New trial set for Kansas man in son’s death

WICHITA, Kan. (KSNW) — A new trial has been scheduled for a Kansas man convicted of killing his infant son.

Kaleb Hogan will be tried again in January on charges of first-degree murder and child abuse.

Hogan was found guilty in 2023 of those same charges in the death of 3-month-old Malykai Hogan.

He was later sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole for 25 years. But he appealed.

Earlier this year, the Kansas Supreme Court overturned his conviction, saying the trial judge incorrectly admitted evidence of prior acts of alleged abuse.

The court ruled that the evidence did not fall within an exception allowing alleged prior acts to be admitted into evidence because the state couldn’t link the prior abuse to Hogan. In fact, prosecutors admitted during oral arguments at the high court that they did not charge Hogan with other counts of abuse because they couldn’t prove he was responsible for the child’s earlier injuries.

The court ruled that the state couldn’t prove that the error was harmless, so the case was returned to Butler County District Court for a new trial.

Court records show that a jury trial has been scheduled for Hogan on Jan. 6 at 9 a.m.

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