A detention first appearance for the juvenile charged with murder in the first degree, intentional and premeditated, in connection with the death of Great Bend teenager Rubi Perez went on as scheduled Tuesday morning in Barton County District Court. The proceeding, however, has been closed to the public per court order.
The hearing date had been listed on the Kansas Judicial case portal, but that document — along with the case number and identifying information — was removed from the portal last Tuesday.
Presiding over the case is 20th District Lay Magistrate Timarie Ann Walters, who also presided via Zoom over a detention hearing on April 13.
Barton County Attorney J. Colin Reynolds informed the Great Bend Tribune immediately before Tuesday’s hearing was set to begin. “The judge has ordered the case sealed and so no media presence will be allowed,” he said.
Under K.S.A. 60-2617, a courtroom proceeding may be sealed upon a written finding of good cause. The decision weighs harm to a litigant against the strong public interest in court transparency. Agreement between parties is considered, but is not sufficient on its own to seal a record.
Case History
According to an official release from Great Bend Police Chief Steve Haulmark, GBPD officers responded to the 4700 block of 17th Street Terrace at approximately 8:36 p.m. Wednesday, April 8, following a report of a missing 14-year-old girl who was last seen attending a class at Holy Family School, located at 4200 Broadway Ave.
Officers fielded multiple calls during the ensuing search, but the girl was not located. On Thursday, April 9, at approximately 9:10 a.m., officers returned to the 4700 block of 17th Street Terrace, where a juvenile female was found behind a large dirt pile and pronounced deceased at the scene.
The Barton County Coroner was summoned, but no official details have been released regarding cause or approximate time of death.
Later that day, a 14-year-old male juvenile was questioned and taken into custody at the Barton County Detention Center on a requested charge of murder in the first degree, intentional and premeditated.
A formal charge of murder in the first degree was subsequently issued and defense counsel retained. Under Kansas law, that charge requires that the killing was both deliberate and planned in advance. Kansas courts have held that premeditation does not require an extended period of planning but it must reflect a conscious decision to kill made before the act was carried out. It is the most serious homicide charge in the state and carries a sentence of life in prison. As the juvenile has not been ordered to stand trial as an adult, no identifying information has been released
