by TChris

Kenneth Junious was the only eyewitness who (supposedly) placed Surgio Johnson at the scene of Melvin Jackson Jr.'s murder. That made Junious a vital witness. When Junious expressed reservations about testifying, prosecutor Barry Disney crossed a line:

The judge said Disney made a false threat of criminal charges and additional jail time to coerce Junious into testifying.

That attempt to coerce a witness prompted Sedgwick County District Judge David Kaufman to exclude Junious' testimony. The district attorney's office appealed the ruling, but its appellate office abandoned the appeal, undoubtedly concluding that it was fighting a losing battle. Perhaps the DA's office worried that an appellate court might ask unpleasant questions about its failiure to charge one of its own with intimidating a witness.