OLATHE, Kan. — A Johnson County teenager is expected to spend seven years in custody for his involvement in a man’s murder in an Olathe park last year.
A Johnson County judge sentenced 15-year-old Brandon Banks to 155 months, or nearly 13 years, for the death of Marco Cardino on Wednesday.
Cardino died in Black Bob Park in May during an alleged drug deal.
Banks pleaded guilty to second-degree intentional murder in Cardino’s death in August.
As part of a plea deal, Banks will serve time in a juvenile correctional facility, according to the Johnson County District Attorney’s Office. As long as he complies with the sentence, Banks will be released from the facility when he turns 22 and a half years old, which is in a little over seven years.
AThe Kansas Department of Corrections says juveniles can serve a sentence in a juvenile facility until they reach the age of 22 and a half years old.
If Banks violates any part of the sentence, he will be transferred to an adult prison where he will finish serving the full 13-year sentence, according to the plea deal.
Banks is one of seven teenagers charged in Cardino’s death.
A court filing says the teenagers took masks and a gun with them when they went to Black Bob Park to buy drugs from Cardino. The document also says one of the teenagers told investigators she believed the other teenagers planned ahead to steal the marijuana from Cardino.
The other teenagers involved in the case have either already been sentenced, or their cases are working their ways through the courts.
As part of a plea deal, 14-year-old Kristofor Washington will serve up to eight years in a juvenile facility, but has the possibility of being released earlier for good behavior.
Jacobi Epting, now 15, is charged with first-degree murder in Cardino’s murder. A judge certified him as an adult.
An 18-year-old, who was 17 at the time of the alleged crime, also pleaded guilty Tuesday to reduced charges of aggravated battery and distribution of marijuana. He was sentenced to three years in a juvenile facility.
Another 15-year-old is charged with first-degree murder. Her trial is scheduled to begin Aug. 23, 2023.
Finally, two 13-year-olds have been charged in relation to the deadly shooting. One has since pleaded guilty to interference with law enforcement. The other pleaded not guilty to charges last year.