There will be no trial in a Lyon County vehicular murder case stemming from a crash near Emporia in April 2023. That’s because the defendant, Travis Duane Edwards, accepted a plea agreement as part of a hearing Tuesday.
Edwards was originally charged with two counts of second-degree murder, three counts of aggravated battery and one count of interference with law enforcement after his semi crashed into several other vehicles at US Highway 50 and Road C, killing two people. On Tuesday, Edwards pleaded no contest to two counts of involuntary manslaughter and one count of aggravated battery.
As part of the plea agreement terms, Edwards cannot operate a commercial motor vehicle. He also must surrender his passport. Relocation to Marshall County was authorized, and Judge Laura Miser said she will consider furloughs for medical appointments with Edwards suffering from a heart condition.
Sentencing will be Oct. 25. Depending on the results of a presentence investigation, Edwards could receive anywhere from 36 months probation to a range of prison terms from 38 to 136 months on the involuntary manslaughter counts. The sentence on the aggravated battery count could be anywhere from 7-19 months probation to 18-23 months in prison.
