Photo courtesy: Kansas Department of Corrections
Major C. Edwards
A Lawrence man, who is out on parole after serving more than a decade in a 2006 shooting, was charged Monday with aggravated sexual assault in Douglas County District Court.
The man, Major Cornelius Edwards Jr., 43, was linked to the October 14, 2006 shooting death of Lawrence hip-hop artist Anthony “Crack” Vital, 28. He was convicted in 2010 of voluntary manslaughter.
Edwards served four years in Douglas County Jail and was sentenced to 168 months or 14 years in prison after testifying in court against co-defendant Darrell Jones, 38, of Kansas City, Kansas. Jones’ trial ended in a miscarriage of justice, but Edwards had struck a plea bargain with the state seeking a reduced sentence. Edwards testified at trial that Jones shot Vital to collect drug debt, but Edwards said he directed Jones to Vital.
Photo courtesy: Photo by Mike Yoder/Journal World
Darrell Jones enters a Douglas County courtroom before beginning to speak at trial on March 8, 2011.
Edwards appeared in Douglas County District Court on Monday to face a felony count of aggravated sexual assault, according to the indictment. The incident, which involved a 19-year-old victim, is said to have occurred on June 10. Edwards was arrested around 2 a.m. on Saturday at 1400 Block 7th Avenue in Lawrence.
Judge Blake Glover appointed attorney Cooper Overstreet to represent Edwards, and Glover upheld the $75,000 bail set by the previous judge in the case. Edwards is next scheduled to appear in court on July 11.
Edwards was released on parole in June 2022, according to Kansas Department of Corrections records. He committed another felony in drug trafficking in 2001 and was convicted of assaulting a prison guard in 2015.
Further coverage: Major C. Edwards
• December 27, 2011: Lawrence, 32, sentenced to nearly 10 more years in prison for murder
• December 25, 2011: After 5 years, the murder case may be solved
• October 12, 2011: Judge: Prosecutors must honor agreement with man convicted in shooting of hip-hop artist Anthony Vital
• August 22, 2011: Douglas County Prosecutor Seeks to Drop Plea Deal With Man Convicted of Manslaughter
• August 2, 2011: Prosecutors say they won’t seek a new trial for Anthony Vital’s murderer Darrell Jones, citing unreliable key witnesses
• August 1, 2011: Darrell Jones faces second trial over death of hip-hop artist Anthony Vital
• July 18, 2011: 2006 hip-hop artist shooting death judge rejects appeal
• July 13, 2011: Former Wyandot County judge to hear Lawrence’s request to drop murder plea
• May 27, 2011: Lawrence man seeks to retract guilty plea in 2006 murder of hip-hop artist Anthony ‘Clack’ Vital
• March 16, 2011: Judge declares miscarriage of justice in Darrell Jones first-degree murder trial
• March 14, 2011: Darrell Jones murder trial enters third day of deliberations
• March 11, 2011: Lawrence District Murder Trial Jurors Back to Work Monday Morning
• March 9, 2011: Co-Defendant Testifies in Murder of Lawrence Hip-Hop Artist Anthony Vital
• March 8, 2011: Lawrence Hip-Hop Artist Murder Trial Conflicts Story in Opening Statement
• March 8, 2011: Murder trial jury selected
• March 7, 2011: First-degree murder trial for death of Lawrence hip-hop artist Anthony ‘Clack’ Vital opens today
• March 19, 2010: Lawrence man pleads guilty to 2006 shooting of hip-hop artist
• December 12, 2008: Two men ordered to stand trial on murder charges
• November 22, 2008: Witness: Defendant admitted murder
• May 24, 2008: Men charged with murdering musician appear in court
• May 23, 2008: Musician murder suspect appears in court
• March 12, 2008: Drug Suspect, Legal Trouble
• March 12, 2008: Two charged with shooting
• March 11, 2008: Two men charged with murder of hip-hop artist
• October 14, 2007: A year later, hip-hop artist’s death remains unsolved
• February 21, 2007: Murder investigation leads to weapons statement
• January 10, 2007: Adjournment request mentions suspect’s mental health
• January 9, 2007: Jury selection begins in firearms trial
• January 9, 2007: Mental health issues cited in request to postpone gun trial
• December 12, 2006: Shooting probe followed by charge
• December 11, 2006: Dead Rapper Fellow Charged But Not Murder
• November 10, 2006: Man wanted for gun control violations
• November 9, 2006: ‘People of interest’ in shooting death charged with 6 firearms counts
• October 23, 2006: Arrested.Details of the murder come to light
• October 18, 2006: Investigators look for ‘useful’ sources after murder
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