On April 1, 2019, Ronald Rex Lomax, 53, was sentenced to 68 months imprisonment for his role in an attempted home invasion which resulted in the death of Lomax’s conspirator, Erik Jones, of West Mineral. In January, Lomax pleaded guilty to multiple felonies, including attempted aggravated burglary, aggravated assault, and contributing to a child’s misconduct or deprivation.
According to Cherokee County Attorney Jake Conard, In March 2017 Lomax, Jones, and a juvenile female drove to a residence in West Mineral to confront the homeowner. Surveillance footage from the residence shows Lomax and Jones were both armed with firearms. When Jones attempted to enter the residence, he was shot by the homeowner and later died at the hospital from his wounds.
“We obtained the maximum sentence as provided by Kansas Law,” says Conard. “Usually, when someone gets killed in the commission of a felony, the suspect is prosecuted for first degree murder, which is punishable by life imprisonment; however, Kansas Courts have found our felony murder statute does not apply to the death of a co-felon.”