He has also cover in-depth news, interviews and features in general business, finance, tech and geopolitical issues for a select few major news outlets and publishers.
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