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Sedgwick County, Kansas

Testimony Begins In Trial Of Accused Killer Crease

Testimony in the first-degree murder trial of Kenneth Crease began Monday with seven witnesses who told of two burglaries that preceded the slayings of Robert and Letha Temple in the summer of 1979.

The next several days of the trial are expected to focus on those and other burglaries, which the Sedgwick County District Attorney's Office claims were part of a summer crime spree that ended Aug. 30, 1979, with the slayings of the Temples in their home at 739 N. 119th St. W. during another burglary.

In his opening statement to the jury Monday in Sedgwick County District Court, Assistant District Attorney Paul Clark said that evidence eventually to be presented in the trial will show that Crease, now 18, shot Letha Temple in the face with a .22 caliber pistol, then shot her again when she screamed.

An accomplice shot Robert Temple at the same time, Clark said. That accomplice, Roy Edwards, has pleaded guilty and is expected to testify against Crease.

Deloy Smith, 1201 S. 119th St. W. and her son, Gaylon, told the court about returning home from a short shopping trip on July 5, 1979, to find a burglary in progress. Smith said she saw a man with a gun who "resembled" Crease. However, she said that although Crease was about the same height and weight as the burglar and had similar eyes and hair, she couldn't be positive Crease was the man.

Later Monday, two Realtors and Edward and Jean Rains testified about a burglary of the Rains home at 1155 Hazelwood on Aug. 21, 1979. The Rainses said they were in the process of moving to Arkansas and were not at home at the time. None of those witnesses was able to definitely link Crease to the Rains burglary.

Testimony is scheduled to resume at 9:30 a.m. today in District Judge Ray Hodge's courtroom. The prosecution expects to call about 50 witnesses and try to introduce about 100 exhibits into evidence during the trial, which is expected to last several weeks.
(Wichita Eagle-Beacon ~ 9 Dec 1980)