A Douglas County judge on Thursday sentenced a man to two consecutive life prison terms for the murder of two men and the attempted murder and assault of police officers.
Rodney Ericson Marshall, 55, was found guilty in May of murdering two Lawrence men and attempting to murder law enforcement officers.
The shootings on July 31, 2022, left Shelby Len McCoy, 52, and William “Dale” O’Brien, 43, dead at separate locations in central Lawrence.
Witnesses said Marshall later shot at officers during a 20-minute chase through town and onto Kansas Highway 10, where he was finally arrested just east of Eudora’s Church Street exit.
Stephanie O’Brien, Dale’s sister, said her brother did not deserve to die, and certainly not in such a violent way.
“The only thing my brother was guilty of was being an addict and knowing Rodney Marshall,” she said.
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Stephanie told the court that her brother’s death had left their family in “unimaginable grief” and said she hoped Marshall would never be free again.
Several O’Brien family members remembered Dale as a hardworking concrete finisher, a devoted dog dad, and a person who showed up for the people he loved.
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Leslie O’Brien described her brother as funny, easygoing and protective of his family. He loved animals, particularly his dogs, and would pick Leslie up on the weekends just to get to the dog park.
“He was someone you could depend on when things went wrong, and my family depended on him often,” she said.
Stephanie said her brother maintained friendships dating back to elementary and junior high school.
McCoy’s relatives spoke of the lasting devastation caused by his death.
Lisa McCoy Smith, who said she married into the family 50 years ago, read a statement on behalf of the family members who could not attend the hearing.
She said the killing had affected several generations of the family, causing depression, anger, nightmares, insomnia and anxiety.
Barbara McCoy, Shelby’s niece, said her father — Shelby’s brother — witnessed the aftermath of the shooting and continues to carry that trauma.
“I hope you also know that you not only killed both of them gentlemen that day, but you killed my dad’s mom as well from heartbreak,” she said.
Law enforcement officers who were targeted during the pursuit also addressed the court. Eudora Police Officer Austin Kost said he had been attempting to deploy spike strips to end the pursuit when Marshall fired a gun. Kost said the event remained with him and his family because of how close they came to losing him.
Marshall also received consecutive sentences for four counts of attempted second-degree murder, two counts of aggravated assault on a law enforcement officer and fleeing or attempting to elude law enforcement.
Given the opportunity, Marshall did not address the court.
Douglas County District Judge Amy Hanley capped the combined sentence for those offenses at 204 months, or 17 years, to be served consecutive to the two life sentences.
Defense attorney Branden Bell requested concurrent sentences because Marshall was on drugs and did not have all his faculties at the time of the crimes, but the judge did not grant that request.
Hanley told Marshall that drug use did not justify the killings or the violence directed at officers. The jury had rejected the defenses based on drug use and self-defense, the judge said.
“I want to clearly articulate that the reason for this sentence is because there must be accountability for each life taken and each life put at risk,” she said.
Hanley thanked law enforcement for their professionalism and recognized the courage it took for those who spoke in court.
“The court process provides closure in the sense that this part is over, but I recognize that it doesn’t provide peace,” Hanley said. “I can say that with certainty that seeking peace is beyond the courtroom.”
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Courtney Lane (she/her), reporting correspondent, has worked with The Lawrence Times since April 2026. Originally from Arkansas, she’s a graduate of KU’s Journalism school, where she worked as a reporter, opinion section editor, and eventually editor-in-chief for The Kansan.
Read her work for the Times at this link, and see her photography for the Times at this link.
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