Twenty years after being sentenced to death for the 2004 murders of Mikiala “Miki” Martinez and Darren Wornkey in Barton County, Sidney Gleason is asking the governor to commute his sentence to life without the possibility of parole. Gleason has applied for executive clemency.
Anyone wishing to comment should send information in writing to the Prisoner Review Board, Jayhawk Walk, 714 SW Jackson, Suite 300; Topeka, KS 66603-3722.
The Federal Public Defender’s office will publish a legal notice in the May 12 Great Bend Tribune and written comments should be submitted within 15 days of publication (May 27).
Originally, Gleason was charged with capital murder for killing Martinez and Wornkey, the aggravating kidnapping of Martinez, attempted first-degree murder and aggravated robbery of a third person (Paul Elliott), and criminal possession of a firearm.
Gleason was convicted in Barton County District Court on all counts except the attempted first-degree murder charge. The jury also determined that a sentence of death should be imposed.
An accomplice in the killings, Gleason’s cousin Damian Thompson, agreed to plead guilty to the first-degree murder of Martinez and testify against Gleason in exchange for a life sentence without parole eligibility for 25 years.
Gleason is now 47 years old and is incarcerated at the El Dorado Correctional Facility in special management (restrictive housing) custody. Thompson, also now 47, is at the Hutchinson Correctional Facility-East where his custody level is low-medium. His earliest possible release date is Feb. 22, 2029.
Avoiding the death penalty
Gleason’s death sentence was reversed once, but later upheld. According to past reports in the Great Bend Tribune, in 2014, the Kansas Supreme Court approved the convictions but reversed Gleason’s death sentence, finding error in the jury instructions. The Kansas Attorney General appealed to the U.S. Supreme Court, and in February of 2016 that court reversed the decision of the Kansas Supreme Court regarding the death sentence.
When the case was returned to the Kansas Supreme Court, the justices affirmed the death penalty and Gleason appealed that decision to the U.S. Supreme Court.
In a brief, one-line sentence, the U.S. Supreme Court denied Gleason’s appeal of the death sentence. As is traditional, the nine justices did not give a reason for their decision.
