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Amber Peery convicted in triple deaths of Girl Scouts in Topeka. What happens next?

Topekan native Amber Peery may face prison after being convicted Thursday of felony charges in connection with the accidental deaths of three Girl Scouts in a highway breakdown.

The jury found Peery, 34, guilty of three counts of involuntary manslaughter, two counts of aggravated assault and one count each of failure to maintain a lane and turning on a highway.

Two uniformed Shawnee County sheriffs were among 21 people watching from the stands as the verdict was announced Thursday, after a bond Peery posted last year in the case was revoked.

Officers transported Peery in handcuffs from Shawnee District Court to the Shawnee County Jail, where she was booked at 6:10 p.m. Thursday. Jail records showed she was being held without bail Friday afternoon.

Shawnee County District Judge Jessica Heinen has scheduled Peery's sentencing for October 3.

What rules will be taken into account when determining the sentence for Amber Peery?

District judges in Kansas use the Kansas sentencing guidelines to determine sentencing, which set the expected length of imprisonment in months for crimes committed on or after July 1, 1993.

Based on the severity of the crime and the defendant's criminal history, the table sets minimum, standard and maximum sentences for drug and other offenses.

According to court records, Peery's manslaughter convictions and one of her two aggravated assault convictions are Level 5 felonies.

Peery's other aggravated assault conviction – in which a victim suffered less serious injuries than the victim of her first aggravated assault conviction – is a Level 8 felony.

For most crimes, it is clear from the sentence whether probation or a prison sentence is advisable.

But for people with no prior criminal record, which appears to be the case in Peery's case, the penalties for all Level 5 offenses fall into a “borderline range,” according to a copy of the chart on the Kansas Sentencing Commission's website.

This means that, without violating the guidelines, a judge can either sentence the person in question to prison or release them on probation.

Recommended prison or probation sentences for people with no prior conviction for a Level 5 felony who are convicted of a Level 5 felony vary from 31 to 38 months, according to the sentencing grid.

Probation is recommended for all defendants convicted of a Level 8 felony, except those who have been convicted of a felony two or more times, it says.

What other criminal laws could impact Peery's case?

Peery was convicted Thursday of four different Level 5 felonies.

Under Kansas law, judges in cases involving multiple convictions have the option to impose sentences that are served either consecutively or concurrently.

Judges can also deviate from the guidelines entirely by imposing harsher or more lenient sentences than those recommended in the guidelines.

Contact Tim Hrenchir at [email protected] or 785-213-5934.

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