KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) - A Kansas City man who was barred from attending his own trial after two outbursts in court has been found guilty in the shooting deaths of three people, including his estranged girlfriend.
Derek Hubbard, 49, was convicted Wednesday of one count of first-degree murder, two counts of second-degree murder and three counts of armed criminal action in the November 2011 killings of Hubbard's estranged girlfriend, Stephanie Brown; Brown's cousin, Anthony Carlos Richardson; and Richardson's wife, Mary Richardson, The Kansas City Star reported (http://bit.ly/1m9IR2G).
Hubbard was barred from the courtroom last week after he yelled about being a victim of a conspiracy and attacked his public defender. Hubbard claimed the alleged conspiracy involved Kansas City Police Chief Darryl Forte, a childhood friend of Anthony Richardson. Hubbard watched the trial on a live television feed.
The Jackson County jury found that Hubbard shot and killed all three victims at an east Kansas City home after Brown refused to leave with him.
Public defender Curt Winegarner told jurors Wednesday that Hubbard's absence from the court should not influence their decision. He argued that two witnesses to the shootings lied when they said Hubbard fired the fatal shots, and that police did not investigate other potential suspects.
Jackson County Assistant Prosecutor Nichole Erickson said that none of the testimony during the trial supported the defense's claim.
Hubbard will be sentenced on Sept. 19.