Topeka man convicted of setting fire in 2006 that killed woman pleads not guilty in retrial
January 29, 2019 12:43PM CST
A 43-year-old Topeka man who was once convicted of setting a fire that killed a 53-year-old woman has pleaded not guilty in a court-ordered retrial.
WIBW-TV reports Frank Jerome Robinson entered the plea Monday to charges connected to a fire that destroyed an apartment house in 2006, killing 53-year-old Marvina Washington.
He is charged with reckless second-degree murder and aggravated arson. A trial date was not scheduled.
Robinson was convicted in 2009 of reckless second-degree murder and aggravated arson. He was sentenced to 36.5 years in prison.
The Kansas Court of appeals ruled in January that Robinson should receive a new trial because his attorney at the original trial didn’t provide an adequate defense.
