The state supreme court has refused to lift the death sentences of two Kansas City men who tried to avoid a death sentence by avoiding a jury trial. Roderick Nunley and Michael Anthony Taylor kidnapped, raped, and murdered a teenage girl 22 years ago. The court says the two pleaded guilty and waived jury sentencing specifically to avoid a jury sentencing them to death. However, a judge imposed the sentence, which Nunley and Taylor say is unconstitutional. But the Missouri Supreme Court argues they waived their rights to jury sentencing, meaning their rights were not violated when the judge sentenced them to death without a jury recommendation.
