TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) – The highest court in Kansas is scheduled to hear the appeal this morning from a former training officer at the Law Enforcement Training Center near Yoder, who is serving a life sentence for killing his wife days after she filed for divorce.
Brett Seacat was convicted in 2013 of first-degree murder and other charges in the 2011 death of his 34-year-old wife, Vashti. Prosecutors contend Seacat then set fire to the family’s home to destroy evidence as their two young sons slept down the hall.
The Supreme Court will consider whether the judge should have allowed hearsay statements his wife allegedly made before her death. It will also consider whether some evidence should have been barred from trial.
Seacat accused the judge at sentencing of helping to convict him by hiding evidence he claims proves his innocence.