Lawrence Man Convicted of Aggravated Robbery, Attempted Voluntary Manslaughter

Lawrence, Kan. – Douglas County District Attorney Suzanne Valdez today announced that a jury

returned guilty verdicts of aggravated robbery and attempted voluntary manslaughter against Michael

Hormell, 21, of Lawrence.

Charges stemmed from an incident Jan. 26, 2018, in which Hormell and a co-conspirator set up a fake

drug deal with the intent of robbing the victim. The victim resisted and was shot in the chest by Hormell.

The victim was airlifted to the KU Hospital and eventually recovered.

The case was the first jury trial in Douglas County District Court in more than year because of the COVID-

19 pandemic and was held at the Douglas County Fairgrounds, instead of the Courthouse.

“Community safety is the top priority of this office,” Valdez said. “Even when things take longer, we can

never lose sight of our objective to obtain justice for victims and survivors. I’d also like to thank the

Douglas County Sheriff’s Office for ensuring safety and security during the proceedings in this

unconventional setting.”

The State was represented by Valdez and Deputy District Attorney Joshua Seiden. The case was

investigated by the Lawrence Police Department, the Douglas County Sheriff’s Office, and the Kansas

Bureau of Investigation.

Sentencing for Hormell is scheduled for 11 a.m. May 21 at the Douglas County Courthouse. Hormell

faces sentences of 55-247 months in the Kansas Department of Corrections for the aggravated robbery

conviction and 31-136 months for attempted voluntary manslaughter, dependent upon his criminal

history score.