Former Dodge City Officer To Get New Trial

A southwestern Kansas judge has scheduled the retrial of a former Dodge City police officer charged with killing his ex-girlfriend for mid-January.

Christopher Tahah has been serving a life sentence for the May 2007 death of Erin Jones. The 25-year-old mother of two was killed in her home by a shot fired from outside.

The Kansas Supreme Court overturned Tahah’s first-degree murder conviction in September, saying the Ford County jury should have been allowed to consider less charges, including involuntary manslaughter.

District Judge Leigh Hood on Monday scheduled a four-day retrial to begin Jan. 17.

The state Supreme Court cited Tahah’s testimony that his .270-caliber rifle discharged accidentally as he stood in Jones’ backyard.