Gov. Laura Kelly has denied the clemency request filed by convicted serial killer John E. Robinson Sr., rejecting his effort to have his death sentence commuted.
The decision means Robinson will remain on death row while his legal case continues. The governor’s office confirmed the denial on June 18, 2026.
Robinson, now in his 80s, was convicted in connection with a series of killings that spanned from the 1980s until his arrest in June 2000.
Authorities have linked him to the deaths of seven women and a teenage girl in Kansas and Missouri.
Background Of The Murder Case
Robinson’s case drew national attention after investigators found the bodies of two women inside barrels on property he owned near La Cygne in Linn County. Later, three more bodies were discovered in barrels inside a storage unit he rented in Raymore, Missouri.
Investigators also connected him to three women who had disappeared years earlier. Authorities said Robinson lured some victims through promises of jobs, relationships, or sex before killing them.
In 2002, a jury in Johnson County District Court convicted Robinson of two counts of capital murder in the deaths of Suzette Marie Trouten and Isabela Lewicka. He was sentenced to death on each capital murder conviction.
Court Ruling Changed Part Of The Case
Robinson’s convictions and death sentence were later reviewed by the Kansas Supreme Court. In November 2016, the court upheld one capital murder conviction and the related death sentence.
However, the court reversed the second capital murder conviction, finding it was multiplicitous. That means the court determined the conviction punished Robinson twice for the same offense, creating a constitutional double jeopardy issue.
Despite that reversal, Robinson’s death sentence remained in place. He is currently held at El Dorado Correctional Facility.
Why Clemency Was Denied
In her statement, Kelly said Kansas reinstated the death penalty in 1994 and that it remains state law. She also noted that the state constitution gives the governor authority to commute sentences after a required review process.
Kelly said Robinson’s clemency request did not include a credible claim of innocence or evidence of manifest injustice. Because of that, she denied the request to commute his death sentence.
The clemency process requires a death row prisoner to submit an application to the Prisoner Review Board. The board must notify victims, prosecutors, and the sentencing judge. After that notice period, the board submits a report to the governor before a final decision is made.
Defense Attorney Criticizes Decision
Robinson’s attorney, Madeline Cohen, criticized the decision after it was announced. She argued that the state will continue spending resources defending the death sentence instead of resolving the case with a sentence of life without parole.
Cohen also pointed to Robinson’s age, medical condition, and ongoing legal proceedings. She suggested it is unlikely the state would be able to carry out an execution before Robinson dies of natural causes.
The denial of John E. Robinson Sr.’s clemency request keeps one of the region’s most notorious convicted killers on death row.
While the governor said the request lacked evidence of innocence or manifest injustice, Robinson’s attorney argued that continued litigation over the death sentence will consume more state resources. For now, the case remains active, and Robinson’s death sentence remains in effect.